How to fix stormwater drainage?

[FreddyRenovates]

I'm planning to completely redo my yard and am looking for advice on drainage. The stormwater from my complex ends half way down the side of my place (and the end is concreted in and cut flush). Being in Brisbane, there's quite a lot of rain and it currently flows down my yard (we're on a hill) and accumulates along my back fence. I have two ideas: 1) extend the storm water to my back fence, or 2) add a retaining wall parallel to raise the right side of my yard to create a creek of sorts. I'm leaning towards the first option, but wondering how I end the pipe because I can't image just ending underground or at the fence level will be great. There is one house below us before the stormwater drain at the bottom of the hill. Any advice is appreciated as it's my first landscaping project.

[JacobZ]

Hi @FreddyRenovates,

If you are in a strata title complex, it would definitely be worth speaking with your strata manager to ensure any alterations to the stormwater are approved as if the stormwater is shared in any way, it would need to be run by the committee.

Extending the stormwater should certainly be done, but where it can run is another question because you can't just have it discharge into your neighbour's property. 

Considering the lay of the land and the way the stormwater currently discharges towards a neighbour, it is almost certainly best that you speak with a plumber to have a proper solution that diverts the stormwater to the council stormwater system without it flowing across the surface and causing issues with neighbours.

A plumber should be able to devise a way of moving the stormwater to the council system that works for you.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob