[jeffreyh]

I have recently poured a padio pad sloping away from my house. And now I am going to pour a new garage approach in which the padio pad slopes too. The garage approach pad will be roughly 4 inches lower than the padio pad. My question/problem is my well pipe is going to be between the two pads. So I would like to put in some landscaping blocks between them. For some lighting and also for whatever my wife/boss wants to plant in there. What things to I need to do, or watch out for, because of the rain that is trying to drain away from my house? I have gutters on my house to catch the rain off the roof. But there will be some still landing on the padio pad. Over time, will this water do damage to my new cement approach with out proper steps? My padio pad is 16ft wide by 24 ft long.

 

[Leah Frances]

Water always finds the lowest ground. And water likes the easiest path, like exposed ground between two concrete pads. Where it goes next is a function of the subterranean make up.

Other than the well pipe, do you have a concrete (get it?) reason for not abutting (with a proper expansion joint) the two pads?

 

[jeffreyh]

No I really don't have a good reason not abutting them together. But I thought it would be easier for forming and screeding if they were not. Plus it would dress up the padio with the wall. I added color and stencil to the padio pad.

I am thinking now of placing some drainage tile in between them, and then backfilling with some fine rock, before adding any dirt. And then spacing the bottom row of block a little further apart. Maybe by cutting them so the next row lays on correctly.

 

[Leah Frances]

Sounds like you've got the right idea.