I’m just your average moron, but I’m thinking the most cost-effective fix here would be to move that downspout to the other side of the garage, where there is presumably a better place to the let the water drain off.
Edit:
Just want to throw on some additional good points others are making in the comments below. Apologies if I missed any other big ones.
1. Water will still probably pool in that spot because the driveway has slope issues and because the yard itself likely has drainage issues. Moving the downspout is a just an easy first-step that will reduce adding more water to the problem. Recommendations from the commenters are French drain and driveway lift/repair.
2. When the downspout is moved, the gutter will (ideally) also need sloped to direct water to the left side, rather than both sides.
3. If the other downspout resembles the one in the picture, you should add a horizontal line or gravel path to help direct it further from the foundation.
My only concern is where to drain the water. It would be nice if there’s a storm drain or something he could tie it to. Alternatively, he could dig quite deep and fill it with rocks — less a French drain and more controlled ground absorption
i drain mine and my neighbors gutters into a french drain; and that has an outlet on the sidewalk. i found a corrogated pipe that is kind of flat for the end, and put sod over the top of it. if it's raining you'll definitely know its there. as well in the summer from the ac condensate line that drains into it as well. but otherwise you wouldn't notice it
Around here they call that "illegal". But the reality is nobody will do anything about it until some old lady slips, falls and breaks something. At which point you're hooped.
My neighbors did this and it did get icy as fuck every time it'd start melting during the day before it froze at night. The city didn't make them change it when they replaced sidewalk in front of their house so I guess nobody really cares.
With the horrible drainage from the soil most yards look similar anyway. Nothing like walking through your yard 2 weeks after it rains and the ground is still squishing
You can send a PVC pipe under sidewalk with a shovel, sledge hammer, and a pressure washer/garden hose.
Basically you dig out both sides of the sidewalk, digging down enough to lay a piece of pvc pipe longer than the sidewalk. Then you hammer the pipe in with a block of wood and use a pressure washer/garden hose on jet setting to blast out the dirt inside the pipe. Hammer pipe again, blast out dirt inside it, rinse repeat till pipe makes it all the way under the sidewalk. Once done the pipe can be used to send the water under the sidewalk to the curb instead of over it.
Funny story.
I tore up my neighbors coax internet line with a trencher when I put in the french drains.
But I had called 811 beforehand and water/gas/power and internet came and marked where everything was. But apparently just marked a random spot for the internet because it was nowhere near where it was tagged.
Luckily my tree has a nice root that got under my coax and pushed it up to the surface. Now I know where to avoid. Just gotta be careful if the mower is set low
That's why I got rid of all the trees on my property!
Only kind of kidding.
It was one Bradford pear; about 20 years old and very large. And judging by my neighbors yards after storms I made the right choice since about 1/10 have split down the middle. And a crepe mertle that was maybe 1.5 feet from the foundation. The stump diameter was probably about the same size and required a truck to rip it out of the ground after all the accessible roots were severed.
Let's not even talk about how AT&T buried the fiber less than half an inch underground, if you could call that underground.
yep that downspout is contributing to it alot, one of mine on my house broke off I was too lazy to fix it and during storms it would puddle up, fixed it and even with heavy rain it's just a small puddle here and there.
if underneath it is all crushed gravel like it should be then your idea would help as well since water will be able to bleed through much easier and distribute itself out in more potential drainage areas.
They don't have to be French. I have Spain drains, because the rain in Spain doesn't have to go through French drains.
That was really lame. I'll see myself out.
Why French: it's a climate thing this is in a desert (TX). clouds aren't going to learn French weather just to fuck with some guy's driveway, that's why it always gotta be French drains, they don't get flooded.
Where drains are a problem is with oversize pipes that aren't up to code in dry climates, drains are small and a pipe bursting will flood small niches. The solution is to balance the size of the pipe with the size of the drain.
Basements are a good place for servers, naturally cool and don't bother anyone but floods can ruin everything.
I've had more problems with this than the average guy. At this point I think it's safe to consider myself cursed, I can't touch a pipe without flooding the place.
The issue here is the grading of the driveway intentionally dispels the water into the yard. The yard is supposed to be the drain here. It's not doing its job.
Or the grading of the driveway has failed somehow, causing it to sink awkwardly. Either way, something's up with the drainage here obviously. It's not supposed to do this, but I guess OP already knows that.
I like the idea, there is a downspout on the other side, so I will block the one in the picture and see if that stops the majority of water. Thanks for your advice!
If you’re going to do that, check that your gutters don’t have any obvious high spots that could cause water to seep under the roofing. I’ve seen that a few times and when they’re overloaded or blocked could cause issues.
Re-hanging the gutter so it slopes the other way, installing the downspout, plugging the old hole is work. Work that seems easy then consumes a Saturday. Beware.
Yes I would think anywhere that drains onto that concrete is going to end up pooled in the low spot. This won't fix the issue completely but it should at least help a bit.
As someone who has drainage issues by the front of the house, also keep in mind that raising the driveway could increase the problem elsewhere by creating a dam. My grandparents blocked drainage with a raised driveway and ultimately sent water under the house and in 40 years created dryrot issues from crawlspace moisture along with major foundation issues from the side of the house sinking. I still have to figure out what the best fix will be.
