Ground Water issues

G'day Team,

Firstly thanks for the welcome to this site. It is fantastic. Secondly, I trust I have posted this thread into the correct area, not sure if it is more of a plumbing than a structural issue, but here goes.

The issue: I have just purchased a 1900s home in Newcastle. It was originally built on stumps and is two storey high at the front. Along one side of the house a single skin brick wall was constructed. The wall is is L shape where it comes to the master bedroom has a few engaged piers and ranges in height from 1 to 2.4m or so. At some time in the past someone decided to build a retaining wall at the front of the property and backfill against this one brick wide wall. To make matters worse the fall is towards the L corner and there is no drainage.

As you can imagine the pressure of the fill has overcome the wall and, combined with the effects of water, resulted in foundation failure, pier movement and a bow in the wall. In fact I am surprised it is still standing.

The front retaining wall is adequately built and has a set of stairs adjacent it for access to the "front" entrance. It runs the full width of the property.

My plan is to excavate the fill, build a new wall, to standard, adding an addiitonal 3m for an ensuite above and extend the bar below. I am then stuck with the water issue. I can not raise the ground level as it is now a side hill cut and the front retaining wall and adjacent property do not all.

My cunning plan is to run a series of sub surface drains at surface, 1m and 2m into a pit and use a submersible pump to disperse the ground and stormwater to a suitable discharge point. While I'm positive I can make this solution work are there other options, preferable cheaper and easier, than what I am considering.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Cheers and Beers

Craig


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