Pervious concrete is a great solution for homeowners who are dealing with drainage or groundwater issues. In Northwest Washington, these problems can be especially prominent along shorelines, such as Bellingham Bay, Lake Whatcom and even Lake Samish where water quality is a concern.
Why choose pervious concrete for a driveway, path or patio? The porous nature of pervious concrete helps eliminate surface water pooling and runoff by instead allowing rainwater to flow through and be evenly disbursed in the groundwater system. It creates safer (less slippery/better traction) surfaces and is better for the environment.
Custom Concrete Contractors is an expert when it comes to installing pervious concrete – their concrete finishing crews recently installed a pervious concrete driveway at a new home (built by Handy Homes) in Whatcom County.
When it comes to constructing a new pervious concrete driveway, it’s important for the site area to be properly prepped. This is done by making sure site grading, drainage and the base materials are all perfect before framing begins.
Once the site is prepped and ready to go, professional concrete finishers carefully pour the pervious concrete and begin the process of leveling it.
They then roll over the concrete to compress and smooth it so the surface is flat smooth. A few years ago pervious concrete was more porous (larger gaps between the stones). Today, as you can see in the images above and below, the gaps are much closer together so the finished product looks more like a traditional concrete driveway.
Customers often think that pervious concrete is best for large-scale projects like roadways and pedestrian sidewalks, but it’s also a great material for homeowners looking to replace a driveway or solve drainage issues on their property. Note the exposed aggregate patio pictured below – it has a strip of pervious concrete in the middle that takes care of a challenging drainage problem.
Just like traditional concrete, pervious concrete comes in a variety of colors, so homeowners can use it to add visual appeal (and curb appeal!) to their home.
Contact Custom Concrete Contractors in Bellingham, WA to learn more about pervious concrete and how it can help improve drainage and ground water issues while increasing your homes curb appeal.