Waterlogged Garden

[FloorLamp]

Hi guys.

I went to view a house today. I love it already! However part of the garden is what I would describe as waterlogged, squelchy as you walk over it. It looks like the previous owners have attempted to rectify it by building a trench and putting a drain along the edge where it slopes into the garden but obviously not working! The house is surrounded on two sides by what I would call a mini forest so loads of trees which I though would have soaked up the water but obviously not!

I know I would have to probably dig out another trench or 2 to try and drain some of it but I'm assuming it's clay soil so could be a failure. Google threw up a thread of someone having the same issue and they planted a willow tree which soaked up all the water within 6 months... Could it really be that simple?

Anyone any advice? I really love the house and could probably live with it as there is other parts of the garden I could use but interested if anyone else had came across the same problem and had any suggestions?

Well if it’s waterlogged now, what on Earth is it like in winter? We are on clay and it’s not remotely waterlogged at present.

For whatever reason, there is too much water present in the ground at this house. The question is, why? Don’t plant a willow! Yes the drink water but you need to find the cause because this isn’t normal. Is there a spring? A very leaky drain? The currrnt owners have not fixed it and I really would walk away. This garden isn’t usable.

Ours was waterlogged. Our landscaper dug a great big hole until he got below the clay layer. He filled it will rubble and earth, and dug drainage channels to it from directions. Sorted. They are so efficient the grass over the whole drainage system died v quickly in the heat wave 😏 (it's recovered now)

I’d want to know why. Most of the country is still pretty dry.

That is very odd, assuming you are in the uk.
It could be a spring, a leaking water pipe or faulty drainage from the house or other houses. I think at the moment it's unlikely to be rainfall.
If you really like the house, you will have to make extensive enquiries and investigations as to where the water is coming from, see if it's sortable and make your offer relative to any necessary works.
Personally I think it would be enough of a red flag not to proceed.

Might need the water company to come out and inspect the drains with video equipment. It could be that one of the main drains is blocked. We had this happen to us after a builder working on a nearby house tipped a wheelbarrow full of wet cement down the drain. The water company had to attach a new pipe to the old pipe bypassing the blockage.

Next door was water logged due to a sewage pipe no longer connected

A familly were in this position but it was down to the slope of the road and all the neighbours were the same
Took some doing but the council sorted it in the end

You need to speak to the neighbours and see if they have issues aswell

Ours is very very soggy for about 6/7 months of the year and at times unusable
We have a large decking area - allegedly naff I know but it means we can actually use the garden more.
We have had drains dug and trenches put in and many people have claimed to be able to solve the issue but can’t, it’s just how the house is built and all the water from the area runs down there, it’s it drains or anything. We think the on,y way to fix it would be to take up the lawn and put down tons of gravel and then new soil and grass, which would cost a lot and the garden is down steps so getting tons of gravel down there would be back breaking work.
Unless it’s the only thing you don’t love about the house then walk away

Well that's alot to think about, thanks for the replies.

I'm in Scotland so it's always wet here! I'm going to give the surveyor a call on Monday and see what he thinks as he did mention it on the HR.

Already have an appointment to go back and see it on Tuesday so I'll have some questions at the ready.

Such a shame as it really is a great house and would be perfect for me :(

Does it take up much of the garden? If not you could make it a bog garden. They can look very good.

If you find it’s naturally boggy rather than a problem itself - another vote for a bog garden. Have seen some lovely ones with raised wooden walkways over natural bog plants. Would depend on how much of the garden it takes up as well

Was just reading about bog gardens this morning... Always an option lol.

I'm going to give the surveyor a call on Monday and see what he thinks about it. Going back on Tuesday for another viewing so will ask the estate agent also.

Sorry I've just realised I've repeated myself on what I said up there!

Long day already... Is it bedtime yet?!

Spoke to the surveyor today and he said it's mainly due to the ground being compacted. its surrounded by a load of trees so the roots will be mainly causing it.

As long as it's naturally water logged and not a leaky drain - then there are options. Bog gardens are nice, as are gravel areas (with huge deep drainage channels dug in), or a natural water feature dug in. My parents have done all three options in different houses (one had a sort of dipped in bit at the bottom of a slope and was heavy clay soil, another it turned out there had been a shallow stream running through the land prior to a housing estate being built there and the builders literally just turfed over it! And the other one was just the lay of the land combined with heavy clay soil - as in I made clay models of things from the clay "soil" as a child, that are still the same over 20 years later.