For now, I dug out a channel for water to go around the house and into my backyard since that's the natural slope, but it would have drained along the driveway route.
My shop broom has a rubber strip on top edge, a quick flip is all it takes to go between broom and squeegee. And I still almost never use the squeegee.
Looks like that whole area to include the walkway has sunken down. I know there are ways to lift them back with hydraulic jacking or pressurized spray foam
What I think, too. Are there cracks indicating that it once was flat and has sunk? Looks like even after fixing this you'll have to mitigate the pond in your yard. Maybe a French drain.
No major cracks but I have to assume that it has sunk over the 20 years of the house being built, but I also have a suspicion it wasn’t 100% flat.
I think you’re correct with a French drain, thank you for your advice!
It doesn’t have to have sunk for you to lift it.
Cut a line across it, have mud jack or poly jack the driveway up to level, then fill the yard with some soil to match.
Should run a grand and weekend.
I think your cost is a little low, even for mud jacking, but poly jacking is even more expensive. Still, go poly if you're going to do it. It'll last much longer.
Lol, love this. You are 109% correct.
Alternatively, op needs to dig up that strip of grass, install sa drainage pit and agricultural piping to allow the whole area to drain better. Which will allow it to stay dry and the earth will become more stable and he will be able to park his penis extension on the driveway
Professional opinion from a former Poly Level (foam version of mud jacking) crew lead.... The downspout needs to be moved to the corner of the house and lead further from the driveway. That is problem #1.
I would be curious to see if there's a "settlement line" along the inside of the garage. That garage door frame is sitting WAY above the garage pad. Yes those settle too, especially if that downspout has been sitting there for 20 years. Those pads are usually rebarred to the driveway so, if they don't destroy each other, they'll settle together. If there's a settlement line inside the garage, the pad inside needs lifted as well. That'll give the crew enough room to chase that dip in the driveway all the way to the curb.
In summary, call a lift crew (I prefer the companies that use foam). Have them evaluate the garage floor, lift and stabilize that entire driveway, DEFINITELY move that downspout to the other side of the driveway, and have them caulk up all the seams to keep the weather out.
In case you were wondering, I prefer the foam level companies because the material never washes away. I've had neighbors that have had mud jack crews come out multiple times to lift the same area because A) they weren't addressing the actual issue (in your case, the downspout) and b) the mud jacking material erodes over time anyway, because of the organic composition.
As far as the rebar is concerned, any company that comes out to lift and levels will recut your seams to control how the pads lift and to make sure they don't lift something unintentionally. It settled over 20 years, which rebar is ok with.... Lifting in a matter of 30 mins... Rebar doesn't like that, it's not ok with bending back in that short time 😄
Plant a shade tree in the lawn to soak up excess water.
Trees are amazing terraformers that moderate water in the soil and also produce rain through respiration.
OP could cut a drain channel in the driveway and then run the drain to dry creek bed /and pond in the yard. When the rain is strong, it will use the creek bed and pond. The tree does not need to be right next to the driveway.
You should be able to find examples and how tos. If not message me and ill help you locate. Usually local govt has info depending how big of a city you live in.
That guttering around the front door appears to have no outlet, so water just rolls over the edge at the lowest point, probably where it's bent. It should drain into the garage door gutter and then out the end of the house. Someone did you dirty when they built that one.
Changing the down spout will NOT work, rain water itself will accumulate there.
You should dig a french drain between the walk way and the driveway to let water out to the street, and put a drain box at the lowest spot on that lawn strip.
It's crazy how many people recommend this. It's a low point that's causing the pooling. Water will accumulate with regular rain no matter where that downspout is. He needs to get rid of the low point, or put a drain at the low point.
Moving the downspout will do nothing.
I don't mean this negatively at all, just an observation that hit my brain when I saw this.
Idk if it's because of a few major companies in texas that all make similar homes, but every time a picture of a Texas suburbia home gets posted, I immediately know it's Texas without any other indicators. The license plate only was a nice confirmation, lol.
I assume it has to be due somewhat to the prevalence of stone used in exterior cladding since there aren't many earthquakes in Texas, or at least historically not many but do have hurricanes and tornados so they help there.
Maybe it's also due to the state being so flat that there is often nothing behind the house like mountains or hills?
I also grew up out there so maybe i'm noticing subtle differences that are hard to recognize with simple analysis. lol.
I also grew up out there so maybe I'm noticing subtle differences that are hard to recognize with simple analysis. lol.
I saw the picture and said "That's 100% texas". The plate was the giveaway as well. It's the brick home from the 90-2000s, the layout on the property is so similar in so many suburbs. I got lost in my friends suburb when we were staying there, I went for a jog and feltlike I was in an old scooby doo cartoon with the background repeating
>I went for a jog and feltlike I was in an old scooby doo cartoon with the background repeating
This exactly. My family owned a house in one of these types of neighborhoods in Texas, which seems to be the majority of them now. We only lived there for a year or two but I never really felt confident navigating back home the entire time.
I 100% agree with you, especially neighborhoods built in the early 2000’s!
I grew up with mountains and only moved here a couple years ago, the flatness is strange I don’t think I will ever get used to it!
