How can I improve drainage on a concrete front area?

[Nitgel]

We have an area in the front where water always pools when it rains. It does eventually drain away as there is a small gulley but lately it just sits there. How can I get the water to move into the drain in the corner without digging into the concrete?

it looks like the water is below the level of the drain. so you will have to do some digging out

It’s not draining into the drain. It’s forming a pond.

Well yes. Thats why I'm asking for advice 😂

Is the drain definitely draining properly, so the issue is the level of the gap?

You could try to create a false base with flexed plastic, to catch the water.

What level is the dpc? The obvious solution, other than digging out, would be to add some concrete to raise the level of the rest.

What’s the problem, is it the damp against the house, or the standing water? If it’s standing water, you could use gravel. Obviously that’s no help at all of its damp against the house that you’re trying to resolve.

You might have to take the garden wall back.to dig down. Do you have money to fix it?
Probably best to get it sorted.
Is house damp inside?

There's no damp on the wall or the house its just the rainwater isn't draining as it used to for some reason.

I was thinking perhaps cement or similar could be used to channel it into the drain or gravel. But wondered if the water would just sit under the gravel.

The drain is working well.

@Nitgel But you can see the drain and it’s got a lip around it. The water will just sit under the gravel. It’s not flowing into the drain, so make a channel for it to do so - like a gulley in a car park, It’s a bit of a nasty trench anyway and if it’s garden on the higher level, I’d make a path around the house and make it look much better.

The water would sit under the gravel yes, which is why I asked about the DPC and what you were actually worried about.
If you are worried about mosquitoes or it being unsightly, then gravel will sort the problem out.
If you are worried about the damp up against the house then gravel won’t sort it out.

I wonder if the ground has moved and the concrete levels now no longer fall to the drain for it to drain away. At the moment the water will drain into the cracks in the concrete before getting to the gulley drain. That is good for groundwater, but might not be good for the foundations of that retaining wall and front of the house.

I suppose you could just remove the concrete and let the water soak away, you'll get weeds though unless you can find plants that will survive in that gap.

Or you could lay more shaped concrete on top, but I have a feeling the base is moving so it'll fail in time anyway.

The full solution would be to remove the concrete, then re-lay, probably with a French drain, which would drain to the sewer at that gulley drain.

The wall is the raised drive. I don't really want to take away the concrete in case it affects the drive. Would gravel be a temp fix?

Also which tradespeople would help?

If the wall falls over with the concrete removed then you have bigger issues! especially if you are parking a car on it. The wall foundations should go a lot deeper than the concrete.

@Nitgel The wall must have foundations! It cannot just sit on the ground and take the weight of cars! Or the drive for that matter. It’s a retaining wall and should have been designed with foundations and adequate construction or it will fail anyway! The often have issues with water on the infill area too. Where is that draining off? Each side, through the wall - where? I’m assuming you don’t know how it was designed or constructed, but digging out a gulley so the water goes unto the drain won’t cause the wall issues because the wall really should have foundations. If the ground has moved - heave? - anything with shallow foundations will struggle. That includes the house.

Gravel won’t help the water drain away! The water will sit under the gravel! A French drain could also be a good solution. Breaking out the concrete, having an effective drain, and understanding levels will help.

:) thanks. I think I will have to get a specialist in
Who though?

Anyone who does garden landscaping, paving, driveways, etc. A normal builder could sort it out for you.

Here is a pic of it dry. It only fills up with heavy rain

Can you not just ignore it while it dries up? Or put more potted plants in? You say the water isn’t causing an issue, it just builds up after heavy rain.

Yes I don't know if I'm worrying too much about it

is there another drain, maybe under the plant? if there is a second drain that has got blocked up, it should be easy to clear it.

No unfortunately