Drainage Assessment - Updated
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- čas přidán 1. 05. 2023
- I go back and check on a few things here. There is confirmed subsurface water, indicating a French Drain is needed in addition to grading.
Part 1 • Drainage Assessment - ...
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Most complex situation so far. And an example of unintended consequences. Beautiful landscaping leading to multiple sources of unwanted water capture. Your homeowner is lucky to have you doing so thorough an investigation.
Thank you Steven! I really want to make sure to address everything correctly since I’m coming in behind someone.
I think that it is absolutely crazy to have that feature so close to the house. I have never known any water feature to not leak at least a little bit of water. I suspect the water feature is keeping the ground around it saturated.
It's a good possibility Mark. Installing the FD would at least allow the water to escape and not flood the sunroom.
I don't think it's the water feature. I would say it's the poorly installed corrugated in combination with the slope toward the house
Then you know nothing about Aquascape or its products or Certified Contractors.
@@Tony-InLosAngeles raw nerve just exposed!
Draining the water feature for a while would answer that question. The ground should dry out if the water feature is the cause.
So much going on/wrong at that landscape situation. I think the owners are going to have a mighty hard time accepting that all that nice looking work is going to get torn up and replaced. I can't imagine how frustrated they must be.
Same. I feel really bad delivering bad news but I try to focus on solutions and moving forward.
Do landscapers know anything about drainage? I guess it's beauty over practicality. Thanks for taking us along to show us the problem. It'll be interesting to see the solution. Cheers to you.
Thank you Laurie! I continue to be amazed at how these landscapers don't prioritize drainage in their design and installs.
I guess if you concrete the area you can actually put those stones on top if the customer likes them!
Haha that's too funny!
Not a bad idea! Good thinking.
I was going to say the same thing, at least that way the basin will not clogged. Rocks = basin guard
I did that to the back of my house. I put concrete in and sloped away from the house then added river rock on top of it with my wifes flower beds. No problems.
There's a broken pipe somewhere look at water meter for flow
One of the more sensible comments posted.
That might be, but this problem goes away after a few days of no rain.
Customer says it goes away, but does it really fix it self, better to check meter than go through all the work and meter still runs, on the other hand I see the drainage issue, that needs a French drain anyway
You Sir, are truly a Taction of waterflow. It takes a real Master Drainage person to assess the area of trouble, know the flow of the land and calculate the precise measures to take in making the proper solution. This is what makes you so successful. Excellent Job!
Thank you Robert!
I really hope you get this job. What a beautiful property. It's a shame some of it will need to be ripped up. If you concrete that front lowered area I would think you could still throw the chips back on top since the water goes right through. Fix the problem but also be able to largely maintain the look.
I intended to comment on the first video - that little triangular stone area where the sidewalk approaches the patio, you might turn that triangle into essentially a French drain catch basin, with the river stones back on top. This could catch subsurface water as well as water coming off the patio & sidewalk, adding drainage without changing the appearance of their landscaping.
That's a great idea! Because they already have such nice river rock, we can continue that look, but have it functioning too!
Stumbled on this channel while doing research before building a french drain on my property. Ended up binge watching your entire library in 2 weeks. (including a podcast you did) I learned a lot through your thorough explanations. My favourite is by far the 4 part series of that apartment complex. The out of the box thinking required to go through an apartment was pretty wild. I often wondered how many hours of sleep you lost of all the things that could and did go wrong. Also that intro note was gold "Whoever built this apartment building thought it would never rain again." Hope you got a lot more coming! Excited to see what is coming down the pipe next! (Pun intended)
Hope you get the job...because I'm really looking forward to You and your crew performing the actual work and seeing the end solution. Keep up the great work!!
Thank you Doc!!
My reaction: head nodded when french drain was described between pond and workshop, you dug the holes its holding water and popping out under slab.
Prudent to nail that front area while you are there and also that side with stone "ridge" that slopes back to house.
Damn shame it is all relying on that infernal corrugated rubbish which may develop issues with time.
A relief for the homeowner "the man" is on the job, thanks as ever for the great videos Shawn :)
Wow thank you Matthew!
Man, I hope you get this contract… I would love to see this done… I feel this is the makings of a two-part video
This would be a lot of work Charles. At least a two-fer!
@@GCFD I think it needs to be at least a 4 part series!...this is a big job!!😀
This is a puzzle for sure! I’d probably relocate the pond and create a little patio in its place. Love how you are coming at this from all different angles. Very tranquil house/yard.
