[puttster]

In my back yard, the driveway is about 4" higher than the sidewalk entrance to the back door. So for the 5 feet between the two I have two rock stepping stones. These lie at an angle because the ground there slopes steeply into a drain that is several inches below the sidewalk. Basically every time my wife carries groceries into the house she has to find her footing on these slanted rocks.

I have not been able to come up with a decent solution. Wood? Grass? Concrete? Rock, Gravel, Pavers, build up/plug up the drain? Looking for some DIY ideas, please. Thx

 

[de-nagorg]

I would build a Composite deck in that area.

Small in size, on very short posts in the ground in the 4 corners, and as high as the high point at the driveway, with the one step down at the back yard to the sidewalk there.

This will leave the drain open, but covered by the composite decking, to function as a deterrent to yard flooding.

Remove those rocks, and deck it.


ED

 

[Nealtw]

1 inch per foot is about the same as a wheel chair ramp. I would do it in concrete.

 

[de-nagorg]

1 inch per foot is about the same as a wheel chair ramp. I would do it in concrete.

Which would need a foot deep bedding dug out, and proper support built from gravel, and sand.

Maybe more work than planned on.

Then you still need to plan on what to do with the drain, it is there for a purpose, most likely there is a flooding problem it is built to control.


ED

 

[huesmann]

I don't understand what's wrong with just filling to flush on both sides and seeding/sodding.

 

[puttster]

From the top of the driveway to the top of the drain is a drop of 9 or 10 inches.
Could be a dangerous step.
If I used dirt, it seems like it would get get flushed down with every rain.

 

[FM3]

Level between the two with gravel/stones, put big but not necessarily thick pavers on top. Water won't get trapped because it can run under the pavers through the gravel.

If water won't get trapped under pavers there, you could do it "properly" with a bed of stone then sand then pavers.

Concrete should be fine too without a deep bed even if you get freezing/thawing. And it would probably match better looks-wise with the surrounding concrete. I don't know why concrete would need a foot of bedding. You're just walking on it not driving a car on it.

Whatever I considered doing with concrete I'd probably prefer to do with pavers though. They're easier to fix if problems develop.

 

[Old Thomas]

I would build a Composite deck in that area.

Small in size, on very short posts in the ground in the 4 corners, and as high as the high point at the driveway, with the one step down at the back yard to the sidewalk there.

This will leave the drain open, but covered by the composite decking, to function as a deterrent to yard flooding.

Remove those rocks, and deck it.


ED

I would do the composite deck but build it on 4x4s or landscape timbers as runners. Then I could dig out where the runners are and plop it down. You could put landscape fabric or stone under it. It could be lifted up when needed.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

I'm not understanding the down spout drainage problem but if that was mine i'd have a concrete ramp in that space in a heart beat even if i had to abandon the present drainage problem for plan B drainage.

 

[Nealtw]

I think the drain is my red circle and I would just dip the concrete so the blue area is the low spot Doesn't need much for water to go there.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

That's just draining water away from one building to another. We don't know what's on the other end of the garage but that's the direction water needs to be directed, away from both structures.

 

[Nealtw]

That's just draining water away from one building to another. We don't know what's on the other end of the garage but that's the direction water needs to be directed, away from both structures.

That looks like a green yard drain to me, we have them, one in every yard on the mountain.

 

[puttster]

The drain is Neal's red circle. A roof downpipe and the back yard runoff drain onto the sidewalk and thence to the drain.
I think the drain is so low because the fill dirt under the yard and driveway expanded and raised everything up. The deck, from where I took the picture, has raised up on one end about 4 inches like the driveway.

 

[Nealtw]

The drain is Neal's red circle. A roof downpipe and the back yard runoff drain onto the sidewalk and thence to the drain.
I think the drain is so low because the fill dirt under the yard and driveway expanded and raised everything up. The deck, from where I took the picture, has raised up on one end about 4 inches like the driveway.

Doesn't the down spout go into a pipe in the ground?

 

[puttster]

I think it was supposed to because the undey ground drain goes right under it.

 

[Nealtw]

I think it was supposed to because the undey ground drain goes right under it.

I would remove the grass and the sidewalk and the bottom step into the house

Form up with 2x8s, re plumb the drains put in 5" of gravel sloped down to the bottom of the 2x8s all around
And install concrete.

 

[de-nagorg]

That spot ain't big enough to warrant needing grass anyway.

Remove the grass, and pave over it with concrete, asphalt, or pavers, and make it terraced if need be, to accommodate a 2 tier entryway.

And while it is dug out, re-plumb those drainage into a decent system.

Do you have a bigger area for a lawn, for the pup?


ED

 

[puttster]

And while it is dug out, re-plumb those drainage into a decent system.
Do you have a bigger area for a lawn, for the pup?
ED

Agreed. In another thread I decided to cut out the lattice and chainsaw the B and C posts in order to let the deck drop down so it is level. That might be a good time to dig down and find the drain under the house and feed the downspout into it.

The dog has more grass than this, my back yard is a massive 20 x 20, so don't worry!

I unscrewed the drain cover and now I'm thinking maybe I can add a couple of inches to the vertical pipe, bring it up more to the level of the sidewalk. That could solve the problem of dirt getting washed down the drain.

 

[de-nagorg]

Agreed.

The dog has more grass than this, my back yard is a massive 20 x 20, so don't worry!

:vs_laugh::vs_laugh::vs_laugh:

20X20, :biggrin2::biggrin2:

Sorry , I can't stop laughing at you City people.

My parking lot is bigger than that. My house is bigger than that too.

And I have 2 acres to mow as well. :vs_laugh::vs_laugh:

ED

 

[puttster]

With the stay at home rules these days my back yard don't seem do massive as it.used to.