Waterlogged Garden in Newbuild

yannisvaroufakis

Hello -

We have just acquired a place and have found the garden waterlogged and also draughts through the dooring, which may not have been fitted properly. How common is this ? And what fallback do we have on the developer? Thanks!

dimbo61

Go back in a few days with the storms and heavy rain due over the next few days and you might have a swimming pool.
Snagging list so check everything in the property and draw up a list.
Write an email and a letter with proof of posting and send to the developer/builder.

theartfullodger

Bet the soil is thinner than promised.  Bet after a week you'll find more problems.

Get a good snagging agent.  Look forward to months, years of arguments and legal disputes.

PS Welcome to your new home

dimbo61

Long term you may need drainage system and pipes

https://www.jdpipes.co.uk/knowledge/land-drainage/fixing-drainage-in-lawn.html

tim_london

Check the planning permission off your council site to see how it was designed.  I rejected a new build recently because the garden was designed to be waterlogged to comply with water displacement rules.  Meaning you would not be allowed to drain the water even if you wanted to pay to redo it.

Draughts I'm not so sure, small gaps are acceptable especially if floor level is raised.  Is it just a case of fitting a draught proof strip?

RelievedSheff

Check with your developer and warranty provider that the garden is actually included in the warranty. Some have started to exclude it due to issues with drainage.

It is also worth noting though that we have just had a very wet period and a big snow melt in some parts of the country with more heavy rain to come so it is to be expected that gardens will be wetter than normal.

frogglet

We bought a new house 30 years ago with a waterlogged garden and a drafty front door. 
It turned out the houses were built on what had been the car park of a factory which had been inadequately removed, and very little soil on top. 
We put fencing with concrete bottoms then barrowed in a couple of tons of topsoil and planted bushes . It massively made a difference.
We eventually had a porch built which made a huge difference to the warmth of the hall.

Joyful

I have just bought a new build and the garden is waterlogged. The builders words were "It will need drainage!" Under the NHB regulations water should not collect within 3 meters of your home so we are trying them under that. I found that these houses were built on fields that flooded each year!

BikingBud

Joyful said:

I have just bought a new build and the garden is waterlogged. The builders words were "It will need drainage!" Under the NHB regulations water should not collect within 3 meters of your home so we are trying them under that. I found that these houses were built on fields that flooded each year!

When did you discover the flooding situation?

Joyful

When I moved in at the end of October the garden was water logged. Locals then told me it was built on fields that flooded. Before that when I saw the house being built it was summer and dry. I could not get access to the back until the person that moved in just before me sent a photo of both our gardens.

BikingBud

Check the flood risk for areas in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland 
or
map
2 mins on google!