We may be beyond a landscaping solution and may be into engineering, but here we go. We live on a small "mountainside." It's called a mountain but it's more like a tall hill. However, with the crazy rain we've been getting in Maine in every season but summer, we've run into this problem. Last year our driveway washed out and a good portion of it collapsed. This video is after part of it collapsed and was then cut out. It was fixed, repaved, or so we thought. Thankfully right now it's not washing out under the driveway, but it's washing out in a snake-like zig-zag down the side of the driveway. We had new drainage installed that goes under the driveway diagonally. This seemed to help, but so much water comes down it's now flowing out of the area that it pools. We have some larger riprap around the pool but just gravel down the side of the driveway. Any thoughts, or have you run into a similar situation that you've been able to find a solution for?
by Weary-Knowledge-7180
33 Comments
Culvert
Yeah this is beyond typical landscaping. You’ll want a civil engineering solution to properly address flow, drainage, and stabilization of the area.
Need a deeper trench off to the side with more build up next to the driveway
I just bought a house and thinking of the costs associated with your problem just have me anxiety
I appreciate the real time commentary from the mini on-site engineer. Much preferred to a nasty soundtrack.
Summary: “This is BAD!”
Rain flows downhill. More rain concentrates, water moves faster overland, takes soil with it, causes erosion.
Looks terrible and expensive. But living in a forest… I’m jealous.
Not a landscaper, but some random thoughts (for free, so you know their worth!): what if you made a small wall on that side of the driveway to prevent water overtopping it, and built a concrete swale to guide the water along the side of your driveway, in the direction you want it to flow. Because you have such a steep grade, the water could end up flowing quite fast at the end, so you could also add small baffle blocks or some rip rap at the end to slow the water down.
Frank Loyd Wright that shit
Yeah, skip the landscaping company and go straight to a reliable civil contractor in your area. You have heavy grading, culverts, asphalt, large amounts of stone, etc. all being required. A civil contractor is the best bet here.
French drain, andre the giant sized
Good time to install a drain tile when you fix your driveway.
As a cheapskate, I would move the water through a culvert down the driveway, then I would pour steel reinforced concrete as a side and underfill for the driveway. Gonna be a few trucks but it’s cheap than tearing it all up and starting over, I less you want a dirt driveway.
Where is the water coming from? Did the construction change the hydrology of the area causing this? If you follow the stream- where does it come from?
You need to use permeable materials rather than concrete.
Obviously the people that built the driveway, didn’t have a clue what they was doing, the foundation of the outer edge of the dive, should have been deeper than the stream.
this is not that big of a deal but it is beyond a do it yourself project and most landscapers
backhoe, culverts, boulders and gravel to modify the course of the stream. fun project
good luck
I would consider stocking it with salmon. On a more serious note, sorry this is happening, too many homes are being built where they shouldn’t. hope it gets resolved before your home experiences trouble.
You need trenches, French drains down the side, drainage rock on top and graded from the driveway down (on the sides).
I would trust my landscaper with this job, but they’ve proven their worth by rebuilding my large garden wall (that required drainage solutions, rock, etc).
But if you don’t have someone in that realm — definitely an engineer
Dig a water way further from driveway, use dirt from digging to fill back under driveway, add lots of river rock etc to prevent additional erosion and maintain path chosen.
I saw a 200 year old house that was built over a flowing stream and used the stream to cool the structure. Still solid as a rock today.
Somewhere along the way we stopped trying to build in harmony with nature and started ignoring it to build whatever we saw fit (nature usually wins.)
You really don’t need a civil engineer. If you want to spend $$$$& multiple thousands of dollars, then be my guest. I used to own a landscaping company and could handle this situation very easily. A good contractor could as well. You just need to do some research, look at the companies past work and recommendations for a job like this. Chuck and his mowing trailer will not be able to. But a good hardscape contractor should be able to help. I would definitely give you a few options and proposals to look over before I sent you to an engineer. For example, I just had an HOA hire an engineer to look at their drainage curbing, charged them $30k and found the exact same locations I did minus 3 or 4. And wasted all that money.
Now, if you get some bids and don’t have good feeling with some contractors, then you may want to look into a civil contractor that has more experience. The $$$ will be a lot hire with this type of contractor but you know the job will be done correctly.
Looks like the low point is along the side of the driveway and it appears that no rocks or channel was created to direct the water and mage the flow. At the simplest end a channel of riprap to direct the flow and manage erosion away from the driveway would be the cheapest solution.
You might want to notify and involve your municipality, there is no ditch along the road to allow for drainage and water and soil/muck is flowing on top of the road. This create a slippery road and could potentially je dangerous. They might help you with cost by doing some of the work along the road. They have access to civil engineer and road works….. they might even help you make a plan that fixes the issue. Don’t get your hopes up cause they are fast to pass the ball when it’s expensive but it’s definitely worth trying.
Wow you all waited a bit long to address this one
I have similar issues where massive rain makes the whole steep “yard” become a sheet of water. It eventually finds its way to gulleys that were insufficiently dug before heading out to the forest. Other areas weren’t addressed so the driveway can get covered in mud. I bought a relatively cheap Chinese mini excavator and have been using it for about 9 months creating temporary ditches to save the driveway and make sure we can handle one of those old fashioned 1000 year floods that happen every 5 years or so these days. I have had to change a few as I watch while rain water does what it wants to do. Next steps are to create better swales, line them with landscape fabric to help preserve the underlying dirt. Then install 3-6″ rip rap and create a storm riverbed to slow down the water. Seems ridiculous, but it might be cheaper to literally buy or rent an excavator and do it yourself rather than pay someone. If you rent you’ll have to work fast. I say this only if you think you have the ability and determination and time to research and watch some sweet YT vids to see how they’re built. There are lots of solutions out there and many are far scarier than yours. Keep or sell the excavator when you’re done and it might cost a few thousand. IMO since your lot is fairly steep, don’t buy a 37″ width track bottom of the barrel model as it will be too tippy. Either 43″ or one with expanding tracks to 48″. You’ll still have to be really careful so practice on the easy bits. It’s amazing how fast these dig vs a shovel.
Get a bob cat, dig a channel
For gods sake back up and zoom out!!! No one can see what’s happening when you’re zoomed in on individual pebbles!!! ☹️ r/killthecameraman
Also, it’s not soooooo bad. Just divert.
Reroute your driveway to the height of the land or you’ll be dealing with problem as long as you live there.
Let the creek be a creek.
Start by getting a shovel and diverting it a few feet so it doesn’t erode under your driveway.
Yea this kind of water is no joke, you need a proper design by a licensed engineer, gl
Look for a construction company that specializes in site prep. They’ll have the civil engineers on staff to handle stormwater abatement
Have you tried installing a drain line and rocks?!? What do you expect leaving soil on the uphill side of a sloped damn. You do t need a civil/structural engineer, you seem some god damn common sense.