Help! Drainage Situation

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

I'm fairly new to GJ, but I like the community here. Lots of doers with good ideas.

This is more of a yard thread than a garage thread, but my yard drainage is awful and all the water ends up in my garage. Eventually I want to do a lot of work to my garage/carport, but first, I need it to be dry. I'm hoping some sort of French drain or something similar can solve my issues. I'm able-bodied and minded, so I'm hoping to do as much of the work myself as possible (unless it will drive me insane.)

Some background: I bought the house in 10/18. My initial plans were to enclose the carport to make a garage. I hope to jack up the roof, install slightly taller walls (to allow clearance fore taller truck), and enclose it. I may or may not have already started another thread. Link eventually.

I'll post lots of photos of my property and hopefully you guys can offer advice. Feel free to ask for any clarifications. Any and all advice are appreciated, from proper tools, materials, and techniques to references and ways to get it done properly. So far I've done a little research on french drains and I'm thinking it might be the way to go.

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

Google photos seems to want to create an album but not post individual links

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LSnPRz41GYAQKViF7

Edit: general photos of the place and the flooding. Video to follow.

This is south of my garage. Standing in my neighbor's driveway

Don't judge the "parts truck" haha

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

Edit: scroll down for photos
edit #87:
do these pics work?

 

[joey1320]

Welcome!

I gotta say you have a horrible grading/drainage problem. If I was you I would be looking into a drywell/sump pump installation that will collect and send the water away from the garage, possibly into the city storm water system.

This guy is really good.

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

Thanks for taking time to look at the album, Joey! I've already come across a few of Chuck's videos; they're great! The sump pump like he did looks to be basically a french drain that has to drain uphill. In my case, the house and backyard are uphill from the street, so I'm hoping I can accomplish proper drainage without a costly pump.

For now, let's go with a tentative/theoretical plan that a French drain could do the job. If a French drain doesn't suffice, I imagine I could add a pump to the French drain system down the road. Let's also tentatively plan that my chill neighbor won't mind me destroying his driveway for a few days.

EDIT: Before we get to photos, let me just say WELCOME TO BEAUTIFUL, SUNNY OHIO!!

Here are my primitive MS Paint and google map sketches of the property and water flow. Let me know if they're unclear. The dotted green line is the proposed route for whatever kind of drain line gets installed. It originates on the east side in my neighbor's and my backyards and flows west to the street, along my southern property line, presumably in the neighbor's driveway.

FYI: My lot is approximately 1/4 acre and 48 x 228 ft


I need to figure out the easiest way to determine the overall slope to see if it's enough. Advice on methods? Also need to figure out if my neighbor will let me trench along his driveway (the gravel one). Otherwise, I think I'd have to dig up my driveway (expensive enough that I'd probably rather move) or (if "lucky") only have to kill all the shrubs and trees along the property line on the opposite side of my driveway from my house (north). I actually wouldn't mind removing all that overgrown shrubbery, except for the one pretty pine tree and the ridiculous amount of added work.

Here's a list of questions/concerns from last night's brainstorming session (in no particular order). I'll come back and insert corresponding pics later. For now, here we go:

Will the neighbor let me trench his driveway? Obviously I'd leave it better than I found it. And I'd actually be helping drain his flood-prone backyard too.
My house and the neighbor's driveway. We are looking slightly uphill here:

From my kitchen during flooding. At least the patio slopes away from the house, although the basement does get minor moisture, mostly from this (east/back) side of house:

From my second story. Notice the pool on the left.

notice the massive shrub/trees, these are right along the proposed trench line:

Is it necessary to take the water all the way to the street? i.e. Could I just put some sort of underground gravel pit (dry well?) and or rain garden in the backyard behind the garage, or would it eventually overflow into the garage anyway? Without any education on the topic, I think the soil couldn't possibly drain fast enough, and it would be pretty frustrating to do a bunch of work and still have the garage flooding. My backyard is definitely the low spot between me and all the 5ish surrounding neighbors.

If I'm running drains to the street, how do I get it there? Tunnel under the sidewalk? Just terminate in the neighbor's driveway? Would I have to remove sidewalk?
Here's a south-facing view of neighbor's driveway at the street. Note, most of that water in the street came from my driveway slightly uphill:

my driveway that always has water flowing from under it:

Will the roots from those arbor vitaes (the big green bushes) be too much for a rental trencher to handle? What about the gavel driveway (presumably with bricks and other trash/building material under it)?
From west/street side:

From east/back of lot:

How close to the house can I get? Is there any risk of damaging my foundation? If I have to go in (not alongside) the neighbor's driveway, will the weight of their cars compromise the drain pipe or the function of the system?

