New homes, new drainage issues

“Home sweet home”

Put simply, estates for new homes often contain plans for numerous houses. As a result, the public drainage systems are required to undertake a lot of (new) work.

Another potential risk that can befall owners of new homes is the transformation of fields and other soakable ground into tarmac surfaces like driveways. When there is heavy rainfall, tarmac won’t be able to soak it all up, which means that any drainage systems will be relied on even more heavily, increasing the stress on the system and thus the likelihood of faults/leaks/flooding.

In Bridgend, Wales, residents of new build properties claim that drainage issues have turned their gardens into bogs – not ideal in any case, let alone a brand new family home. The claimants lay the blame on substandard drainage, which results in rainwater pooling up in their gardens, killing the grass and rendering a muddy, swampy mess.

The cost to rectify the worst of the damage is significant, with one homeowner estimating a price of £6,000 for the installation of extra drainage and a new patio laid. In some cases, people have had to re-lay their lawns multiple times due to the damage suffered from excessive rainwater and poor drainage.

Huw Llewellyn, managing director at Persimmon Homes West Wales and Charles Church Homes West Wales, two of the three property development companies managing the site, said:

“We have experienced an exceptionally wet winter which has inevitably led to some boggy conditions. As is the case for much of Wales, the subsoil at Parc Derwen is clay, which does hold water more than other soil types. Furthermore, newly formed gardens need time to settle and mature and will improve over time. But, if gardens do remain wet in normal weather conditions, we will revisit customers’ gardens and if necessary install drainage in accordance with NHBC guidelines.”