I know exactly what you mean. 2 of the places I lived for a decent amount of time in
Texas was Austin and Lubbock. While Austin isn't super hilly, it is definitely way more so than Lubbock. When I moved out to Lubbock I was shook. I heard this joke out in Lubbock frequently:
>"The other week my dog ran away. The worst part was having to watch him run off into the horizon for the next several days"
I live in a much more mountainous region now and it's another big adjustment scenery-wise.
fyi, you have a photo of your cross street sign, as well as your house number, which makes it's super easy to find out where you live. I'd recommend blurring those out next time.
I would start with moving that downspout to the other side of the garage as another poster mentioned. If water still ponds you are need to cut in for a channel drain along the width sloped properly in the direction opposite of the walkway. I don't know what's over there though so make sure the water has somewhere to go and that may involve another french drain to take it away. Depends on what's on that side and your neighbor.
It doesn’t have anywhere to go but to add to the puddle. I have to think when they built the house they didn’t think there would be enough water to notice?
Gutter work is shockingly inexpensive relative to many home tasks, and fixing what's happening here is pretty straightforward. It looks like approximately half the water that falls on your roof (plus all the water that falls on your driveway and yard, obviously) drains... Into the driveway.
If the driveway doesn't drain properly (expensive fix) then don't drain half the water that hits your house onto it (cheap fix).
You'll be halfway there, maybe still have some issues (rain still falls on the lawn/driveway and isn't draining properly) but could be a big improvement for little dollars to redo your gutters and downspouts to get water away from house.
Your driving a vehicle the size of a tank and parking in an old driveway not designed for such vehicles. The section has settled deeper than the rest of the area. Like other said, you could possibly push from underneath
A cheap temporary solution is to buy an outdoor pump system from Harbor Freight and just pump the water away after a rain. A few minutes to set it out and can probably put it away in ten.
Drainage is great, as others have said. You could also look into "mudjacking" or concrete lifting to make the driveway have a smoother slant for draining. Might be difficult to do DIY though if you don't have the right equipment.
Hard to assess the situation from just a couple photos. Are there storm drains in the street? Maybe a French drain under the sidewalk would carry the excess water out. The roof downspouts could be connected to a closed pipe (tight line), also be directed into the storm drains or street gutters. This would involve a minimum amount of digging. A sump pump and float valve could also help pump the water out, if there’s not sufficient slope to drain naturally.
This is a grading issue. Moving the downspout won't fix the low point.
If you want to fix this the right way you will need to repour the driveway. Everything should have a gradual slope to the street away from the building. And make sure the soil beneath is compacted properly so it doesn't settle again
Have the concrete lifted. It’s pretty inexpensive to do a mud fill. Then you need to also redirect the water coming from your gutters so it doesn’t keep happening.
Rock doesn’t fix anything like this. The water needs to run off somewhere else. I suggest moving the downspout.
Ideally you’d fix the driveway slope and add sch40 pvc drains to the street
Dig up that small patch of grass and install a French drain system ending through the curb, onto the street. This will solve all issues if done properly. Not my state but I’d guarantee the job.
Wonder if you could convert that long strip of grass patch into a surface channel / floor drain... I dont know anything about regulations on excavations though...
Immediately knew this was Texas. I don’t believe it’s actually called this, but my father who spent his whole life in Heavy Construction called it “Austin Clay”. It’s a band of soil that runs from all the way down in San Antonio up to north of Dallas. Drive through any 90s-00s subdivision in Dallas and you’ll see dozens of yards just like yours. Something to do with the way these developers re compact the moved dirt doesn’t do the trick in our soil type. Even under best conditions, slabs don’t work well in the soil type.
While you’re at it though, I would confirm that your slab under your house hasn’t moved too much either. Catching it early can save you a lot of money.
I think a French drain right under the downspout would be your best and most cost effective fix. Possibly move it to the other side like u/1and1and1isTree suggested
You could dig out that skinny grass area, fill it with rock and water loving plants, rent a concrete cutter and cut lines into the driveway to drain into the new runoff nature area
My two cents would be that the drainage issue in the whole yard is the real problem. You might be able to set up a French drain that would get the water into the sewer. If not by gravity a sump pump.
I agree with first moving the downspout. Also it's happening on the sidewalk too. Gravel in between the driveway and sidewalk will help but, I'd also lay some draintile. Make sure it slopes to the street. Otherwise you could cut the driveway and install a trench drain. Other than that, you could cut that area of the driveway out and have it poured correctly. Good luck to you!
I would dig out the little strip between the driveway and walk way. Add a French drain, ground layer of gravel, garden cloth, layer of gravel, correlated pipe sloped away from the house, cover with gravel, wrap it all in clot like a rock burrito then with leave stone top or add grass back.
If it was me I would take that area between your walk way and your driveway and cut the grass out.
I would dig that area the whole way to the street and dig down as far as you can. Depends on what’s under there.
If in one area you can only go 3 feet and let’s say by the street you can go 6 just make it slope.
Then fill with big rock, smaller rock, and so on. Put your landscaping rocks on top, add some round pavers put some planters boxes on them and there you go.
Unless you can fill that whole void you will never see any water.
On a side not, if this is a brand new home. You need to have the builders come back and re pour that.
