My neighbour has just had a large brick garage built within 2 meters of our house (6 meters from his house) - They have run the rain water guttering for this to drain at the back of the garage (our side) - It doesn't go into a drain or a soak away but just drains straight onto the soil
We are also building an extention (for which i have permission) - And i am ordered to build a soak away for the rain water a minimum of 5 meters from the house
I am concerned about the rain water from his garage undermining my foundations - what should I do?
The issue is not planning permission but Building Regulations, and the need for meeting those that will depend on its size, its distance from the existing house and either its distance from the property boundary or its construction materials.
None of them are required. The amount of water coming off the garage roof will be the same as the amount that has been falling on the soil anyway. It will be concentrated on to one small spot, but it's his spot, and this will make no difference in practical terms.
Let me try. ok? While you are correct in saying the ammount of water is the same, its a case of it all being directed to a "hot spot" less than 2 metres away from the OPs property. Therefore, this 2 metres is not only getting IT'S share of rainfall, but being added to by the downspout from neighbours garage. As the OP also stated, he has been ORDERED to install a soakaway for his extension, which indicates a local problem (heavy clay soil perhaps?) Ask yourself why the OPs neighbour installed the guttering to drain on the OPs side of this garage. Not wanting his garden turned into a quagmire perhaps??
ok. This "hot spot" as you call it, is only 2 metres from the OPs property,as you rightly observe. However, the rain falling there has only been directed a couple of metres from where it would have fallen anyway, it's not like it's been piped across the property.
Also, being ORDERED to install a soakaway does not indicate a "local problem", it's the norm when building an extension.
Ask yourself why the neighbour installed the guttering to drain on the OPs side of the garage? Well, he installed it to the side of the garage anybody would have, by the fence rather than in the middle of his garden. I would have done the same. The OP isn't claiming any sinister intent here.
The water coming out of this downpipe is almost certainly going to find its way to the same exit from the property as it does now, since the OP doesn't mention anything to contradict this, just slightly quicker due to a few square metres of soaking-in area being denied to it.
As for the quagmire, well did the OP mention any such problem? No I don't think so. The bottom line is the same amount of water is going to land on the neighbour's garden as it does now.
To extend the other way - The 2' x 2' slab my dustbin sits on needs a soakaway - And if that's your argument I'm not interested.
I'm not arguing semantics, I'm trying to apply a bit of common sense. And common sense says that the most likely thing to happen as a result of this garage guttering is - Nothing.
For my money the OP has just got the hump because he had to put in a soakaway and the neighbour didn't.
I am the O.P. and that's ridiculous - You are now suggesting that if my builder knocks a few quid (the soakaway) off my extension bill, i'll be happy - since the regulations suggests it's nessesary to protect my foundations i would dig it myself with a spoon - i have already considered buying a water barrel for the neighbour but unless he uses up the collected water i don't think that will work
OK, I lost track of your OP-ness, but it doesn't change anything.
You are now suggesting that if my
No I'm not. I'm just saying it's up your nose because he didn't have to.
since the regulations suggests it's nessesary to protect my
All right, back to practicalities. What I would do is this - Wait until it rains, it shouldn't be a long wait, and see what happens. If the area gets to be a big puddle, suggest he gets a water butt, and run the overflow from it to a point suitable for you both. You can even get them for nothing if you don't mind them being not exactly pretty. Loads of people are now having condensing boilers put in, which depending on the type of system used, can liberate the big tank from the loft. The plumbers will let you have these for nothing, since it saves them having to landfill them. I've got several on my allotment. When I see the telltale signs I just go and have a word with them, I've not been turned down yet. If the neighbour is a gardener he's probably thinking of something like this anyway.
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