Permeable Driveway
Lots of action on site this week as we complete the driveway and hardscape. Because of the site’s poor drainage (see Stormwater Management post 11/24/2023), we were required by the District to install a permeable driveway surface. The options for this include: permeable pavers, grass block pavers, geocell (plastic erosion control grid filled with gravel), or ecopaving products (recycled rubber).
We are planning to use the driveway for a variety of activities, so opted for permeable pavement. Essentially, interlocking paving stones with wider spacing than regular pavers, laid on top of varying-sized stone and aggregate that mimics the way natural land absorbs water. Permeable paver systems are designed to combat stormwater system overwhelm that cities are facing from converting green spaces to hardscape. They improve downstream water quality, help reduce runoff and prevent flooding, among other benefits ✅.
Lots of prep went into getting our driveway in place. It involved 6-7 inches of 3” crush (subbase) topped with 3-4 inches of ¾” crush (base) and then 2 inches of ⅜” crush (bedding) before laying the pavers! The total surface has around 15” depth, each layer compacted and rolled. Finally, the gaps between pavers were brush filled with ⅛” clear crush, instead of e.g. polymeric sand filler more commonly used for paver joints.
The result is a driveway that lets rainwater percolate through joints and filter through layers of aggregate before feeding to our stormwater storage module and surrounding native soil. Interested to see this in action during our first rainy season in North van!
Photos show
- permeable pavers close-up
- permeable Broadway tile stack from Barkman
- typical permeable pavement cross section (ref: wbdg / icpi.org)
- crush being installed
- near finished permeable surface
- standard paver spacing versus permeable paver spacing
- not permeable-related, but a very cool flagstone sitting circle we had put in at the same time in the backyard, where the pond used to be. The JMac team did SUCH a nice job with this 😍
#netzero #netzerohome #greenbuilding #sustainability #permeable #permeablepavement #stormwatermanagement #hardscape #driveway #flagstone
