Sewer Grate Too Close To House?

[JKJudge]

Hi there,
We have recently moved into this property and wanted to remove the rotting decking at the back of the house. After we removed the decking, we found that there is a sewer grate quite close to the patio doors. I have attached a picture. I realise that the perspective is difficult to get but, hopefully, it gives an idea of the problem. We need some form of platform and steps coming out from the patio doors, but have no solution due to the closeness of the grate. We know that we can get grate coverings that can blend into the monoblock, but that does not really help with the problem of getting out of the patio! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

 

[Tetters]

Hello @JKJudge and welcome to the forum
If that was just outside my back door, I would build a small retaining wall around it with bricks up to the right level, and top it with a cement paving slab (the sort the councils use for pavements) That would look nice and tidy, match the present patio paving, and the paving slab could be slid off to enable access to the drain if need be.

 

[JKJudge]

Hello @JKJudge and welcome to the forum
If that was just outside my back door, I would build a small retaining wall around it with bricks up to the right level, and top it with a cement paving slab (the sort the councils use for pavements) That would look nice and tidy, match the present patio paving, and the paving slab could be slid off to enable access to the drain if need be.

Hi there, just to say thanks for the advice. We posted on a few forums and this was the best recommendation by far - we do not want to put decking up again. We are going to build up the patio to the doors. Refit the covering with a paving slab insert, to match the new surface of slabs, and have steps lead from the left (as you look at the picture) to meet the pathway of the back door. Cheers.

 

[Tetters]

That sounds great, and will look champion, but I wouldn`t fancy the amount of work it will take - especially if the patio area is large (it`s hard to tell from the one photo). Will you import loads of hardcore to build the whole area up to the right level? The other thing is the amount of materials you will need to find for a retaining wall on a bigger area.
The drain cover is quite a bit lower than the step will be, so you will need to make sure there is plenty of width to actually access the drain if there is a blockage problem in the future (heaven forbid)
I think I would be inclined to leave the patio area at the same level as it is now - as for decking YUK, it`s nothing but trouble, good for rats to hide under and slippery in wet weather. You will be glad to get rid of it I`m sure
In any event I hope it all goes well for you...... please can we have some more pics when you`ve finished