That's a great idea Leslie! I hate the thought of moving the pond though! Can you imagine?
That might a big job but you might find the key to the soil problems. Water might be under the pond. And with the ponds weight it might push the water up if there is some beneath it. I think.
Thanks for the update Shawn.
1. I noticed something at 20:33 of your video. Weep holes. At the front of the home. Where are the weep holes next to the pond? I believe the dirt is piling up higher there.
2. At the front I agree. Concrete around that catch basin and direct down pipes to it. If the home owner wants river rock, place it on top of the concrete as it sets.
3. Remove the water from the pond. See if there is a problem.
4. Only put the French drain next to the pond if no other issues and you find those weep holes.
Thanks for showing us the bucket test on the grass and nuggets area. Great information. 👍
My thoughts exactly. I saw ONE weep hole several inches above grade near the square grate but obviously not in the bottom course of brick. Very odd.
Tracer dyes are fun. Might consider adding a few colors to your tools.
I've thought of that and it would be a definite indication. Would the pond stay dyed for long?
Dang, I was gonna suggest that. I watch lots of plumbers and they use the dyes to figure out where the water is going.
@@GCFD they dye ponds for algae control which I suppose does not stain the rocks, but other dyes may That pond is not leaking a leak would be very noticeable and it would be an edge leak 99% where the edge is a bit below water level.
@@GCFD The companies say 24-36 hours in direct sunlight.
@@firesurfer thank you!
Good to see an actual storm drain there with a nice fat pipe, at least there is no doubting WHERE you want the water to end up!
For sure! The problem is it turns into corrugated somewhere and that has me worried. If that line ever fails the house would be in trouble again.
Man, sure hope we get to see a follow up! I’m very invested. Super fun to watch your analysis
Never took a soils class to be able to remember. Thanks for the info!
This assessment has been quite interesting
My assessment: you need a level to measure the difference in elevations: a laser level would be good in that it can be used in assessing such as this and in construction; a relatively inexpensive pipe camera would be very handy to see the pipes--condition, clogs, roots, etc.; several more test holes would be beneficial. Is there any water in the basement or crawlspace? A very good idea to get the roof/downspout water away from the foundation as soon as possible.
For the front what about putting down some water proof membrane, like the pond liner, then putting the pretty rocks on top of that. Still shape the area with clay of course. But No concrete. I think that would give you what you are looking for but keep the ascetic the home owner likes
I used the 4 inch triwall, not sure why, on the house before we moved into this house, (I did all my own work) (it was hard work!) and I put in 150 feet of pipe, and to this day, after almost 16 years it STILL drains properly, this incredible that I can add this to your channel !
I like all your recommendations, French drain, tying those front downspouts into the 6" pipe, proper grading away from the house, and if it was me, i would move forward with them all, well all but one. I think in this situation, concrete will help, but will not solve the problem, and it will cost them a ton of money, for something they probably don't want (concrete around the house). Water will be penetrating the lawn as well, and surrounding area, just not as fast as the wood chip and river rock areas. I think you need to lower the ground water table there (for that lower section by the waterfall). I would put a sump pit in there (somewhere around that waterfall feature), with the bottom of the sump pit being about 2 to 3 feet below the bottom of the concrete slab (the slab of the lower house, by the waterfall). With a sump pit there, the French drain might not have to do anything, but it is a good back up plan. So even with the pit i would do the French drain.
I know you don't like sump pits, but i think the issue won't be completely solved if you do everything, even with the extreme of concreting the whole outside of the house, I think water will still get in there, but i think if you put a fairly deep sump pit by the waterfall pond, it will bring the water table down, and it should stop water from forcing up through the slab.
If your worried about the power going out or something, I would get a good pump, with 2 float switches, or put two pumps in the pit, one at a higher set point, as a fail safe, and you can make a rudimentary stand alone back up power system (for the sump pump), by getting 2 deep cycle batteries, a small inverter (slightly bigger than the consumption of the pump), hook the batteries to the inverter (with big cables), and then hook up a battery charger to the batteries. Then plug the charger into the wall, and the pump into the inverter plug, if the power goes down, you should have enough power to pump for a few days, and no risk of back-feeding the grid and will work automatically.
I think you are spot on for your assessment. Way to think outside the box and offer other solutions.
