Water getting through door

[Philip Thompson]

Intersted in any thoughts or comments on the following problem.

My son bought a new build town house just over two years ago. During this grim wet summer, he has been getting water coming in under his front door.

We have had a good look at the door fitting and it all seems a bit strange to me. The path running past the door outside is at the same level as the bottom of the door and is infact slghtly above the damp proof course. The door sill is buried into the path. The water can easily flow under the door even though the bottom seals are intact.

I mentioned to my son that I thought the path would have been better placed a few inches lower.

He rang for advice from the NHBC and was told that a percentage of houses in a new build estate had to have wheelchair access and his was likely to be one of those so nothing could be done.

What do you guys think, this path looks totaly wrong to me, I reakon the sill will be going rotten by now.

Posted two pictures, one during the build of the house front before the path was laid and one showing the water problem after a downpour.

[Dave Baker]

either. In fact with the land sloping down towards the house like that it seems that flooding has been expressly designed in from the start. Complete cockup IMO. Even if there needed to be wheelchair access it should have been done by sloping the path away from the door not down towards it. I'm sure a surveyor's report would give you the ammunition you need to make a claim against the builders.

[Michael Mcneil]

Two years is a little long to wait to sort any build problems out. Who is going to be responsible for it now? It would seem that your son will have to get the outside cut back to a few bricks below damp. But what good will that do if his neighbour doesn't bother?

Beware any advice you are given by people who are not interested or might be considered at least partly responsible. Get a surveyor in if you think you can make a claim and if the case might get sorted before it starts to get expensive and nothing done. Stoke council recently spent 8 million on court fees over a theatre. They could have built another one for that.

[John Armstrong]

Actually, it has been required for all houses since 1999, other than where it isn't practical, such as steeply sloping sites. Usually, only the area just outside the door is brought up to floor level, ramped up from other paths.

Yep, looks like the whole of the path and garden area has been brought up to DPC level, rather than the bit of path just in front of the doors. A drainage channel (slot or grating) just outside the door would have been a good idea too.

[Conrad Edwards]

When he bought it, what sort of survey did he have done? If it was a homebuyers survey then was this mentioned?..the surveyor might still have some liability.

My old flat was on such a slope and the garden was lowered so the final level was a couple of bricks below the dpc. If a disabled ramp was required, then that should slope upwards to the door.

With all that concrete then, as previous posters say, it has been designed to pool water onto the door. it seems like there must be several houses affected so you may want to consider group action....

[The Natural Philosopher]

This is strictly to current disabled access regulations.

As you have discovered, they fly in the face of damp proofing regulations.

All of them do actually. Everyone must now suffer rotting doors IN CASE a house needs to have a wheelchair occupant (for which a simple ramp built of a bit of marine ply is entirely adequate).

The cost exceeds by a huge factor the cots of e.g. putting a one percent tax on building materials and giving teh money to teh disabled. To convert houses appropiate to their actual NEEDS rather than legistlation's.

Ther are ways of stopping water spalsch as well, but if its any consolayon, I have a hugely warped exterior door this week - after all this rain and huniditry, its warped in a way it never did before.

I asssume it will settle down in the winter when it dries out...

Yes.

[Philip Thompson]

Thanks for all the comments guys....

It seems sad that a regulation re disabled access should lead to a build that allows water to pour in a new house. I'm pleased I'm not a builder, must be soul destroying sometimes.

Anyway, next week, getting some mates together and will be ripping out the full length of path, lowering it by 6" and putting it back as it should have been in the first place.

End of problem :)

[Chris Doran]

I predicted this would happen when the reg came in.

Wouldn't it be easier to cut out a slit drain, maybe just a soakaway, across the front of the door? If you have 1/2" of water building up, you need a drain there anyway. Your 6" deep path my end up as a moat! I wonder if a drawbridge satisfies the wheelchair access regs?

Are you sure you won't end up in jail for undoing a required compliance? It would be interesting to know what the BCO would have to say. The narrow width of your path means that it would be difficult to use a wheelchair ramp.

Chris

[Mary Fisher]

Good for you. I've flouted various laws for years, hoping to be taken to court.

No action has ever been taken so I haven't been able to publicise stupid regulations.

That's interesting because I've felt the same about some buildings.

Mary

[jacob]

Basically bad design and construction. Its perfectly possible to have wheelchair access and no problem with water, rotting door frames etc. The NHBRC are just fobbing you off - as they do, they exist to protect builders not their clients. Go back to the builders and make a fuss - threaten media interest etc. The path should have been at least 2inches lower than the threshold and also laid to fall to a drain gulley or soakaway or just soil. The access shoud have been a bit of a ramp. They should come back and do it again.

cheers

Jacob

[IMM]

Downstairs doors have to be wider and toilets large enough for wheelchairs. Light switches have to be low and sockets high. As you say, all good stuff not just for the disabled, for everyone.

[Tony Bryer]

This is not about making houses for disabled people to live in. It's about making houses that are wheelchair friendly so that those who use them can go and visit their friends rather than friends coming to them. And in passing they help mums with buggies etc.

The rotting door is bad detailing, period.

[Mary Fisher]

wheelchairs.

I've never been able to understand why sockets are on skirtings where they're vulnerable as well as inconvenient. I've insisted on all ours being at the level of my fingertips when I'm standing. At the lowest.

Mary

[The Natural Philosopher]

Actually, its not.

Its a right royal pain having switches low enough for 5 year olds to fiddle with, its downright dangerous to have appliance cables emerging at knee height, and it downright irritating that every house has to have a piece of hard standing and no steps up or down to it.

Bang goes first floor flats and basement flats just like that...you HAVE to add escalators or lifts....and lifts are pretty unpleasant places if not kept under surveillance and cleaned regularly.

In short we have lost sensible living spaces to pander to the needs of a VERY small minority of the population.

Next thing we will all have to have 6 inch high house signs on the kerbside in Braille, and everyone will be requited to carry a stock of nappies for the incontinent, have tellies that only operate at 100dB for the partially deaf.

With no disrespect for anyone in a wheelchair, Its called being disabled. It means there are some things you can't actually do.

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[Peter Scott]

Do you have cover in your house insurance for legal fees? It is usually in by default, so check. If so you can get them to send letters to the builder, and possibly surveyor, to force them to sort this out.

Peter Scott