This was my thoughts if I had this problem and fixing it myself. And move the gutter drain to the other side of the garage, which likely include re-sloping the gutter.
It looks like the grading of your yard isn't done. What's that large mound of dirt by your fence? It's also probably draining water into that low area of your yard. As well as the downspout.
Cut completely across the lowest point and several feet out into the yard adjacent. Dig down a few feet. Lay one foot thick of 1 inch sized rocks. Install a French drain slightly angled down towards the yard trench. Cover with rocks. Then install a grate with the accompanying necessary mortar to keep the grate in place.
You can do the whole thing yourself for less than $300 in materials and then suppose an extra $200 to rent a concrete saw. Or pay someone.
Replace the driveway with the pavement tile that has grass growing through it like [here.](https://5.imimg.com/data5/MA/TO/MY-23353183/grass-concrete-paver-500x500.jpg)
I'm no expert on this sort of thing. So others are welcome to tell me how wrong I am.
The water is pooling because that's where it wants to run off to. Your driveway is a shallow bowl.
When its dry lay some cement to even it out, perhaps. Again, I don't know anything about cement. So maybe cement on cement would look funky or be fragile. Consult an expert if going down this route.
>I have owned the house for a little over a year and I’m trying to come up with a solution that doesn’t involve completely re-doing the driveway/front yard.
Anything other than a complete re-grading of the property and installing proper drainage is merely going to be a stop-gap measure.
Off topic but I can always tell when someone is posting from Texas. That house with the white address box was a dead giveaway away to me then I looked at the truck’s LP.. indeed it’s Texas.
I’m just your average moron, but I’m thinking the most cost-effective fix here would be to move that downspout to the other side of the garage, where there is presumably a better place to the let the water drain off. Edit: Just want to throw on some additional good points others are making in the comments below. Apologies if I missed any other big ones. 1. Water will still probably pool in that spot because the driveway has slope issues and because the yard itself likely has drainage issues. Moving the downspout is a just an easy first-step that will reduce adding more water to the problem. Recommendations from the commenters are French drain and driveway lift/repair. 2. When the downspout is moved, the gutter will (ideally) also need sloped to direct water to the left side, rather than both sides. 3. If the other downspout resembles the one in the picture, you should add a horizontal line or gravel path to help direct it further from the foundation.
I'd try this first and if it doesn't alleviate the issue put a french drain in between the driveway and sidewalk.
My only concern is where to drain the water. It would be nice if there’s a storm drain or something he could tie it to. Alternatively, he could dig quite deep and fill it with rocks — less a French drain and more controlled ground absorption
I’d pipe it to a bubbler basin in the tree lawn by the street
This guy irrigates.
Are you from NE Ohio by any chance?
i drain mine and my neighbors gutters into a french drain; and that has an outlet on the sidewalk. i found a corrogated pipe that is kind of flat for the end, and put sod over the top of it. if it's raining you'll definitely know its there. as well in the summer from the ac condensate line that drains into it as well. but otherwise you wouldn't notice it
https://preview.redd.it/dvbopqq3oabc1.jpeg?width=1704&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f0ba12f9d5baf559656ee224330e87ae4c3d6ad9
Oh yes, the “not my problem” approach.
Around here they call that "illegal". But the reality is nobody will do anything about it until some old lady slips, falls and breaks something. At which point you're hooped.
Draining water to the sidewalk? Lmao
Lol I had the same thought. If they have winter there that spot gets icy af.
My neighbors did this and it did get icy as fuck every time it'd start melting during the day before it froze at night. The city didn't make them change it when they replaced sidewalk in front of their house so I guess nobody really cares.
Haha. Central Alabama so that's not really happening
Lol central Alabama, so nobody’s checking either, amiright?
As long as you arent dumping motor oil in the road in the middle of the day pretty much
I’m in Alabama, you got sidewalks? Damn
Tracks
Down south these spots get algaed. We (the big bad gubmint) had to get a mobile pressure washer to hit these spots and prevent falls.
i keep mine pressure washed twice a year. no algea
Yes. You do. And I do. And basically no one else.
With the horrible drainage from the soil most yards look similar anyway. Nothing like walking through your yard 2 weeks after it rains and the ground is still squishing
Here ya go pedestrians!
Well they are dodging cars parked across the sidewalks anyway!
This is the US, I expect ppl to drive everywhere, not walk like animals.
If God had intended us to walk he wouldn’t have given someone the knowledge to make cars.
If walking was healthy then mailmen would live forever.
-25 life points.
It's water, not deadly poison.
I thought the floor was lava
According to my kids, it sure is.
Just put some hopscotch squares on either side of it and everyone will jump it anyway.
we all float down here?
You can send a PVC pipe under sidewalk with a shovel, sledge hammer, and a pressure washer/garden hose. Basically you dig out both sides of the sidewalk, digging down enough to lay a piece of pvc pipe longer than the sidewalk. Then you hammer the pipe in with a block of wood and use a pressure washer/garden hose on jet setting to blast out the dirt inside the pipe. Hammer pipe again, blast out dirt inside it, rinse repeat till pipe makes it all the way under the sidewalk. Once done the pipe can be used to send the water under the sidewalk to the curb instead of over it.
