Landscaper or Builder?

Hahaha... that innocent little ditch can be very deceptive. It has on ocasiones overflowed with its torrents flooding the entire road. Luckily our home is at the top of the gradient, homes further down the road were not so lucky though

 

Having looked at your pictures Shaun, and knowing how things can be in Hampshire, I would suggest that you need a reputable builder to look at the job. I would be considering some underpinning there to protect the garage.
With those big plants against the wall, and the obvious use of the pathway, I suppose a retaining wall would be out of the question.

 

Might be cheaper and easier to clear and prepare the drainage ditch and lay say a 12" dia pipe, then cover it over.

 

Don`t think it`s as easy as that Mike. The ditches are there for a very important and sometimes urgent reason - you can`t just go mucking about with them.

 

C'mon Tetters. Surely you know me better than that. Fair do's. I enjoy so much being able to talk and share thoughts, feelings etc with folk.

I think it was you who mentioned Hampshire. Forgive me if I'm mistaken. I love Hampshire especially the New Forest. My eldest daughter lives in East Boldre. Boy, when it rains there. It rains. Many area there are no pavements, not even drains as we city dwellers are used to. Following a downpour you can be ankle deep in water. Ten minutes later and it's all gone.

Entry to Kerry's front garden and house. An open ditch runs across the frontage of these four dwellings. To gain access, the ditch has been piped for about 8-10 feet and covered over. For longer ditches, in some parts. Pipes have been laid, covered over and the some parts of the ditch/waterway has been left open. This allows for the rodding if required of the pipes.

In the past, such pipe would have been glazed earthenware. Now poly whatsit pipe is rolled out for gas, water and waste, so much cheaper.

 

Where would we all be without Polly Wotsit.... never too old to learn something Mike.

 

Many thanks all for the comments. One thing that’s very clear is that I need to be very careful not to restrict the flow in anyway because if the ditch overflowed after the work was carried out then I could be liable for any damage regardless of whether it would have overflowed or not had the work not been carried out. And while constructiing a long culvert and filling in the ditch is very appealing it would definitely restrict the flow especially if the culvert got blocked. So I would just be wasting an application fee because my local authority would never consent to such a plan.

 

The fishery I own has a half mile lane which we also own with a run off ditch to one side. We have had the council inform us we can’t fill or add a pipe and that it must be cleared of obstructions.
Can’t comment on the one above but our ditch runs into a local stream that runs along side the lake.

 

I certainly wouldn't use a landscaper and they are usually expensive. When I had a large soakaway dug out and replaced I used a recommended firm of Groundworkers.