Underground hosepipe & drainagee issues

CatLady87

Hello,
I live in a small row of 1870s terraces. Unfortunately, ever since I moved in I’ve been plagued with issues. One of the issues is a hosepipe which runs from the mains. I contacted someone to see if it could be capped off but sadly it can’t.

The owners previous to the person I bought from started building an extension at the back but stopped due to a dispute with the neighbour. They built the concrete floor and half built the walls and then stopped. They laid a hosepipe underground which runs up the garden. Sadly this can’t be turned off even when the water to the property is shut off as I think there’s a join further up underground. To make matters worse, my neighbour tells me the person who fitted the hose deliberately punctured it before they laid it. So it’s inaccessible and potentially leaking.

The back yard (concrete surface intended to be an internal surface for the would-be extension) regularly has puddles as there is nowhere for rainfall to properly drain. There’s an ?aco drain / grate which doesn’t flow anywhere (end the end of the concrete) so water sits in it and eventually evaporates. However, the concreted area doesn’t flow towards this drain so the only think I think it really collects is rainwater.

I’m at my wits end with this house. Historic disputes and hatred between previous owners has meant that things haven’t been done properly and sadly I’m paying the price!

Does anyone have any thoughts on how I might rectify this? I’ll post some photos for reference.

Thank you

CatLady87

FreeBear

CatLady87 said: The owners previous to the person I bought from started building an extension at the back but stopped due to a dispute with the neighbour. They built the concrete floor and half built the walls and then stopped. They laid a hosepipe underground which runs up the garden. Sadly this can’t be turned off even when the water to the property is shut off as I think there’s a join further up underground. To make matters worse, my neighbour tells me the person who fitted the hose deliberately punctured it before they laid it. So it’s inaccessible and potentially leaking.

The pipe must have been connected somewhere after the main stopcock, surely... If it hasn't, then the local water board should be able to come along and disconnect it - If they want to fit a water meter, they need to know how much water is being consumed...

As for the extension - Does it have planning permission (either under Permitted Development, or a full planning application) ?

If so, one option may to be a continuation of the build and get it finished. As it currently stands, there is a huge potential to cause penetrating damp and a whole host of other problems. If building is not an option, then realistically, the concrete slab needs to be removed and the ground level reduced by ~150mm. Got a suspended timber floor ? If so, the underfloor ventilation will have been compromised, so removing the slab would cure that problem too.

CatLady87

Building it certainly isn’t an option as I don’t have the funds, plus the neighbour objected to it part-way through it being built so he would certainly object if I built the extension.

They got Planning Permission at the time but never carried out the build.

The floor is stone and there’s no cellar so I assume it’s ground underneath?

I’m wondering whether removing the concrete and paving it with drainage might help? When you say penetrating damp would that be from it holding water on the concrete?

FreeBear

Once planning permission has been granted, there is sodall any neighbour can do to prevent construction - The time to raise a valid objection was during the consultation phase. That window is now closed. Funding aside, you can still complete the construction at your leisure (might be a useful bargaining chip if neighbour starts making any more threats).

You say water is pooling on the concrete - It is quite likely that it is penetrating the stonework of the house. Rain will also be bouncing off the concrete and soaking the lower part of the wall. Digging down, improving the drainage, and putting in a French drain will all help.

Mutton_Geoff

CatLady87 said:

Building it certainly isn’t an option as I don’t have the funds, plus the neighbour objected to it part-way through it being built so he would certainly object if I built the extension.

They got Planning Permission at the time but never carried out the build.

The floor is stone and there’s no cellar so I assume it’s ground underneath?

I’m wondering whether removing the concrete and paving it with drainage might help? When you say penetrating damp would that be from it holding water on the concrete?

They can't object once planning is granted. And then as long as you build according to current building regulations, they can't object. Planning expires usually 3 years after grant if work wasn't started, but that could have been as simple as digging a foundation.

You need to find the leak and stop it, not try to divert it.

CatLady87

Thank you so much for all your help Freebear

The issue is finding someone who can fix it, I guess. Had a few people to look but no one ever gets back to me and the ones that have come don’t seem optimistic about fixing it

The house doesn’t have foundations and my living room floor is stone - is it likely to have a suspended timber floor?

I am starting to wonder if the hosepipe could be leaking and potentially causing damp issues. I’m hoping if I can have the concrete taken up we can get to the pipe and potentially cap it off!

CatLady87

There’s a damp proof membrane round the bottom of the concrete, one prays that’s keeping some water out 

Rural_Puppy

I am confused. A hose pipe must be connected to the supply. Cut the supply and you stop the water flowing. 
How certain are you the hose pipe story is true? Not someone making mischief who wants to watch you digging up your garden?
You could try water devining. I used to think it was akin to witch craft, until I found the route of my mains water supply through my field using a couple of short lengths of bent fence wire! 

Rural_Puppy

Just saw your other thread about dampness inside the house. Is there any chance that is related to the cement slab?
Is the slab higher than the damp proof course?

CatLady87

Thank you for your comment. It’s plumbed into the mains but I think there must be a valve or something further underground? I had a plumber look at it today and  we turned the water supply off to the house and water still came out of the hose tap in the garden 😱

My neighbour had a historic dispute with the owners previous to the woman I bought off. The contractor who was working for the previous owners ‘apparently’ told my neighbour he’d fallen out with them so had punctured the pipe before laying it. It’s hard to know what is true and what isn’t, in all honesty. 

I’m pretty sure there’s a point to turn the water off in the street but it would turn everyone’s water off.

I think there’s every chance the two are related, though I believe all the houses in my row (or at least my neighbour’s) have some level of damp. The damp proof course is like a thick black line which extends around the side of the concrete and seems level with it? I can’t see that it extends near the back door, if that makes sense?