JohnnyD
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Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
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Post by JohnnyD on Aug 14, 2021 17:14:57 GMT 1
Had a wild thought about turning the cave into an office type room, here are the initial issues, steps going down into it from outside, covered by a hinged metal lid to keep the rain out, with no metal lid, nothing keeps the rain out, there was a drain in there, but blocked, so the owner blocked it up completely with a bit of cement.....i will try and add some pics below.....obviously we cant build a huge canopy over the stairs as the living room window is just above it, would it cost a lot to have that drain unblocked, and to move it the other side of those doors and then build a weatherproof sill for French doors? Any other ideas about what could be done? Its not high on the list, we need to do the rest of the house first.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2021 17:58:54 GMT 1
Not all the water that gets in to your cave will get in through the door. Mine can be a foot deep in the heaviest rain. Over 60m², there would need to be a waterfall tumbling down the steps.
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JohnnyD
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Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 2,014
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Post by JohnnyD on Aug 14, 2021 18:06:25 GMT 1
I’m not with you there ally, I have had a glass of vin, but not sure what you mean The cave is dry apart from what comes in through the steps if I leave the tin lid off, it’s not a lot, but it’s some, are you saying yours is a foot deep with a bit of rain?
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Post by Olave H on Aug 14, 2021 19:10:22 GMT 1
Put an internal staircase in? Save you having to go outside to access it.
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exile
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Massif Central
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Post by exile on Aug 14, 2021 19:12:08 GMT 1
Why was there a drain there in the first place? Did the person who blocked it off know the answer to question 1?
We have a cave. It has a drain. I did not block it off. (I was tempted) Very glad too. Once every three years or so after heavy and prolonged rain, we have a spring appear in the back wall. That is what the drain is for.
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JohnnyD
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Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 2,014
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Post by JohnnyD on Aug 14, 2021 19:16:24 GMT 1
Put an internal staircase in? Save you having to go outside to access it.
There is an internal staircase, but we want more light in there and access to the garden through those steps…..
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JohnnyD
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Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 2,014
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Post by JohnnyD on Aug 14, 2021 19:18:13 GMT 1
Why was there a drain there in the first place? Did the person who blocked it off know the answer to question 1? We have a cave. It has a drain. I did not block it off. (I was tempted) Very glad too. Once every three years or so after heavy and prolonged rain, we have a spring appear in the back wall. That is what the drain is for. I can’t answer your question, I have no idea why they did what they did…….
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Post by Polarengineer on Aug 14, 2021 20:34:14 GMT 1
It aint bust, so don't fix it. when you use the space, you open the hatch. If it's raining, it will be overcast and dark anyway so install lamps and keep the hatch closed. You could invest in a motorized jack to open and close it at the press of a button. If you have ever had the place flood, then yes, sort out the drainage or make a small pump pit.
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Post by robertarthur on Aug 14, 2021 22:00:02 GMT 1
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JohnnyD
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Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 2,014
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Post by JohnnyD on Aug 15, 2021 9:07:41 GMT 1
Very useful Robert, thanks
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Post by annabellespapa on Aug 15, 2021 9:15:25 GMT 1
Use a few of the inset drains, you know the ones that are like gutters that you inset in the ground with metal grids on top, poor explanation but screw fix sell them and they are about £20 a metre. Divert as much water as you can and fit a sump pump at the bottom of the steps for heavy rainfall, put in a full height window instead of a door to maximise the light, we have one similar,cheap as chips and can be used as an access if needed.
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JohnnyD
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Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 2,014
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Post by JohnnyD on Aug 15, 2021 10:25:38 GMT 1
Use a few of the inset drains, you know the ones that are like gutters that you inset in the ground with metal grids on top, poor explanation but screw fix sell them and they are about £20 a metre. Divert as much water as you can and fit a sump pump at the bottom of the steps for heavy rainfall, put in a full height window instead of a door to maximise the light, we have one similar,cheap as chips and can be used as an access if needed. Got any pics AP? just to give us ideas...... I love the gutter idea, we could put one at the bottom of the steps just before the door sill that isnt there yet......
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Post by Crystal on Aug 15, 2021 11:14:43 GMT 1
An idea to send your thoughts off at a different tangent... If you don't need to use the steps for access, you could replace the metal 'lid' with a walk-on glass panel...and either keep the steps as an internal feature...to display stuff on...or remove them to use the extra space.
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Aardvark
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Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
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Post by Aardvark on Aug 15, 2021 11:28:03 GMT 1
Bear in mind that the water that enters that gutter will need to have somewhere to go. Into a reservoir to be pumped out?
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exile
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Massif Central
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Post by exile on Aug 15, 2021 11:28:29 GMT 1
Use a few of the inset drains, you know the ones that are like gutters that you inset in the ground with metal grids on top, poor explanation but screw fix sell them and they are about £20 a metre. Divert as much water as you can and fit a sump pump at the bottom of the steps for heavy rainfall, put in a full height window instead of a door to maximise the light, we have one similar,cheap as chips and can be used as an access if needed. Got any pics AP? just to give us ideas...... I love the gutter idea, we could put one at the bottom of the steps just before the door sill that isnt there yet...... Probably better at the top of the steps. Firstly it stops the water flowing down and secondly it will be easier to drain the water away from the gutter - which if it is at cellar floor level as you are thinking may take some excavation. Edit: Aardvark beat me to it.
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