How to fix leaking in garage?

[ChrisA]

Hi everyone,

I have an old garage that I want to convert to a music room with lots of equipment. It has hardiplank on the outside and I plan to add acoustic insulation it and then add thick soundchek plasterboard for sound proofing.

My problem is that some water gets in at the bottom of the walls in heavy rain and I wanted to make sure this was fixed before starting work on the room.

On the advice for a local plumbing store I installed a down pipe and a stormwater pit which goes to a pit of blue metal…but this overflows in heavy rain. (please see pics)

My question is should I install some type of drain around the garage before doing the project and if so what type.

Also should I try to waterproof around the bottom of the walls?

As you should be able to see I. The fourth photo the fence is higher than the bottom the shed and the land slopes down.

I would be grateful for any help/ suggestions.

 

 

 

 

   

  

[ChrisA]

Hi Jacob,

Thank you so much for all this great information and assistance!

Regards 

Chris

[JacobZ]

No worries @ChrisA, let me know if there's any other questions that pop up. I'm more than happy to help.

Jacob

[ChrisA]

Hi everyone ,

I had a question about channel drains.

I was looking at installing a channel drain at the back to our garage …some thing like the Everhard 3 meter Easy  Drain but I wanted to know if I could put the drain  in the soil trench I dig …maybe with a bed of gravel to hold it in place and with spikes to secure it…rather than having to concrete them in?

Would this be sufficient?

Please see pics.

  

[JacobZ]

Hi @ChrisA,

Thank you for your question on setting channel drains in place.

For optimal structural integrity and to mitigate subsidence risks, it's advisable to concrete the channels in place rather than relying solely on compacted gravel. Everhard's installation instructions advise that you can have a bed of concrete roughly 15-20mm thick that the drain can then be pressed into. This approach ensures a properly installed system, adhering to warranty conditions, and should require only minimal additional effort.  

While compacted gravel may offer some rigidity, concrete is recommended by the supplier as the best practice. 

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[ChrisA]

 

 

Hi everyone,

I am putting so drainage around this garage but I not sure what to do with the banked up soil between the fence and the garage …if I  a I leave it as is I think it will end up in the drain when it rains blocking the drain. Please see pics.

Is there a solution that involves not  to much digging ?

Regards 

Chris

[EricL]

Hello @ChrisA 

Unfortunately, there is no escape from digging if you are putting in drainage. I propose taking all the excess soil and bringing it to your front garden and spreading it around like you are topping it up. If there are any low spots in your front garden you can also put some the soil in that area. 

If you have a vegetable or flower garden you can add soil in that spot. I propose looking around your home garden and see if there are areas where you can add the extra soil you've dug out.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

[ChrisA]

Hi Eric,

Thankyou for the reply.

If I dug the dirt out would there be a problem with the fence being supported?? Also should I put something down to stop the dirt falling into the drain?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @ChrisA,

How much further must you lower the surrounding soil to be level with the top of the drainage grate? I would be hesitant to undermine the fence post footings.

If the slope towards the grate is steep and you're concerned about the soil flowing into it, you could add weed matting or geotextile matting over the soil up to the fence fixed down with matting pins and then cover it with aggregate or pebbles. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[ChrisA]

Hi Mitchell,

To get the soil level with the grate would require a significant amount to stool to be removed ..probably amount 250mm to 300mm….I would have to do lots of digging and hire a skip for the soil…so your idea is to just take some off to reduce the slope and cover with Geo textile matting and stones sounds excellent…could I use blue metal?

Regards 

Chris

[MitchellMc]

No need to even reduce the slope @ChrisA, as the matting will do a fine job of holding sediment in place; just ensure it is securely pinned in place. Blue metal would be suitable.

Mitchell