how to prevent flooding?

bugsntinas

we bought our cottage insep7 2007.in jan this year we got flooded it just started to come up thru the kitchen floor(floorboards over 1 foot viod.soon we hope to put in a concrete floor with dpm.but outside is the main problem.we have a slight slope from our field,more of a slope from the field next door.we also get water from the neighbours garden,in bad rain,and also live in a bit of a valeey with the road.i need to raise the ground around the cottage can i get some kind of sealer to paint on the walls that will be covered with soil and drive?

RKQ

Not sure what you are trying to do but it might be best to retain an Architectural Technician, Engineer or Architect to have a look.

What caused the water to come up in the kitchen floor? Is it a spring?

Why raise the external ground level?

Raising the external ground level will cause rising damp. It could be tanked but this is expensive and needs to be done by a Specialist firm.

Why not install a french drain around the perimeter of the cottage to drain to a large soakaway, downhill of the cottage. Install a land drain between you and your neighbour. Ditto along the road boundary.

bugsntinas

there's no spring under the house just the amount of water we had in january.we actually lie lower than everything around us including the road so i think drains are out.i thought if i raised the ground level outside the this would raise the level all round and maybe able to divert it then.

RKQ

Building up the soil level around your house is a definate no! no!
The floor of your house will become a tank - you will help create a swimming pool.

Drainage is your best solution. Has the house always had this problem?

bugsntinas

RKQ wrote: »

Building up the soil level around your house is a definate no! no!
The floor of your house will become a tank - you will help create a swimming pool.

Drainage is your best solution. Has the house always had this problem?

apparantelt only once when the council blocked a drain.the drain is up the lane and slightly above our ground level.we can't drain future water antwhere as the road in front is higher than usif the groung around the house was raised but sloped away from the house would that not help?what is a french drain?

RKQ

bugsntinas wrote: »

we can't drain future water antwhere as the road in front is higher than usif the groung around the house was raised but sloped away from the house would that not help?what is a french drain?

No.:eek:

A french drain is a trench filled with stones forming a land drain.
Simply dig a trench 300mm wide and 600mm deep, around the perimeter - do not distub your foundations - drain this trench to a soakpit. I'd try a soakpit about 3m deep x 900mm wide x 3m long(10ft x 3ft x 10ft) filled with large stones and finished with topsoil.

This deep soakpit should be downhill of the house or at least the bottom of it should be 10ft below the floor level of the house!

Water will soak to the lowest point - which should be the bottom of the soakpit & not your floor.