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Garden Drainage: Start to finish

135

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    It would be far quicker, easier and a much more effective (cost and efficency) to run land drain(s) from problem area within garden area and connect to nearest AJ with storm drain/grey water.

    Land drains are best put in at 900 mm depth and set in 300mm gravel and slits should be on sides to avoid any silting up before backfilling. Soak pits should be a min of 9 cu feet. In a small garden expect smaller soak pit to fill quickly and simply result in moving the excess water around.

    A word of caution, running land drains with falls to neighbouring properties could also lead to more complex problems with neighbouring sites. I would be reluctant to recommend that anyone diverts run-off to potentially 'flood' a neighbours garden!


  • Registered Users Posts: 702 ✭✭✭wreckless


    Delly, i know. i just have to keep telling myself that all the time. it will be worth it in the end!!! the days getting longer are a big help anyway. i can do a bit every evening and at the weekends. maybe some tv crew need a job to shoot for a new garden programme. any tv people reading this ;)

    the difference the 2 holes made straight away was incredible. no squelching under the foot after the rain.


  • Registered Users Posts: 244 ✭✭Frank11


    I’m currently looking to get rid of all grass from my back garden and am intending to slab 45m^2 and gravel 85m^2. Should drainage be something I should concerned about? I never had any problems before with the grass.
    I will be looking for a gardener to do this work as I am absolutely clueless.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    Frank11 wrote: »
    I’m currently looking to get rid of all grass from my back garden and am intending to slab 45m^2 and gravel 85m^2. Should drainage be something I should concerned about? I never had any problems before with the grass.
    I will be looking for a gardener to do this work as I am absolutely clueless.

    It shouldn't be but much will depend on direction of the run-off from patio, area isn't that large, but as a precaution you could dig a deeper trench 300mm/12" along patio perimeter and back fill with hardcore/gravel, this will allow run-off to dissipate quickly without creating any marshy spots.

    Stone gardens can look very good, and providing well finished can be easy to maintain. But as a matter of interest, did you consider using synthetic grass for part of the area?


  • Registered Users Posts: 244 ✭✭Frank11


    It shouldn't be but much will depend on direction of the run-off from patio, area isn't that large, but as a precaution you could dig a deeper trench 300mm/12" along patio perimeter and back fill with hardcore/gravel, this will allow run-off to dissipate quickly without creating any marshy spots.

    Stone gardens can look very good, and providing well finished can be easy to maintain. But as a matter of interest, did you consider using synthetic grass for part of the area?


    Easy Maintain is the key for me. I never heard of synthetic grass, sounds expensive. Cheers.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    There are various grades from which to choose from cheap and cheerful (with limited wear and tear qualities) , some requiring brushed in sand (which is probably better avoided), to resilient grass well capable of withstanding everything typical of garden activities to highly impressive and lush ornamental look.

    For better grades expect costs to be similar to paving. In fact ground preparation would be similar, ie excavate, hardcore base, compacted sand blinding and roll out synthetic grass (usually available in 2m and 4m wide rolls) which would be secured on perimeter.


  • Registered Users Posts: 210 ✭✭eamo12


    Nice solution for a small garden, but what if you have a much larger garden? I'm looking for a cheap solution to getting rid if my moss on the lawn.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,398 ✭✭✭dfbemt


    Just checking if you have some recent pics Delly?

    Thanks


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 7,638 Mod ✭✭✭✭delly


    dfbemt wrote: »
    Just checking if you have some recent pics Delly?

    Thanks
    I'll charge up the old Canon and snap a few after my next cut.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,248 ✭✭✭rhonin


    Our garden was a mess when we bought our house. The soil was all compacted and the water would just lie on the surface. Thanks to Delly's thread we finally have soemthing that resembles a garden :)

    Imported%20Photos%2000061.JPG

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    These were taken during the winter.

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    Dug out the drains.

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    Layed the drainage pipes

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    Added the topsoil

    DSC01367.JPG

    Finally some grass :D

    As the garden was sloping to the back of the house I piped the drainage into the storm water pipe outside the house. So far it works a treat.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 169 ✭✭The Duk


    Hi, I have about 50 Meters of 80 mm drainage pipe left after doing up my garden. If anyone is interested let me know. I'm In Dublin 11.


