How to avoid the puddle in front of our home?

August 26, 2008 2:12 PM

My landlord refuses to install rain gutters and so every time it rains we have to jump over a deep puddle that forms by our front steps. What can I put there temporarily that will keep us from stepping into the puddle? I'm thinking bricks of some kind but is there a better solution? The puddle is usually about four to six inches deep and a few feet around.
posted by ranunculus to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

Pea gravel on the bottom for a base, then a couple of concrete blocks? (and I mean, of course, setting the blocks so the flat side is up)
posted by Liosliath at 2:18 PM on August 26, 2008

If you live in an apartment building in an urban are, this may not be true, but...

If your landlord refuses to put gutters on a rental house, he's an idiot because he's shooting himself in the foot as far as erosion / basement flooding / foundation stability.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 2:25 PM on August 26, 2008

Stepping stones.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:28 PM on August 26, 2008

Just build a bridge.

You could, alternatively, buy one.
posted by jeffamaphone at 2:48 PM on August 26, 2008

We have the same problem (except it's our own house so we have no one to blame but ourselves.) We put in interlocking pavers from Lowe's. Works great. Really cheap (under $10).
posted by nax at 3:27 PM on August 26, 2008

The interlocking pavers and stepping stones sound great, but the OP said his puddle was 4-6 inches deep. Pavers = 2", Stepping Stones = 1". He's got to build it up a bit before he puts something like that in. I guess he could just get a couple layers of stepping stones/pavers, but I was thinking more along the lines of super cheap + stable.
posted by Liosliath at 3:43 PM on August 26, 2008

Planks screwed into supporting planks. Basically build yourself something that looks like a fence segment laid on the side, with enough spacing between planks to let the water run through, and enough height on the supporting planks to clear the water. Use treated lumber that can stand being in the water. If you're feeling really creative, you can make a little bridge out of it by beveling the supporting planks so that they sit flush to the ground as it comes out of the water.
posted by davejay at 4:02 PM on August 26, 2008

The pavers I got are 4 1/2". Or, he could pile 2-3 stepping stones one on top of the other. He might still be in a little puddle, but at least he won't be ankle deep. It really does work, because I'm doing it here. (My puddle is also about 4" deep)
posted by nax at 4:22 PM on August 26, 2008

You might want to research building code as it applies to rental properties in your area. Just saying...
posted by nathan_teske at 4:56 PM on August 26, 2008

Fill the depression with gravel (3/4" minus if you're cheap, fancy lava or white rock if you're not) till it's above the level of the water. Place 18x24" or 24"x24" patio/stepping stone on top to help prevent further compaction.
posted by Mitheral at 5:16 PM on August 26, 2008

Ask your landlord if he'd reimburse you if you bought some sand, some landscaping gravel or stone (whatever's cheap) ... put the sand on the bottom, then the stone, and put pavers in the top to step on. Make sure you build the sand up a bit higher than the surrounding dirt so that you don't just build yourself a mosquito breeding pool.
posted by SpecialK at 5:46 PM on August 26, 2008

A short span of plastic rain gutter -- just enough to cover the area over the front steps -- would cost significantly less than paving stones, planking or gravel; would be easier to install; and easier to remove after you move out if your landlord really doesn't want it for some reason.
posted by ook at 9:19 PM on August 26, 2008

You'd have to make the gutter long enough to redirect the water away from the low spot. Move it over a couple feet and it'll just flow back into the depression.
posted by Mitheral at 9:30 PM on August 26, 2008

I'm curious why the low spot developed and/or isn't draining. Gutters aren't strictly necessary if you have good drainage (i.e. away from the house, preferably into the storm sewer). If this is "by your front steps", is it a sidewalk that needs mud-jacking (leveling or raising by injecting material underneath)?
posted by dhartung at 1:55 AM on August 27, 2008

Response by poster: The roof is at such a steep angle that it creates a torrent of water which over time has created a depression that fills up by our front steps. The foundation is surely eroding as we speak, but he's a slumlord and doesn't care about that. I'm just afraid that if I fill the area with gravel and paving stones that even that wont be enough. It's almost as if I need both, level ground with paving stones and some kind of rain diverter.
posted by ranunculus at 7:11 AM on August 27, 2008