I need some input on how to solve a drainage issue. My first rehab is almost done. I expect to be on the market in two weeks. The house looks great and I’m very happy with the results except for the fact that when I repaired the broken concrete retaining wall in the front landscaping water started coming into the house through the garage.
The grade on the lot runs diagonally from the front corner, past (through) the house and out the back of the lot. there is only one place (the corner of the garage right next to the kitchen) that the water was coming in. As a temporary fix I drilled a 1/2 in. hole in the retaining wall i had just fixed to let the water drain back through it. This is a temporary fix because Im sure it will clog upeventually.
My theory is to drop a sump pit in the corner of the drive where the water was coming in and a rail drain across the entrance to the garage to catch any additional water headed that way. This would allow me to force the water up grade and away from my house but would mean a sump pump buried in the corner of the driveway and close to where cars would be driving into the garage.
We have not put carpets in yet and are holding off until we solve this issue. Any ideas would be welcome.
maybe the guys on the tv show this old house could help?
I’m not sure if this will work for you but here is something we did once. You can buy a square box that has a great at the top of it, you then buy some plastic tubing that attaches to the box. The box should be at ground level and run the tubs at a slight angle to where you want the water to drain. It worked great for us!
The water needs a place to go. You want to this mechanically with a pump. Much simplier and easier to maintain would be to use a perimeter tile. Very similar to field drainage tile on damp farmland. It is made of perforated plasticand there are different diameters for each job. Once it is installed properly it works unseen.
I appriciate all the input on gravity draining but there is concrete on two sides of the low spot and the only way down hill from there is into the house or through the concrete that I cant afford to break up and re-pour. I contacted a drainage specialist and he came out today. he suggested I either cut a trench into the existing concrete to put in a perforated drain (drain tile) or break it up all together. grading the driveway wont even work because the street is higher than the house. I suggested the sump pit idea and he stated it would work fine as long as I got a sump pit that was large enough and the power did not go out. I am going in search of a sump pit tomorrow and will install the pump along with a battery backup asap.