Thank you Robert! These drainage issues I come across are not one-size fits all to solve.
@@GCFD
They sure aren’t and because you take the time to get into that part of it on every level people should feel very comfortable knowing that you take that time and you aren’t just trying to fluff up the bid just to charge them more. You are doing it to solve the problem the first time so hopefully there won’t be a second time like these poor folks. Stinks to have to think about tearing all that out because the other people didn’t think about long term.
You're right - the concrete idea made me cringe! Maybe that's the last thing you do after you implement the other corrections. Or do a decorative cap over it? This project is going to great - thanks for having us along Shawn. Really nice property.
Planters arranged on the concrete properly could work, with a sundial/bird bath etc
The concrete works as a barrier and will direct water into the catch basin. I've seen the aftermath of what happens when water has nowhere but down into the foundation to go.
I love your updates and your thought processes! 👍👍❤❤
The Homeowner is in the best hands with you Sean! What a beautiful property. I am so looking forward to seeing you fix this once and for all and the homeowner seeing the fantastic results🌟👌🌟👌🌟👌🌟👌🌟
thank you Em! Imagine seeing the rain footage of all that problem water flowing into the drainage basin.
@@GCFD I know it's going to be awesome!🤩🌟🤩 I just want to tell you quickly how I came to watch your channel. My sister and brother-in-law used to live in Oakridge off Autumn Gate Drive, and I visited loads of times and never wanted to home! Absolutely loved it!😀 Anyways they came back to the UK after a good few years out there when B-I-L retired. So one day I typed into CZcams Greensboro NC and your channel came up and that's how I became a fan huge fan of your channel.🤩
@@embee3050 wow that’s pretty random! I’m glad you found and are enjoying my stuff!
Delightful property but the drainage issues are a box of frogs. Concreting the area around the drain at the front of the house is good idea to completely rule it out; it will be easy enough for the homeowner to beautify it again with potted plants. If you're shifting anything that lands on the ground within that 2-3ft section in front of the house and the gutters from the front into the front drain and then also moving everything from that strip between the pond and the sunroom into the rear drain (along with the rear gutters) you should be accounting for a lot of the water that is potentially causing the current problem at hand. Best of luck with it Shawn!
Thank you! I'm sure the homeowners could make the area look good as they have great taste.
This house really needs a nice dense layer of clay / concretes slopping towards all the right low points. Then rocks and chips can be added on top and them holding water for a bit won't be an issue because once it eventually seeps down to the dense clay layer, it will flow to where it needs to be. The decorative parts can exist, just on top of a good grade. Very obvious disconnect between the landscapers or previous owners and what was originally engineered - if it ever was lol. Rocks/chips can be good at slowing high speed flows which cause erosion, much like what's used in highway builds, but on a tiny tiny scale.
A stamped/plain concrete front patio might go really well with that beautiful house
I think, the more you dig into this one, the more problems you'll find, certainly they have to be fixed otherwise there will be a series of headaches and on going fixes for the home owner. What ever you do you'll have to undo a lot of that nice landscaping, but that's where the problems lie. There's a lot going on here, but ultimately you'll get it worked out, and I hope you get the work, you certainly have had a thorough look into it and put a lot of prep work into this quote.
good analysis my man 😎
I would have like to see a test dig on the other side of the sun room, because I think that drive plays a role in this as well. I also think the home owner should pump out the pond and test the area for a while because I think it is isn’t ironic that it’s that close to an area that has a water problem.
REALLY enjoy your videos!! Thank you for showing your process!
The rain might also cause the pond to overflow the pond liner and resaturate the ground.
I think the FD along the sunroom would cover overflow from the pond. It would have to be extra high capacity!
Add an overflow line to the pond… kinda like the huge pond project
Looking into that more was the right choice and uncovered even more migraine material...... what a mess for the homeowner, live and learn the hard way
I still wonder why the landscaper left things sloping so much towards the home in so many areas. One would think they would understand the issues it would create long term.
I see this all the time and I still can't believe it.
I have leatned so much. thank you !!i really enjoy your videos
You're also correct regarding the permeability of mulch vs, grass. with the introduction of high permeability areas into the landscape (mulched areas) and given their proximity to the home, a large differential of soil permeability has been created proximate to the house. Given an inch of rainfall much more of the rain that falls on the mulch is going into the soil as compared to the grassy area. Pools of stored water are thus created, as the volume of stored water increases, so does pressure. Hence, the observed leakage.
