by Ruby Mitchell
(North Carolina, US)
How can we overcome standing water with a designed stamped driveway?
Unfortunately, it sounds like drains were not part of the design. Water is held by the concrete because a low spot is in it that is trapping water and causing a puddle or the edge on the driveway whether it is a structural edge or the soil is higher than the driveway is not letting the water escape.
A concrete driveway is shedding water, no porosity, so the water has to go somewhere. In either of the above mentioned incidences, a way of discharging it to another location is the solution. This may be as simple as opening up the edge to allow the water to escape over the surface or installing a catch basin and drain. The catch basin is an underground box that has a grate for the top that is at the grade of the low spot for collecting water. The grate is removable for cleaning and can be obtained in a color to match the driveway. A discharge pipe is attached to the underground box to carry the water away. The discharge pipe must be sloped enough to carry the water away quickly.
I hope this information helps! Use a contractor that is good with drainage. Ask friends for a reference and take a look at their work. I hope it's a simple fix for you. Stamped concrete is hard to replace and not looked patched. Can you go back to the original contractor that did the driveway for you?
Thanks for your submission!
Nancy