HELP. Anyone had drain problems going through neighbours land?

[Henry]

Any good local small civil engineers you could have a chat with, they may professionally have some ideas of a drainage / holding system that may work . If you can't think of anyone a chat with the local council or planning office may know of someone locally

Good advice Stuart, I would go this route too. Easement rights over someone's land is tricky.

You could have a huge water tank built under or above ground ( on your boundary with your neighbour) and pump the hundreds of gallons of flash flood water into it, this keeps it from your cellar. You will need at least a pair of industrial 2 inch independent pumps with independant float switches. The water can be fed in to the drainage pipe at a slower pace. This said pipe needs to have a coring piece sent down it and a liner fitted. My 2ps worth.

Ps. I'm a drainage expert.

Pps. Your home insurance may be liable to fight your corner, have you checked.

 

[Mycroft]

The line of trees to the West of your home that runs from North to South in your picture is likely to have been a rill of some kind in the past and may have simply overgrown.

My guess is it also forms the boundary between your properties.

It terminates in what was once very to have been a shallow pond, the profuse growth of vegetation clearly indicates this through the silt being very fertile.

Simply re-instating this small stream and little pond might be botha way to solve your drainage issue and enhance your property.

This does all assume you own the land down as far as Highwood Lane.

A good scale OS map will give you all the info you need to ascertain if there is a fall (It is my assumption here that there is one) and a little trip to the nearest good Library may even throw up an old OS showing the rill and the pond.

Just an idea...

 

[Rosco]

How close is your land to his actual house?

Not actually that far. Our house is 20m away from the wall and his probably the same

Steve
How about hitting him really hard with a shitty solicitors letter stating your going after him for damages due to the flooding of your property. Then get the solicitor to suggest that there is an alternative method which would be formal mediation. You can then sit in a room together and try and get it sorted.

Have seen a similar thing at our house with the neighbours. One planted a monster conifer which had grown through the drain and caused flooding to three properties. We were not flooded. It was only when I said that if our house flooded due to their inaction sorting the problem I would go after them, did they get it fixed. It was a group of three neighbours, two wanted it sorted but one refused to pay until I hot involved. It was total madness so can feel your pain only consolation is that we are now all ok and everyone is talking.

My biggest concern would be long term imitations if something else happens. Can you not build a soak away and an overflow holding tank so at least it's in your control long term.

Bloody ridiculous behaviour on the part of your neighbour.

I would love to say we could be ammicable but tonight we get home and have a letter from planning office with 5 allegations of planning contravention we have done. Only our neighbour could know about these things. To say we are now fuming and going to do everything to hit the fooker is an understatement.
Now we have told him the work is happening, we are waiting for a response and he said he would by today. My solicitor has not passed anything yet. If he does not respond, we shall send another letter stating that if he holds up any works, we will be counter suing him for extra costs incurred and of course any damages.

Any good local small civil engineers you could have a chat with, they may professionally have some ideas of a drainage / holding system that may work . If you can't think of anyone a chat with the local council or planning office may know of someone locally

Already gone through every option with 4 or 5 different firms. Due to the lay of the land, it is not easy, we get all the rain water from acres around us.

Quote from Henry
Good advice Stuart, I would go this route too. Easement rights over someone's land is tricky.

You could have a huge water tank built under or above ground ( on your boundary with your neighbour) and pump the hundreds of gallons of flash flood water into it, this keeps it from your cellar. You will need at least a pair of industrial 2 inch independent pumps with independant float switches. The water can be fed in to the drainage pipe at a slower pace. This said pipe needs to have a coring piece sent down it and a liner fitted. My 2ps worth.

Ps. I'm a drainage expert.

Pps. Your home insurance may be liable to fight your corner, have you checked.
The problem is, we need to get this drain fixed/repaired/improved otherwise every year it will simply get worse or simply block up altogether. Then where does any water go? We can pump it away, but that is mega costly and what do we do if we have a power cut. Right now we cannot go on holiday during this time of year in case we have a mega down poor. You know full well that pumps don't always kick in when they should and if we weren't there to sort it, we will have a ruined house.

The line of trees to the West of your home that runs from North to South in your picture is likely to have been a rill of some kind in the past and may have simply overgrown.

My guess is it also forms the boundary between your properties.

It terminates in what was once very to have been a shallow pond, the profuse growth of vegetation clearly indicates this through the silt being very fertile.

Simply re-instating this small stream and little pond might be botha way to solve your drainage issue and enhance your property.

This does all assume you own the land down as far as Highwood Lane.

A good scale OS map will give you all the info you need to ascertain if there is a fall (It is my assumption here that there is one) and a little trip to the nearest good Library may even throw up an old OS showing the rill and the pond.

Just an idea...

We own the bit that goes into a point, leading up to Highwood Lane. That is a good couple of hundred metres up hill and back down again to the lane, so I'm afraid it wouldn't work.