Thank you! I think that's exactly what is happening here and at the front of the house. I see this all the time with rock and nuggets placed against the founadtion with negative slope.
@@GCFD You're welcome! Kudo's for "the box" refence, do you have a Chem E/Controls background? Your troubleshooting is very good.
French drain with two pipes below slab is definitely first step. Have to expose corrugated from downspout to ensure it’s flowing properly, then a second French drain may need to be added on other side of pond to keep any water from making it into that area.
Great assessment, looking forward to part 3!
Haha me too!
Thats some beautiful lawn, why not use a sod cutter prior trenching, then no need to seed and straw, looks much better on completion
We will do that in this case. It is just way more labor involved. the pipe has to be bedded by hand instead of settling slowly and evenly over time. Otherwise a trench will re-form under the beautiful sod.
Great video. Very interesting to see how you track down the source of the water and how to handle it. 👍
Like investigative process you’re applying.
PS - Fantastic looking property.
Thank you William! I want to make sure to get things correct!
Should be a fun project to watch
Always enjoyable... always learning...
Thank you!
Looking forward to seeing your solution on this one.
The pond is also a big waterproof massive pvc-liner barrier of any natural subsurface water finding any other way to naturally disperse possibly outward and away and blocks any bad flow of roof gutter/downspout issues. I think the french drain is the best idea almost right up against and closest to the pond along with a packed clay sloped soil closest to the house sunroom wall, and keeping in mind adding to and thinking of accessing the french drain flow in the future with the side and front of the house issues. I would approach this job in phases with first phase proposed with draining pond and shoring up pond edge with adding rock and french drain, packing clay soil against sunroom wall, add new downspout/gutter tie-ins to address the owner's sunroom flooding alleviating that percolating water into his sunroom. Why not even propose french drain right across lawn which looks about 15ft and continuing with that riverock design line that already exists around/near pond and take direct to big lower basin. I see the front and side of the house where condenser units are as future issues not immediately addressing the sunroom flooding issues.
I think you're right about adding a FD with the river rock on top. We talked about that but I think if we address the water before it runs across the patio we won't need that FD. Luckily, this homeowner is all in for fixing everything. They are just sick of dealing with water issues!
@@GCFD Then I would say if the homeowner is "all in" then I would aggressively propose your usual approach of solid pvc pipe from front to back with build-up of clay soil all along house and under condensers. It appears homeowner may be dealing with rising groundwater and previous poor landscape design and your work going forward will have YOU own any issues in the future, so please be careful, good sir.
I agree that the hump of big stone with that river rock line along the side seems both visually silly, and the hump needs to be knocked down and that nugget mulch all along side disappeared. Using sod or grass to deflect excessive rainwater can be a fine choice but is abysmal when excessive groundwater is present and likely the problem. Keep us all posted, sir!
Very interesting series! I love how much detail you go into. I hope the home owner appreciates it too and has the funds to address it properly and you get the job. Would love to see the solution in action
Can't wait to see you fix it
Thank you Brian!
The front berm that the walkway sits on needs to have it's own piped evacuation route to the pvc leading to the city basin; then the low areas either side of the front door up against the foundation wall has to have new catch basins and landscaping to them plus new pvc outlet for both of them all the way to the city basin. French drains beside the summer room and under the walkway; plus another under the walkway at the outer extent of the mulch area. Plus the French drain on the other side of the house and new pvc pipe to the city basin from that side too. 100%
❤ I will be following this, smart homeowner to reach out to you.
Thank you JAK! I'm heading back over to meet with the HO tomorrow. 👍
We need to see the next video but you got this Boss
Another great video! I think your correct on most everything however I suggest setting project up in phases. So phase 1 is everything on the 1 side of the house and pond area. Then phase 2 is the front of the house. Regarding phase 2, I suggest pushing a sewer camera down the 6" pipe before connecting downspouts to it, then run water in pipe and sewer camera it again - this will give indication if there is low/problem spots in pipe.
As for concrete up against the house, I wonder if pavers could make it more appealing while achieving 90% of your water control goals.
Tuff diagnosis, brilliant 👍🏻
Thank you Mosesslc!
Bless his heart. I hope what you do, works for him. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.
Thank you Brent!
Looking forward to the repair project. Hoping they sign on with you.
I think are correct in taking the time to investigate like you have.
