BWW Project #30 Rainwater Dispersal Trough

 BWW Project #30:  Rainwater Dispersal Trough

The rainwater problem is a complex one and not one with an easy fix.

Basically, the big honey locust tree in the back yard has grown over the previous owner's tenure and the root system has lifted the southeast corner of the patio which consists of poured cement slabs about 5-inches thick, tilting it slightly so that water runs toward the garage.  The previous owner also has a raised flower garden with a sprinkler head on that corner, so that also funnels the water northward.  The end product is that water runs under the thrseshold of the man-door and even over it, I would suppose, in a deluge.  It forms a stream through the middle of the garage which spreads out a little but basically runs out under the garage-door and down to the street.

After moving the sprinkler head southward (Project #29), we dug out the garden sufficiently to install two 6X6 pressure treated posts, stacked, and leveled as a retaining wall, exactly the proper distance back from the slab to accommodate an 8-foot plastic composite deckboard.  This deckboard is almost flush with the slab at the garage and runs downhill about an inbch and a half to the corner.  

Around the corner, I installed another 6X6 taking the water 8 feet further south where it can be deposited outside the footprint of the garage, where it pools but eventually follows the stone path down the south side of the garage and down over some stones which disperse it on its way to the street down below.

The turn is slightly more than 90-degrees to match the stone path, so I had to shave the end of the timber to fit the turn.  Also, the deck board below drops another inch and a half but has no slab to butt up against, wo we buried a pressure treated 1X6 pinned up against it with rebar pounded down to hold it tight.

No sooner did we finish the job but we had a very good rainfall.  We were able to sit inside the house and watch the action through the patio door and it really drained the water well.  

The best news was a bone-dry garage afterward!  We did have a deluge a couple weeks later which dropped probably 1/2 to 3/4 inches in a half-hour, and a small stream went through the garage but let up as soon as the rain rate fell back to reasonable levels.  I am figuring on that being corrected once we repair the rotted-out threshold to the man door and seal it accordingly so that a couple inches of puddle woud be required to go over the top.