Drainage around our fence

[BazNaihaus]

Water runs off from my 2 neighbors into my property causing it to pool in my backyard . I am at the end of a sloping cul-de-sac .

The fence has a gap between itself and the ground ranging between 6 inches to 10 inches.

Last , but not the least , the fence is adjoined ( on my side ) by a row of bricks which consumes space.

I want to "fix" these three things as follows :

• Lay Ag Pipe adjacent to the fence and terminate that pipe on the other side of my property which has a drainage in place already.
• Place H4 timber under the fence to close the gap.
• Remove the bricks

I want to know if someone has been in a similar predicament before and how have the handled it ? Or , if you could tell me any better way of achieving the same outcome or things to look out for ? Thanks so much !!

[StevieB]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @BazNaihaus.

It’s great that you’ve already got a plan in mind, and I’m sure our community members will have plenty of ideas and advice for this project.

Let me mention @ProjectPete, @Adam_W and @MitchellMc who may have some helpful suggestions to kick off this discussion. Just note that our resident D.I.Y. expert Mitch will be back on the site on Friday.

Perhaps @benny also has insights to share after his experience of putting timber along the bottom of his fence. 

Look forward to seeing more of your projects around the house and garden.

Stevie

[redracer01 · Accepted solution]

Hello @BazNaihaus 

Hello and welcome to Bunnings Workshop.

I only worry that the pool of water becomes a mini river if the Ag pipe becomes flooded which is not good for your fence posts. The Ag pipe will disperse the water in to the ground and soak it, again not good for the surrounding fencing. You could install it in the french drain method that is to use mid sized gravel stones instead of soil to cover the Ag pipe so that the drainage would be immediate. How ever I am still worried about pooling should there be a sizable downpour.

The other possible method is to use open drains such as the Everhard easy drain system. This will at least guarantee that the water will get redirected properly and not soak in to the ground. As long as the fall is correct and there are no hard obstacles for you to lay the drain then you can link the easy drain to your existing system. I would strongly suggest using pits along the run to avoid over loading the run should it be longer than 10 meters.

The last one is my favorite of course. You can DIY an open shallow drain system from cement! You can make this as decorative and colorful as you want. It can be as deep and shallow as you want. It can turn in any direction and linking it to your existing system is guaranteed to work. But it does take a lot of planning and effort. I've attached pictures below for the systems suggested. It is always prudent and neighborly to mention to your neighbor that you are about to modify your side of the fence. It may have an adverse effect and redirect the flow of water to his side causing unintended consequences between the two of you. Removing the bricks should not be an issue as long as your drain system accounts for the water that the bricks absorb and redirect. Hence you get your space back! Good luck and stay safe!

Cheers,

Red

[MitchellMc]

Hi @BazNaihaus,

It's wonderful to see that you received a helpful reply from the knowledgeable @redracer01. 

Is the majority of the water flowing on top of the soil or below it? I'd suggest you dig a trench that is 500mm deep, parallel to the fence and along its length. Place 50mm worth of aggregate in the bottom of the trench before adding your Vinidex 100mm x 20m Socked Slotted Draincoil. You can then backfill the trench with more aggregate. This will capture the surface water and anything travelling beneath through the soil.

As @redracer01 has suggested, it might be worth touching base with your neighbour before beginning work. If you close that gap with timber, then most of the water travelling above ground will be prevented from entering your property but will end up in theirs and potentially cause damage. Although it is water flowing across their property and into yours, it's still an issue you should work together to solve. Perhaps they might be interested in having the drainage placed on their side of the fence.

Please let us know if you have any questions or need further assistance.

Mitchell

[Adam_W]

Hi @BazNaihaus 
The advice from others is all sound.
The trick is to get the water away as efficiently as possible & to send it somewhere appropriate such as into a dispersion pit or stormwater drain.
The issue with that brick wall is that it looks to be actual retaining so messing around with it could be a slightly complicated matter. As was said perhaps discuss with your neighbour before playing around too much and bear in mind that in some council areas anything to do with retaining that close to a boundary they may need to get involved with for approvals etc.