Pebble drain around patio

knightyo · Post by **knightyo** » Fri Apr 24, 2020 8:55 am

Hi everyone,

This is my second post (as the comments on my last post were so good and really helped me out!). I apologise if it’s in the wrong place. I really do appreciate everyone’s help. It means a lot to someone who is doing this on a budget!

Long story short, we had a “landscaper” do our garden 5 years ago and he didn’t finish it and left it in a state. We have been trying to save for a professional to come in but in the meantime, we wanted to start trying to sort things ourselves.

We got off all the concrete from our wall thanks to the great advice on my last post! Now I am looking at the drain around the patio.

He put in a concrete U channel around the patio. Unfortunately, its not even all the way round (some parts are considerably higher than others). It is full of pea gravel and soil and everytime it rains, even though it does drain the patio slowly, it covers everything with dirt and dust.

So my long drawn out question is - should we take out everything that is in the drain and replace with river pebbles?

Or does a pebble drain need something to bed onto?

And should we attempt to level out the drain or just leave well be?

Thanks so much in advance! And I will try and post photos a bit later on today.

Knightyo

Chippo1 · Post by **Chippo1** » Fri Apr 24, 2020 9:45 am

? Does the drain discharge any where

If not it’s only acting as a “French” drain, look them up. Dig the lot out and form a proper French drain with your pebbles on the top , will look nice .

knightyo · Post by **knightyo** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:25 am

Hi Chippo. Thanks for your reply. He did dig a soakaway (we think). But the channel doesn’t appear to lead anywhere. It just goes around the patio. I’ve researched french drains a lot and looking at the drain he’s built, it’s not a frwnch drain but a pebble drain. Its not even deep enough to get half a drainpipe in to make a french drain. In that respect, I’m not sure what to do. I’ll upload photos so you can see what I mean.

knightyo · Post by **knightyo** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:31 am

Underneath it is concrete. Just wanted to know if the soil could come out and better pebbles put in. Not sure how we’d get the concrete up without buggering the patio (as the patio wobbles as it is)

Chippo1 · Post by **Chippo1** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 12:02 pm

Yes it is narrow , so maybe dig it all out as deep as you can a fill with shingle and maybe you will find the route to the soak away, do you remember a hole being dug for the soak away

OchAye · Post by **OchAye** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 12:38 pm

Are the brick walls (or one wall) we see the house walls or garden walls, features whatever? In Scotchland often there is a space left uncovered on the ground (or was traditionally left) uncovered to allow for the ground to maintain its moisture, I mean that space would not or should not be concreted over. There are better people than me to explain the reasons behind it.

knightyo · Post by **knightyo** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 12:57 pm

Thanks again Chippo!
We don’t remember a soak away being dug but it could have been. He said he was going to but then he said he was going to do a good job so.....
We have just measures it and it is only 200mm deep. That’s probably why it keeps flooding with debris when it rains.
OchAye
Thanks for your reply.

knightyo · Post by **knightyo** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 12:58 pm

Sorry OchAye, I pressed submit before I’d finished! Thanks for your reply, I’m going to look into that.

knightyo · Post by **knightyo** » Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:13 am

Chippo, all the walls you see are garden walls except for the one with the drainpipe in it. They are house walls.