New house garage problem

john1990

hi all, first time poster in need of advice

We bought a house with a detached garage and had a basic survey completed which showed no issue. The garage has a cheap carpet. The garage is very close to the boundary wall, under 100mm gap and the neighbours property is 7ft+ above ours.

In this very heavy and very consistent rain we are currently experiencing the water cannot run off quick enough from the neighbours garden and ends up coming through the wall onto our property, it then runs down the side of the garage and as it cannot drain away fast enough it ends up penetrating the wall of the garage and coming in, it comes in around 3ft from the wall.

Where do we stand with this? Is it simply our fault for not getting a more expensive survey or is there something we can do? Should it have been declared on the paperwork even though it isn't technically part of the house?

Thanks in advance.

G_M

john1990 wrote: »

....The garage has a cheap carpet.

:rotfl: I hope it matches the colour of your car!

The garage is very close to the boundary wall, under 100mm gap and the neighbours property is 7ft+ above ours.

In this very heavy and very consistent rain we are currently experiencing the water cannot run off quick enough from the neighbours garden and ends up coming through the wall onto our property, it then runs down the side of the garage and as it cannot drain away fast enough it ends up penetrating the wall of the garage and coming in, it comes in around 3ft from the wall.

What is restricting the flow when it reaches the end of the garage wall? If you can increase the flow rate by removing a barrier, or by digging a drainage channel to assist the water to drain away from the garage faster, that will help.

It's a garage, it does not really need to be water-tight (though it's nice if it is. As for the soggy carpet, is here a reason for it? Does your car feel happier relaxing at night on a carpet?

And - my standard advice - maybe it's time to bake a nice cake! Invite the neighbours to tea and offer them.... hmmmm.... let's see: in this scenario I'd recommend a nice cream sponge. real cream mind!
Then explain the problem and ask if there is anything you can do to help them with their drainage issue. That way, rather than putting their backs up eg by demanding they fix the problem, and ending up with a brick wall response or, worse, a dispute, you might get the water flow fixed at source.

Mr.Generous

Get rid of the carpet.

sevenhills

john1990 wrote: »

In this very heavy and very consistent rain we are currently experiencing the water cannot run off quick enough from the neighbours garden and ends up coming through the wall onto our property, it then runs down the side of the garage and as it cannot drain away fast enough it ends up penetrating the wall of the garage and coming in, it comes in around 3ft from the wall.

Thanks in advance.

Does the garden soil not soak it up, it would need to be really heavy rain for it to run-off.

john1990

G_M wrote: »

What is restricting the flow when it reaches the end of the garage wall? If you can increase the flow rate by removing a barrier, or by digging a drainage channel to assist the water to drain away from the garage faster, that will help.

It's a garage, it does not really need to be water-tight (though it's nice if it is. As for the soggy carpet, is here a reason for it? Does your car feel happier relaxing at night on a carpet?

And - my standard advice - maybe it's time to bake a nice cake! Invite the neighbours to tea and offer them.... hmmmm.... let's see: in this scenario I'd recommend a nice cream sponge. real cream mind!
Then explain the problem and ask if there is anything you can do to help them with their drainage issue. That way, rather than putting their backs up eg by demanding they fix the problem, and ending up with a brick wall response or, worse, a dispute, you might get the water flow fixed at source.

I don't think it's the neigbours fault, when we have the heavy rain the gardens get saturated and the water ends up draining and coming out of the boundary wall about 4ft up (3ft down from them).

Unfortunately it is almost like very rough concrete down the gap, i'm guessing from when it was built, however as the garage is so long and narrow i cannot get down there!

G_M

sevenhills wrote: »

Does the garden soil not soak it up, it would need to be really heavy rain for it to run-off.

Obviously not!
Whether that's because the slope is steep, or the garden is terraced, or it's clay and water only soaks in slowly should form part of the tea and cake discussion. If OP and neighbour can determine the reason for the run off, they should be able to find a way to alleviate it.

john1990

sevenhills wrote: »

Does the garden soil not soak it up, it would need to be really heavy rain for it to run-off.

G_M wrote: »

Obviously not!
Whether that's because the slope is steep, or the garden is terraced, or it's clay and water only soaks in slowly should form part of the tea and cake discussion. If OP and neighbour can determine the reason for the run off, they should be able to find a way to alleviate it.

Any heavy rain and it seems to go straight through their garden and out the wall!

I am guesing this is our fault for not having a decent survey done and we don't really have a leg to stand on! I wonder what cakes the neighbours enjoy...!

silvercar

As for the soggy carpet, is here a reason for it? Does your car feel happier relaxing at night on a carpet?

:rotfl:

Does your bathroom also have a carpet?

AnotherJoe

john1990 wrote: »

Any heavy rain and it seems to go straight through their garden and out the wall!

I am guessing this is our fault for not having a decent survey done and we don't really have a leg to stand on! I wonder what cakes the neighbours enjoy...!

A survey is unlikely to have assessed the drainage of your neighbours property so i doubt that would have helped.
It sounds as if you may need to offer your neighbour some money to put a drain into /near their wall so the water can be directed elsewhere.

Davesnave

A survey in one of the driest summers on record could not reliably pick up a problem that wasn't there at the time, although there might have been clues. Surveyors spend most time assessing the house itself, rather than outbuildings.

However, if the water is exiting from your neighbour's property at 4' and there is no provision for its correct disposal, I'm of the opinion this constitutes a 'private nuisance,' as proved by it passing through the wall of your garage, making it damp (and spoiling the carpet!)

As GM says, handle this gently. Perhaps offer to help the neighbour in organising a method of satisfactory disposal, which will probably need to be on your property, unless you can find a way to make water flow uphill. You need to be politely clear that it's not a situation you'll tolerate long-term, even if the previous owner did.

If stuck, your insurer may also be able to advise

paddedjohn

How old is the garage? Maybe drainage was better before it was built, too much land is being concreted over with too little thought about drainage.