Hope you get this job this will make a great solution video. Very nice property
If you concrete it, they'll cover it with stones anyway, so it will be hidden
Great point Henry!
Im willing to bet the waterfall is leaking and it has an autofill in the skimmer box.
That’s would not create this amount of water damage.
I agree with you that’s A place of investigation, I don’t know why everyone is so quick to blame the pond!
Do we need to call Ed, Brian, Jaak to evaluate this pond for you guys.
That's a good point Pablo - the waterfall might be leaking.
@@Tony-InLosAngeles Not blaming the pond itself. Chris and Brian just posted a video a couple weeks ago where even they screwed up a waterfall and the liner slipped on a rock. Waterfalls and folds in the liner are very tricky when you try to hide them. It happens very often.
@@GCFD If it has a auto top off I'd suggest the homeowner turn that off and see if the pond loses water. You said yourself that area isn't common for sub surface water didn't you??
Thats a nice place.
The house is beautiful and the landscaping too. But water will ruin both in time. I wish you get the job. Good luck
☺️. Rubber lining in the fountain with french drain lines under the lining to catch subsurface water and line the whole area where mulch is over rubber lining or patio pavers instead of mulch. All my friends who have fountains especially near the house all line the ponds and surrounding areas...And have a outlet for overflow on the fountain... Rubber lining would be less expensive than concrete.
That gray thing you didn't know is a fancy cover for a furnace. It looks close to the cover of the pvc pipes for my 97% efficiency furnace.
What is the time location of this cover you mentioned.
I think you are correct! Thank you Solerei!
Nice followup video, thanks. I liked the part with mystery square catch basin the most. I would inspect where the pipe goes before putting in the downspouts. As you said, the water in cleanup stopped flowing, even when your garden hose was still dumping water into the pipe in catch basin. But i liked, how it looked like some crazy contraption, the pipe was going in one direction from catch basin and the pipe in cleanout was going in totally different direction and it was much deeper
Agreed! I wonder if it’s connected to a sump pump? Definitely wouldn’t add more water to this pipe until it’s know on where it’s going.
@@JSH1 Wow, it would be diabolic, if the water from catch basin was going to crawl space to sump basin and was pumped out from there
@@joudatfd exactly but in my experience there are a lot of stupid people out there so it never hurts to look.
I think that was a cleanout for the sewer pipes. I must have caught it right when someone was washing dishes or doing laundry.
Try adding some temporary above-ground PVC to redirect that downspout (the one by the pond) and see if that helps things after the next rain. That "uphill" corrugated pipe is probably leaking.
that would be a great test, especially if the corrugated is leaking. I think the surface area of the nugget bed is just adding too much water that will need to be dealt with as well. Gutter and subsurface water are both likely contributing
@@GCFD Can almost guarantee the fitting with the tape on it, is leaking :D
Great assessment! Can't wait to see the video where you and your team fixes all of the issues.
Very strange that the downspouts in the front are not already directed into that 6".
Thank you Jesper!
I've been watching your channel for a time now I like the way you think. you correct on a lot of things on this assessment. but I would tend to want to keep nuggets where I could in the front where you are showing us the catch basin with the large pipe 6 in she said. I think you could take the Nuggets up in that area repack it with clay soil and then shape it so that it drains towards the catch basin. you could then reapply the the nuggets for the same look but yet you're underneath soil is what's going to catch everything in direct it towards the catch Basin with the use of a slope. you're also correct about building up against the house and shedding away the water. thanks for taking the time to read this. enjoy and good luck
The side yard rocks would seem to be good cover to put something that would feed to that sideyard basin. Could even extend them further up to the front area with the rocks making it all seem cohesive.
If you must concrete the front foundation area then you can use the existing rocks to cover it up. Because as you say the water will just go right thru.
It’s interesting watching you develop hypothesis regarding the source of invasive water and coming up with possible solutions to eliminate the problem.
Hope you get the job although it may be tough making your repair as “pretty” as the present landscape.
Good luck
Yes it often takes me a couple visits or time thinking about the issues. Drainage issues are not one size fits all in terms of solutions.
I would concrete the front, creating a shallow slope towards the catch basin. However I would then hide the concrete with rounded rock. Water would flow through and under the river rock, until it meets the impermeable concrete whereupon it would flow into the basin. Should keep the home owner happy since you wouldn't have raw concrete on show.
