What options do I have for this wall ?

[Success]

Hi all, just recently rendered a retaining wall near our swimming pool and also built a deck

All part of a small reno on our PPOR.

Problem is that moisture seems to be coming thru in some parts of the render.

Our neighbour has a swimming pool on other side of this retaining wall approx. 1 metre away from fence which I suspect could be leaking. Had a few chats to him and he assures me his pool is not leaking and that he will have it checked it out. He is however really testing my patience as it's not a priority for him.

I have also had insurance people take a look and assessor tells me that they do not do any investigation work for their clients ! Unless it's a major event that has caused damage not much else they can do.

I have attached 2 pictures to show what I am talking about. I also had holes drilled below the deck to allow any water to drain.

1) Could it be that the clay behind the retaining wall is holding the moisture ?
2) Any products I could use to seal wall before painting ?
3) Any other solutions / ideas ?

Help !!!!!

 

[lizzie]

what sort of drainage did you put behind the retainer wall - and did you leave any weep holes at regular intervals in the wall itself?

 

[Success]

The retaining wall has been there for years. I have no idea what's behing it material wise.

Yes - there are some weep holes at regular intervals at bottom of wall.

 

[weg]

You would think because it has soil on the other side it will hold some moisture. Does the neighbour have a garden bed or plants there, that he waters? Why do you think it's a leaky pool?

My husband builds retaining walls similar to that and always paints on a black tar like moisture barrier (sorry don't know what it's called) on the side where the soil sits.

Could it be that it's just more obvious now with the render on?

 

[Success]

Yes - there is soil on other side. I just don't know what's on other side of reatining wall to keep moisture out.

There are no plants next door. Just some soil and then pavers that go around a swimming pool. Reason I suspect a leak is that when neighbour runs his pump (I can hear it) there seems to be more moisture next day appearing.

 

[Macca]

Yes it is possible his pool is leaking, if you can see the pool then take note of how often he has to top it up. If he needs to top it up weekly even though no one swims in it then it would increase the possibility of a leak.

It is also more likely to leak if it is a concrete pool, I think that fibreglass pools tend to leak a lot or not at all.

If the users of the pool jump into the pool their backwash/splashing will be going onto the pavers/soil between the pool and your wall.

As you need a retaining wall you may be on the side of a hill, if so then water could be seeping downward from further up the hill into your neighbours then into your place.

I think that if his pool is not leaking then he still needs an Ag pipe along his side of the retaining wall. If he doesn't do this then it is likely the mortar in the wall will gradually erode away and then fall over. Not good if the earth falls away from around a pool, can cause many problems.

I would talk to them and suggest that you help each other, dig down and put in a pipe to drain away the seepage into a drain somewhere. In the long term it will be best for both of you IMO

 

[Harry75]

Check out a product by Zinsser called Watertite, i have used this a few times now and had great results.

The source of the problem should still be found and rectified. Hope this helps.

 

[Success]

Hi all, situation is getting more and more interesting by the day and I am looking for some help as I am going crazy !

So ... I have lifted a number of pavers from side of my house and see water seeping from under the retaining wall.

I rang insurance company and they suggested I get plumber out to inspect, write up a report and quote.

Plumber came out and suggested to first test water for salt or chlorine to determine if it's coming from neighbours pool.

So ... took water sample to pool shop and told me there is a high level of salt.

When I speak with my neighbour he assures me it's not his pool ! He tells me he hardly tops it up and has already had someone carry out a test on pipes with no issues.

I ring insurance company again and they tell me it's their problem ! In the meantime I have water up against my house that is damaging my bricks and mortar. My wooden floorboards on the other side of all are starting to squeak due to moisture absorption.

Council tell me it's not their issue, Sydney Water inspected the place and their water testing showed no fluoride so they have also washed their hands. My neighbour tells me it's not his pool and now my insurance company has told me good luck.

Any ideas on how others would be handling this ? I am COMPLETELY frustrated and spinning my wheels.

 

[Strannik]

Has your neighbor got auto top up? Maybe it's topping it up without him even noticing (except when his water bills come through)

Alternatively, has there been a lot of rains in your area and is there a chance his pool was overfilling constantly and draining into the surrounding area?

the only way to prove it's his pool without ripping up his yard would be put some dye into his pool and see if you get it on your side. not sure if he will agree to it though...

i'd try to talk some sense into your neighbor. maybe suggest that it's in his best interests to identify the issues sooner rather than later, as he might be responsible for more damage in the end...

 

[Macca]

Hi,

Firstly I would remove some pavers and dig a hole about 300mm deep. I would let this fill overnight and then show my neighbour.

If he is sensible it will be of interest to him as well as you, if it is his pool then he will get a nasty shock when the water rates come in.

Another possibility is that if there is a house higher up the hill next to him and it is coming underneath his house and could be undermining his foundations.

I would not be aggressive, I would be concerned for everyone's sake.

"Hey, come and have a look at all this water, you have had your pool checked, it must be coming from somewhere. Maybe it is under your house, are you getting any cracks in the walls yet? Have the people above you got a pool?"

If you can cause him to be concerned about his own place maybe you can track it back to it's source together.

 

[Success]

Thanks for the ideas ... I will bring him round tonight !

Arghhh !!!!!

 

[Success]

OK - have agreed to pay 50% to get drainage fixed.

So next question ... is it a builder or plumber that would be involved in digging and re laying a new Ag pipe ?