In my small section of backyard between the patio and basketball hoop, there appears to be some sort of drain or catch basin. What is that and where does it go? You can see a few bricks in a hole at the bottom of this pic:

Can/how should I connect drainage from the aforementioned section of backyard to the larger section that will come from the section of yard from behind and beside the garage? Again, those massive shrubs to the right in this pic will interfere. Let it be known, I don't care if they have to be cut down. Hopefully I won't have to pay for an excavator or stump remover though:

If I do drains/catch basins without pumps, is standard 4" pipe enough to drain this size yard when all the neighboring yards are also sloping towards mine? For reference, the pics of the deep flooding were when it rained nearly 3" in 3 days. The flooding is not that bad every time it rains.

Can I run power to my garage during this project? Able to share a trench with the french drain system well below the power conduit?

Can I get away with this project without any permits? My concerns would be:
1. Encroaching on neighbor's property.
2. Where it terminates at sidewalk/street.
3. If I run power to garage while I've got the trencher rented.

So, there's some of my thoughts thus far. Anyone have answers? Anyone think of questions that I'm forgetting? Ready, go!

 

[joey1320]

Lots of questions bro, not sure if I can answer them since I don't necessarily know the actual layout of your property and the neighbors.

With that said, you don't need to go all the way out to the street, you can release the water on your front yard, since it seems to be above the street, therefore the water will run down into it and into the city drain.

I don't see how else you would be able to aleviate the water issues unless you start building major retaining walls all around your property.

If I was you, I would look into installing a sump pit on the side of the garage, in your property side, not the neighbors, and run the pipe out to your front yard with a "pop up" valve at the end so water doesn't go back in it.

 

[matt_i]

Keep in mind the ground could be frozen and we got a lot of rainfall yesterday. Obviously I'm farther north but there's flooding here just like your photos where there is never ever standing water.

I recommend just digging a ditch even if there's nowhere for it to go, at least you have a lower spot for the water to go to that's not trying to float your house down the road.

I did see a lot of driveways here that obviously don't have the culvert underneath or the culvert is blocked, collapsed, etc and those are holding back a lot of water.

I don't like French drains because eventually they get to be a maintenance problem. I have at least 3 on my property that the previous owner put in to handle the gutter runoff and 2 are inop and plugged, and I'm going to have to core out the yard. I feel certain it has to do with lack of filter fabric in it and gradually the clay fines creep in and plug it solid.

 

[joey1320]

OP is your house the yellow one or the blue one? Also, is your driveway between these two houses?

It's difficult to see in the pics. Can you take a video walking in from the driveway into your backyard/garage to get an better understanding of the layout?

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

My house is the yellow one. My driveway is the paved one, which is on the opposite side from the gravel driveway that belongs to the neighbor's blue house. I'll try to get a better property map and possibly google image to give a better idea of what's going on. Video will have to wait until it's light out tomorrow.

Joey, I'm afraid if I don't take the water all the way to the street, it will cause a very soggy front yard. Most of the front yard slopes back toward the house. The front ten feet or so slope toward the street. On that note, you may also notice in those pics that there's water flowing down the sloped end of my paved drive. I'm assuming it's just ground water (maybe seeping past the house from the backyard?) Anyone know where that clay tile gutter drain at the front of my house would go?

Matt, good point about the frozen ground, but regardless, I've got to keep water out of the sacred garage. And it is most definitely the lowest-lying space around. Even with much milder rains, it flows into the carport area and often the enclosed garage too. Just digging a ditch won't cut it; the ditch would have to be the entire backyard behind the garage (which I guess is similar to my idea of "underground gravel pit" or a pond). If I go through with French drains, I'll be sure to do it in a way that will make it last as long as possible. It would definitely be with perforated PVC or better, not corrugated plastic.