Looking forward to seeing this get fixed! 🤞
After seeing these two videos the previous company is supposed to be correcting everything.
I suppose you'll be compensated for the consulting at least? Pity we don't get to see your work doing the corrections! Still a very interesting case. 🙂👍
If it were my house, in the front, I'd do buried pvc under clay from the downspouts, cut into the sides of that grated basin before going as far as concrete. The basin has been there the whole time, and seems to have been sufficient before the corrugated work was done. I bet the homeowner likes the buried horizontal downspout look, so this is a way to maintain that.
I really hope they accept your quote. Definitely an interesting situation I'd like to see corrected. Excellent work with your assessment Shawn!
Thank you! I’ll let you know if we are going to do the work.
Cool detective work. Hope you get the job.
Thank you Jo!
Ah Ya, I remember seeing that area, so correct, a bit expensive but a Permanent solution.
if i was the homeowner, i would tackle the back and side yards first and give it a few months before doing the front yard, just to see how that helps. the front right may only need some shovel and pipe work into the existing basin. they definitely got screwed by the landscape "artist".
I think that pond is contributing water.
Like digging a hole on the beach, you can only dig so far until you hit the ocean water table
The water level in the test holes looks to be the same as the pond water level.
Lot of challenges to deal with. I like you two pipe assessment. The big concrete basin needs to be cut down lowered or replaced to keep the down spout drainpipes under ground. The gas appliance vent needs to be a minimum distance from the ground. My 2 cents I think it will be a great one to do and film with your impressive quality work, thanks for sharing.
thank you Joe! I will be meeting with the homeowners again soon so we shall see!
I have a feeling you'll be back in some capacity. I don't think the previous company has much experience in the type of drainage issues this property now has. They do nice cosmetic work, but you and Gate City are probably more experienced, knowledgeable and better equipped to handle the major drainage issues this property has. They'll have to outsource any cement work needed which will cost them big time. They probably only work with top soil and organic soils for dirt and have no problem adding heavy layers of mulch.
Owners should not give them another penny, even at a reduced rate. If you do go back, a new, complete assessment will need to be done as things could be altered. You may want to ask customer to take pictures during the work as it could help to to see what was actually done.
Great video and walkthru of an assessment. Really wish you would give a range of the cost to remedy to get a general idea.
thank you David! Costs vary too much for different areas to be useful. Half the people would say I charged too much and the other half not enough.
basement flooding and subsurface water and a pond less than 6 feet from the home (just bad idea after bad idea). definitely catch all the gutters and get rid of the corrugated tape connections.
Shawn you have done a great assessment, did it seep water under the slab before all the landscaping was done, you should ask the homeowner if he has any old photos, of how it looked before all the work and see if they can tell a story 👍
There were no problems before the landscaping was done. That's what is so frustrating and heartbreaking about this. They do have some before pictures and I will add them in if I get the job. The landscapers drastically reshaped the yard.
@@GCFD that water thats seeping from under the house may have been seeping before but going a different direction, and with the work been done its found a new path and thats under the house, so i think your correct and a french drain would be the answer
As a builder in Texas i run into something similar and if it's the same on this property you are on the wrong track. What i run into is on sloping lots, which this lot slopes, and the house is on the LOW side of the slope then rain water is soaking into the soil then hitting an impermeable shale layer feet below the surface and the water stays on top of the shale layer until it gets to a point where the subsurface water level above the shale layer hits a low spot at the base of the slope. Looking at your video that low spot is around that back porch. Water MIGHT be flowing from top of that hill on top of that shale layer and going under the concrete foundation. The foundation has perimeter concrete beams dug down into the soil and water will hit that concrete beam and get trapped like a damn on a lake. Water begins to accumulate and create pressure and at any weak point that water will begin to blow out. A suggestion would be to cut an opening in that concrete driveway right at the edge where the driveway touches the house foundation where that water is coming out then dig a hole down to where you can see under the bottom of that perimeter foundation concrete beam. If water is trapped you just uncorked a bottle. Install a catch basin right there so water trapped under the foundation can flow into the catch basin then out thru pvc pipe to a place further and lower away, no different than your other jobs. You are just allowing trapped water under that foundation a 24/7 way relieve pressure and slowly drain out. I had this where of all things a tree and it's root were pulled out and water flowed out for 2 weeks before trapped water on the shale layer dried out. In other examples we will do lifted foundations on bolts to create an air gap between the bottom of a foundation and and badly expanding clay soils and on sloped lots only water accumulates in that void below the lifted foundation and during rain will blow out a weak spot in a flower bed. Installing a catch basin somewhere in that area or another low spot under the perimeter foundation beam allows trapped water a place to continue flowing thru pvc and relieving pressure. *** One more tip is to hire a Geotechnical Engineer who specializes in geotech reports for foundation designs and they can probably find the exact cause.....
