Patio drainage problems

12 years ago

We are having landscaping done, they are 95% done the back and now moving onto the front.
The back has been done for a month now and I am noticing every time it rains we are having drainage issues. I have addressed this with my contractor whom will be inspecting it this week but before I get his answer I would like to know is this normal, will it cause issues down the road, was the slope or grading done incorrectly and lastly should they be fixing this issue or is it just the way it goes?

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Yardvaark

12 years ago

That the patio drains properly should not depend, at all, on what type of soil is around it. The patio drainage will depend on running over the top of the soil, not through it. The only way the soil could be blamed is if a large puddle forms farther away in the lawn area and grows until it encompasses the patio. Then you would have a yard drainage problem you needed to deal with ... not a patio drainage problem. The patio should be pitched correctly so that it drains onto the lawn. The lawn should be pitched correctly so the it drains toward the downhill property line and onto the next neighbor's property. (I know it sounds harsh. But that's the way it is.)

Instead of relying on someone else to tell you what it is and how to fix it, get a carpenter's level, preferably a long one (or lay a level on top of an 8' length 2 x 4) and measure how the patio is sloping. If it is sloping toward the horseshoe shaped wall (where the water can't escape) it is a permanent problem until a permanent fix is created. If it is sloping toward the open end of the patio (without the wall) and toward the lawn, and if the water cannot escape because the grade of the sod is too high, then the grade of the sod must be lowered in order to fix the problem. The lowering must continue to the point where the water has no choice but to run toward the back property line. If you try to cut either one of these fixes short -- by installing a drain as a stopgap measure -- in the long run you will be unhappy because the drain will fail in such shallow grade conditions. A shallowly pitched drain will not remain self-cleaning.

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Comments (9)

Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
12 years ago
Holy Cow! This is not good! Obviously they should have put drains in there prior to pouring the stamped concrete, and they should have checked the slope.

My husband took a level to the framing of our recent project and caught a slope error prior to the pour, but it is your contractor's job to get it right, and he should be held accountable.

Let us know how this is resolved.
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Yardvaark
12 years ago
I'll agree it does not look good, but from the picture alone, we cannot tell what is the exact cause of the problem. Refer to your contract with the contractor .... what is he responsible for doing? What is specified in terms of grading and drainage?

The problem will not go away just by waiting for time to pass.
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marcinde
12 years ago
was this pic taken right during or immediately after a heavy rain? How long does it take for water to exit the patio, or does it sit there till it either evaporates or gets pushed off?

hard to tell in this pic - i see where the hose goes under water, but is that local to a spot in the middle of the patio or is there standing water all the way to the edge? And does it appear that water is getting trapped by the seat wall?
ballancedisplay
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for you responses. Just to clarify and answer a few questions this is Permacon Amalfi pavers used not stamped concrete.
The pic is taken morning after a rainfall throughout the night which was steady for a few hours. It sticks around for a few hours only in that area The remainder of the patio which goes about another 20' the other direction (you cannot see in the pic) does not have this pooling issue.
To me it seems as if this grading should have been higher from the wall side out (this should have been accounted for when grading knowing the design with a wall. The remainder of the property is relatively flat and just slopes towards the fencing on the outside at the back and down one side (left side of the pic attached)
It appears the water is getting trapped by the edge of the grass which is at least an inch-inch and a half higher and pools around the wall from there.
The water does drain on its own without help from us pushing it off just takes a few hours in the sun, just worried over time this will cause damage, or wash away the sand?
As for the contract it states they are responsible for drainage and piping if required.
Hope the additional info helps and if you need any more pics let me know.
THANKS!!!
marcinde
12 years ago
welp, definitely sounds like a problem. Also sounds like it's in your contractor's best interest to fix it. Beyond that, without knowing where the water can be directed, I got nothin'.
ballancedisplay
Original Author
12 years ago
So an update...
Had landscaper tell me the problem seems to be the soil is like clay from the backfill the builder used when they built our house, he is going to try doing a French drain at the end for the water to go into but also mentioned that when it rains hard it may still overflow a bit onto patio but wont be that bad.
I am not sure I 100% agree with this method then I don't want to have this as my problem years down the line when I am left to deal with it I feel I at least have some leverage now that he in the middle of a job and not paid for yet.
Opinions?
ballancedisplay
Original Author
12 years ago
So an update...
Had landscaper tell me the problem seems to be the soil is like clay from the backfill the builder used when they built our house, he is going to try doing a French drain at the end for the water to go into but also mentioned that when it rains hard it may still overflow a bit onto patio but wont be that bad.
I am not sure I 100% agree with this method then I don't want to have this as my problem years down the line when I am left to deal with it I feel I at least have some leverage now that he in the middle of a job and not paid for yet.
Opinions?
marcinde
12 years ago
if the wall is the problem, that's not the end of the world. They should be able to drill drain holes through to the back side, and as long as they use the right equipment and do a good job it's not going to be ugly.

The bigger problem, as Yard highlights above, is where that water goes when it exits the patio. If the grade can be shaved or swaled all the way to a low point, you're good to go. Based on your description and what I can make out via the photos, though, I kind of worry that the patio edge is too low to drain properly.