 

[fiataccompli]

Are you the only one on the street who has standing water problems. It’s hard for me to read grades from photos , but finding a location where you can collect after & have a positive slope to drain or “daylight” a pipe is key. You might need to survey it. French drains can work & do work often, especially for wet areas and light drainage. With a lot of hard surfaces there, you are generating a lot of runoff & a way to collect it and have a pipe (& preferably one that has cleanout points to check) is always what I prefer. A well and sump pump might be a wise idea also. Good luck. Drainage problems are ones that can be the hardest to solve. I tell friends who are house-hunting to look at houses in downpour rainstorms if they can! Good luck!

 

[joey1320]

OP looking at Google maps and the pictures you posted, it seems like you could dig and install a drywell behind the left rear part of your garage, when looking from above, and running a 1.5" pipe from the sump pump, into a one way valve and then expands into a 3"-4" flexible pipe that will run the length of the driveway into the front left corner of your entryway.

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

Are you the only one on the street who has standing water problems. It’s hard for me to read grades from photos , but finding a location where you can collect after & have a positive slope to drain or “daylight” a pipe is key. You might need to survey it. French drains can work & do work often, especially for wet areas and light drainage. With a lot of hard surfaces there, you are generating a lot of runoff & a way to collect it and have a pipe (& preferably one that has cleanout points to check) is always what I prefer. A well and sump pump might be a wise idea also. Good luck. Drainage problems are ones that can be the hardest to solve. I tell friends who are house-hunting to look at houses in downpour rainstorms if they can! Good luck!

Good input, thanks! The backyard of my neighbor to the north (other side of my paved driveway) also floods a bit. You can see it through some of the bushes. But otherwise, I am the low lying area. I'm not sure how exactly that happened, but they're all old houses that have been here forever. Mine was built in 1924.

 

[DGersic]

If the street and its storm sewer are lower than your yard, install as many catch basins as you want, but run that down hill and in to the storm sewer to get the water to go away.

Definitely talk with your neighbors. You’ll be helping them out.

Pull a permit. You’re going to need one.



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[rayra]

Looks like you can run a 4" trencher down the outer edge of your driveway, where that thin band of red rubber mulch is and turn that into a french drain trench.
Then cut a slot across your driveway perpendicular to the property line across the last bit of your driveway where it widens to a parking area, towards that flood area at the basketball hoop and either french drain that or run a 4" drainage pipe to a drain in the middle of that back puddle and tie it to your boundary trench.

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

Looks like you can run a 4" trencher down the outer edge of your driveway, where that thin band of red rubber mulch is and turn that into a french drain trench.
Then cut a slot across your driveway perpendicular to the property line across the last bit of your driveway where it widens to a parking area, towards that flood area at the basketball hoop and either french drain that or run a 4" drainage pipe to a drain in the middle of that back puddle and tie it to your boundary trench.

I hate that red mulch! Never again while I'm living here!

I'm still adding photos and clarifying my post, but I don't know that this will drain the area south (beside) and east (behind) of the garage. I think we'd require pumps to get water to flow to a trench north of my driveway. If my neighbor says no, I might have to do this, but I'd like to avoid pumps if I can.

Also that mulch strip quickly narrows to nothing before you even get to the house. Any arborists know if that pretty pine would survive a trench there?

This view is from the back of my house looking down my driveway toward the street. I'd approximate it's uphill until the tall pine/brown shrubs, which are near the front of my house:

I think a video and more detailed pics may help.

 

[ard]

Pull a permit. You’re going to need one.

Really? for drainage!??!

I wouldnt.

 

[rayra]

ard things are entirely more restrictive and punitive in the northeast, at the very least the OP has to get utilities marked out.
OP you can take it out of the edge of your driveway, then. Just has to be 4" wide, anyway. And totally dependent on your slope, a french drain can start out pretty shallow in the back of your property. Then you just deepen the trench as you work to the sidewalk.

And yes, if your parking structure is getting flooded on three sides, you've got to tie those flood zones into that new drainage. It can be done with something as simple as a 1" sprinkler pipe arrangement running to a sump that ties to your french drain.

The thing you CAN'T do in almost any city is divert your water so it runs onto your neighbor's property. It's tough luck if the natural slope drains your neighbor onto you. But if your neighbor (or you) deliberately construct something that routes water to your neighbor's plot you are going to lose and lose big.

And that's the reason I suggest trenching wholly on your own land, even at the loss of 4" of your outer driveway edge to drain your own property to the street gutter. AND it will act as a barrier drain for the flooding coming from your neighbor's plot. His water stops at your drain network, instead of spreading across your back property. You'd in essence be draining the back of both plots.