Wow what a good follow up assessment. Major mess ups by the landscape company on this property. I look forward to seeing you and your team in action on this property.
Thank you Steve!!
@@GCFD You are welcome and happy Kentucky Derby week!
Nice reassessment. And nice earthworm.
With a 6 inch it might be good. Can you camera scope it before you commit to it. That basin is great. Can you use the river stone above the French drain as fill above the small stone. You might have a great of it.
Thank you! I would top the FD drainage gravel with that nice river rock for sure. It would look good and would solve the problem too.
I would pad your estimate to account for extra time and care required to neatly remove landscaping and spend extra time tidying up to the Nth degree at the end and restoring whatever landscaping you can. Customers with big beautiful houses expect that sort of thing and prefer to pay for it.
I can't wait to see how your correctioning of this drainage will be solved especially the part of the video where you go out in the rain to proof that it works the way you have done it afterwards
Going out in the rain won't show much. The problem surfaces in the days after the rain stops.
@@joeshmoe7789 i get you and you are correct but what i meant was with the french drainage Shawn is about to install. I'd like to see how that turns out
The solution has to look good. Even if it costs. Can’t make a nice home look less valuable.
I think the homeowner could probably find a way to make concrete look good. They seem to have really good design sense. So I wouldn't be afraid of recommending it. They can make it work.
I was thinking that too Shawn. Maybe some large planters with larger plants or even small trees. Either way, we need a barrier in the front of the house.
Stamped concrete would look good with the rest of their landscaping.
Or use the same pavers in that corner area… kinda like a pathway to hose area. Just concrete gonna be a hard sell
Too bad that lovely home is on a slope. On heavier rainy days, I'd be concerned about water getting into the basement. Good luck on this one Shawn! My house has a slab addition, and water gets underneath it, because it is situated lower. Only way I fixed it was create a swale in the yard to coax the water away. However with THIS job, you have a little different scenario. All the best. 🙂
Thank you Sheena! Your house shows that not all drainage issues have the same solution. I like to take my time and really make sure what I'm proposing will work. 👍
Gate City Concrete and Concrete ❤
20:40 i think that those downspouts are likely connected to that 6 inch pipe.. I would check that they flow and then not mess with them. I think the easiest solution to that drainage basin issue is to remove the rock and just leave the underground corogated alone
On second thought, those bozos really screwed up the corrugated install so it might be worth just bypassing them
I was thinking that too Alex. If they had the corrugated running uphill right off the one downspout, how well is the rest installed? The problem is it goes under the driveway and they are flowing. I will definitely make sure the HO jets them out every year. But what a waste of effort when they should have used PVC.
Concrete sounds ok they can always put pot plants in there to break up the look just an idea.
That's what I was thinking too. Concrete would look a bit odd in that area but would save the foundation.
@@GCFD I think saving the foundation is a priority and concrete may be best?
2:48 when you told your client to try pouring water into the drainage pipe to see where the water will show up, i think this water is from that attempt/experiment. I think you might be onto something when you said it stays in that pipe because of the wrong slope angle.
French drain seems to be the best thing.
You can use food coloring in identifying water flows
If you look at the patio at 0:48, I think the question is where is that water coming from and which way is it flowing. It appears that it is partially pushing up as it appears to be coming from the expansion lines in the concrete, along with what appears to be efflorescence which is consistent with you assessment of hydro-static pressure. It isn't clear that the patio is draining towards the large catch basin or if that water is going towards the house. Also the patio appears to be the low point for the entire property - the path, the "nugget" bed, the driveway all seem to flow to the patio or against the "sun room" foundation. Redirecting the front to the basin with the pvc outlet, and catching the water flowing down the grade towards the house and redirecting to the rear basin might alleviate the water building up in the ground in the patio area.
That's a great observation AP! The patio is definitely sloping away from the sunroom. The constant flow is keeping the area at a constant wetness, which in itself in pretty interesting.