Creating flowerbed against house advice on damp

[seasider]

Hi, we live in a terraced house on a hill, that has the ground floor elevated off the pavement by a metre or so. We have a very small area outside the front that we would potentially like to plant up so looks better.

The area currently has broken concrete. And is in front of our cellar that is fairly dry. The soil would be well below the DPC.

The bay window is made up of thick stone, a metre or so thick (I’ve put a pic of how it looks from in the cellar), but either side it is just double skin brick.

What we are concerned about is causing damp or introducing issues. So I want to know, if what we are thinking is a big no no. Or could we maybe edge in front of the house a course of bricks at right angle to the house, then soil (so be approx 25cm from house). Dig down and put membrane,from the new edging bricks down and refill with gravel and soil so drains quicker and not towards the house, cos of the membrane.

Any suggestions would be great. I’ve attached some pics. On the cellar pic the soil would start about 6 or 7 bricks down from the ceiling.

Cheers Jon

 

[blup]

The black render would allow damp to rise, otherwise you should be OK if the earth is 150mm below the dpc, if there is one. Maybe safer to use pot plants.

Blup

 

[seasider]

So if I did a course of bricks or concrete edge where the render is, so soil not right up to it, then I should be ok?

We did have pots before. But it is in full sun there so they quickly dry out

 

[JohnD]

you could build a dwarf wall near your garden wall to form a trough, having broken up the bottom so the roots can go down. Keep at least a foot away to give the wall a chance to dry out. Remove that black paint if you can. It is usually applied in an attempt to hide (it does not cure) damp.

If you keep watering the frontage, the damp will get to your cellar

I have a very dry sunny border, and I find peonies, lavender and poppies grow well and survive, with a base of alyssum. Also a miniature box hedge. Dianthus not bad. Most other things die within a year. I trim it back in autumn.

Also

when you break up and dig out the old concrete, excavate round that drain or gulley which is very likely to be cracked and leaking, or possibly choked. this will also lead to damp, which could explain the black paint

 

[seasider]

Cheers for the advice. Yeah that drain had a clay pipe and it’s collar was cracked. Replaced it last year.