Question
Hi there,
I live in a townhouse complex with no access to the back yard except through the house.  I have noticed that my neighbors have either decked their yards or they have raised their yards forcing the overflow into my yard and it is pooling in the corner and eating up my grass and flooding my flower beds.  I am concerned that if I raise the back that the water will start coming closer to the house... Is there a something I can do...that wouldn't cost me a fortune and hard labor to boot.  Remember I can only access the back through the house.  Help!
Carole

Answer
HI!

Ok,

Paving

I feel that by raising the levels in your back yard you won't necessarily create any new drainage problems for the house, if it is done well.

Firstly one must take advantage of any possible sloping that could eventually take the water away from the house. Then, by placing land drains all along the house that take any water away that reaches the house you should be fine.

Decking

With decking however, you can just construct over the existing soil levels, without changing them, so that shouldn't effect anything. The wooden decking is much easier to move through the house when doing the work.

Good luck

Jonathan www.ecologicagardens.com