The curb is higher than the driveway! What to do?

Actually, it’s not that huge a problem, although it does raise the cost of the project. A small pump set inside a sump neatly takes care of the problem. Water flows by gravity from the drains to the sump; when it’s full, a float switch activates the pump and it pushes the water out to the street. Water in the street can’t back up into the pump’s pipe because there is a one-way check valve ensuring that it can only move in one direction: toward the street.

sump cover — In this project, the sump sits just outside the courtyard entry gate. A heavy metal lid lets it withstand vehicular traffic.

Channel drain detail — The channel drain is made of cast recycled iron. It has a decorative motif, making it look more like part of the decoration than a utilitarian object.

Channel drain in concrete — The dark band at the base of the gate is a cast iron channel drain. It collects water that flows to the sump.

This was one case where we could not create a space for rainwater to filter into the soil, since there was already a history of standing water at the entry to the garage. This solution, however, should eliminate the water, except in the case of a large storm coupled with a long power outage. In any case, water in the curb is now prevented from running backwards through the pipe and flooding the courtyard – so things are better than they were.

Published by mike

Mike is a licensed landscape architect. He's also an artist, photographer and occasional chef. Luciole Design specializes in sustainable, contemporary, modern landscape design - and traditional landscape styles that fit into California's Mediterranean climate. Sacramento, California. View more posts