How to deal with water run off from neighbour?

Hi guys, after all the rain recently there has been excessive run off from my neighbour who does sit slightly higher than my block, issue is it can build up and run under neath my house. There is an existing rock retaining wall which doesn't stop the water. As you can see I have made shift digging a hole to catch the water with a pump and put the dirt in behind the rock wall to try and limit water running in.

Unsure the best way to approach this as I want to keep the ground as low as possible to allow my vents in the brick work to breath. I have storm water right there all along the house so that isn't an issue to T into when I put drainage in. The vents sit lower than the bottom of the fence. Ideas on a retaining wall or other solutions would be great !

Ps if I have to removing the old rock wall is necessary let me know otherwise leaving it there would great as it'd be difficult to do.

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Comments

JacobZ

Hi @Jhard94,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

I would start by communicating the issue with your neighbour. There is some requirement for your neighbour to assist in reducing water runoff from their property into yours. Their assistance in installing adequate drainage on their side of the fence will certainly help.

I'd suggest you continue the retaining wall from its location in the first image, up to the fence. This would help to stop further soil erosion and would allow you to install agi pipe between the fence and the retaining wall to capture any ground water that is flowing over to your side of the fence.

It would also be beneficial to install a deep drainage channel such as this Everhard 3m EasyDRAIN Polymer Grate And Prejoined Channel along the outside of your home, ensuring the top of the channel is beneath the line of the brick vent to capture any surface water that might get past the agi pipe.

Both of these drainage options should be attached to your home's stormwater by a suitably licenced plumber to ensure it is flowing to the street and into the council stormwater channels.

Allow me to tag some of our helpful members for their thoughts and inspiration, @TedBear, @Noyade, @Nailbag, @Dave-1.

You might also like to check out How to install garden drainage for some further guidance.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jacob

Dave-1

Evening @Jhard94

Looks like its time for a bit of landscaping, a pain but probarly wise to do. As @JacobZ has said chatting to your neighbour in the first instance would be a good idea, even helping out with digging drainage on their side might be an overall easier option. Sometimes its too hard and I do understand that. I have the same type of problem with water coming from my neighbours, I chose to manage it myself and not have to worry about conflict.

So a few questions first.

1 - That short side fence of yours what is behind it? Does the land slope down from that?

2 - The silt against your sid eof the fence, is that mud you have sholved up against the fence?

3 - The black plastic sheeting, was that for weeds or to stop water?

4 - How far back up the fence does the neighbours raised ground go? It looks like the water comes through only with the section you have shown?

With the stormwater pipe you have next to the building its sitting too high to be used as an intake for the stormwater. The vents under the house is a much easier path to follow for the water 😕

I am hoping that the ground on the other side of your short fence dips, You could install a channel styled drain to capture the water before it gerts near those air vents for under your house. You would need to have it open with a grill top to take the quantity of water you have pooled. It looks like you have holes in the stormwater pipe ? I wonder if you could build a brickwork edge around the air intakes? That way its sealed at least to the floor level and still allows air to vent?

That "old rock wall" I am wondering how close the top of that is to your neighbours soil level? Blcking water is hard to do as it will always want to push through and find a way to the lowest point. Helping the water get to the lowest point I have found is a better way to go then damning it.

Will wait and see your answers and have a think 🙂

Dave

Jhard94

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/38254#Comment_38254

Hey mate my neighbours are renters so I don't think they will really care or are worried and that'd probs be the same for the owners so I might just try sort out myself for now and if I have to go down that route I will.

1.Yes the property does slope down from that fence but not dramatically, that PVC pipe you see connects to a old clay pipe that runs to the street, that connection is less than a meter on the other side of the small fence. It's annoying how high the PVC pipe sits but I can't drop it any lower as then I would lose the angle for water to flow.

2.Yes all that muck it just what I have dug out so I can easily remove that all to clean it up. The rocks sit maybe slightly higher than the bottom fence line but as you said water easy gets through it.

3. Black sheeting I assume is just for weeds, I have only recently purchased the property so all you see is previous owners works.

4. That is where the majority of neighbours water flows the rest isn't a issue . But I will run agi pipe back towards the higher ground to be sure.

Yeah I like the ideas both you and Jacobz have suggested about running a box drain along the house. I will have to leave the PVC pipe there as it comes from a down pipe and another PVC pipe that comes from the backyard somewhere(buried) so I don't want to change that as the fall is very slight from that T point. Put the box drain next to PVC pipe at a lower height to catch any run off water and continue the existing retaining wall to the fence line with agi pipe to catch majority of the neighbours water.

The exposed PVC pipe will be an eye sore but I'd prefer have my under floor breath and ventilate properly as well as sort out the water issues I'm having.

That's what I'm thinking, let us know if you agree . Appreciate your help so far👍

Dave-1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/81316#Comment_81316

Evening @Jhard94

Sounds like a good plan, You could do what I suggested with the boxing of the air vents and then continue wiith a long say bricked box to conceal the existing stormwater pipe. Then that grill drain could go next to it and feed the water through and down past the short fence?

The water from my neighbours was originally from renters next door so totally get that point.

You could always try that dam idea that I dont recommend beside your fence, effectivly another boxed section along your fenceline but higher then the neighbours soil. Water will find a way and bank somewheer else potentially causing more issues. The box drain idea would be the most problem solving way to go. Rock and a hard place or water and a dam 🙂

Dave

Jhard94

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/105372#Comment_105372

Yeah sounds good,

What do you mean by boxing the air vents ? Do you have a picture ? I understand concealing the pipe with bricks thats not a bad idea

Nailbag

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/38239#Comment_38239

Hi @Jhard94 Ideally you want to rectify the issue from the cause so, before performing works and spending any money, I would be making efforts to contact the property management agency, which hopefully the tenant will provide. Through the agency you can advise the water runoff issue and see if together you can establish if the cause is from natural above ground from heavy rain, any significant landscaping causing the issue (they must rectify) of due to broken/damaged storm water pipes, which they must rectify.

Regards, Nailbag

Dave-1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/119822#Comment_119822

Evening @Jhard94

Will try and draw a picture tomorrow, But imagine this. The "vent" you have on the wall, from the wall you build a box shape out from it pretty much like a straight pot plant pot, so three sides are brick/concrete and one side is the vent with a base of concrete. That way the air can still get to the vent by going down the box and then through the vent to under the house.

Dave

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