Lowering external ground due to damp

[user1489844432]

Hello

I have been told I need to lower external ground around my property as it is above damp course causing damp. However I have no clue who I need to contact. Garden is paved so I assume part of paving needs to be removed. I also need to make sure I get right contractor so he/she can properly identify damp proof course and ensure external ground is 150mm below dpc.

Who would be best suited for this job?

Interested to know myself, have the same problem, doesn't need so much lowering though, maybe 50mm. Someone suggested putting a drainage trough, cheaper.

Have done this myself x2. You need a concrete breaker. Then, when you've broken out a trench and got rid of all the debris, backfilled with shingle. Is quite doable.

Well I need contractor for that. My DIY skills are not at that level.

What type of contractor would be best for this job?

a well-recommended small builder or a paving contractor but it does attract rogues..

You can fill the trench with cobbles(not sand, soil or gravel) which is big enough to allow free drainage without allowing capillarity. In which case line the trench with landscape fabric first, and slope the bottom to lead water away from the house. This is a French drain.

By filling the trench with cobbles, you will avoid falling into it.

Or you can dig up and remove all the stupid paving, and its base, and lay a new one sloping away from the house all round, and at least two bricks below the level of the dpc (where it would have been laid when the house was built)

This is a good time for look for signs of broken or leaking drains or pipes, and maybe lay a new, larger water pipe which will give greater flow and enable you to do away with the loft tank if and when you want.