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msbrooks_gw

Create a mud barrier at bottom of fence and patio?

msbrooks
9 years ago

Any ideas on how I can create a waterproof barrier between the bottom of the fence and the patio? As you can see in the photo I tried using a cement mixture from a tube and it did not work, the rain water pushed right through it and it started to peel up.

My patio stays a mess when it rains because there's a deck on the other side of the fence and nothing but dirt under the deck. I cannot get to the mud under the deck on the other side so I'll need to do something on my side of the fence to keep the water/mud from coming in, any ideas?

Comments (14)

  • marcinde
    9 years ago

    So you want to dam water up against the back of a wood fence? I've heard better ideas.

  • msbrooks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    If you don't have a solution, there's no need commenting.

  • PRO
    Yardvaark
    9 years ago

    Msbrooks, sometimes it requires a little dialogue to elicit a proper answer. (Seems like you're looking for a band-aid instead of a proper fix. Band-aids usually fall off after a short time.)

    "I cannot get to the mud under the deck on the other side ..." ... is that because of physical ability or a property rights issue?

  • User
    9 years ago

    Msbrooks,
    You have to pull that wood fence up out of the dirt. It won't last being on the dirt like that. Termites love wood fences, and if it s damp, wow, it's filet mignon for the termites.
    After you pull your fence up at least 4 to 6 inches, see if you an get permission to place something on the other side of the fence.
    I have a feeling your neighbor is on the other side of the fence, that is why you can't get over there,
    You need a trench for the water on the other side of that fence, running at a down angle out of the yard.
    If you can't do that, you will always have mud there,
    Mabey after you raise the fence out of the dirt, you can put a trench on your side, where those patio blocks are, and trench it out of the yard that way.
    Water runs downhill, so you must create a low trench and gradually have it run away from that side, so someplace else, prefereably to a street or rain garden.
    If you do nothing, the fence will rot and get eaten by termites, probably both.
    Good luck to you.
    Oh, and by the way, remember water is extremely strong in a hard storm.
    It can move a house.

  • missingtheobvious
    9 years ago

    Besides the question of who owns the deck and the dirt, is the fence yours or a neighbor's?

    Edited to add: Simultaneous post....

    This post was edited by missingtheobvious on Wed, Apr 16, 14 at 20:49

  • devolet
    9 years ago

    I had a wood fence like this and it rotted so I I tore it down and replaced it with chain link. It seems like drainage material might help under the fence like gravel or a row of the smaller size retaining wall blocks that water could get in between. But you have to raise the fence. Use water seal on the wood to repel constant water contact. I have had good luck with it on railroad ties in my garden that have soil backed up behind them.

  • msbrooks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I said "fence" for ease of explanation. Its really 2x4's decking boards used like a skirting under/around a deck... the wood is pressure treated, showing no signs of rot whatsoever, front or back, been in place for over 9 years - so that is not an issue what so ever.

    The deck is mine but I cannot get to that area of it because its a large deck and its dank dark and dirty under there!! I could hire someone to go under there but first I would need a solution to this situation IF it required getting under the deck but I've racked my brain, was hoping I could find some creative ideas here that might just work.

    I guess I will have to do some more trial and error solutions - the best so far was from a landscaper on another site, he suggested wood molding but while that would cover up the area, its not going to stop muddy water. I am thinking real cement this time, not just the stuff from the tube, is what I will try next.

  • allen456
    9 years ago

    How about a wider angle of the area in question? Perhaps your solution lays further away from the deck, stopping the inflow of water long before it reaches your "fence".

  • msbrooks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Allen, I dont think that would be an option, I live in the city, houses very close, the property does have a slight slant to it but from my neighbors yard.

    I am thinking to perhaps hire someone to get under the deck and dig out a trench at the decking boards deep enough to get the dirt away from them and the hang some sort of heavy plastic garden sheeting to the back of the boards and down over the dirt a ways, I have a feeling that might work and I've got a nephew who owes me some money lol sounds like a good method of pay back to me!! :)

  • marcinde
    9 years ago

    funny, I thought letting you know that you were potentially creating an expensive problem for yourself was a bad idea. Have fun with the rot.

  • msbrooks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    marcinde - I wish you happiness.

  • littlebug zone 5 Missouri
    7 years ago

    You have a drainage issue. Water HAS to go somewhere. Blocking it won't solve the problem - you must give the water a way to escape.

  • Lillian Thompson
    3 years ago

    Have same problem and thinking about French drain idea.