wantacoe
Well-known member
One corner of my pole building is below grade. With the snow melting and lots of rain that corner is under water. I don't know why they built this thing in a hole, needs to be about 3' higher. What can I do about it now?
Pole building in a hole?
- Thread starter wantacoe
- Start date
red61cj5
Well-known member
The only option I can think of would be to build up the floor. How high are the ceilings?
Or would it be possible to grade down the surrounding ground?
Or would it be possible to grade down the surrounding ground?
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
French drain to take the water to a lower point.
Don't have a lower point ? Make a dry well.
Don't have a lower point ? Make a dry well.
In2toys
Well-known member
I can never understand why people / developers do that, be it a barn or a house. Like was said, re grade possible?
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Bluedodge
Well-known member
Please define who is "they".
Farmall450
Well-known member
Pictures? I agree on the french drain myself.
bczygan
Well-known member
Excavate and reroute the flow.
Bill
Bill
matt_i
Well-known member
Yes, bottom line is you have to dig a hole that's even lower than current and big enough by volume to get the water level below your floor, siding, etc.
If there's a route to send it elsewhere lower then that's good although may make unhappy neighbors if suddenly they have a new problem.
The french drain is OK for a finished residential property or its dead flat for a mile in every direction. Way too much work if you live out in the open country.
Leaflessshadetree
Well-known member
A lot can happen in 50 years.
The building has settled. If it had a dirt or gravel floor the inside of this building is being compacted. The outside may be getting built up. Other changes may have affected water flow. Any other structures added nearby?
How did the original owner intend for it to be used? Water on the floor wasn't a huge concern for some if housing animals or storing farm equipment.
Do what you can to direct water away from the building. Add gutters, drainage. Reshape the ground around the building (or anything that slopes towards it).
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
An open hole is a pond and a hazard is most places. A covered hole is a dry well.
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If you can leave an open trench, that is fine. After digging the trench, line it with heavy landscape cloth and add gravel. Without the cloth, the gravel will just sink in over time.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
That big of an area will require a big dry well. I am guessing you have clay soil, so that water can not drain quickly from that area.
Do you drive over that area with heavy equipment ? If NOT, you can build your dry well right there ! I EU dry well are call "soak away" pits.
A couple feet out from the foundation, dig a hole. (It is going to look like a grave when you are done !) The hole should be as wide as the length of thae section of wall (stay back from the driveway at least 4') about 4' wide and about 4'-6' deep. Line it with heavy duty landscape cloth all the way up to the top.
The trick is what to put down there. 55 gallon plastic drums with multiple 3/4" hole, covered in landscape cloth then surrounded by 3/4" crushed limestone (or other sharp rock). Or 1"-2" broken concrete. Or build a very "leaky" box (covered with landscape cloth and surrounded by 3/4" crushed limestone) out of pressure treated 2x4.
You want your "storage chamber" to be about 1'-2' below grade. Finish back filling with native soil. The point is to make a "chamber" that is mostly air that will hold water until if can naturally soak away !
It will work in winter, unless you get an extremely hard, deep freeze followed by rain. (Don't bother asking me how I know !) The only solution then is a BIG powerful drill, with a big, long auger and drill through the frozen layer.
I had a local excavation company come out the other day and look at my situation. He basically said I was screwed. The ground is graded and ran away from the building. I was there during a 4" rain last summer and not one drop got in building so I figured I was safe. The problem was repeated snow, sub zero temps, rain and freezing again. The snow got rained on and froze blocking the flow. He said even with a french drain once the ground freezes water can not get to it. So I guess I just have to do my best to keep the ice down.
ezover
Well-known member
had the same problem. French drain fixed 99% of the problems.
still have problems when the drainage ditch floods.
still have problems when the drainage ditch floods.
rburke65
Well-known member
From the first photo you posted, it appears to me, that the driveway is lower than the barn....or is this not the case? If it is, trench a drain line to the lower portion f the property.
lakeroadster
Well-known member
Gutters on the building would help. Run the water to the opposite end of the building. I did that on my barn. You can get over sized gutters to handle the water.
I'd agree with the local excavator, I'm not a fan of french drains either.
Is there a possibility of cutting a swale to direct the water away from the building?
He said rain is not the problem. Gutters probably not going to do much to redirect melted snow on the ground.
Sevenhills1952
Well-known member
Our house and most of driveway is on the highest ridge on our place. The garage I had built 30 years ago is at a lower elevation halfway around the drive. Back then the drive was gravel also going down to garage. I had trouble with water also, snow and heavy rain. The cure was we dug a trench with a narrow backhoe bucket starting at ground level on right side tapering to six foot deep on left side 100 ft. away, another 100 foot down the side downhill.
We put #57 gravel in trench bottom, then corrugated plastic 6" drain pipe, then #57's to the top.
That fixed it until I had everything asphaulted. I then put a drain box every 15ft. or so.
It works fine.
The drawing is a top view, garage gray, drive green, drain red.
Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
We put #57 gravel in trench bottom, then corrugated plastic 6" drain pipe, then #57's to the top.
That fixed it until I had everything asphaulted. I then put a drain box every 15ft. or so.
It works fine.
The drawing is a top view, garage gray, drive green, drain red.
Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
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lakeroadster
Well-known member
He also said;
So once the ground freezes, and moisture he can keep away from that end of the building will help.
We had the exact same problem as the OP, but with our attached garage. I redirect the downspouts to keep roof snow melt away from the foundation, and haven't had a problem for 2 years.
toolmiser
Well-known member
I think a nice "swale" that will get the water away will help. A little shoveling/snow blowing to keep it from collecting will keep it from collecting. Snow can make a nice dam.