Every bit of landing going downhill, goes through our neighbours land. I will see if I can fish out a couple of photos to show what I mean tomorrow.

thanks for the comments guys.

 

[azrael]

This shows the gradient a bit. Its outside your neighbours drive, looking towards your house

 

[Rosco]

Here you go, this may explain why we can't divert the water

Coming down the drive. As you can see on both sides, all the land drains down towards our courtyard.


Top driveway


Courtyard, Lowest part where all the water congregates. Excuse the mess and my half naked son, lots of work been going on. Behind the garage is the stone wall, running parallel. This is the lowest point.

 

[Stuart J]

Could you Dig a fkin great pond and a feature bridge over it to replace the drive !!

Serious thought looks like the house has been there for a year or 3. Is it worth a chat to a few of the old locals , it may be there are ditches or ponds long gone that coped previously .

In the village I grew up in ( I'm a mere 57 ) there was a small stream that trickled down the side of the road, as a kid I can remember the fun when a traction engine stopped to refill. Over time it was filled in as more properties were built. A few years ago the village flooded and the council spent a few bob running a drain through the village

With your pad there may just be something you could reinstate that would help

Again a thought inspired in the bar with a bottle of la palmas finest.

 

[Henry]

Fill the basement and forget about it, it's probably the cheapest option.

 

[Nords]

Fill the basement and forget about it, it's probably the cheapest option.

Basement swimming pool perhaps? It could be billed as a wave making machine, when it rains?

wasntme):

 

[Henry]

Basement swimming pool perhaps? It could be billed as a wave making machine, when it rains?

wasntme):

Lol.

 

[Rosco]

Could you Dig a fkin great pond and a feature bridge over it to replace the drive !!

Serious thought looks like the house has been there for a year or 3. Is it worth a chat to a few of the old locals , it may be there are ditches or ponds long gone that coped previously .

In the village I grew up in ( I'm a mere 57 ) there was a small stream that trickled down the side of the road, as a kid I can remember the fun when a traction engine stopped to refill. Over time it was filled in as more properties were built. A few years ago the village flooded and the council spent a few bob running a drain through the village

With your pad there may just be something you could reinstate that would help

Again a thought inspired in the bar with a bottle of la palmas finest.

You could be right, but from what we can tell and have found out, it is simple clay pipe drains that have been there for donkeys years. The stable block that our neighbour lives in was split off from our house going back some twenty years ago.

Fill the basement and forget about it, it's probably the cheapest option.

You are probably right and that would stop the cellar flooding, but it would not stop our courtyard flooding though!

Basement swimming pool perhaps? It could be billed as a wave making machine, when it rains?

wasntme):

This has been discussed

 

[Henry]

Is it possible to raise the level of the courtyard ?

Flash flooding is becoming a real problem at anytime of the year regardless of ground saturation, there are many solutions to your dilemma, some very cheap and some expensive.

A simple question, if you had your neighbours agreement, can a new surface water drainage pipe be easily laid across his land and where would it discharge? Is there a river or stream ?

 

[Rosco]

Is it possible to raise the level of the courtyard ?

Flash flooding is becoming a real problem at anytime of the year regardless of ground saturation, there are many solutions to your dilemma, some very cheap and some expensive.

A simple question, if you had your neighbours agreement, can a new surface water drainage pipe be easily laid across his land and where would it discharge? Is there a river or stream ?

Afraid not. If we raise the courtyard, we would need to raise the house too. Last year we were 2" away from going into our kitchen. If anything, it needs lowering to protect the house.
We are confident that repairing the drain will free the flow. It must have worked for many years. On the cctv report, it even says at the point where our neighbours tree roots go into the pipe that it is 50% blocked.

As for our neighbour agreeing to anything, he is a proper fookin cunt! Below is his latest letter to show you what I mean. Totally talks down to the likes of you and I. Even referred to us as 'lay people' in his letter. They have also now written to the planning department after studying all our permissions and we are now potentially in breach of 5 planning conditions, a couple quite serious. Karma will happen!

 

[azrael]

He seems alright actually... rofl):

 

[KnickeRS]

Steve, I know you are personally involved but if you step back and try to take some perspective as if you are the third party, then the letter reads as being quite sensible and fair if I'm honest. I too would be concerned that least invasive measures weren't being considered first before I was being asked to allow someone else to carve up my land and I think full appraisal of costs with contractual obligations to make good once works are complete should be sought and I feel sure you would feel the same if the show was on the other foot.

Surely for you too it makes sense to go down the Pressure flush route first anyway and if this fails to resolve the issue then you follow due process to resolve more aggressively.

Thinking about it, you've lived there three or so years now haven't you but I don't recall you mentioning the flooding before. Is this a relatively recent problem because if so, then likely the fix could be a simple enough one after all.

