Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jan 05, 2016 11:57 am We recently had a home reno done and as part of it, we replace our front porch pavers with outdoor tiles. I noticed that as a result the weep holes are now closer, if not, at ground level. When there is a heavy downpour, the water level rises past the weep hole level. When this happens, water goes inside the house. This has happened about 5 times already and our timber flooring is now damaged. Problem is water flows into this area because it is a bit lower. I spoke to the builder and he suggested putting planter boxes around the area to prevent water flowing into this area and at the same time diverting the flow of water past this area. I was thinking more of putting grates. There use to be a drainage where the water flows into but it is now used for the storm water pipe. I covered some of the weep holes for now but after reading your forums, I decided that I will drill a hole thru them. Also, my builder didn't put a grate in front of the garage even if the driveway slopes down to it. Instead he created part of the driveway to slope down to the side so the water will flow to the side. I've always thought a grate would be better to stop water coming into the garage. Not sure what to do? Thanks Roy Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 2Jan 05, 2016 2:56 pm If the house is below kerb level, you may have troubles getting water from grates to flow to the street. I think grading the driveway to the side is a reasonable approach, as compared to a grate, it won't tend to block up and overflow, but you might need a grate where the water runs so you can divert the flow that's coming off the driveway. Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 3Jan 06, 2016 9:02 am Thanks oneJohn Any thoughts on the weep holes issue?? Bagging will be done to the whole house but I'm not sure whether it will solve the problem. Out of curiosity, when they bag the house, do they cover the weep holes?? Thanks. Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 4Jan 21, 2016 11:18 pm royc69 Thanks oneJohn Any thoughts on the weep holes issue?? Bagging will be done to the whole house but I'm not sure whether it will solve the problem. Out of curiosity, when they bag the house, do they cover the weep holes?? Thanks. Weep holes are there to allow the egress of any moisture which may enter into the inside of a masonry wall. They SHOULD NOT be blocked. Also, they should not be so positioned that they are lower than any outside level from which water may enter. Any such positioning is a building defect, since water runs downhill! Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 5Jan 22, 2016 6:46 am royc69 We recently had a home reno done and as part of it, we replace our front porch pavers with outdoor tiles. I noticed that as a result the weep holes are now closer, if not, at ground level. When there is a heavy downpour, the water level rises past the weep hole level. When this happens, water goes inside the house. This has happened about 5 times already and our timber flooring is now damaged. Problem is water flows into this area because it is a bit lower. I spoke to the builder and he suggested putting planter boxes around the area to prevent water flowing into this area and at the same time diverting the flow of water past this area. I was thinking more of putting grates. There use to be a drainage where the water flows into but it is now used for the storm water pipe. I covered some of the weep holes for now but after reading your forums, I decided that I will drill a hole thru them. Also, my builder didn't put a grate in front of the garage even if the driveway slopes down to it. Instead he created part of the driveway to slope down to the side so the water will flow to the side. I've always thought a grate would be better to stop water coming into the garage. Not sure what to do? Thanks Roy Water entering building does not meet performance requirements of the BCA and it is more than likely that your builders work is defective You should get your own independent building consultant to inspect and advise you. Bagging brickwork will not solve your problem and it's likely that improved surface drainage will be required. In addition, if you are on reactive clay soil, your house may become damaged by foundation heave Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 6Jan 22, 2016 10:11 am Thanks for the advice. Another heavy downpour last night and the flooding inside the house was the worst so far. I contacted my builder who insisted that a planter box should do the trick. I beg to differ as I think that they should improve the drainage around the area now that they covered the drainage that use to exist. They seem to be more flooding now around the side and back of the house since that drainage was covered because water are now diverted to this areas. Is this considered to be a building defect? Is this something that the builder should have foreseen when they replaced the pavers with outdoor tiles causing the ground level to rise? I want him to be accountable and fix the problem but he keeps on dodging the issue. I mention insurance claim and he mentions planter box. Do I have any recourse against the builder to fix this problem without me having to spend any money? If so, do i need a building inspector or consultant? We had a private certifier issue a conditional OC but the condition is "to finalize the exterior finish". Not sure whether they should have looked at the drainage issue as well. Any advise would help. Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 7Jan 22, 2016 12:16 pm Any of the above posters have already told you what to do. The work is non-compliant and the builder is coming up with excuses for his poor work so the next step is to engage a third party consultant ( which will cost you money ) and take it further. Stewie Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 8Jan 22, 2016 12:23 pm Thanks Stewie D. Yes, i have decided to engage a third party consultant. My next question is whatever repair is required, is that at the builder's expense OR do I go thru his insurance or my insurance? Thanks Roy Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 9Jan 22, 2016 2:17 pm Your consultant will be able to guide yo. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 11Jul 13, 2021 7:28 pm Hello, we are facing the same issue now, the ground floor has elevated above our weep holes but all the weep holes are under cover and water getting in is minimum unless there is a huge downpour and our gutters overflow. Just wondering what was the solution you did to avoid the water getting into the weep holes. Any advice will be helpful Thanks Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 12Jul 13, 2021 7:44 pm It's a 5 year old thread, extremely unlikely that the OP is still around. You can download the Building Code of Australia which is part 2 of the National Construction Code free of charge. The regs are in there. For compliance,your gutters must be able to drain during a 1:20 year rain event and I very much doubt that you have experienced multiple 1:20 ARIs. What State are you in? