Impossible (?) water drainage problem...

Hi everyone! I have a very difficult drainage problem between my house and my neighbor's house and I'm looking for some suggestions!!! Here are the facts: -the property line is about 6 ft from the side of my house, 10 ft from my neighbor's -from the property line to my house, the ground is almost perfectly level (ground is graded away from my neighbor's house, which is higher than mine) -the ground hits the foundation of my house only 2 or 3 inches below the siding, so the grading cannot be easily changed -the ground in the front yard and back yard is higher than between the two houses -there is a large tree in the front yard, and another in the back yard, near the property line SO, people have suggested putting drain tubing at the property line to help with the problem, but there is no lower spot to empty. The city suggested running drain tubing to an 8 foot deep, 1 ft diameter, gravel filled hole...that I would somehow dig through the hard ground and/or the roots of the giant trees. Good times. HOWEVER, my friend said that drain tubing would eventually get clogged and my problem would return. SOMEONE ELSE suggested putting 2x12's running the length of the house horizontally, and recessed into the ground a couple of inches (supported a few inches from the house) and building up the ground against that treated wood to get a good grade. For the rain that might make it behind the 12 inch high wood, he suggested putting a drain tube that is cut in half length-wise and pitched toward the front of the yard...possibly emptying into a small hole (although rain almost never falls directly in that area due to an overhang). HOWEVER, someone else told me that the dirt would erode under the 2x12 and I'd eventually have the same problem. Can anyone help with any insight on either of these suggestions...or possibly another suggestion that someone hasn't told me about yet? I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This thing has me not wanting to finish work in my basement, as I never know when the next big rain will strike!

 

Hi Fireman, if the IL on your tag means Illinois, then you have winter and frost to deal with. So anything you put in the ground has a risk of freezing. I know that doesn't help, but had to be considered.

What are your actual soils? dirt? clay? sand? gravel? in other words will it take any water vertically?

Is there a storm drain at the road and could you connect? Usually they are deep enough to be below any frost line.

Also, more bad news, remember that the frost will lift the ground. In the NE, and IL won't be a lot different, I allow a minimum of 6", so landscaping that is 10' away will lift 6" during the winter. Therefore, you need at least 4" to 6" plus that six to have a slope.

Since your neighbor is higher, can he/she get their drainage out to the road?

None of this is going to be cheap or easy. Do you have pictures?
Post them at photobucket.com and post the link over here, or other host.

GL
Bud

 

If I understand correctly, the space between the houses is basically a valley. So, the water can't go to the street. The city has the closest idea to what I would do. I would use the flexible drain tubing, the one with the holes in it but instead of a 1' diameter hole I would make it about 5 feet wide & 6' deep. In the hole, build a circular tower with some large block. Stagger the rows as you go up, so the water can pass in & out of it. Throw some gravel inside it & outside it. Cover the structure with one of those things that look like a man hole cover but is made out of concrete. That way, the dirt won't go in when you back fill. You are basically building a dry well.

I can't say where the best location is or how many lines you want to run to it, unless you post some pictures. Maybe you can decide yourself.

 

Pictures by firemanIL - Photobucket

Thanks Bud! The neighbor has no problem...because he has 10 ft, it grades away...and then my house is so low.

 

I would put the drywell just about dead center between the houses & run the tubing from each end of the house to it. Stay on your side of the line if necessary. Merge both down spouts from the gutters, yours & his if you can. The idea is to keep the water contained until it has time to sink into the soil.

 

Hi Fireman,

Your problem is not impossible, but it will take some work. Because the place where the water is standing is so close to your house, I don't recommend you put in a dry-well right where the water is. You generally want to keep a drywell at least 10 feet away from your house.

What you need is a "french drain". There is a ton of info on these available via the google. Essentially you will dig a trench as close to the property line as possible that will eventually get filled with pipe and stone and covered back up. That trench needs to slope down toward your backyard. You can use black flexible drain pipe in the trench so it can curve every which way around the tree and any other obstacles.

The trench needs to slope down at a 2% grade (2 feet down for every 100 feet of travel) if you use black flexible tubing. Because you are digging a trench, it doesn't matter that the backyard ground is higher.

When you get 10' or more past your house, you'll do basically what the city said to do and build a dry-well. Dig a big-ass hole, line it with landscape fabric, terminate the pipe into it, fill it with washed rocks and cover it back with dirt and sod. Alternately, you could decrease your work by using a plastic drywell such as this: Sprinkler.com | FLO-WELL 49GAL Plastic Drywell Consisting of Sides and Lid

As for the hard earth, rent a trencher to dig the ditch and a two-man auger to break-up the dirt for the dry-well and you can have this done in a couple of weekends.

It's not exactly cheap, but it is a hell of a lot cheap than trying to waterproof your foundation from the outside.

Good luck!