 

[Henry]

The pipe goes though his land then where, can it be accessed both ends without disturbing his land.

 

[Rosco]

Steve, I know you are personally involved but if you step back and try to take some perspective as if you are the third party, then the letter reads as being quite sensible and fair if I'm honest. I too would be concerned that least invasive measures weren't being considered first before I was being asked to allow someone else to carve up my land and I think full appraisal of costs with contractual obligations to make good once works are complete should be sought and I feel sure you would feel the same if the show was on the other foot.

Surely for you too it makes sense to go down the Pressure flush route first anyway and if this fails to resolve the issue then you follow due process to resolve more aggressively.

Thinking about it, you've lived there three or so years now haven't you but I don't recall you mentioning the flooding before. Is this a relatively recent problem because if so, then likely the fix could be a simple enough one after all.

Nick - Apart from coming across as someone that is an obnoxious twat, his letter does make sense. The part that is missing is that going back a year ago, when we first flooded, he agreed to let us install a new drain around the back of our garage. Several meetings ensued and it was all agreed, back in March last year. Then in June when I phoned him to ask if we could start the next month, he was a completely opposite person and cost me money getting a full survey done and many other things, which all he really did was a delay tactic.
What you are not seeing is how much of an arsehole he has been, so due to this, as we have a legal easement to repair our drains where necessary, if it means ripping up his lawn and causing him an inconvenience, we will do our best to do so.
His comments on the drain make it sound as if the drain is perfectly ok apart from a small amount of root ingress. In the report and cctv I have, it shows the drain is cracked in many places too. The recommendation is replacement from a specialist. I am going to find out how much it will cost to get a firm to blast it and line it, but I fear it will be more costly. Hell, what would I know, I am merely a lay person!

The pipe goes though his land then where, can it be accessed both ends without disturbing his land.

Not possible mate. It terminates at his pond.

 

[qureshia]

Send this bugger down, see if it helps

If it does,simply repeat ever 6 months....

 

[KnickeRS]

Nick - Apart from coming across as someone that is an obnoxious twat, his letter does make sense. The part that is missing is that going back a year ago, when we first flooded, he agreed to let us install a new drain around the back of our garage. Several meetings ensued and it was all agreed, back in March last year. Then in June when I phoned him to ask if we could start the next month, he was a completely opposite person and cost me money getting a full survey done and many other things, which all he really did was a delay tactic.
What you are not seeing is how much of an arsehole he has been, so due to this, as we have a legal easement to repair our drains where necessary, if it means ripping up his lawn and causing him an inconvenience, we will do our best to do so.
His comments on the drain make it sound as if the drain is perfectly ok apart from a small amount of root ingress. In the report and cctv I have, it shows the drain is cracked in many places too. The recommendation is replacement from a specialist. I am going to find out how much it will cost to get a firm to blast it and line it, but I fear it will be more costly. Hell, what would I know, I am merely a lay person!

Well he's being very clever with his letter writing in this case Steve, should he need to present a legal case at a later stage. I would make sure you have a letter sent via your solicitor now explaining what you have just told me(us) but in polite terms of course. Get it all on record matey.

Btw, my advice is of course, that of a lay man also and shouldn't be relied upon. That is why its free

 

[Rosco]

Send this bugger down, see if it helps

If it does,simply repeat ever 6 months....


View attachment 6983

I am going to get in touch with a couple of companies on Monday that do drain linings. When this all became apparent, we got our insurance involved, they sent out a specialist company to see what needs doing. Then reported it to the assessor and his recommendation was to take our all the clay pipe and replace with a new one from start to finish. This was at a cost of around £13,500. At no point did anyone suggest or mention the resin lining you can do, so we presumed it was not an option or way too expensive, especially having seen it on a Sarah Beeney program some years ago and she said it was.
If this is an option, it will certainly be a quick and simple one which we will go down, if it is viable. If it isn't, we shall persevere with the easement route. One way or another, we will not back down until we have no choice.

Well he's being very clever with his letter writing in this case Steve, should he need to present a legal case at a later stage. I would make sure you have a letter sent via your solicitor now explaining what you have just told me(us) but in polite terms of course. Get it all on record matey.

Btw, my advice is of course, that of a lay man also and shouldn't be relied upon. That is why its free

He is a proper clever bugger, used to be very high up in some university and it was to do with architect I believe. It's as if he has been playing us all along, it really is. I believe in karma, what goes around will come back around and bite his sorry arse. It could and should have been so simple and amicable in the first place, but he had no plans of working with us at all, merely just teased us from the start. He is a very bitter man and has proven to us that jealousy is his real big problem. We've spoilt his view that he used to have over our land and he does not like all the improvements we have made to our house either. Before us, a little old lady lived here, so he enjoyed many years of peace and quiet.