Yard Restrictions?
I plan on discarding the jungle of a yard that I have by conceting it and than tile. My neighbors are worried that their yard and basement will get flooded because of this and hinted to me several times that there are certain restrictions one can do with their own yard. Is anyone awhere of…
I plan on discarding the jungle of a yard that I have by conceting it and than tile. My neighbors are worried that their yard and basement will get flooded because of this and hinted to me several times that there are certain restrictions one can do with their own yard. Is anyone awhere of these restrictions?
We are going to shell out big bucks one of there days to have the horrible cement REMOVED from our yard. I agree with the poster who suggested hiring a landscaper. Having a patio and yard/garden is a terrific solution and will be so much better for resale. Please don’t pave over your yard, you will definitely regret it!
The posters are correct in that you will have to add drains. You will need to get a skilled person to pitch the tiles properly toward the drains. You will need also to make sure that you pitch the tiles away from the house. Why not lay a paver brick patio — you lay a bed of sand pitching the bricks in the correct directions. You need several drains.
I forgot to add, that I have a yard and flower garden too, I love it but it takes a great deal of time. I’m a rare person on my block. Most everyone has a cement yard because it’s more functional for them with kids & dogs, BBQs and such. Anyway, back to the subject of drainage. No matter what you have, a yard or cement do your best to get your drainage in order. It was a major headache for me and it’s best to take care of this now to prevent trouble down the road. It took a great deal of effort to get my drainage right but now I have a clean and dry basement that I can use and not worry about water damage to my stuff. Next to having a leak proof roof, a clean dry basement is a big deal.
Why not spend the money on a landscaper instead of creating one more impervious surface? On a purely esthetic level, paved over yards cannot compete with greenery. On a practical level, greenery is nicer than a tiled yard. And on a be-nice-to-mother-Earth level, have you seen “An Inconvenient Truth?”
If you’re going to pave/tile over your backyard, you must install more drains, not only for your neighbors’ sake, but for YOURS. Remember that water will find the path of least resistance. If that “path” leads to your building foundation, the water will seep into YOUR basement. If that path leads to your neighbors’ yards, they will have runoff from you. Yes, I agree that your neighbors need to be responsible for their own drainage issues. But also remember that many drainage issues are not visible…I had seepage into my basement via a party wall for years, yet my neighbor refused to do anything about it, even though I knew for a fact the water was coming from that property. When that neighbor built an extension out back a couple of years ago, the contracter removed their undergroud drainage pipe and it looked like swiss cheese, totally rusted and rotted out…ergo, the source of the water into our basement. Needless to say, we no longer have water seepage through the party wall, and our basement is dry. If you protect your property by installing proper drainage throughout, then your neighbors will have to deal with their own water issues if those issues are of their own making. So please, please spend the extra money and do it properly. Have a qualified, knowledgeable contractor/plumber install the proper drainage in your yard to direct rainwater where it should go..into the drains. You can then rest assured that if your neighbors complain of seepage or runoff, you can turn to your properly-draining yard and claim that you have taken care of YOUR drainage, and they must now investigate THEIRS.
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