And if your neighbor is (obviously) having trouble with pooling, maybe you can get him to chip in on some of the cost of the drainage material.

If it was me and I wanted to be an a-hole about it, I'd pour a 6" curb down the whole property line and he can keep his flooding problem. But from your pics and that deluge, it looks like youd flood those spaces behind the house and carport on your own, anyway.
In which case we're back to a 4" drain pipe and tying your roof gutter downspouts into that pipeline. solid 4" pip in your back half and perforated 4" pipe down that driveway starting were a real downhill slope begins, seems like that's in the area to the side of the house. Carry the pipe all the way to the walk and maybe top it with a gravel french drain fill over the perforated pipe.

 

[joey1320]

Here's your property. Not the best picture but best I can do.

On the left rear corner or your garage, install a sump pit and french drain around the garage so it makes its way to the pit.

Then run the discharge line on the left side of your driveway until the very bottom, right before it hits the sidewalk, and install a pop-up discharge. If you want to make it even better, you can remove the grass around the pop-up and surround it was some rock to not make a mud pit.

This will absolutely alleviate a great deal of your standing water issues. Since you'll be pumping the water away from your back yard.

You could also dig and install the pit on the left front corner of the garage and send the water from there. And I'm talking about installing the discharge pipe right next to your driveway. I doubt the neighbor's property line is right on your driveway.

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

Couple more pics and a youtube walkthrough of the property.

The youtube video:

From the neighbor's driveway:

Trying to show how close the shrubs and the nice pine tree are to my driveway:

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

ard things are entirely more restrictive and punitive in the northeast, at the very least the OP has to get utilities marked out.

The thing you CAN'T do in almost any city is divert your water so it runs onto your neighbor's property. It's tough luck if the natural slope drains your neighbor onto you. But if your neighbor (or you) deliberately construct something that routes water to your neighbor's plot you are going to lose and lose big.

And if your neighbor is (obviously) having trouble with pooling, maybe you can get him to chip in on some of the cost of the drainage material.

Ohio claims to be in the Midwest, and I'd say our laws and attitudes generally are more Midwestern than Northeastern. Definitely will be getting utilities marked. Hoping permits are not necessary, especially if this is a "joint property drainage system" i.e. I'm helping drain the neighbor's yard too, so it might make it kosher to have the trench partially on his property. Alternatively, I'm thinking I could probably tench entirely in my yard and not actually in his driveway, but that will put the trench closer to my gas line and require a deeper trench through my front yard (you can see my yard is quite bit higher than the neighbor's drive.)

As far as going along MY driveway, I'm still not sold. That's going to require pumps and will be taking water uphill of my house. And that house is a vacant college rental; I've never seen or heard a soul on the property, and I doubt they'd pitch in for costs. Can't hurt to ask, I guess.

Here's your property. Not the best picture but best I can do.

On the left rear corner or your garage, install a sump pit and french drain around the garage so it makes its way to the pit.

Then run the discharge line on the left side of your driveway until the very bottom, right before it hits the sidewalk, and install a pop-up discharge. If you want to make it even better, you can remove the grass around the pop-up and surround it was some rock to not make a mud pit.

This will absolutely alleviate a great deal of your standing water issues. Since you'll be pumping the water away from your back yard.

You could also dig and install the pit on the left front corner of the garage and send the water from there. And I'm talking about installing the discharge pipe right next to your driveway. I doubt the neighbor's property line is right on your driveway.

I'm going to call this "plan B," since it requires a pump. Additionally, that corner is actually the highest corner of the garage, so it would also require more diversion of natural flow around the garage. It also would not address the small section of yard by the basketball hoop without cutting a drain across the driveway, which I'd say is key to drying out my basement.

As far as a pop-up discharge, I'd rather go to the street/city storm water. My front yard is already plenty soggy, and I don't want the mud pit/ extra landscaping project if I can help it.

As far as property lines, who do I talk to about finding the exact locations?

I realize I sound like the guy who "asks for help and then doesn't listen," but I am listening. Keep the ideas coming gang! I am probably going to have at least one professional drainage company come give me their suggestions and a quote, so start placing your bets on what they'll propose!

 

[joey1320]

For property lines you'll need to go to your city's building department and ask for the lot info. They should be able to help.

