Rick Dipper wrote in message . ..
On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 18:46:14 +0100, kevinspiller
wrote:


My back garden is split between a paved area running from the house
which then meets a lawned area which is surrounded by brickwork. The
paved area runs down to the lawn, although it is not a steep gradient.
Where the paved areas comes up against the brick work surrounding the
lawn, rain waste collects and doesn't drain away. I have heard that a
"soakaway" might help. If this is true, how deep should I make it, what
should I fill it with, should I replace the paving afterwards or leave
it open with the fill I put into it. the width of the paved area is
approx 20 feet.

Regards,

Kevin

You need a mini digger.

Dig trenches, fill with washed stone, then "land drain", then more
washed stone, then top with soil. You end up with lots of spare soil,
and you need to do lots of digging / shifting.

Rick

yes, except you wont need the drain pipes, the water trickles through
the stones. And crushed concrete is cheaper. The flow rate is lower
with mixed lump sizes, but flow rate is a non issue in such a situ.
Its a good way to get rid of building rubble.

And you can always do them by hand, if you want to get fit

A soakaway is a big hole filled with stone or rubble. The lawn drains
into it, and the water can slowly soak away over hours or days while
the lawn stays not wet.


NT