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 13Jul 13, 2021 8:53 pm The floor has been tiled and it's risen above the weephole base. The builder said it's under cover so not to worry, but I am not convinced. I stay in NSW.. Thank you do much for getting back. Builder asked to close the weep holes and open up a new one above it.. so it still allows ventilation and not allow water to get in through weepholes in an event of flooding.. this kind of makes sense but I have no idea what else to do. Thoughts please. Thank you again Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 14Jul 13, 2021 10:46 pm He doesn't sound like a builder to me given that he doesn't understand the purpose of having weep holes. Weep holes are not there for ventilation, they are there to allow water to drain from the wall cavity should there ever be water ingress from above. Advising to close the weep holes and opening others above them is 'advice extraordinaire'. Weep holes are installed immediately above the Damp Proof Course and the prime purpose of the DPC is to stop rising damp. "NCC-BCA V2 Class 1 & 10 3.3.5.8 Damp-proof course (b)The location of a damp-proof course or flashing serving as a damp-proof course, must be not less than... (i)150 mm above the adjacent ground level; or (ii)75 mm above the finished surface level of adjacent paved, concreted or landscaped areas that slope away from the wall; or (iii)50mm above finished paved, concreted or paved areas complying with [i]3.1.3.3(b) (ii) and protected from the direct effects of the weather by a carport, verandah or the like; or (iv)in low rainfall intensity areas— (A)15 mm above finished paved, concreted or landscaped areas; or (B)0 mm above finished paved, concreted or landscaped areas if the damp-proof course is protected from the direct effects of the weather by a carport, verandah or the like".[/i] Given that you are in NSW, you most probably are not in a low rainfall intensity area. A low intensity rainfall area has a 1:20 Average Recurrence Interval of 125mm or less per hour based on an average rainfall intensity of 2.08 mm per minute over a 5 minute duration. What area are you in? If the tiling is above the DPC, it is still not compliant even if you are in a low intensity rainfall area. It also very much sounds like your roof stormwater drainage is not compliant.. If you know your roof space area (roof plan area as seen from above or on a plan), the roof slope (standard is 22.5 degrees) the gutter's cross sectional area (available on the manufacturer's website product specification page) and either your area's1:20 Average Recurrence Interval or, if used instead, your area's Intensity Frequency Duration and the size and number of downpipes used, I can give you some guidance as to your roof drainage compliance or lack of if you want to know. Posting a sketch of the roof area showing lengths and downpipe positions would be excellent and a great help. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 15Jul 14, 2021 9:39 am Hello Thank you for your reply. We just did a major renovation and went with the builder. Unfortunately we agreed to the tiling without doing our homework. The roof extends to around 1.8m outward (from the wall with the weep hole) and provides the undercover patio. We are in the process of adding an extra downpipe and enlarging the storm water pipes. Hopefully this will keep the gutters from overflowing and prevent water from getting into the covered areas. The gutter overflowed once in March during the flood in NSW - havent seen it overflow since then. We are in north shore. For now that's the best way we can think of to safeguard from water from touching those walls. We dont have the budget to do anything else. we may consider knock down and rebuild in 5 years time but till then we need to do the best we can. Any other tips will be helpful as well. Thanks again Re: Weep holes on ground level after outdoor tiling 16Jul 14, 2021 1:07 pm Thamz We just did a major renovation and went with the builder. Unfortunately we agreed to the tiling without doing our homework. I wrongly assumed that it was a new house. I should have asked. If it wasn't going to be compliant, they should have explained why and not done the work or else looked for an alternative. Is there any slope on the tiling? Thamz The gutter overflowed once in March during the flood in NSW - havent seen it overflow since then. We are in north shore. You are not in a low rainfall intensity area. The 'under cover' regulations are vague because there is no formula that factors applicable widths and heights for wind driven rain but the minimum 50mm gap under cover regulation is set in stone. Eaves gutter compliance needs only to be applicable to a bare minimum 1:20 ARI. The storm you experienced possibly/probably qualified as a 1:20 ARI. Thamz We are in the process of adding an extra downpipe and enlarging the storm water pipes. For now that's the best way we can think of to safeguard from water from touching those walls. We dont have the budget to do anything else. we may consider knock down and rebuild in 5 years time but till then we need to do the best we can. Was the overflowing water isolated to one area? Downpipes are installed in an elongated W pattern, the low points (bottom of the gutter's slope) being where the downpipes are fitted and the gutter slope's high points determining the roof areas that drain to each downpipe. If you fit an extra downpipe, it will be fitted between a downpipe and one of the two high points that service that downpipe. If a gutter overflows on both side of a high point, one downpipe won't do the trick. Digging up and replacing stormwater pipes with larger pipes is an expensive undertaking. For minimal cost, you could simply buy a small rainwater tank of about 1,200 L (good condition used ones come up all the time on GumTree) and plumb one or two of our Gutter Pumpers to the gutter to divert excess water during heavy rain from overflow areas to the tank. This way, the downpipes are not altered and the cost savings would be considerable. A small outlet valve fitted to the bottom of the tank would then divert a limited discharge flow rate through a small pipe (poly or similar) to the stormwater system, usually to the bottom of the downpipe. This is called a detention system. The tank's bottom outlet valve would have the tank immediately draining plus it will drain faster as the tank fills due to the increasing hydraulic head. The above doesn't fix the weep hole issue but it will prevent overflows and is quick and easy to do. As for the weep holes, well...the work is not compliant. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. it depends on the natural ground level, if they excavated their boundary wall needed to be built as a retaining wall. If you filled, which sounds like the case then you… 1 7084 I know foam has been around since the 90's and CSR started manufacturing Hebel in 1989, so it's definitely possible 5 5447 You are correct. Just read through all the ncc rules and 75mm is the minimum requirement for me. 4 11179 |