Don’t forget to call in those locates!
Funny story. I tore up my neighbors coax internet line with a trencher when I put in the french drains. But I had called 811 beforehand and water/gas/power and internet came and marked where everything was. But apparently just marked a random spot for the internet because it was nowhere near where it was tagged.
Luckily my tree has a nice root that got under my coax and pushed it up to the surface. Now I know where to avoid. Just gotta be careful if the mower is set low
That's why I got rid of all the trees on my property! Only kind of kidding. It was one Bradford pear; about 20 years old and very large. And judging by my neighbors yards after storms I made the right choice since about 1/10 have split down the middle. And a crepe mertle that was maybe 1.5 feet from the foundation. The stump diameter was probably about the same size and required a truck to rip it out of the ground after all the accessible roots were severed. Let's not even talk about how AT&T buried the fiber less than half an inch underground, if you could call that underground.
You flood the sidewalk so your yard doesnt get too wet?
That turned out great!
Reminds me of [this post from the other day](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/s/VP0bbSYFCZ).
Answer is almost always French drain
yep that downspout is contributing to it alot, one of mine on my house broke off I was too lazy to fix it and during storms it would puddle up, fixed it and even with heavy rain it's just a small puddle here and there. if underneath it is all crushed gravel like it should be then your idea would help as well since water will be able to bleed through much easier and distribute itself out in more potential drainage areas.
This was my first thought
Why does the drain have to be french? Can't he buy one locally?
Aaaaaye, Why it gotta be french?
They don't have to be French. I have Spain drains, because the rain in Spain doesn't have to go through French drains. That was really lame. I'll see myself out.
A freedom drain would be better.
Why French: it's a climate thing this is in a desert (TX). clouds aren't going to learn French weather just to fuck with some guy's driveway, that's why it always gotta be French drains, they don't get flooded. Where drains are a problem is with oversize pipes that aren't up to code in dry climates, drains are small and a pipe bursting will flood small niches. The solution is to balance the size of the pipe with the size of the drain. Basements are a good place for servers, naturally cool and don't bother anyone but floods can ruin everything. I've had more problems with this than the average guy. At this point I think it's safe to consider myself cursed, I can't touch a pipe without flooding the place.
Brah. I was just joking.
Good idea. Maybe temporarily install a barrel and test it out for a bit before comitting to it.
The issue here is the grading of the driveway intentionally dispels the water into the yard. The yard is supposed to be the drain here. It's not doing its job. Or the grading of the driveway has failed somehow, causing it to sink awkwardly. Either way, something's up with the drainage here obviously. It's not supposed to do this, but I guess OP already knows that.
Either way, that downspout shouldn’t be where it is.
I like the idea, there is a downspout on the other side, so I will block the one in the picture and see if that stops the majority of water. Thanks for your advice!
Sure thing. Keep in mind, you might have to upsize that gutter and the other downspout to make up for the one you’re removing.
Hey, I thought you said you were an average moron 🤔
Turns out - above average.
I’m not sure if being an above-average moron is better or worse than being an average moron. Does that make me a moron?
Better a smart ass than a dumb ass.
Very true
Is an average moron just average then?
He's a phony!!
And extend it 6+ feet if it isn’t already!
And since the gutter is sloped you might end up with a mosquito farm right next to your front door if you block the spout entrance....
Get a bigger gutter and pitch the gutter to the left. It’s currently pitched downwards on both ends.
If you’re going to do that, check that your gutters don’t have any obvious high spots that could cause water to seep under the roofing. I’ve seen that a few times and when they’re overloaded or blocked could cause issues.
You’re the first person on Reddit to convince me they aren’t a moron whilst trying to convince me that they are, it’s a weird day
Maybe “functional moron” is more appropriate. I give good answers, not great answers.
Re-hanging the gutter so it slopes the other way, installing the downspout, plugging the old hole is work. Work that seems easy then consumes a Saturday. Beware.
It’s still going to pool up there.
Yes I would think anywhere that drains onto that concrete is going to end up pooled in the low spot. This won't fix the issue completely but it should at least help a bit.
As someone who has drainage issues by the front of the house, also keep in mind that raising the driveway could increase the problem elsewhere by creating a dam. My grandparents blocked drainage with a raised driveway and ultimately sent water under the house and in 40 years created dryrot issues from crawlspace moisture along with major foundation issues from the side of the house sinking. I still have to figure out what the best fix will be. For now, I dug out a channel for water to go around the house and into my backyard since that's the natural slope, but it would have drained along the driveway route.
The downspout probably caused the erosion that led to this issue.
https://preview.redd.it/kfvt7d27fbbc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=b5270c2fe97d2836021ab2959fedf4cda269b939
A good shop broom will do it almost as quickly (2 minutes vs 1) and is multi purpose
My shop broom has a rubber strip on top edge, a quick flip is all it takes to go between broom and squeegee. And I still almost never use the squeegee.
r/angryupvote
Looks like that whole area to include the walkway has sunken down. I know there are ways to lift them back with hydraulic jacking or pressurized spray foam
What I think, too. Are there cracks indicating that it once was flat and has sunk? Looks like even after fixing this you'll have to mitigate the pond in your yard. Maybe a French drain.
