Spring is just around the corner, so I’m starting to think more about the outdoor areas. At the moment, I would like to get quotes for the driveway and paving work. Before that, I’d appreciate your opinions on the driveway and its design.
Here is some information:
Along the entire front of the property, there is a slope down to the street of about 1 meter (3 feet).
From the front door, the ground slopes down toward the street approximately 1 meter (3 feet) over 5 meters (16 feet).
The order is unfortunately wrong. The first idea was, as shown in the last picture (with the grid), to drive out of the carport. That is also how the driveway is currently roughly laid with gravel. However, after the first winter, I’m not so sure anymore:
Everything relates to the last picture with the grid area:
1. It is a huge area for snow shoveling.
2. The snowplow pushes half of the snow into my driveway because it’s a corner lot and my driveway is basically around the corner where the snowplow turns into a dead-end street to pile the snow.
3. The costs mainly depend on the area and the slope. We are quite pragmatic here; we want just standard rectangular paving stones without any fancy designs since only one car will use it.
4. I think this option is overwhelming due to the large area.
For the other two pictures/variants, I’ve initially seen the following advantages: less area, less slope to be retained. It looks more open… The disadvantage is that you have to maneuver the car a bit, compared to the other option where you can basically drive straight into a side street.
Feedback, criticism, and alternative suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Here is some information:
Along the entire front of the property, there is a slope down to the street of about 1 meter (3 feet).
From the front door, the ground slopes down toward the street approximately 1 meter (3 feet) over 5 meters (16 feet).
The order is unfortunately wrong. The first idea was, as shown in the last picture (with the grid), to drive out of the carport. That is also how the driveway is currently roughly laid with gravel. However, after the first winter, I’m not so sure anymore:
Everything relates to the last picture with the grid area:
1. It is a huge area for snow shoveling.
2. The snowplow pushes half of the snow into my driveway because it’s a corner lot and my driveway is basically around the corner where the snowplow turns into a dead-end street to pile the snow.
3. The costs mainly depend on the area and the slope. We are quite pragmatic here; we want just standard rectangular paving stones without any fancy designs since only one car will use it.
4. I think this option is overwhelming due to the large area.
For the other two pictures/variants, I’ve initially seen the following advantages: less area, less slope to be retained. It looks more open… The disadvantage is that you have to maneuver the car a bit, compared to the other option where you can basically drive straight into a side street.
Feedback, criticism, and alternative suggestions are greatly appreciated.
By "variant 2," Icanoit, do you mean building straight out from the garage and then narrowing towards the street?
Regarding the neighbor, that’s my next question. From the start, it’s clear to me that any soil retaining needs to be done in the carport area. However, the neighbor has also excavated from his garage down towards the street to smooth his driveway, meaning he has lowered the natural ground level, while I am planning to fill and raise the level. Would he then also be involved in terms of securing the slope?
Nothing is happening on the neighbor’s side; the excavated soil has been sitting there for five years, the driveway is only covered with gravel, and his stair landing is made from pallets. So, I think he’ll just let me proceed for now—if he ever decides to do anything at all.
Regarding the neighbor, that’s my next question. From the start, it’s clear to me that any soil retaining needs to be done in the carport area. However, the neighbor has also excavated from his garage down towards the street to smooth his driveway, meaning he has lowered the natural ground level, while I am planning to fill and raise the level. Would he then also be involved in terms of securing the slope?
Nothing is happening on the neighbor’s side; the excavated soil has been sitting there for five years, the driveway is only covered with gravel, and his stair landing is made from pallets. So, I think he’ll just let me proceed for now—if he ever decides to do anything at all.
We have almost the same problem.
The house is also higher than the street.
The driveway is about 90sqm (970 sq ft).
The slope from the house wall to the street is good, so water never stands there 😉
Only the snowplow always pushes everything nicely to the end of the dead-end street, where the driveway is located....... see pictures.
The house is also higher than the street.
The driveway is about 90sqm (970 sq ft).
The slope from the house wall to the street is good, so water never stands there 😉
Only the snowplow always pushes everything nicely to the end of the dead-end street, where the driveway is located....... see pictures.
H
hampshire28 Feb 2021 09:59The slope is not very steep in option A, probably around 6-8%, which is completely manageable—even if you don’t clear anything and only have regular two-wheel-drive vehicles with winter tires. The only time you need to be a bit careful is if the surface freezes. Here in the Bergisches Land region, you see slopes like this at every second house, and no one has any problems with them.
The sloped option also looks good—very modern and not at all boring.
The sloped option also looks good—very modern and not at all boring.
lesmue79 schrieb:
@ Caspar yes, the issue with the snowplow is familiar, and hopefully we are still early enough with this topic to avoid problems in the coming years.
How large is your carport? 8m x 6m (26ft x 20ft)?7m x 7m (23ft x 23ft) concrete slab, and the roof is 8m x 8m (26ft x 26ft). I wanted 50cm (20 inches) roof overhang on each side 😉lesmue79 schrieb:
Is he involved in securing the slope then?Yes, definitely if he has cut into your property. You can try to negotiate with him.
Make a counter-calculation showing how much deeper you need to lay foundations because of his intervention and how much he saves on retaining wall construction that he has to carry out.
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