 

[3onthetree]

Can only see 2 overhead pics in post #5, no others are showing for me.

First: Get a survey done. Ask for the 4 corners staked (if no pipe exists) and flagged. If you feel you can't measure the grades with a mason line and line level accurate enough yourself, have the surveyor take a couple elevation points for you. I'd guess $500-$1K range depending on monument info available and if drawings desired. Worth it for any work you may ever plan to do, like new driveway, patio, or future sale (provided as part of seller's cost in my locale).

Permit: Probably required if you do more than re-sod, like changing grade elevations. A trench would not be considered part of that though. But you would not be allowed to connect to a storm sewer or dump it into the street. A setback for the end of pipe would probably be like 3' or 10' back into your yard. Check on this without giving your address.

Do not:
1. rely on a dry well. Once full, where's the water go?
2. rely on an outside pump. Pumps fail. Power goes out. Water freezes.
3. do anything on your neighbor's properties. No guarantee it will remain.
4. add to flow onto your neighbor's properties. Illegal. Water is allowed to drain as if the houses never existed there, but you cannot add to it by dumping gutters and sumps to your neighbors. So you could have "conversations" with your neighbors to direct their downspouts to their front yards as a starter.

It would be an easy solution if the lowest spot in your backyard is still higher than the sidewalk level in front - do you know?. Also which side do the utilities run on?

 

[DGersic]

Really? for drainage!??!



I wouldnt.

If the city requires a permit, I get a permit.

He also mentions using the trencher to run electric to the garage. Would you run buried electric and a sub panel without a permit?




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[DGersic]

Ohio claims to be in the Midwest, and I'd say our laws and attitudes generally are more Midwestern than Northeastern. Definitely will be getting utilities marked. Hoping permits are not necessary, especially if this is a "joint property drainage system" i.e. I'm helping drain the neighbor's yard too, so it might make it kosher to have the trench partially on his property. Alternatively, I'm thinking I could probably tench entirely in my yard and not actually in his driveway, but that will put the trench closer to my gas line and require a deeper trench through my front yard (you can see my yard is quite bit higher than the neighbor's drive.)

As far as going along MY driveway, I'm still not sold. That's going to require pumps and will be taking water uphill of my house. And that house is a vacant college rental; I've never seen or heard a soul on the property, and I doubt they'd pitch in for costs. Can't hurt to ask, I guess.



I'm going to call this "plan B," since it requires a pump. Additionally, that corner is actually the highest corner of the garage, so it would also require more diversion of natural flow around the garage. It also would not address the small section of yard by the basketball hoop without cutting a drain across the driveway, which I'd say is key to drying out my basement.

As far as a pop-up discharge, I'd rather go to the street/city storm water. My front yard is already plenty soggy, and I don't want the mud pit/ extra landscaping project if I can help it.

As far as property lines, who do I talk to about finding the exact locations?

I realize I sound like the guy who "asks for help and then doesn't listen," but I am listening. Keep the ideas coming gang! I am probably going to have at least one professional drainage company come give me their suggestions and a quote, so start placing your bets on what they'll propose!

When I did our drainage, I tied it in to the storm sewer at the back of a curb drain’s vault. The 4” pipe was directional bored two houses over to reach the closest storm sewer.




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[Platonic Solid]

My first thought when looking at your pictures is tear the garage down, bring in fill to raise that area, regrade and rebuild.

 

[sjvicker]

How legit of a solution are you looking for? I think you mentioned you have a basement so you would have a sewer drain line in there. You could do a sump pump in the yard and pump up to the sewer drain in your basement and let that take water away.

When I was a kid we had a sump pump in our basement that would run constantly in the spring dumping water in the field next to the house only for it to return to the basement. My dad routed the discharge to the sewer drain and the problem went away.

Probably violated a ton of codes but it worked.

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[joey1320]

In Ohio, it's illegal for storm water to be tied to sewer discharge. But...

 

[Bondo]

I need to figure out the easiest way to determine the overall slope to see if it's enough. Advice on methods?

Ayuh,.... Before you do anything, use a sight level or laser to see how much fall you have from the garage slab, to the edge of the sidewalk,......

I suspect the driveway rises, 'n then falls to the street,....

If so, the simplest, easiest, though rather expensive will be to rip out the driveway, regrade it to be string line straight, from the garage slab to the sidewalk on the side away from the house,......

