French drain under shed

6 years ago

My yard has poor drainage, previous owner put in some drains on both sides of the yard that drain the water away. No landscape fabric or stone was used, on one side of the yard the drain pipe is completely clogged with mud and roots. On the other side of the yard the drain is working well. I'm going to rent a trencher and replace these long drain pipes (about 150' on each side of the yard) and use the fabric and crushed stone and all of that. Now on the side of the yard where the drain is actually working it goes under a very old, run down shed that isn't really usable anymore. I'm going to replace this shed as well. I plan on getting a big say 10x12' shed (current is like 7'x7'). I don't really have another place to put a shed so I was going to tear down the old shed, replace the drain pipe, and then have the new shed built on top of a section of that pipe. The pipe will be about 3' below surface, then covered with crushed stone and then some soil.

Do you think building a shed could damage the drainage pipe? I'm thinking the weight of the shed will be dispersed enough over the ground that the pipe 3' below surface will be fine but wanted to get some opinions.

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Comments (5)

PRO
Yardvaark
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I don't think the weight of a shed would bother a schedule 40 PVC pipe that is buried 3' down. But I question the entire drainage scheme and wonder if it wouldn't be better to to design surface drainage, which does not clog like underground pipes. (Any underground pipe where water must rise to exit is a pipe waiting to be clogged, especially if it is a pipe which can be penetrated by roots ... in case that has any bearing on the situation.)
Mike A
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks, I definitely have roots on one side of the yard, my neighbor has some big trees. What would be a good surface drainage system?
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krnuttle
6 years ago
To determine that you must go out an sit on the grass in your yard and "survey" for highs and low areas in your yard. Determine the natural drainage for the yard. if necessary to get a proper picture, draw the contours of your yard. Only then can you determine the proper routes for swales to move the water to the natural drainage points for your yard.

When I have decided where the direction of the swale, I remove the sod, dig the swale to the depth needed plus about 3". once contoured properly so the water goes where you want, relay the sod. Done right you will not be able to see where you did the work.
PRO
Yardvaark
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
"What would be a good surface drainage system?" ... Correct grading where the surface it pitched to direct water toward an exit path, in accordance with the overall flow of drainage, such that it can then leave the property. Sometimes this necessitates the creation of a swale (which might be very subtle) and sometimes it is simply sheet flow. If water is going to be trapped somewhere such that it cannot leave, that necessitates the installation of a catch basin and yard drain. But a yard drain requires a lower elevation outlet on the property, and must be done in such a way that it does not concentrate water to adverse effect onto a neighboring property.
PRO
Yardvaark
6 years ago
Hard to say without seeing the overall area, but in this case, the shed might need to be raised, providing an opportunity for grade to be pitched away from it, so that water can be directed around it and beyond.