ᐅ Which paving stones are suitable for a garage driveway or access path?

Hello,

I am currently considering the paving material for our garage driveway and the path to the front door. According to the development plan, the material must be "permeable," which I can achieve with eco-friendly pavers and permeable joints. However, our soil is very clayey, and the driveway is constructed with RC frost protection material 0/45, so water basically cannot infiltrate here. Additionally, the slope from the garage to the street is somewhat steep—5.5° or 9.6% over 6.5m (21 feet). The height difference is about 67cm (26 inches).

From some research, the gradient seems to be too steep to allow water infiltration during rain, so the water will simply run off sideways.

As I currently see it, eco-friendly pavers don't really offer much benefit—except possibly lower stormwater fees—but during heavy rain, all the water will flow toward the street anyway. So I could just as well use regular paving, right?

Do you think I should check with the building authority / planning department or just "go ahead"?

PS: All the neighbors have regular paving, as far as I can see. When it rains here, water stands everywhere and puddles form—the entire development area has very clayey soil. Nothing infiltrates—except your shoes in the mud!

bauenmk2020 schrieb:

When it rains here, water collects everywhere and puddles form -

… that is why paving is laid on excavated ground over permeable material. On slopes, a soakaway chamber is installed at the lower end.

ypg schrieb:

… that is why paving is also installed on excavated ground with permeable material underneath. In case of slopes, a soakaway chamber is placed at the lower end.

We did exactly the same in a driveway situation similar to the original poster’s. The eco-paving absorbs the rainwater completely, so the channel hardly ever collects any water. However, having it is absolutely sensible as a precaution.

We have had varying experiences with permeable paving and local authorities. On clay soil, water cannot infiltrate at all and must be drained separately. On soil that is not highly compacted, the paving works very well.

Doing it like others against the regulations—I am familiar with that as well. The water authority came later, and the incorrect paving had to be removed; there was no compromise. It’s not just about fees, but also about maintaining a functioning infrastructure that provides protection, among other things, against heavy rainfall events. Having to remove it again would be quite inconvenient, wouldn’t it?

We direct the water from our driveway into a soakaway system. The surface is covered with gravel – cobblestone paving would look nicer but I consider a lower degree of sealing more appropriate. Sometimes, the better is the enemy of the desired.

Hello,
we were one of the very few in our construction area to follow building regulations and carefully installed permeable paving (concrete pavers with wide joints). According to the data sheet, this is even sufficient for tropical monsoon rain.
It actually works well even during heavy rain, is really eco-friendly, and it certainly improved our karma a lot...
But, to be honest, I’m a bit annoyed now. The problem is the wide joints, which are only filled with gravel.

• When you sweep, you pull the gravel out of the joints; in the end, the dirt is gone but there is more gravel lying around than dirt before.
• Better not even think about using a pressure washer.
• The dirt, especially the sand piles from the kids’ toys, accumulate in the joints and you just can’t get them out anymore.
• Moss and weeds tend to settle in the joints. I’ve even caught myself thinking about quickly getting some Round Up again...

As I said, it works great, but it requires a lot of maintenance.

Best regards,

Andreas