TudorCottage
Member
- Messages
- 111
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Good morning
Whilst undertaking my French drain renovations I’ve discovered we have a very high water table around here. After prolonged rain it’s sitting only 220mm below our kitchen floor level. We have stepped floors and we also sit on a slight gradient so it is only the kitchen which is the lowest floor that appears to be an issue.
It’s apparent that the shingle path I’ve removed was sitting too high against the cottage.
My initial thoughts were to lower the complete path to well below the floor level but due to the high water table, height differences and utility pipes and cables running everywhere it really isn’t practical.
So I’ve decided to reinstate the shingle path to its original height but leave a 150mm(6 inch) gap between the path and the cottage so I can easily monitor the water table level and generate air circulation for quicker drying when the rain stops.
Zebcolm trench I here everyone cry but in this case due to the high water table I couldn’t make sound footings, even for a small wall.
My thoughts are for some wood shuttering. I appreciate this will rot quickly but with ease of access it’s something I feel I could revisit every few years.
I did think of driving concrete paving slabs into the ground but thought it would look untidy. Fencing concrete kick boards don’t seem to be big enough.
It’s got to hold back 20mm shingle, 250mm in depth, 1 metre wide and approximately 5 metres long.
Any thoughts from the collective much appreciated.
Whilst undertaking my French drain renovations I’ve discovered we have a very high water table around here. After prolonged rain it’s sitting only 220mm below our kitchen floor level. We have stepped floors and we also sit on a slight gradient so it is only the kitchen which is the lowest floor that appears to be an issue.
It’s apparent that the shingle path I’ve removed was sitting too high against the cottage.
My initial thoughts were to lower the complete path to well below the floor level but due to the high water table, height differences and utility pipes and cables running everywhere it really isn’t practical.
So I’ve decided to reinstate the shingle path to its original height but leave a 150mm(6 inch) gap between the path and the cottage so I can easily monitor the water table level and generate air circulation for quicker drying when the rain stops.
Zebcolm trench I here everyone cry but in this case due to the high water table I couldn’t make sound footings, even for a small wall.
My thoughts are for some wood shuttering. I appreciate this will rot quickly but with ease of access it’s something I feel I could revisit every few years.
I did think of driving concrete paving slabs into the ground but thought it would look untidy. Fencing concrete kick boards don’t seem to be big enough.
It’s got to hold back 20mm shingle, 250mm in depth, 1 metre wide and approximately 5 metres long.
Any thoughts from the collective much appreciated.
