How to lay concrete along the fence?

[Mo2]

Hello there. 

I am planning to get rid of the grass and instead lay the concrete on the side area of my house approximately 42 m sq 

1 - Should I leave any gap between concrete and fence or can lay the concrete until the fence base. 

2 - If I leave the gap between fence and concrete of approx 0.1 for a garden bed so the water can sweep there. Is that feasible OR

drainage pits are must here before pouring concrete?

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Mo2,

Thank you for your question about concreting along your fence line.

Before starting, contact your local council to clarify specific rules for concreting near your fence. Commonly, councils will have setback and drainage requirements for fence lines to ensure water runoff is not affecting neighbouring properties and structures. A quick phone call can help guide your planning and ensure you are in line with council requirements. Even if no specific council rules apply, leaving a gap for drainage and maintenance is good practice to prevent future issues.

Having the water drain freely is not a great idea. An area of this size can accumulate and direct a large amount of water towards your fence line. Having it free drain under your fence will over time cause issues with structures and likely cause issues with your neighbour. A sufficient drainage system must be used. 

Adding a drainage channel along the edge of your concrete pad looks to be the best solution. Ideally, your drainage channel is connected to a stormwater pipe that runs to the council stormwater system. This will require the assistance of a plumber as connecting to council stormwater systems must be done by a suitably licenced professional.

Allow me to tag @Dave-1, @Nailbag and @TedBear to see if they have any advice they can offer.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Dave-1]

Morning @Mo2 

I would be installing drainage for sure and in particular a channel drain to capture all teh water from the hard surface. It has to go somewhere so better to plan ahead and plumb it in correctly. Having a hard concrete surface will also raise the temp of that area by a few degrees so a garden bed or two maybe be an idea to grow something leafy. 

Dave