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My neighbor had a really nice looking patio installed in his backyard. I admired it for a few days and then we got a very heavy rain and I noticed something that concerns me. I don't know if I don't understand how patios work or if this is something I should bring to his attention so I thought I would ask here.
We live in townhouses with small, fenced in backyards (wooden privacy-style fences with alternating pickets). All the backyards of all the houses slope slightly away from the houses to a low area behind the houses. This keeps water away from the house and drains it from the yard.
When they installed the patio, the contractor made my neighbor's yard level and it no longer slopes (but my yard still does as does the neighbor on the other side of him). So the effect is, if you look at the fence between our houses, close to the house my yard and his are the same level, but with mine still slightly sloping, at the end of the of the fence, his yard is a good foot to foot and a half higher than my yard. I thought that looked weird, but I didn't think much about it until the rain.
When it rained, the part of his yard that was higher, washed away into my yard. Now, this is just a minor annoyance for me and I wouldn't bring this up if that's the only thing I noticed. I have a sloped, brick patio in my back yard and it's surrounded by mulch and garden. The area where the mud is just under a Japanese maple with mulch on the ground. It's not that bad and I will just re-mulch it later. Although I am not sure if this will be a long term drainage issue. But it only impacts the end of my yard, it's not like water is draining near my house or anything.
What I am more concerned with is that I noticed that now my neighbor's patio, on the side that boarders my yard, only has large rocks under it, no dirt. It's a like a huge hole dug out under the patio. It's a bit hard to see though the fence, but I can see it a little. I would think, in time, this will make the patio sink and eventually crack on that side. Am I right in thinking this? If I am, I want to tell my neighbor. He might be able to call the contractor to come in and fix it. If I am wrong, I rather not say anything because he will be upset about the mud in my yard (he's a really nice guy) and will probably fuss about fixing it when I would rather just take care my own yard myself.
County inspections office for permits and approvals of 'design' and inspection of completed work.
Similar with the HOA there. Read your own documents for what limits YOU believe are in there.
In that sort of tightly built neighborhood it's rare to NOT have some practical restrictions
on the scale/scope of changes to common drainage and grading of this sort.
Sounds like they filled in a sloping yard and didn't bother to put a retaining wall, so the first heavy rain his dirt has washed into your yard, and furthermore it's washed out from under his new patio slab. Is that accurate?
He needs a retaining wall put in and the fill restored. If your relations are good, I think he'll want to know about this because if the fill is washing out from under his patio slab, the slab will settle and crack.
My neighbor had a really nice looking patio installed in his backyard. I admired it for a few days and then we got a very heavy rain and I noticed something that concerns me. I don't know if I don't understand how patios work or if this is something I should bring to his attention so I thought I would ask here.
We live in townhouses with small, fenced in backyards (wooden privacy-style fences with alternating pickets). All the backyards of all the houses slope slightly away from the houses to a low area behind the houses. This keeps water away from the house and drains it from the yard.
When they installed the patio, the contractor made my neighbor's yard level and it no longer slopes (but my yard still does as does the neighbor on the other side of him). So the effect is, if you look at the fence between our houses, close to the house my yard and his are the same level, but with mine still slightly sloping, at the end of the of the fence, his yard is a good foot to foot and a half higher than my yard. I thought that looked weird, but I didn't think much about it until the rain.
When it rained, the part of his yard that was higher, washed away into my yard. Now, this is just a minor annoyance for me and I wouldn't bring this up if that's the only thing I noticed. I have a sloped, brick patio in my back yard and it's surrounded by mulch and garden. The area where the mud is just under a Japanese maple with mulch on the ground. It's not that bad and I will just re-mulch it later. Although I am not sure if this will be a long term drainage issue. But it only impacts the end of my yard, it's not like water is draining near my house or anything.
What I am more concerned with is that I noticed that now my neighbor's patio, on the side that boarders my yard, only has large rocks under it, no dirt. It's a like a huge hole dug out under the patio. It's a bit hard to see though the fence, but I can see it a little. I would think, in time, this will make the patio sink and eventually crack on that side. Am I right in thinking this? If I am, I want to tell my neighbor. He might be able to call the contractor to come in and fix it. If I am wrong, I rather not say anything because he will be upset about the mud in my yard (he's a really nice guy) and will probably fuss about fixing it when I would rather just take care my own yard myself.
Any advice? Thanks!
I would tell him, and show him what is happening. He can make the contractor fix it. I would want to know.
Sounds like they filled in a sloping yard and didn't bother to put a retaining wall, so the first heavy rain his dirt has washed into your yard, and furthermore it's washed out from under his new patio slab. Is that accurate?
He needs a retaining wall put in and the fill restored. If your relations are good, I think he'll want to know about this because if the fill is washing out from under his patio slab, the slab will settle and crack.
I think that sums it up (I just didn't know the right terminology to explain it). I will definitely tell him. I thought that's what might happen, I just didn't know if my gut feeling was right. Thanks!
Turns out the project isn't done and he hasn't paid them yet... they are supposed to come back and seal the patio. He said he's going to point it out to the contractor. Thanks again!
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