Soakaway advice for front drive
 

I'm in the process of getting from front garden block-paved, but have
a slight dilema on what to do with the rainwater, ie there's a slight
slope from the road pavement into my garden (roughly 3 degrees).

The distance from the road path to my house front is 6.01m and the
width of the front garden is 5.47m. So the entire area is just under
33 m-sq.

The slope of the proposed new driveway will roughly hit my house front
around 26cm off the horizontal, because of the slight incline.

Is there some formula to work out whether a small soakaway would be
more than adequate? My only concern about the soakaway (after readng a
few sites, ie www.pavingexpert.com) is that I shouldn't be using one
to begin with, due to promixty to the building and fear of saturating
the foundations!

I don't not have any other alternatives other than to just let the
water gather as it's too far from a drain.

Given the dimensions and incline etc would the amount of water
gathering be anything to worry about? Should I just go ahead with a
drive without the soakaway?


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

Darren wrote:
I'm in the process of getting from front garden block-paved, but have
a slight dilema on what to do with the rainwater, ie there's a slight
slope from the road pavement into my garden (roughly 3 degrees).

The distance from the road path to my house front is 6.01m and the
width of the front garden is 5.47m. So the entire area is just under
33 m-sq.

The slope of the proposed new driveway will roughly hit my house front
around 26cm off the horizontal, because of the slight incline.

Is there some formula to work out whether a small soakaway would be
more than adequate? My only concern about the soakaway (after readng a
few sites, ie www.pavingexpert.com) is that I shouldn't be using one
to begin with, due to promixty to the building and fear of saturating
the foundations!

I don't not have any other alternatives other than to just let the
water gather as it's too far from a drain.

Given the dimensions and incline etc would the amount of water
gathering be anything to worry about? Should I just go ahead with a
drive without the soakaway?


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Don't do it.
The volume of water landing on a 33m2 area over the year is huge - yes it
lands there now but it soaks away natuarally as it lands, you will be
concentrating it into a small area.

How far away is the nearest drain? - I did one like this about six months
ago and had to dig a 40ft trench, it only took a day and aout £150 of
materials.(all plastic, naturally!)

Can you put in a retaining wall about 2 foot high, near to the house and
have the drive flowing away from the building?

How much brickwork is showing underneath your dampcourse as it stands now? -
if there are a few steps up into the house it may be possible to have it
running towards the road without a retaining wall.

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 15:32:13 GMT, Darren wrote:

slope from the road pavement into my garden (roughly 3 degrees).

Can't you slope it the other way?

A soakaway would have to be by the roadway to be far enough away, so
you'd have to dig a drain back the other way.


--
Nigel M

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

Don't do it.
The volume of water landing on a 33m2 area over the year is huge - yes it
lands there now but it soaks away natuarally as it lands, you will be
concentrating it into a small area.

How far away is the nearest drain? - I did one like this about six months
ago and had to dig a 40ft trench, it only took a day and aout ?150 of
materials.(all plastic, naturally!)

Nearest drain is around 40 feet away, around the corner of my building
and down the shared entry, which is also solid concrete.

Can you put in a retaining wall about 2 foot high, near to the house and
have the drive flowing away from the building?

Thats an interesting idea and something that may well work.


How much brickwork is showing underneath your dampcourse as it stands now? -
if there are a few steps up into the house it may be possible to have it
running towards the road without a retaining wall.

2 bricks.

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 17:11:48 +0100, Nigel Molesworth
wrote:

On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 15:32:13 GMT, Darren wrote:

slope from the road pavement into my garden (roughly 3 degrees).

Can't you slope it the other way?

This might be my only choice.


A soakaway would have to be by the roadway to be far enough away, so
you'd have to dig a drain back the other way.

Ok. Thanks.

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 15:32:13 GMT, Darren
wrote:

I'm in the process of getting from front garden block-paved, but have
a slight dilema on what to do with the rainwater, ie there's a slight
slope from the road pavement into my garden (roughly 3 degrees).

The distance from the road path to my house front is 6.01m and the
width of the front garden is 5.47m. So the entire area is just under
33 m-sq.

The slope of the proposed new driveway will roughly hit my house front
around 26cm off the horizontal, because of the slight incline.

Is there some formula to work out whether a small soakaway would be
more than adequate? My only concern about the soakaway (after readng a
few sites, ie www.pavingexpert.com) is that I shouldn't be using one
to begin with, due to promixty to the building and fear of saturating
the foundations!

I don't not have any other alternatives other than to just let the
water gather as it's too far from a drain.

Given the dimensions and incline etc would the amount of water
gathering be anything to worry about? Should I just go ahead with a
drive without the soakaway?


Could you pave it with pierced concrete blocks like councils sometimes
use (there's a hard standing for council minibuses near here outside
an old folks day care centre), and fill up the holes with gravel.

DG

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

Could you pave it with pierced concrete blocks like councils sometimes
use (there's a hard standing for council minibuses near here outside
an old folks day care centre), and fill up the holes with gravel.

I've never of these. Do they look as good as block paving?

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 16:46:38 GMT, Darren wrote:

Could you pave it with pierced concrete blocks ...

Do they look as good as block paving?

No, they look crap.

--
Nigel M

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

Darren wrote:
I'm in the process of getting from front garden block-paved, but have
a slight dilema on what to do with the rainwater, ie there's a slight
slope from the road pavement into my garden (roughly 3 degrees).

The distance from the road path to my house front is 6.01m and the
width of the front garden is 5.47m. So the entire area is just under
33 m-sq.

The slope of the proposed new driveway will roughly hit my house front
around 26cm off the horizontal, because of the slight incline.

Is there some formula to work out whether a small soakaway would be
more than adequate? My only concern about the soakaway (after readng a
few sites, ie www.pavingexpert.com) is that I shouldn't be using one
to begin with, due to promixty to the building and fear of saturating
the foundations!

I don't not have any other alternatives other than to just let the
water gather as it's too far from a drain.

Given the dimensions and incline etc would the amount of water
gathering be anything to worry about? Should I just go ahead with a
drive without the soakaway?


Any help would be greatly appreciated.



Depends what soil you have there, amongst other things.

In extremis, let the whole lot drain towards the house, and if the slope
continues behind the house, dig a french drain (perf pipe in a gravel
filled ditch) around the house and exit somewhere downhill, or into the
gutter/drainpipe soakaway system.

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

Nigel Molesworth wrote:
On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 16:46:38 GMT, Darren wrote:

Could you pave it with pierced concrete blocks ...

Do they look as good as block paving?

No, they look crap.

Until the grass grows through, then they look like lawn, but you can
drive on them. More or less.

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 18:37:48 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
The distance from the road path to my house front is 6.01m and the
width of the front garden is 5.47m.

dig a french drain (perf pipe in a gravel
filled ditch) around the house

Got to be a terrace with those dimensions.

--
Nigel M

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

Semi-detached with clay soil unfortunately. Don't know how far the
clay goes down either........

Soakaway advice for front drive
 

Darren wrote:
Semi-detached with clay soil unfortunately. Don't know how far the
clay goes down either........



Right. You need to find the guttering soakaways and try and feed into
that system.

If you only have concrete down the only outside, running more drains is
going to be a bitch.


Don't dismiss open gullies or 'rills' though...could have one running
past the back door...

...feeding a small fishpond perhaps :-)