DPC regulations (and unfortunate neighbour quibbles)

[Dundonald]

Evening.

Our neighbour's garage wall (that is attached to his house) borders on my property. The level of the ground on my property is two brick courses above the DPC on our neighbour's garage wall. It's been that way since we bought our home two years ago. I've recently had a block paved driveway installed at the same level but where the driveway borders our neighbours garage wall a deep trough has been dug - the bottom of which has been dug below the DPC - and then filled with pebbles to act as a soak away. I am confident that this is correct and that in fact this is now even a better solution than the earth that was previously resting against our neighbour's garage wall beforehand. My neighbour has six months after completion of the driveway started questioning the validity of the trough despite my ensuring he was involved in the decision and approved of the solution that the company installing the driveway offered at the time.

Any comments? Ideally, can anyone point me in the right direction for regulations regarding DPC that can help me understand if the above definately is correct or not?

Thanks

[cucumber]

Why is he questioning it now, does he have a damp problem that he thinks may be due to your new drive?

[Dundonald]

To be honest I can't make sense of it. There is no evidence as far as I can see of damp on the wall though I'm no expert surveyor. I think he's generally just worried because a friend of a friend yada yada has told them it might cause damp. The problem is he's not letting it go. Because of his level of worry, the neighbour is actually in the process of having a surveyor to come out and review.

So I just wanted to make sure my understanding was correct, that is, that because the trough is deeper on my side than the DPC on his wall, it is more than sufficient to carry away any excess rainfall without impact his brickwork. The trough is about 4 or 5 inches thick. I tested it the other day when I was washing the car. I purposefully hosed down the driveway and watched the water flow toward the trough. Despite a large amount of water flowing down none of it splashed or hit his brickwork, it drained quickly down the trough. I can't imagine rainfall being heavier than the hose spray I tested with.

[Brian G]

Dundonald,

That's how it should be. As long as there is no possibilty of the soakaway becoming blocked and allowing a 'pool' of water to build up above the DPC then there should be no problem.

The only possible 'fly-in-the ointment' could be if he has no DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) under the (presumably) concrete garage floor - this *could* allow water that has drained under the garage from the soakaway to rise up through the floor under some conditions.

Brian G

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its effective engineering wise. It may not effect a psychological fix.

Legally what you do up to your boundary is your business, and if he has but right up to his, thats his problem.

That is not very helpful though.

My advice would be to create an obvious concrete gutter so he can see the water rushing away.

[meow2222]

his surveyor shold put his mind at rest.

NT

[Staffbull]

wide (away from the garage) and 150mm below the DPM you are fine and he can say nowt :-)

[Christian McArdle]

Even if it wasn't a solution (and it is), it isn't your problem. You were very accommodating by digging the trench at all. You could easily have built right up to the boundary. If he has a wall with a DPC below local ground level, then that is his issue. Also, it's a garage wall, FFS! It's not like you're going to have the anaglypta peeling in the lounge.

Christian.

[Dundonald]

Thanks for all your responses you have helped. The surveyor is due out shortly. I'll post back with the results.

[somebody]

In message , Dundonald writes

His garage wall could in effect be acting as a retaining wall, atleast

300mm (four brick courses) high. This *may* be a structural concern quite apart from the DPC issue.

Are you sure the wall is on the boundary? Are there any eaves overhanging your side?

A quick fix/low cost solution may be to install a vertical DPC against his garage wall extending below his existing DPC to above your drive level.

Hth Someone

[Dundonald]

Thanks for your reply.

I'm not sure I understand how the garage wall can be acting as a retaining wall. Every property wall has some level of earth resting against it. Are you saying if the earth resting against a wall is higher than 4 brick courses than the DPC then it's classed as a retaining wall?

The plans I received when I purchased the house indicate that the boundary line is along the garage wall.

I understand this suggestion. Does this provide further benefit over and above what has already been installed? Please correct me if I'm wrong (I have posted to learn if there is anything else that can be improved), am I correct in saying that the trough prevents his DPC being breached anyway?

One of the points I made in my original post was that I was more than happy to accommodate my neighbours concerns hence I ensured he was happy with the trough at the time it was being built. If he had said no, I'd prefer a vertical DPC installing also, I would have been more than happy to accommodate further.

[somebody]

In message , Dundonald writes

You are quite right, all walls have some level of earth against them, but they typically have something the other side (floor slab etc) at the same or higher level. In this case the level your side is atleast 2 courses above DPC, and so I would say atleast that above the interior floor level his side - hence me covering my backside and using *could* and *may* in my post :-)

Okay.

No, I *think* the DPC could be breached as you'll have moisture/damp sitting in the trough against the garage wall above DPC level.

I am no expert on this (and hopefully someone more knowledgable can confirm this), but the finished level of a trough and the gravel would be below the existing DPC.

I understand your predicament, bloody annoying for him to be changing his mind now :-(

Hth Someone

[Phil L]

It's incorrect, His DPC should have been higher than your drive, the fact that it wasn't above ground before you had the drive installed is immaterial, it is below ground now and that is the problem, I'm moderately flabbergasted that any drive company would lay paving above a DPC regardless of who it belonged to or where the ground was before - what they should have done was to build a channel along the length of his wall and *NOT* fill with pebbles, but leaving the top of the pebbles 2 courses below his DPC, why they thought fit to fill it to the top I do not know - it's stones/gravel now, but after a few years of having rotten leaves and dust blown into it, it will simply be gravely soil....you may have to just scrape out the gravel so that his DPC is open to the fresh air...a few hours work at most.

[Mr Fuxit]

No they don't! Very many properties are built on raft foundations, particularly where the soil is clay, and subject to heave.

[Dundonald]

I understand what you are saying, the only concern with that for me would be the safety of my children. I have toddlers. If they go to that end of the garden, which they often do, and trap their leg within the open trough, they could easily break a bone.

[Dundonald]

I appreciate all the responses on this. I'd like to understand something though if anyone can help please. Why does his garage wall require DPC when for example a 5 1/2 ft double skin brick wall in my garden doesn't?

[Christian McArdle]

It doesn't, really. However, if I was building a garage, I would incorporate one anyway, in case I wanted to convert to habitable space later. Even a workshop might benefit if you are intending to plasterboard it.

Christian.

[adder1969]

What if it's the case that when built they were all one level then the previous owners raised the level of the garden? Surely it's not the neighbours responsibility to upgrade the DPC?

You could have painted the bricks his side with bituminous paint up from the DPC but as youv'e said, if there wasn't a problem before (and you haven't changed the draining characteristics by changing the slope etc) then there should be no problem.

My garage backs onto some land which is a few brick rows higher than the floor of the garage and it was built with a double thick wall with a DPC going up through it. I thought the thickness might have been overkill but the land slopes down to the garage so I guess the water would accumulate there.

[Phil L]

No, it's the neighbour's responsibility to not cover anyone's DPC...anyone who does cover a DPC in this way is open to having a claim filed against them, regardless of whether it was a builder, driveway layer or anyone else, it's their property and it's directly affecting (possibly seriously) someone else's.

[Phil L]

That's what grid covers are for, you can get plastic ones now that are very rigid and quite cheap.