Flooded back lawn?

Kent Brockman

Hi,
I have eventually found the problem causing my recent back garden flooding, It was a pipe/leak from a rear neighbours garage and it has been flowing constantly for 29Days without their knowledge!!! Their site is approx 3ft above mine and the water had been constantly seeping into the ground and under/through the dividing wall.The water has now been shut off.

My garden is a total marshland and even my patio slabs near the house are starting to loosen.

My question for those with experience in this area is will my garden recover/dryout itself now that the flow of water has stopped?
Is there anything I can do (like forking the lawn or spreading sand?)
Do I need a professional to look at this? (and if so who?)

Advice appreciated, thanks.

Sonnenblumen

Kent Brockman wrote: »

Hi,
I have eventually found the problem causing my recent back garden flooding, It was a pipe/leak from a rear neighbours garage and it has been flowing constantly for 29Days without their knowledge!!! Their site is approx 3ft above mine and the water had been constantly seeping into the ground and under/through the dividing wall.The water has now been shut off.

My garden is a total marshland and even my patio slabs near the house are starting to loosen.

My question for those with experience in this area is will my garden recover/dryout itself now that the flow of water has stopped?
Is there anything I can do (like forking the lawn or spreading sand?)
Do I need a professional to look at this? (and if so who?)

Advice appreciated, thanks.

Your garden should recover, but it may take some time at this time of year for the excess dampness to recede. I would however be concerned with any patio slabs becoming loose, have these been laid on a sand/weak mortar base? If so any movement will need to be tackled.

Kent Brockman

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Your garden should recover, but it may take some time at this time of year for the excess dampness to recede. I would however be concerned with any patio slabs becoming loose, have these been laid on a sand/weak mortar base? If so any movement will need to be tackled.

Thanks. I figured that once the source of the problem was fixed it would eventually dry up.(It just looks so bad at the moment I wondered if it needed help!)
The patio slabs are layed on a mixtue of sand and some kind of grit that was rolled and machine compacted before the slabs went down. They were not set in concrete for drainage purposes, as the back lawn slopes toward the patio (we used to have a yellowish gravel there).

Sonnenblumen

Kent Brockman wrote: »

Thanks. I figured that once the source of the problem was fixed it would eventually dry up.(It just looks so bad at the moment I wondered if it needed help!)
The patio slabs are layed on a mixtue of sand and some kind of grit that was rolled and machine compacted before the slabs went down. They were not set in concrete for drainage purposes, as the back lawn slopes toward the patio (we used to have a yellowish gravel there).

Laying slabs on compacted sand/grit is not ideal, and once slabs start to move, the whole area can become affected. Ideally slabs (especially natural stone paving) must be set in concrete, and this has no adverse effect on drainage. Run-off from patio/sites with gradients towards house can be easily addressed. A very simple solution would be to incorporate a drainage pit along patio perimeter, eg a trench 300-500mm deep x 300mm, bacfilled with coarse stone/drainage pebble, and the final 150mm topdressed with soil for lawn finish. Land drain, storm channel are other options albeit involving more cost.

Best to secure any loose slabs, point with a sand/cement mix will help improve adhesion.