Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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ok so when i first moved in i decided to put some flowers at the bottom of the garden, as my neighbours garage wall is there.
being naive and silly i didn't put any waterproof membrane stuff down, and today he came round telling me he had damp in his garage.
a cardboard box was up against the wall and had mould on it.
i'm pretty certain it's the compost right next to the wall, so how do i solve it?
could i dig some out and let the wall dry out itself?
here's a picture to explain it better:
if i dig down and remove the compost up against his wall, and leave it as a slant, would that be ok?
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AK
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Registered: 5th Jul 00
Location: Aberdeen City
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i'd think it would just find its own level again after time.
Remove that layer you have built up, so have a bed below the damp course.
If in fact you havent build the level up at all and its as it was when it was just grass tell him its not your issue.
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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it's probably about 6'' above grass level.
he's a nice bloke so i'll try and sort it out for him but i don't want to go spending money i don't need to
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Dave
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Registered: 26th Feb 01
Location: Lancs
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Is the level of your stones above his garage floor?
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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yes
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Dave
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Registered: 26th Feb 01
Location: Lancs
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Seems likely it's your fault then, ideally you need to drop it down so it's back below his damp course.
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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Ok cheers.
Once I do that, will the dampness dry out on it's own?
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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I've got the exact same problem with my garage Ben, if you dig back to grass level it should be ok. If really necessary dig down a bit further against the garage and put some chips down to allow it to drain a bit.
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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Cheers john, will have a look at your thread later to get an idea.
I knew it would happen, just never bothered sorting it out
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Daniel_Corsa
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Registered: 21st Apr 04
Location: Wigton, Cumbria
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6" is 150mm so your probably above his DPC. Pull it off his garage, put some boards down the back, leaving a few inch gap, then line your bit with visqueen. Then redo it how you have it now, but with a gap.
April '06' Corsasport Feature Car | Aug '08' Total Vauxhall Feature Car | Spring '09' Fast Car Feature Car
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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Don't look at my thread Ben, I never managed to sort it, tanked the inside instead.
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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it's a buddha water fountain.
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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ok so started digging it out.
i take it the black stuff running along the wall is the damp proof course? does the ground have to be level with this? or is there a certain amount it needs to be below it?
the dirt was 1.5/2 bricks above the black stuff as you can see here:
and how it is now (is this sufficient?):
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Fad
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Registered: 1st Feb 01
Location: Dartford Kent Drives: 330cd
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Ideally Ben you need 150mm which is about 2 brick courses so you may need to go a bit lower.
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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Cheers fad.
If I put some waterproof membrane up on the wall can I fill all the dirt back in? Or would it be better to just leave it sloping?
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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We put it there so we didn't have to look at a brick wall all day.
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random dav
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Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: NSW
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Just build a back to the flower bed leaving a gap behind so it isnt up to the wall if you know what I mean
WRLFC !
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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Yeah I think daniel corsa said that aswell. That does seem the easiest way tbh.
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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Yep. As said put a back panel on your bed and leave a gap between that and the garage wall so it can breathe. Job done.
You're a good guy for sorting that out. I hope your neighbour appreciates it. Although its your fault as such many people would have been twats about it.
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Fad
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Registered: 1st Feb 01
Location: Dartford Kent Drives: 330cd
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quote: Originally posted by Ben G
Yeah I think daniel corsa said that aswell. That does seem the easiest way tbh.
Put a back board spaced away from the wall and cover the front of it with a poly membrane otherwise the soil will just saturate the board. Dig down further bellow the DPC (say about 3 courses) then back fill the void with shingle (up to 150mm bellow dpc) as water needs to drain away naturally into the ground, otherwise it will just collect behind the bed and saturate the wall again.
Dont get involved with putting a membrane on the wall as to do it properly you will need to chase it into the brickwork and then it opens a whole can of worms of you cutting into his wall etc etc.
[Edited on 28-08-2012 by Fad]
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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Cheers fad, that does seem like the best way to sort the problem.
Ben, I thought I might aswell sort it out now than it getting worse and it potentitally costing me money to fix. He's a nice bloke aswell and it keeps the peace
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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Ben J
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Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
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FPMSL.
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Daniel_Corsa
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Registered: 21st Apr 04
Location: Wigton, Cumbria
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That will stop the neighbour going in his garage to find its damp, job done!
April '06' Corsasport Feature Car | Aug '08' Total Vauxhall Feature Car | Spring '09' Fast Car Feature Car
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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Spoke to my neighbour and he said he was happy with it being just 1 course under the damp proof stuff.
That is ground level so seems odd having to dig down another course.
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