Pervious concrete is an excellent surface for parking lots, driveways, roads and alleys throughout Bellingham and Whatcom and Skagit counties. What’s more, the usefulness of pervious concrete extends to a great many additional uses. Many situations that could benefit from the simultaneous existence of excellent drainage and a hard surface could be a candidate for pervious concrete.
Greenhouse floors: If you have a greenhouse on your property to help extend the short Pacific Northwest growing season, consider the benefits of making the floor from pervious concrete. You get a great walking surface that can easily handle the runoff from providing water to plants. No need for an expensive drainage system – simply let the water flow right through the floor. Perhaps this video from a backyard greenhouse will inspire you.
French drain replacements: Instead of using a French drain, which transports water from one area to another through an underground piping system, consider using pervious concrete instead, which better mimics the property’s original hydrology. Sections of pervious concrete could be placed strategically near impervious driveways or foundations to allow rainwater and runoff to enter the ground beneath through pavement edge drains. Here in the Pacific Northwest, most of our rainwater comes from rain events of less than 1 inch. Why send that water into the storm drains when pervious concrete can handle it so easily?
Biking, walking or golf cart paths: Because it provides a solid walking or driving surface without causing harmful runoff, pervious concrete is ideal for walking, biking or golf cart paths. Porous concrete provides the best of both worlds here in Whatcom County – a pervious drainage solution and a firm surface for shoes and wheels. In Bellingham, you can find pervious concrete paths at Bloedel Donovan park and the Barkley area, among other places.
Tennis and other sports courts: Pervious concrete can be a wonderful solution for outdoor tennis, Pickleball or basketball courts. The courts could even be used in the rain (or shortly thereafter) without players having to deal with annoying puddling issues. After all, the rain simply goes right through the court.
Noise barriers: Pervious concrete has excellent acoustic properties, which makes it a great solution for reducing noise from nearby roads or train tracks. Studies have shown that sound-absorbing panels made from porous concrete can “significantly reduce” railway noise.
Swimming pool decks: Water splashed from the pool onto the surrounding concrete or tile can make the surface slippery and constitute a major hazard. However, using pervious concrete for the swimming pool deck would allow that water to filter through the surface and reduce the potential for slips and falls.
Pervious concrete is an excellent surface for environmentally friendly road and driveway projects. As you can see, it also is useful for a great many other types of projects. If you’d like to discuss how the benefits of pervious concrete can be applied to your property, please feel free to reach out to us here at Custom Concrete Contracting in Bellingham.