  • Registered Users Posts: 169 ✭✭The Duk


    Hi, The drainage pipe is now gone. Good luck with your gradens.


  • Registered Users Posts: 702 ✭✭✭wreckless


    Here is a few more shots of the drainage at the back of the gaff.


    full 50m roll of drainage pipe used , about 3 ton of stone, used a lot of the topssoil under the new lawn , graded it down towards the soak holes and laid the new lawn , that instant lawn rocks, got it from a company in enniscorthy for 160 quid delivered, down and finished in about 6 hours, plenty of watering and its finished. the decking area came out really well, just need to cement down the capping stones and its finished, well pleased with all the work, started in jan, finished about july/august.

    used a cedar coloured oil on both decking areas, they did come out a different shade alright but sure it cant be helped, although i did powerwash the decking along the back of the house first and then 2 good coats of decking oil, same on the new area.


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  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,108 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dizzyblonde


    What a transformation! It's fabulous, you must be very pleased.


  • Registered Users Posts: 32 Waffle


    Hi all,
    I am in the throes of a garden drainage project. Thanks to "The Duk :cool:" for the piping.

    Original plan was to mix the excavated soil with compost/sand and reuse. However it is a heavy clay and far worse than I imagined and there is far more of it too.

    What is the best way to get rid of this? Do councils provide a facility for this type of "waste"?

    Cheers,
    Waffle.


  • Registered Users Posts: 702 ✭✭✭wreckless


    know any farmers? tractor and trailors are very handy, and cheap. ;)

    if not, a skip is one sure way, and quick, dropped one day and collected when full, different sizes available. id say i removed about 8 ton of crap useless soil in the garden, marly, sticky stuff. if you have good topsoil, heap it one side and re-use it when levelling off


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7 torourke


    Looks great! I wish I had done a proper job day 1 like yourself! inspiring to see the photos! Well done!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12 Fabvin


    Well done! The pictures look good but I bet your back and arms were sore! Was it worth it for such a small, space all the drainage and that.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11 castlemoy


    good job is there anywhere in dublin you can buy all landscape material in one place turf soil paving etc instead of different places???


  • Registered Users Posts: 245 ✭✭Black Dog


    Wreckless,

    That last photographs is outstanding. Well done!

    It's a joy to see there are so many people who are willing to roll up the shirtsleeves and get on with a bit of work. I thought I was one of a dying breed.

    Delly, could I suggest you get rid of the tree. It's a cedar of some description and will get huge.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 39 treesireland


    well done , great effort. my coment will make you cross , but i do not meen any ofince. your garden will benafit from your diging , you could hav achived the same result by spending the price of a box of grass seed, the plants growing in the garden told the thru storey, the soil was good , the hool you dug proved this , the only thing the garden needed was to be dug over and reseeded, but for such good effort i wood let you into my garden any day,


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 7,638 Mod ✭✭✭✭delly


    The cedar has been severely cut back last year, and will probably be reduced again this year. I have been told they are great at sucking up thee excess water, so it can only help.

    Even now a few years later, the drainage is working well. I can happily make it to the shed in the Winter without suffering the squelch underneath my feet. The quality of the grass however has taken a hit, and is patchy in parts despite getting some good lawnfeed. I think its just a case of the soil is the crappiest of the crap, but theres not much I can do about that i'm afraid.


  • Registered Users Posts: 26,960 ✭✭✭✭GreeBo


    well done , great effort. my coment will make you cross , but i do not meen any ofince. your garden will benafit from your diging , you could hav achived the same result by spending the price of a box of grass seed, the plants growing in the garden told the thru storey, the soil was good , the hool you dug proved this , the only thing the garden needed was to be dug over and reseeded, but for such good effort i wood let you into my garden any day,

    Based on the water in the second photo I would have to disagree.
    My garden has taken a ridiculous amount of water of the last months and has never looked like that.

