Lowering ground level

jody1_2

Hi,

I am in the process of buying a house (built around 1990). I had a level 2 survey and surveyor has said that he "cannot confirm whether a damp-proof course is present because of the mortar pointing obscuring the construction. The ground levels to the rear of the property are high and risk bridging any damp proof course that exists. There were no signs of damp within the property suggesting any issues. However, it may be prudent to reduce the external ground levels to the rear or insert a gully where the external wall meets the ground. The recommended height for the external ground level beneath the damp proof course is 150 mm".

I have noticed myself that the bottom of back door is actually level with the patio and so there is no threshold as such.

I have no idea if this is a big and/or expensive job. I wondered whether anyone had any advice roughly how much this would cost (e.g., would it be in the 100's or 1000's)?

Thanks

Jody

stuart45

Has the patio been slabbed?

mi-key

It very much depends on the size of the house as to how much material would need moving. You can't just really remove a small bit that is up against the wall as it would catch rainwater and be a bit like a moat, so you need to remove a lot of material and then relay the patio at the new lower level with it sloping away from the house.

Most of what is in a survey though is just to cover the surveyors rather than actual problems that need fixing ( just in case a problem arises in the future ). If there are no signs of damp inside the house, then chances are it is all fine and doesn't need anything doing, certainly not straight away anyway

jody1_2

Thanks both
yes The patio is slabbed

tacpot12

Installing a gulley should cost less than £500. The only real difficulty is where the water in the gulley will be drained to. There is likely to be a downpipe from the guttering somewhere close by, but even getting to this might involve a bit of work. This option will be much cheaper than lifting the patio and relaying it. 

jody1_2

tacpot12 said:

Installing a gulley should cost less than £500. The only real difficulty is where the water in the gulley will be drained to. There is likely to be a downpipe from the guttering somewhere close by, but even getting to this might involve a bit of work. This option will be much cheaper than lifting the patio and relaying it. 

Thank you that’s really helpful 

stuart45

High ground levels are a common problem in houses when patios have been added. They don't always cause damp issues, especially with cavity walls.

EssexExile

If it doesn't cause any problems, leave it. Our patio is almost at damp-proof level and it's never been any trouble.