There will also need to be a slight swale from the parked pickups across to the side away from the house,.....

Doin' this will drain the entire yard, without underground pipes which freeze anyways,.....

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

Can only see 2 overhead pics in post #5, no others are showing for me.

Anyone else having this issue? I'm hosting them on imgur. They show up for me.

First: Get a survey done. Ask for the 4 corners staked (if no pipe exists) and flagged. If you feel you can't measure the grades with a mason line and line level accurate enough yourself, have the surveyor take a couple elevation points for you. I'd guess $500-$1K range depending on monument info available and if drawings desired. Worth it for any work you may ever plan to do, like new driveway, patio, or future sale (provided as part of seller's cost in my locale).

Not hoping to do any of those before I do sell it. I'll probably try mason lines and see how it goes.

Permit: Probably required if you do more than re-sod, like changing grade elevations. A trench would not be considered part of that though. But you would not be allowed to connect to a storm sewer or dump it into the street. A setback for the end of pipe would probably be like 3' or 10' back into your yard. Check on this without giving your address.

Good insight, thanks!

Do not:
1. rely on a dry well. Once full, where's the water go?
2. rely on an outside pump. Pumps fail. Power goes out. Water freezes.
3. do anything on your neighbor's properties. No guarantee it will remain.
4. add to flow onto your neighbor's properties. Illegal. Water is allowed to drain as if the houses never existed there, but you cannot add to it by dumping gutters and sumps to your neighbors. So you could have "conversations" with your neighbors to direct their downspouts to their front yards as a starter.

Again, good insight, thanks. Any guidance on these "conversations?"

It would be an easy solution if the lowest spot in your backyard is still higher than the sidewalk level in front - do you know?. Also which side do the utilities run on?

By eyeballing it, I do believe the front sidewalk is lower than the area behind the garage. Have yet to confirm.

As far as the utilities: Water and sewer run southwest diagonally across the front yard from the front left corner (NW) of my house to to near corner of my neighbor's driveway to the south. This could be an issue if I trench along the south side of my house. I do know that the sewer line from my house is pretty deep below the surface there. Not sure about water. Gas comes into the middle of the south side of the house.
Electric is not buried.

If the city requires a permit, I get a permit.

He also mentions using the trencher to run electric to the garage. Would you run buried electric and a sub panel without a permit? The Garage Journal mobile app

The electric part will have a permit.

My first thought when looking at your pictures is tear the garage down, bring in fill to raise that area, regrade and rebuild.

HAHA I was actually thinking about that, but this is not my forever home. I was wondering how long before I got that suggestion. I'm not trying to build a dream garage fit for GJ glory. I just need something nice enough to work on beater trail trucks. If this was my forever home, or I thought I'd get a large ROI from such major projects on this property, I'd absolutely tear down the garage and re-grade the entire lot. The truth is, my house is a former college rental and will probably end up being a college rental again when I move out. While I prefer to "do it right or not at all," I think doing certain things right on this house would just be a waste of money.

Ayuh,.... Before you do anything, use a sight level or laser to see how much fall you have from the garage slab, to the edge of the sidewalk,......

I suspect the driveway rises, 'n then falls to the street,....

If so, the simplest, easiest, though rather expensive will be to rip out the driveway, regrade it to be string line straight, from the garage slab to the sidewalk on the side away from the house,......

There will also need to be a slight swale from the parked pickups across to the side away from the house,.....

Doin' this will drain the entire yard, without underground pipes which freeze anyways,.....

Pretty much correct on all accounts. Love that idea, except the cost.

 

[Bondo]

Anyone else having this issue? I'm hosting them on imgur. They show up for me.


Pretty much correct on all accounts. Love that idea, except the cost.

Ayuh,..... You could have the dig-out done, 'n the stone replaced/ regraded now to fix the floodin',......

Then have it repaved a few years down the road,.......

'n yes, I see only 2 overhead shots,....

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

Pics working now?

 

[3onthetree]

Pics working now?

Not the additional ones added later, at least for me. Google and video enough though.

Not hoping to do any of those before I do sell it.

I like to know my property lines. Your bumpout on the south side hugs his driveway, I'd want to know how much room I have there to put something for privacy. Also If the back red fence ends on a "four corners" point, then the south driveway is encroaching on your property. I would consider a survey very valuable with a narrow 48' lot, when you are considering burying a pipe, maybe tearing out some shrubs (whose?), and putting new landscape in. You want your stuff all the way to the prop lines to maximize your lot, but you don't know where those are. But your call.

