SOILCARE

Resolving drainage complaints from new homeowners 

Soil aeration is increasingly being adopted by developers responding to complaints from new homeowners about poorly draining gardens, reports drainage specialists C & P Soilcare. 

Each year the Suffolk-based company is called in when problems arise on new housing estates and, says general manager John Warren, the treatment is proving its value across the country. 

One of the leading developers to use the technique is Berkeley Homes which has called in C & P Soilcare to tackle drainage problems, particularly on difficult clay soil, in a number of projects across the Home Counties and the South East. "Soil compaction can cause problems in new developments and where this does occur we find that aeration provides a fast and efficient solution," says Tony Ryan, customer services executive at Berkeley Homes Southern. "One of the benefits, too, is that the whole operation is non-disruptive and non-destructive which pleases new homeowners." 

C & P Soilcare offers a free survey of newly completed building projects on sites where problems might occur, providing the opportunity for developers to put right any potential drainage shortcomings before they occur. Mr Warren says that normally soil aeration offers a big saving compared to the cost of land drains which often involve major disruption.

 "Guarantees provided with new homes typically specify that the ground should be free from ponding around the building," he says. "The relatively modest expense of rectifying any problems at the outset avoids having to deal with complaints from unhappy homeowners - and can save contractors potentially higher outlay later on."

Copyright C & P Soilcare Ltd 2002