Landscapers & Drainage

Hi,

We live in a house that has been built into a rockface and is on a steep slope. The house is about 7-8 years and it seems they didnt pay much attenion to drainage. The backyard, and the area down the right hand side of the house both of have paving which is seriously subsided because the lack of drainage. Additionally on the left side of the house we have a set of concrete stairs built over rock leading up to the backyard. These stairs have subsided a little and constantly have a little water seeping through.

Our primary focus is to get all the drainage issues sorted out but in the process want to "jazz" up the areas with some new landscaping.

Ideally we are looking for someone to come in and sort the drainage + landscaping out. Are landscape designers generally well qualified to tackle this sort of problem ie. drainage issues? or do we need to seek out a dedicated drainage specialist?? The problem is a little out of the oridnary because the house is built into rock on a steep slope.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers


Rob

I would try to seek out one of the better landscapers in your area for this. Also seek the advice of a consultant who hopefully you can find that specialises in this. Get it right the first time and it will be great, so it's worth paying for it.

Also start doing your own research on drainage solutions so you will know if the buggers are full of it or really helping you out.

Thanks Fu - Couldn't agree more on getting it right first time! I definitely dont want to be sorting this problem out again! When you say consultant - what type of consultant? What would I look under in the Yellow Pages?

Would anyone know of a good landscaper in the Sydney, Northern Beaches area who specialises in this type of problem / work?

yeah I guess I'm not really sure exactly because it could come under a few umbrellas
I was thinking a landscape engineer if there is such a thing That would be the ideal title for what you need.
Also construction consultants. weather it is a house or landscape I guess the principles are the same.

found this guy...
http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/c-Jobs-con ... dZ75683998
http://www.jfp.com.au/CE%20Services.html

hope they help to get you started?

I recon some of the landscape designers and hardscape specialists that are here will have a better idea than me.

Sounds like you need a few agpipe/ballast crossdrains leading to a central drain that removes the subsoil water from your block....pretty easy in theory,really....

No idea how you confidently find someone trustworthy enough to do it though,however you could certainly get some tips from successful landscapers in your area.....

One valuable tip however is to be wary of machine operaters masquerading as pseudo-landscapers /engineers....

I have on quite a few occasions had to redo/redesign jobs even tear down and start over (often involving many thousands of dollars of earthworks) created by overconfident backhoe/bobcat/dingo drivers or developer/builders who created monsters with other peoples money...

Go with your gut ...if the bloke you hire can show you something similar he has done and can explain it in layman's terms ..then that is all you can really do ...

So good luck

Scott
nqheliconias.com