by Susan
(Toronto, ON, Canada)
Stone Patio With Water Issues
Here's a question regarding water getting into the house due to improper installation of patio.
Our contractor build our new stone patio right up to the doors, with the stones being about .33 inch higher
The water from a leaking hose alerted us to the water pooling in front of and then slipping into the room through the french patio doors
Any idea how to correct this problem?
ANSWER
Do you mean he brought the stone to .33 inches below the doors, not above? If the stone is above the doors, then how could you open them?! :)
Let me know and I'll make suggestions.
RESPONSE
They are above the door but the doors open inward.
ANSWER
I cannot think of any reason why someone would design a patio this way. Actually I can make a guess that the grade outside of your doors is higher, but it is still not acceptable. (After seeing the photos at a later date, this was not the case! See recommendations below.) There are other ways to deal with this type of problem. I am sorry to say this but I feel your patio must be redone, or at least partially. There is nothing stopping the water from going into your home. The only way I can think of, based on what you have told me, of rectifying the situation is by removing part of the patio for a distance of a couple of feet minimum. This way you can create an area that will be lower than your doors. However, the water that collects there should most likely go into a drain which would lead the water elsewhere.
If I were designing this from scratch, I would start the elevation of the patio at least a few inches (the more the better such as in 4 to 7 inches for a step down) lower than your interior room elevation. I would then grade the patio away from the house at 1/4 inch per foot. The water that reaches the outer perimeter of your patio must go somewhere. A swale can be created, a drain can be installed or if for some reason these options are not feasible due to the grades of your property (such as the rear being very, very high), then a retaining wall could be placed at the patio border. A pipe should be placed here to collect water if running towards the patio. Ideally the land should lead away from the patio if possible.
I am sure you spent a lot of money on the patio and I am sorry that I could not give you a more practical, easy solution. However, it's better to correct it now before storms or ice melting create a perpetual water issue for you.
RESPONSE
Thank you so much for your amazing answer and suggestions!
ANSWER
Your welcome! If I can be of further help, let me know. I understand your dilemma. I had a similar situation at my own home as far as water coming in through french doors due to improper grading of previous owners.
RESPONSE
Hi Susan
Just to follow up (Water running into Conservatory doors from new
stone patio)
The contractor came back and said he could remove the top layer and lower it by 1"
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"Susan, what a pleasure it was to work with you. You made me feel like I was your only client - responding late at night and always so quickly! Your design is amazing and we only hope we can do justice to it when we plant . You have such fantastic ideas and you are so open to suggestions and changes. Loved working with you - now if you could only come to Canada and plant it !!! "
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