# Re-slope driveway for drainage?



## IdahoEv (Aug 21, 2012)

There's an area of my driveway that slopes downward toward my foundation. The drainage from five different downspouts (three on the house and two on the garage) all drain to this one area, where the water pools directly against my foundation. Ick. With an el nino winter coming in Los Angeles, I'd like to fix this before the rains start.

But I've never poured concrete before. And it's my understanding that getting the consistency right to make a non-level slope (since want it to slope away from the foundation) can be pretty challenging. 

Is this something that might be within reach for a first-timer? My current thinking is to put a layer on top of the existing driveway, but thicker up by the foundation so that it slopes away from the house. Maybe with a small downhill channel cut in right where the worst part of the pool builds up. The area I'd need to fill would be about 5 feet square, about 2-3" thick at the thickest part. 

Thanks! I'll see if I can add a picture shortly.


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## IdahoEv (Aug 21, 2012)

Here are some photos, showing the slope towards the house and how the water pools. Sorry the shot of the level didn't come out too well, but the bubble is very slightly high on the left side.

It's only the first six feet of the drive past the downspout you see. After that it slopes properly.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

A thin layer of concrete almost never holds up.
Is there anyplace that that water could be pumbed to if you installed a catch basion with a pump in it?


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## IdahoEv (Aug 21, 2012)

joecaption said:


> A thin layer of concrete almost never holds up.
> Is there anyplace that that water could be pumbed to if you installed a catch basion with a pump in it?


I don't quite understand - where would the catch basin be installed?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Lowest area where it pools up.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

I wonder if the previous owner DIYed that curb to try to prevent water damage. Looks that way.

In the mean time, before you rip out that driveway (if that's what you'll eventually do), you can do a catch basin adjacent to that wall. Its a patch fix, for sure, but it'll be piece of mind for this winter.


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## IdahoEv (Aug 21, 2012)

Okay, I'll look into it. The only place for the pump to drain to would be further down the driveway, where the slope is correct and it will flow to the sewer. 

Those hedges and fence on the left side of the frame are on the property line; I think general flow off the driveway into the bushes is fine but I doubt my neighbor would appreciate the jet of a sump pump shooting into his yard.


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## epson (Jul 28, 2010)

Look into installing a French drain.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5047998_install-french-drain-driveway.html


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

If that "curb" next to the house is sitting on top of the slab, I'd consider using a topping mix (make sure you use one that can go from 2" down to 0"). If the curb is sitting next to the slab, I'd simply tear out out the slab and replace it with a new 3.5" thick minimum slab with adequate pitch away from the house........


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

You can redirect the water from that downspout to run along side of the house on top of the curb,as a temporary fix with a long section of downspout pipe to bypass where the water pools.


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## IdahoEv (Aug 21, 2012)

jomama45 said:


> If that "curb" next to the house is sitting on top of the slab, I'd consider using a topping mix (make sure you use one that can go from 2" down to 0"). If the curb is sitting next to the slab, I'd simply tear out out the slab and replace it with a new 3.5" thick minimum slab with adequate pitch away from the house........


Just to clarify, by "slab" here you mean the driveway slab, not the house foundation, right? The house has a crawlspace foundation.

The curb is definitely on top of the driveway slab for the first inch, but without tearing it apart or at least stripping the paint I can't tell how far under the slab goes, nor if and how the curb is attached to the house foundation.


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## IdahoEv (Aug 21, 2012)

Canarywood1 said:


> You can redirect the water from that downspout to run along side of the house on top of the curb,as a temporary fix with a long section of downspout pipe to bypass where the water pools.


Unfortunately that doesn't help much, for reasons you couldn't see in the picture. *Four* other downspouts empty into the driveway behind where I was standing when I took the picture, all of them run down the concrete into that same low spot. Some are 30' away. I'd have to merge them all with a really awkward geometry of T joints and a hell of a lot of pipe, including running a section across the doorway. :-(


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