 

[Nathan]

Handyman???

 

[Success]

OK - latest update ... thought I'd share.

My neighbour now tells me that after some council enquiries the normal rule of thumb for retaining walls is that whoever alters the natural land is responsible for building as well as maintenance of the retaining wall.

Supposedly previous owners did this and cut on our side land to create a level surface for building what is now my house.

In view of this fact he is unfortunately not willing to contribute to its maintenance.

So .. where to from here ???

I would've thought water leaking from his property to mine is his responsibility ? I have called and left message with council to see if I can have someone call be me back ASAP.

Assume there are no other routers beside using a solicitor to decide who pays ?

Help !

 

[Ocean Architect]

I would be very concerned about this development, because the absolute worst thing for a structure is moisture. You get all sorts of problems, like excessive settling (house sinking) which may crack the slab/pop off tiles, crack walls, ruin plaster etc and overall undermine the integrity of the house.

Further, moisture will degrade all of your building materials outright, leading to things like wood rotting, metal corroding, tile glue losing integrity and tiles popping off etc.

Thats why we take so much care in waterproofing the life out of everything in houses - it makes them last decades longer

I would be very delicate in mentioning it to him (the last thing you want to do is start world war 3 with your neighbour) and let him know that he has a duty of care to his neighbours and should the above occur, the bill may be in the hundreds of thousands and the situation may become unpleasant.

Further, water is a funny thing, and moves in all sorts of directions unexpectedly underground. If your property structural integrity is at risk, so is your neighbours - and it doesn't take a lot of water to do it - so it is in everyones interest to fix this problem right away without scrimping on money - whoever you have to pay, pay. Almost anyone can do the work (it isn't brain surgery) but make sure that whatever drainage system you use will certainly do the job/goes deep enough.

If you are going to dig along the perimeter of the retaining wall, it wouldnt be a terrible idea to (as another posted mentioned) paint your neighbours side with a water barrier, preferably something super long lasting like a bitumen based sealer (that black stuff) - its oil based, barely degrades and doesnt go anywhere.

Good on you for noticing and finding it fast by the way. Most people wait until their render is popping off or something disasterous and then the bill to fix it leaves a crater

nice deck by the way

 

[Success]

Appreciate the update but don't think he is listening.

6 calls to council and no answer ...

World War 3 may be approaching ...

 

[handyandy]

Hi all, situation is getting more and more interesting by the day and I am looking for some help as I am going crazy !

So ... I have lifted a number of pavers from side of my house and see water seeping from under the retaining wall.
................................

Any ideas on how others would be handling this ? I am COMPLETELY frustrated and spinning my wheels.

If you have water just sitting under your pavers then it sounds to me that the previous owner who built the retaining wall has made no provision for draining the water away from the retaining wall. (and around your house)

Possibly everything is fine behind the retaining wall ie agg pipe and gravel but this water is not being guided away from the bottom of the wall and keeping the whole wall wet.

If there is inadequate drainage behind the wall and no drainage in your yard to guide this wall around your house then your job is not just to install drainage behind the wall to ensure the wall stays dry (or dryer) but also fix the drainage on your property.

I would be very nice to your neighbor so he allows you to dig up and insert drainage materials behind the wall - the cost is all yours.

Its unfortunate that you have substantial structures on your side as I suspect some or all will need to be lifted to install the drainage you require.

Cheers

 

[Strannik]

i'm curious too if it's an option for you to install the drainage behind the wall and leave his house to float down the hill on day?

he might also be up for a pleasant surprise if he ever fully drains his pool...

 

[retainingwalls]

Hi, i have just been reading with interest your problem with the neighbour, the first thing i would like to point out is your neighbours response that maintaining the wall isnt his problem doesnt seem to be an acurate reflection of your issue, the issue i see is that water from any ones property has to leave via a controlled fasion and any stormwater pool water what ever it is not allowed to flow to an adjoining proprety and he has a duty of care to protect your assests from any such damage, what the concern should be is that water flow is not controlled from his property causing damage to yours making him 100% liable for all damage. I also note that your wall has salt damp issues which are like a cancer to concrete and there are special chemicals that can be sprayed to help this, also the biggest problem is an obvious lack of drainage, your wall is not a dam and should have perfect free drainage to remove constant water contact and pressure from the wall. I would recommend that you check behind the wall for proper drainage and investigate the use of a product call prodrain which has an egg carton type stucture with a fine geotextile to stop dirt build up that protects the wall from moisture and also allows drainage from the whole wall area, all water from behind the wall should be free draining to an external point, I hope this helps Andrew

 

[Success]

Appreciate responses ...

Can I ask what is the chemical used to spray on the wall to stop salt dampness ?

The neighbour is of the view that retaining wall is mine (previous owners built this long before he or I lived here as part of levelling yard). Therefore the upkeep of this wall (including drainage & agpipe) is my responsibility. He cannot control rain.

We both agree there is a drainage problem. The issue is we don't know where water is coming from (pool/ rain water/ or simply water seepage) or who's responsibility it is to pay for any investigative or resolution costs.

Have agreed at this stage to bring 2 plumbers specialising in drainage. They will give us an opinion and we will then agree or disagree.

If we agree on what is causing the problem the question will then become who pays.

If we do not agree on what is causing the problem we will get a third opinion.

Surely someone else here must have been in a similar situation ?