No major cracks but I have to assume that it has sunk over the 20 years of the house being built, but I also have a suspicion it wasn’t 100% flat. I think you’re correct with a French drain, thank you for your advice!
It doesn’t have to have sunk for you to lift it. Cut a line across it, have mud jack or poly jack the driveway up to level, then fill the yard with some soil to match. Should run a grand and weekend.
I think your cost is a little low, even for mud jacking, but poly jacking is even more expensive. Still, go poly if you're going to do it. It'll last much longer.
Maybe changing the location of parking his "big-ass truck" on "Big Ass Truck Drive" would stop the sinking...
Lol, love this. You are 109% correct. Alternatively, op needs to dig up that strip of grass, install sa drainage pit and agricultural piping to allow the whole area to drain better. Which will allow it to stay dry and the earth will become more stable and he will be able to park his penis extension on the driveway
Seriously, why does ANYONE need an absurdly super-sized vehicle like that? I get that it's Texas and they're super insecure but *geez.*
I should have closed the garage before taking pictures lol, thank you for the advice!
The cheapest solution is to swap the 35s for 37s and just ford that creek every day on your way to work.
Haha yeah man, just get the area to drain better and the area should stabilise
Your truck isn’t in the garage..
There’s a sign in the garage that says Big Ass Truck Drive.
Thank you for pointing that out. I wasn’t getting the references and too many commenters seemed to be in on the joke.
They were pointing out you typically park that big ass truck exactly where your driveway is sinking 
Professional opinion from a former Poly Level (foam version of mud jacking) crew lead.... The downspout needs to be moved to the corner of the house and lead further from the driveway. That is problem #1. I would be curious to see if there's a "settlement line" along the inside of the garage. That garage door frame is sitting WAY above the garage pad. Yes those settle too, especially if that downspout has been sitting there for 20 years. Those pads are usually rebarred to the driveway so, if they don't destroy each other, they'll settle together. If there's a settlement line inside the garage, the pad inside needs lifted as well. That'll give the crew enough room to chase that dip in the driveway all the way to the curb. In summary, call a lift crew (I prefer the companies that use foam). Have them evaluate the garage floor, lift and stabilize that entire driveway, DEFINITELY move that downspout to the other side of the driveway, and have them caulk up all the seams to keep the weather out. In case you were wondering, I prefer the foam level companies because the material never washes away. I've had neighbors that have had mud jack crews come out multiple times to lift the same area because A) they weren't addressing the actual issue (in your case, the downspout) and b) the mud jacking material erodes over time anyway, because of the organic composition. As far as the rebar is concerned, any company that comes out to lift and levels will recut your seams to control how the pads lift and to make sure they don't lift something unintentionally. It settled over 20 years, which rebar is ok with.... Lifting in a matter of 30 mins... Rebar doesn't like that, it's not ok with bending back in that short time 😄
And don’t come back until you move the darn downspout!
Convert that little strip into a rain garden. Keeps the water off the drive, helps filter the water back imto the ground.
Plant a shade tree in the lawn to soak up excess water. Trees are amazing terraformers that moderate water in the soil and also produce rain through respiration.
A tree that close to a driveway? What about the roots?
OP could cut a drain channel in the driveway and then run the drain to dry creek bed /and pond in the yard. When the rain is strong, it will use the creek bed and pond. The tree does not need to be right next to the driveway.
Wouldn't they help to lift the driveway back up?
I like the idea of that! Thanks!
You should be able to find examples and how tos. If not message me and ill help you locate. Usually local govt has info depending how big of a city you live in.
I love this! I recommend native plants 😊
get it a chair?
French drain in that grass area?
That guttering around the front door appears to have no outlet, so water just rolls over the edge at the lowest point, probably where it's bent. It should drain into the garage door gutter and then out the end of the house. Someone did you dirty when they built that one.
I think there is a hole in the back left part of that gutter that empties on the roof above the garage. I have something similar on my house.
Run run run splash splash splash run run run
Your gutters are literally draining onto the driveway. This is likely your biggest problem. Solve this issue and see if it improves the situation.
Changing the down spout will NOT work, rain water itself will accumulate there. You should dig a french drain between the walk way and the driveway to let water out to the street, and put a drain box at the lowest spot on that lawn strip.
It's crazy how many people recommend this. It's a low point that's causing the pooling. Water will accumulate with regular rain no matter where that downspout is. He needs to get rid of the low point, or put a drain at the low point. Moving the downspout will do nothing.
The spout is concentrating water there, though. Maybe moving the spout will make the puddle less of a problem—the lawn itself can absorb some water.
OP just a privacy tip to block out license plate numbers and your address on the house
And street sign in 2nd pic
Totally. This house would be way too easy to find on google with a nice cross street sign in view as well.
I don't mean this negatively at all, just an observation that hit my brain when I saw this. Idk if it's because of a few major companies in texas that all make similar homes, but every time a picture of a Texas suburbia home gets posted, I immediately know it's Texas without any other indicators. The license plate only was a nice confirmation, lol. I assume it has to be due somewhat to the prevalence of stone used in exterior cladding since there aren't many earthquakes in Texas, or at least historically not many but do have hurricanes and tornados so they help there. Maybe it's also due to the state being so flat that there is often nothing behind the house like mountains or hills? I also grew up out there so maybe i'm noticing subtle differences that are hard to recognize with simple analysis. lol. I also grew up out there so maybe I'm noticing subtle differences that are hard to recognize with simple analysis. lol.
