The lake in my driveway - I need advice

[swanson13@gmail.com]

Hello everyone!
Here's the situation: my house sits lower than street level, and when it rains (which is does all the time in Seattle) I end up with a virtual lake in my driveway. It can get up to 10 feet in diameter and 4-6 inches deep, and it remains in my driveway as long as it continues to rain. It takes about 30 minutes to an hour to disappear after the rain stops, and it starts to accumulate within 10 minutes of steady rain. It sucks.

I have been thinking about installing a French drain running parallel to the driveway, but there is nowhere I can redirect the water because the water is already pooling at the lowest point. Would a French drain that goes nowhere work here, since all I need to do is speed up the rate at which the water is absorbed into the ground? Is there a better option for my situation? I want to get this done before the rains start in earnest, so any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Matt

[Carberry]

Post some photos of the driveway or do a drawing in paint or something to show us the area that you're working with. If you do a drawing then mark the directions that the driveway is falling.

[Pablo]

Hi Matt a photo would help but your ground sounds free draining enough so a soakaway may be your answer. My brother lives by the lake in Bellevue he tells me you've had a hell of a summer with only 2 days of rain since may he reckons it'll break in a week or so and a pineapple express is going to cause chaos due to the ground being so baked. No Pressure then.

[swanson13@gmail.com]

Hello again,
I won't be able to post a photo for another two weeks (because I am in San Diego until then) but I work up a drawing and post it tonight or tomorrow. And I will read about soakaways, thanks for the tip!

[local patios and driveway]

Fremch drains = rubbish (trash)

[Trev]

I will watch this topic closely as I have exactly this problem.
I was considering the Permeable Block Paving page http://www.pavingexpert.com/permeable04.htm but I'm not sure what would stop the drive sliding down hill towards the house or the pavers subsiding and creating the horrible W shaped tracks from a poorly laid drive (maybe it's down to compaction?).

[Tony McC]

Trev,

you might find that conventional block paving with a collector linear channel draining to a soakway is a better option both in terms of construction and price.

Permeable block paving (CBPP) has its uses, but it's rarely the most suitable option for residential driveways.

[swanson13@gmail.com]

Here's the thing, gang: I can't rip up and repave my driveway, so I need a solution that I can utilize without major construction. The soakaway sounds pretty good because it can hold the water until it can be absorbed, and it looks like the most practical solution for my experience level, which is not at all.

I will get a picture as soon as I can, stick with me!

[Trev]

Thanks Tony McC.
The thing is there is currently soakaway I estimate is about 1m3, during a deluge it becomes full up. The remaining water collects on the drive, probably an area about 4m x 5m x 0.2m deep, say approx 4x5x0.2 / 2 = 2m3 (already exceeding the soakaway), until it runs off to the neighbour (who has sneakily built a gulley in the block paving that runs to his neighbour).

So I'm concerned another soakaway will still not resolve the issue unless it's really massive, and I have no room for a massive soakaway.

I am going to replace the drive. If I build a soakaway under the drive, how do I ensure it can take the weight of vehicles?

[Carberry]

Thanks Tony McC.
The thing is there is currently soakaway I estimate is about 1m3, during a deluge it becomes full up. The remaining water collects on the drive, probably an area about 4m x 5m x 0.2m deep, say approx 4x5x0.2 / 2 = 2m3 (already exceeding the soakaway), until it runs off to the neighbour (who has sneakily built a gulley in the block paving that runs to his neighbour).

So I'm concerned another soakaway will still not resolve the issue unless it's really massive, and I have no room for a massive soakaway.

I am going to replace the drive. If I build a soakaway under the drive, how do I ensure it can take the weight of vehicles?

Your soakaway could need cleaned out.

[local patios and driveway]

A properly constructed soakaway using crates and the correct methods will not sink. Ive yet to see an issue 4-5 yrs on and i do pop back and check my work if im in an area