Major overhaul/drainage etc

DrPhilG

My house is on a 0.84 acre site but about a third of an acre of it is currently a wilderness of grass, soil, rubbish etc which is behind what is currently the back fence.

Panoramic shot of the area


Various pictures from around the sides

DrPhilG

In part of this area, surrounded by a man made banking, is the septic tank.




And this is all currently hidden behind my back fence





And now the point of all these pics...

In the not too distant future, probably at the end of the year (or early next year more likely due to the weather), we want to turn that mangled heap of wasteland into a bigger back garden, with decking, BBQ, seating, decorative stone area and maybe even a pond.

Anyone have any experience of this kind of mass clearance? Drainage will be a major factor. During the winter that raised area around the septic tank tends to be waterlogged and I assume that the banking is there to stop the tank from flooding. The banking rises up on the sides and back, you can walk to the tank from the front via a gate in the fence.

It's a terrible waste of nearly half of the site currently and has huge potential so I'm determined to make it work. I do realise it will cost a lot of money but I'm trying to get an idea of roughly how much, and who should I be contacting?

DrPhilG

To clarify, the area outside/behind the banking gets waterlogged. Not inside the banking where the septic tank is.

redser7

Sorry I cant help. But I think you might get some good feedback over on the construction forum. I reckon you've got some major ground works to do before you begin to tackle a garden design as such.

DrPhilG

redser7 wrote: »

Sorry I cant help. But I think you might get some good feedback over on the construction forum. I reckon you've got some major ground works to do before you begin to tackle a garden design as such.

Thanks. Can you move it? Or maybe leave it here for a few days first?

redser7

Sure leave it here and post the same thing over there too. No problem doing that.

DrPhilG

redser7 wrote: »

Sure leave it here and post the same thing over there too. No problem doing that.

Ah right, didn't think that was allowed.

baaba maal

You should probably highlight the percolation area for the septic tank as this will need to be left largely intact IMO. To my inexperienced eye, the big issue is to sort the drainage (as you are trying to do) as any big mistakes will have real and expensive consequences.
Having said all that it looks like the site has really good potential and the view is great!

Norfolk Enchants_

Get a quote from several landscape firms, and go with the one that best suits your requirements.
I'd advise not going the route of getting someone to do the intial ground works separately, any decent landscaper will be more than capable of doing all the required work including the drainage work.

DrPhilG

Norfolk Enchants_ wrote: »

Get a quote from several landscape firms, and go with the one that best suits your requirements.
I'd advise not going the route of getting someone to do the intial ground works separately, any decent landscaper will be more than capable of doing all the required work including the drainage work.

But wouldn't that end up costing a bloody fortune?

I'm happy enough to do most of the other work (decking, paving, etc) myself with help from friends. From what little I know, having a landscaper do all that would be extortionate. I'm sure the drainage work elis already going to be extremely expensive but that's unavoidable.

redser7

I wouldn't use the word extortionate It implies some dishonesty. But yeah I imagine it would cost a fortune going by what I see some people spend on relatively small gardens.
My feeling is that you need advise and consultation from a builder/engineer to sort out the drainage and tank first. After that, if you are up to it, research well, hire the equipment and do the job yourself.
Is there no way you can talk to the builder who created that banking? It looks like it was deliberately done and you wouldn't want to go messing with it unless you had a workable alternative.

Macy0161

If there's a septic tank, there would have to be a percolation area for the outflow. You'd want the original builder (or maybe the plans - would they still be online with your council?) or an expert to explain the set up really. There would've been more effort in creating the banking, than just leveling it, which would make you think that it's playing a role in the percolation, or protecting the percolation area. Finding out that information would be the first step.

DrPhilG

Thanks all. I'm trying to get in touch with the guy who built the house, and I've contacted a civil engineer to get the ball rolling too.

I'll let you know how I progress.

Apologies for the term "extortionate", I didn't mean to imply anything underhand. I just meant it could/would push the costs way beyond even what I'm expecting.

Anyone have a ball park figure for what it might cost just in terms of the drainage etc without the landscaping?