    There was definitely a drainage issue here.
    Excellent job OP, lovely wall also.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,108 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dizzyblonde


    delly, I just want to thank you for putting up the photos originally. We followed your method earlier this year and I'm happy to report that we haven't had as much as a little puddle in our garden since. It used to become a lake every time it rained and even the torrential rain we and a while back made no impact.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 39 treesireland


    yes there was a dranage problem. the two plants at the back of the garden how ever told a conflicting storey , these 2 plants mainly triv in good wel draned soils, the fact that they were growing besid awall meens they head shelter, it also meens it would hav been dryer , but the soil profil looked good, but if the soil is good and the dranage is bad,,,,,,how is this ???????? the ans to this is in the history of how the small urben gardens are put in place,


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,167 ✭✭✭gsxr1


    Fc7l1WFN.jpeg

    this is my garden. Its wet during the winter and a few steps on one spot creates mud. Garden chairs sink in it even during summer.


    its not big. that is a 4m ladder on the ground.


    I seen dellys fantastic work

    I was thinking that all those trenches would be wasted effort and money in my much smaller plot.

    Could I pick your brains on this idea instead.


    This is a rough pic of what I would like to do.

    oQgz84O3.jpeg

    Dig a trench through the hard packed sub soil I have and simply fill it with washed stone. maybe 1 ton bag full. As the garden is so small Im thinking the surrounding area would drain into the same hole through the top soil.


    Would this work..??? All it would cost is a ton of stone


  • Registered Users Posts: 494 ✭✭Sneachta


    Hi all,

    Just wondering when you filled in the large hole with rocks what did you put on top of the rocks? Do you put some kind of barrier between rocks and soil above? How high with rocks did you fill the hole?


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 7,638 Mod ✭✭✭✭delly


    gsxr1 wrote: »
    Would this work..??? All it would cost is a ton of stone
    I'm not sure tbh. I think you would defo have some relief but it may only exist above the soak pit and a small bit further. Having only known my own situation, in your case if not using the pipes etc., then personally i'd create 3 soakpits of smaller size going left to right at the front middle and back of the garden.
    Sneachta wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Just wondering when you filled in the large hole with rocks what did you put on top of the rocks? Do you put some kind of barrier between rocks and soil above? How high with rocks did you fill the hole?
    Its going a while back now, but iirc, I used gradually smaller stones as I got to the top of the pit and left maybe a foot of topsoil on it. I covered over the top of the stones with the same weed stop material you see in the pics, then put a few layers of chicken wire on top of it to help it not to move over time. I also danced a jig or two to make sure the stone was all compacted and not going to move once the soil went on top.


  • Registered Users Posts: 954 ✭✭✭W.B. Yeats


    Folks

    Typical Dublin housing estate garden- water logged in winter and usually dry in the summer when there is good weather but it can take a good while to dry out when it rains.

    WE have a dog though and it makes it hard on the drying as he runs up and down the garden. currently the 5 foot at the bottom of the garden is just in muck, all the grass is gone. Result is he drags in the muck into the house which isn't good for hygiene with a young baby crawling around.

    There is also a drain cover in the middle of the garden- think its a sewer that's underneath

    Now I reckon there is a drainage issue of some sort, I don't have the time, or the skill to build this French drain solution myself and think that grass might be a no no anyway with the dog.
    So a few questions:

    1. If I went for the drainage with the French drains is there some ultra tough wearing grass that could tolerate a dog? Typically how much would this cost to get a landscaper or gardener to do ( garden is probably 18 feet by 30 feet) ? Any recommendations in Dublin?

    2. Is there another option of putting down gravel or some sort of loose pebble in the garden that would get us over the drainage issue without having to dig the drains? Would I have to dig up the grass, put down some sort of membrane over the soil before putting down gravel? How much would this cost? Any recommendations?

    Sorry for the 20 questions but I need a solution that isn't mad expensive and that I can get done in the next few weeks.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 32 Waffle


    gsxr1,
    It probably would work.
    However I think a smaller soakpit (in length) with four or five short channels leading into it would be better and probably less work. Gentle slope leading into the pit. You would not even require the pipe for the channels. Just dig down a foot or so (width of a shovel). Line with landscape fabric. Fill 2/3 with stone. Wrap around landscape fabric. Fill with good soil to level with garden.

    Waffle.


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