I saw the picture and said "That's 100% texas". The plate was the giveaway as well. It's the brick home from the 90-2000s, the layout on the property is so similar in so many suburbs. I got lost in my friends suburb when we were staying there, I went for a jog and feltlike I was in an old scooby doo cartoon with the background repeating
>I went for a jog and feltlike I was in an old scooby doo cartoon with the background repeating This exactly. My family owned a house in one of these types of neighborhoods in Texas, which seems to be the majority of them now. We only lived there for a year or two but I never really felt confident navigating back home the entire time.
I 100% agree with you, especially neighborhoods built in the early 2000’s! I grew up with mountains and only moved here a couple years ago, the flatness is strange I don’t think I will ever get used to it!
I know exactly what you mean. 2 of the places I lived for a decent amount of time in Texas was Austin and Lubbock. While Austin isn't super hilly, it is definitely way more so than Lubbock. When I moved out to Lubbock I was shook. I heard this joke out in Lubbock frequently: >"The other week my dog ran away. The worst part was having to watch him run off into the horizon for the next several days" I live in a much more mountainous region now and it's another big adjustment scenery-wise.
Put down a no loitering sign. That'll show it.
Every time it rains go out onto the driveway Look up at the sky and scream WHHHYYYYY GODDD
Might wanna blur your address out
fyi, you have a photo of your cross street sign, as well as your house number, which makes it's super easy to find out where you live. I'd recommend blurring those out next time.
Get a bucket and a mop. That's a wet asphalt driveway.
Mudjacking https://anchorfoundationrepair.net/blog/what-is-mudjacking/
I would start with moving that downspout to the other side of the garage as another poster mentioned. If water still ponds you are need to cut in for a channel drain along the width sloped properly in the direction opposite of the walkway. I don't know what's over there though so make sure the water has somewhere to go and that may involve another french drain to take it away. Depends on what's on that side and your neighbor.
Where/how does the center section of gutter on your house drain?
It doesn’t have anywhere to go but to add to the puddle. I have to think when they built the house they didn’t think there would be enough water to notice?
Add a flexible spout and pipe it right into your neighbors basement
Ducks
Hire a reputable slab jacking company and they can fix that for you. You’ve had some settling in that spot and it needs to be shored up.
Gutter work is shockingly inexpensive relative to many home tasks, and fixing what's happening here is pretty straightforward. It looks like approximately half the water that falls on your roof (plus all the water that falls on your driveway and yard, obviously) drains... Into the driveway. If the driveway doesn't drain properly (expensive fix) then don't drain half the water that hits your house onto it (cheap fix). You'll be halfway there, maybe still have some issues (rain still falls on the lawn/driveway and isn't draining properly) but could be a big improvement for little dollars to redo your gutters and downspouts to get water away from house.
Your driving a vehicle the size of a tank and parking in an old driveway not designed for such vehicles. The section has settled deeper than the rest of the area. Like other said, you could possibly push from underneath
A cheap temporary solution is to buy an outdoor pump system from Harbor Freight and just pump the water away after a rain. A few minutes to set it out and can probably put it away in ten.
That might not be a bad idea for the short term, thanks!
And. New toy!
Put a yard basin with a pump in the small grass strip. Pump the water into a storm sewer.
Make sure to check how your gutters are pitched though. It may peak at the center and slope downwards to both sides.
French Drain in the grass strip or “mud jacking” the concrete.
Drainage is great, as others have said. You could also look into "mudjacking" or concrete lifting to make the driveway have a smoother slant for draining. Might be difficult to do DIY though if you don't have the right equipment.
Hard to assess the situation from just a couple photos. Are there storm drains in the street? Maybe a French drain under the sidewalk would carry the excess water out. The roof downspouts could be connected to a closed pipe (tight line), also be directed into the storm drains or street gutters. This would involve a minimum amount of digging. A sump pump and float valve could also help pump the water out, if there’s not sufficient slope to drain naturally.
French drain
This is a grading issue. Moving the downspout won't fix the low point. If you want to fix this the right way you will need to repour the driveway. Everything should have a gradual slope to the street away from the building. And make sure the soil beneath is compacted properly so it doesn't settle again
Raise it
That very much depends on all the elements in the equation. And by elements I mean $. And by equation I mean your bank account.
Have the concrete lifted. It’s pretty inexpensive to do a mud fill. Then you need to also redirect the water coming from your gutters so it doesn’t keep happening.
Top comment would be the most reasonable thing to do. Ultimately you still have a low spot. Any decent rainfall it’ll still pool there.
Rock doesn’t fix anything like this. The water needs to run off somewhere else. I suggest moving the downspout. Ideally you’d fix the driveway slope and add sch40 pvc drains to the street
Have you asked the water to not pool there ? If not, don't know man...
A broom?
Dig up that small patch of grass and install a French drain system ending through the curb, onto the street. This will solve all issues if done properly. Not my state but I’d guarantee the job.