Any guidance on these "conversations?"

Your neighbors won't move their water, it would require too much digging with pipes. Besides they have no incentive as they have a sucker behind/next to them taking their runoff. But what it does is prepare them that you are going to stop some of their overland flow because you have a rotting garage, a mosquito haven, and unusable backyard.

I'll probably try mason lines and see how it goes.

For maybe $30 for string, some rebar, and a line level you can lay out the path of pipe close enough to level to measure the grade difference.

-------

I would put "landscape" berms at the perimeter in back to reduce the surface flow from your neighbors. Depending on the grade elevation, you may have room for some swales in the back to help your driveway and patio. The pipe I would run along the driveway to avoid the other side's utilities, high hill, and those arborvitaes. But if you have enough room next to the drive, a swale (more of a shallow ditch) would be better so you don't have water dumping to the street year round.

 

[swamplife]

My property has chronic flooding issues for at least the last 20 years. The house next door was built above grade quite a bit. They have two sump pumps running almost around the clock (we're only 5 feet above a lake) into a drainage system.

I am going to have to make a drainage system. The one corner of my garage has been under water for about a week now. Unfortunately, I bought the house during one of the driest summers we had in a few decades.

My plan is to permit out the connection to the storm sewer (which is just a filled in ditch and runs under my yard) . Once the permitted stuff is done, I will have to tie in my crawlspace sump pump and will probably make a sump pit for the garage when I repour the slab.

I really like watching apple drains videos. I started watching him when I went to do some work in the crawlspace and it had 8 inches of water in it. I learned a ton from his videos -- if he was local to me, I'd hire him to do a lot of the work I need done.

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

I really like watching apple drains videos. I started watching him when I went to do some work in the crawlspace and it had 8 inches of water in it. I learned a ton from his videos -- if he was local to me, I'd hire him to do a lot of the work I need done.

You've got the right username to be in this thread

I was thinking the same thing. Apple Drains has a Columbus branch; I wonder if Chuck works here!?

 

[3onthetree]

I really like watching apple drains videos.

I was thinking the same thing. Apple Drains has a Columbus branch; I wonder if Chuck works here!?

I looked up two vids to see what the hub bub was about, and saw:
#1, Chuck is based in like SC and doing work there and FL, so yard pumps in pits may be acceptable but not good in freezing, it still rains during winter and snow melts and refreezes.
#2, he uses corrugated which is much easier labor-wise but not good for long term.
#3, he put it in without sleeves or fabric tent
#4, they dropped a little gravel from a bag under the french drain pipe like they were sprinkling parmesan on spaghetti.
#5, other minor things like no primer on PVC and haphazardly routing pipes

You might as well follow some Kardashian videos.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Pics working now?

No. Most of the pics appear as broken links. If I right click the broken link, copy image location, paste in new tab - then I can see the pics. A rather painful method.

This is what I see:

 

[johnnyradiant]

I looked up two vids to see what the hub bub was about, and saw:
#1, Chuck is based in like SC and doing work there and FL, so yard pumps in pits may be acceptable but not good in freezing, it still rains during winter and snow melts and refreezes.
#2, he uses corrugated which is much easier labor-wise but not good for long term.
#3, he put it in without sleeves or fabric tent
#4, they dropped a little gravel from a bag under the french drain pipe like they were sprinkling parmesan on spaghetti.
#5, other minor things like no primer on PVC and haphazardly routing pipes

You might as well follow some Kardashian videos.

Thanks for saving me some time especially if they are ranking as low as Kardashian.

 

[SHAKEnBLAKE]

See post #2 or 3. I think there are pics now. Please advise.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Post 3 only. It appears changing from https:// to http:// fixes the problem (for me anyway).

 

[swamplife]

Can finally see the pictures - is your garage and back yard higher than the street? Now that I can see them, looks like you may not need a pump, you should be able to trench to street.

Also what does your front downspout drain into? If it drains into a storm sewer or out to the street, that should work for you. Also check local codes to see what's possible before you draw (or attempt to) draw a permit.

In my case, my town does allow connections to the storm sewers for storm runoff so I can get the permit and do it.