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A driveway or patio that floods: falls, drains and where the water goes
Most of the driveways and patios we're asked to replace have one thing in common: water sitting where it shouldn't. A new surface poured over the same levels floods the same way. On these three jobs we fixed the water first, and the surface was built around it.
Three jobs, one order of work
Point Chevalier: a driveway at the low point between a raised house and the street.
Torbay: a front patio that fell towards the front door.
Morningside: a low front lawn that flooded often.
Point Chevalier: the low point between house and street
The house sits 2 m above the street, and the driveway is the low point between the two. The old paver driveway was uneven, and water coming off the street and off the house collected there. That's what started the job.
A decent amount of time went into assessing the falls with laser levels and working out where the water would actually flow, before anything was placed. Every fall and height on the driveway was then redesigned around that. A stainless channel drain runs along all sides of the garage and connects to a cesspit placed at the low point of the driveway. Wilson Plumbing, a licensed plumber, connected the new cesspit to the stormwater system.
The path from the street to the side of the house also had a very steep last 2 m, so its slope was changed for level, easy access. In all, 70 m² of exposed aggregate was poured. No consent was needed on this job, and the vehicle crossing wasn't touched; whether yours needs one is settled before we quote.
6 weeks on site
Torbay: turning the fall away from the door
The old paver patio at the front of the house fell the wrong way, so in rain the water pooled towards the entry. Before anything else, the levels were assessed and the falls redefined away from the house. A channel drain sits at the new low point, well clear of the entry, and carries the water to a cesspit.
On this job no consent was needed and no other trades were on site. The new surface is 20 mm Longburn pebble exposed aggregate, with a curve leading from the street to the door.
6 weeks on site
Morningside: when the answer isn't concrete
The front lawn at Morningside was low and uneven, and it flooded often. Instead of trying to keep grass alive in a wet hollow, we raised the area with railway sleepers, which hold a level, and turned it into a compacted hoggin courtyard over a compacted GAP20 base. It drains naturally, and it's dry underfoot. The full story is in a courtyard instead of a lawn that never dries.
4 weeks on site
What actually decides it
Find the low point. Water goes to the lowest place on the site. The job is to decide where that is, and make sure it isn't the front door or the garage.
Set the falls before the surface. At Point Chevalier every fall and height was redesigned around the drain. The concrete came after.
Give the water somewhere to go. A channel drain collects it; a cesspit takes it away. Where it connects to the stormwater system, a licensed plumber makes that connection, as Wilson Plumbing did at Point Chevalier.
Choose a surface that suits the water. Concrete with a drain, or a free-draining surface like hoggin. Both work; the site decides.
Where we fit
We assess the levels and falls ourselves, lay the drains and build the surface, and bring in a licensed plumber when a connection to the stormwater system is needed.