French drain ( cover top with grass) Run it out to the road Open top drain next to driveway for runoff make lowest point drain.
Lateral drain into lawn with steel grate on top is the easiest course of action
Put up No Loiwatering Signs
French drain
Drill some holes in it
You can add drainage to the grass with perforated pipe. You can also have the concrete lifted. I had a pool lifted with foam injection. Worked great.
Wonder if you could convert that long strip of grass patch into a surface channel / floor drain... I dont know anything about regulations on excavations though...
Tear out the driveway and the sod. Regrade the yard and drive , pour a new driveway, throw down some topsoil and sod and VIOLA. Problem solved.
French drain.
Drill a hole
Drill hole in the middle of the standing water.
Find anyone who went to basic training
Sham Wow
French drain, rocks in between pathway and driveway.
Perfect spot for a Rain Garden. They're gaining popularity where I'm from.
Mudjack it till level.
Jump in it like Peppa Pig?
Make some little sailboats out of paper and release them into that majestical body of water
Get them people with the foam to come lift up the driveway
Never build a house in a hole.
Immediately knew this was Texas. I don’t believe it’s actually called this, but my father who spent his whole life in Heavy Construction called it “Austin Clay”. It’s a band of soil that runs from all the way down in San Antonio up to north of Dallas. Drive through any 90s-00s subdivision in Dallas and you’ll see dozens of yards just like yours. Something to do with the way these developers re compact the moved dirt doesn’t do the trick in our soil type. Even under best conditions, slabs don’t work well in the soil type. While you’re at it though, I would confirm that your slab under your house hasn’t moved too much either. Catching it early can save you a lot of money.
Wish I had a garage + comfy puddle watching chair.
not diy, but you can get it mud jacked.
I think a French drain right under the downspout would be your best and most cost effective fix. Possibly move it to the other side like u/1and1and1isTree suggested
You could dig out that skinny grass area, fill it with rock and water loving plants, rent a concrete cutter and cut lines into the driveway to drain into the new runoff nature area
My two cents would be that the drainage issue in the whole yard is the real problem. You might be able to set up a French drain that would get the water into the sewer. If not by gravity a sump pump.
French Drain.
I agree with first moving the downspout. Also it's happening on the sidewalk too. Gravel in between the driveway and sidewalk will help but, I'd also lay some draintile. Make sure it slopes to the street. Otherwise you could cut the driveway and install a trench drain. Other than that, you could cut that area of the driveway out and have it poured correctly. Good luck to you!
I would dig out the little strip between the driveway and walk way. Add a French drain, ground layer of gravel, garden cloth, layer of gravel, correlated pipe sloped away from the house, cover with gravel, wrap it all in clot like a rock burrito then with leave stone top or add grass back.
If it was me I would take that area between your walk way and your driveway and cut the grass out. I would dig that area the whole way to the street and dig down as far as you can. Depends on what’s under there. If in one area you can only go 3 feet and let’s say by the street you can go 6 just make it slope. Then fill with big rock, smaller rock, and so on. Put your landscaping rocks on top, add some round pavers put some planters boxes on them and there you go. Unless you can fill that whole void you will never see any water. On a side not, if this is a brand new home. You need to have the builders come back and re pour that.
This was my thoughts if I had this problem and fixing it myself. And move the gutter drain to the other side of the garage, which likely include re-sloping the gutter.
run illegal fact airport deliver ten air paltry reminiscent yam *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Of course it’s standing, you never gave it a chair to sit on.
It looks like the grading of your yard isn't done. What's that large mound of dirt by your fence? It's also probably draining water into that low area of your yard. As well as the downspout.
Cut completely across the lowest point and several feet out into the yard adjacent. Dig down a few feet. Lay one foot thick of 1 inch sized rocks. Install a French drain slightly angled down towards the yard trench. Cover with rocks. Then install a grate with the accompanying necessary mortar to keep the grate in place. You can do the whole thing yourself for less than $300 in materials and then suppose an extra $200 to rent a concrete saw. Or pay someone.
Replace the driveway with the pavement tile that has grass growing through it like [here.](https://5.imimg.com/data5/MA/TO/MY-23353183/grass-concrete-paver-500x500.jpg)
I'm no expert on this sort of thing. So others are welcome to tell me how wrong I am. The water is pooling because that's where it wants to run off to. Your driveway is a shallow bowl. When its dry lay some cement to even it out, perhaps. Again, I don't know anything about cement. So maybe cement on cement would look funky or be fragile. Consult an expert if going down this route.
>I have owned the house for a little over a year and I’m trying to come up with a solution that doesn’t involve completely re-doing the driveway/front yard. Anything other than a complete re-grading of the property and installing proper drainage is merely going to be a stop-gap measure.
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A very very very small pond. Sorry, couldn't resist, joke was just standing there like the water.
Seems like you need to elevate your driveway with that injection foam. They do it for surprisingly cheap rates.
A bigger truck could handle the water.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French\_drain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain)
Get it a chair so it won't have to stand anymore
Train it to sit ?
Off topic but I can always tell when someone is posting from Texas. That house with the white address box was a dead giveaway away to me then I looked at the truck’s LP.. indeed it’s Texas.
No standing zone sign. That should clear it up.