Stop waterlogging, puddles and damp with Garden Drainage in Upper Norwood. We design and install French drains, soakaways, channels and pump systems for lasting results. Book a survey and get clear, practical recommendations.
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If your lawn stays soggy after rain or water runs towards the house, drainage needs fixing at the source. In Upper Norwood, sloping plots and compacted ground can push surface water onto patios and paths. We’re often called out near Crystal Palace Park and around SE19 to resolve pooling, muddy patches and overflowing gullies. Our solutions are designed to move water away discreetly and reliably.
This historic hilltop area is known for its views and period homes, and those Victorian villas and Edwardian houses often have older garden levels and tired drainage runs. Period conversions can also suffer from shared downpipes and limited external access, making careful planning essential. We tailor layouts to protect retaining walls, steps and mature planting. For homeowners across Crystal Palace, South Norwood and Norwood New Town, we keep the finish neat and sympathetic to the property.
We start with a site assessment and, where needed, CCTV surveys to confirm blockages, collapsed pipes or poor falls. Then we specify the right combination of French drains, land drains, channel drains, catch pits, grading or pump systems, with clear options and costs. Work is completed with tidy reinstatement and tested in wet conditions where possible. Local clients choose us for straightforward advice, clean workmanship and a written 10-year warranty.
Upper Norwood gardens often sit on gradients, so getting falls and outfalls right matters. We plan around narrow side access, on-street parking and the practicalities of removing spoil and bringing in aggregates. Where boundaries, retaining walls or shared drains are involved, we’ll advise on the safest route and documentation. Our approach suits the period property styles common across SE19.
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Costs vary with access, depth, soil conditions and how much water needs moving. As a guide, simple channel drains or small land-drain runs often start from £900–£1,800. A French drain system for a typical rear garden is commonly £2,000–£5,500. Soakaways, catch pits and pump systems can take projects to £4,000–£9,000+, especially where excavation and reinstatement are extensive.
Many straightforward installations take 1–3 days, such as a short French drain, a channel drain along a patio edge, or minor grading. More involved schemes with soakaways, multiple catch pits, or significant level changes usually take 4–7 days. Timescales depend on access, ground conditions, existing services, and how much paving or lawn needs lifting and reinstating. We’ll confirm a programme after the survey.
Most garden drainage works are classed as permitted development and don’t require planning permission, particularly when you’re improving drainage within your boundary. However, rules can change if you’re altering levels significantly, working near protected trees, or affecting shared drainage runs. If your home is listed or within a conservation area, extra checks may apply. We’ll flag any likely permissions and help you stay compliant.
We provide a 10-year warranty on our garden drainage installations, covering workmanship and the correct installation of specified components such as pipe runs, joints, catch pits and channel drains. It’s designed to give peace of mind that the system will perform as intended when maintained properly. The warranty doesn’t cover accidental damage, third-party alterations, or exceptional events beyond design assumptions. Warranty details are provided in writing.
We offer several options depending on the problem and the finish you want. Popular choices include perforated pipe French drains with clean gravel, modular soakaway crates, land drains for lawn areas, and channel drains with galvanised or composite grates. Catch pits can be added for silt control, and pump systems suit low points with no outfall. We’ll recommend the best layout after assessing falls, soil and surface types.
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