My neighbour's raising the level of her garden, how does this affect my lowered level garden long term wise ?

Question

My next door neighbour is currently having major works done to her back garden. The land directly on the other side of our common fence is being raised. Im worried that I will be having problems with drainage as more water will be coming down from her side into my land. No proper retaining wall was built, just planks of wood to retain the soil away from the fence. Does anyone know if i can do anything to stop this, and how badly will it affect me ? many thanks

Answer 1

You could just kill your neighbor and bury her in your own garden, thereby raising your soil level also !!!

But seriously ... you probably won't have any immediate problems. In the first year or two, take advantage of the water runoff. From my experience, most raised beds and berms tend to dry out faster. She will probably have to water her garden more often, and you can take advantage of the runoff by planting water-loving plants.

In the long term (2-3 years) the wood planks will rot and sag or tip over, and probably end up damaging the fence. At that point you may have legal recourse.

Answer 2

I don't think you should worry about this. Probably more moisture would be a good thing.

But I don't think you are going to get any extra runoff --the garden soil will absorb more rainwater than just grass.

If you live in a rainy area and there is a lot of runoff, you can dig a shallow trench on your side of the fence to drain off any flood water down hill.

The other answers give good advice if this becomes a legal issue.

Answer 3

Usually, local building codes specify lot to lot drainage specifications. I would suggest you call your local planning agency or code agency to let them know what is happening. I have a strong feeling that what is being done is illegal. If so, the agency should see that the violation is corrected.

If that fails, you will probably need to have additonal drainage installed on your side of the fence. Then you might consider seeing an attorney to recover costs, etc.

Answer 4

Check with your city about the building codes related to drainage. Most likely they will have some regulations that address this issue. In most places people are not permitted to make changes to their property that result in drainage problems for their neighbors. If she is or may be violating a rule you could first share this information with her. She may not be aware of it, or even have thought of the consequences beyond her yard, and if you let her know before she has completed the project it will be easier for her to change the design. If she does violate the rules and it causes a problem for you, you can report it to the code enforcement department of your town. She will be required to make the appropriate changes. If necessary you could take her to small claims court. But of course, it's always better if you can manage your dealings with neighbors without resorting to suing them. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Time to check with an attorney, but I'm afraid if she's doing this inside her property lines there's not much you can do to stop her..

It would probably be a good idea to try & put in sdome kind of drainage scheme of your own to divert the run-off that will inevitably happen when you get a big rain storm.

Answer 6

YES IT CAN CAUSE DRAINAGE INTO YOUR YARD. callCITY HALL EXPLAIN THE SITUATION and ask for the appropiate office like civil engineering. In our city anyone whose's construction might adversely affect the natural enviroment such as water flow has to have it approved. T4

Answer 7

I think you are worrying way too much. The ground will absorb whatever water that is placed in the soil---be it rain or your neighbor watering the garden.
Take advantage--you won't have to water as much. :-))

Answer 8

Check with your city . They should come out free of charge. See if she followed city code.

Answer 9

I doubt it will affect your yard any, find something else to worry about!

Answer 10

let her water your garden save you money..