Sloping pavement

[AliG]

The builder called me on Friday to ask me what I wanted to do about the slope in the pavement that he thought might not be safe.

 

Previously the pavement ran downhill across the front of the house, they built the wall that our gates will be in level otherwise it would look odd.

 

The trouble is that when they them put the tarmac in front of it, that a drop of maybe a foot that used to occur across a length of 7 to 8 metres now occurs across 1.3m from the wall to the kerb.

 

Looking at it, some of the kerb is missing and putting it back and raising it would help a little, but it is still very steep along the back.

 

My initial thought is to build some kind of small planter box where the rear of the pavement is currently so that there is a step down at the front of it and the pavement is more level. It would just out a bit, but there will be a small bit of fence in line with the hedge you see past the wall, so we cold just make it in one with that.

 

Annoying with the pavement just having been laid.

 

I should add, that the street is in an odd situation where the roadway is adopted, but the pavements are not. The streets off the side of our street are private roads. Hence the various missing kerbstones and the strange arrangement where the kerb is level with the road.

 

Would love to hear any other solutions.

Edited October 27, 2018 by AliG

[newhome]

Hmm, I see what he means. Pity he didn't say something before it was laid mind! What is the state of the pavement along the rest of the road? If it's all flat and decent then you may have to do something I guess, although didn't you say that the pavement was covered by a bush or something before, thus meaning there was no pavement there at all? It wouldn't bother me walking on that personally but it depends how much the neighbours are likely to kick off I imagine. It's not like anyone will be used to walking on the pavement along that stretch anyway if there was a bush covering it before. I would probably leave it and decide if something needs doing later, although the planter idea might be a good one if it can create an illusion of the ground being less sloping. 

 

 

[Ferdinand]

I think your solution sounds about the best, assuming the widths work.

 

Have to watch the design at the corner of your drive, or it could be a potential alloy-killer.

Edited October 27, 2018 by Ferdinand

[AliG]

I was thinking of taking the gravel board from the fence that goes in after the wall and continuing it along to make a planter, I would then maybe angle it in to the dip in the wall before the pillar. The planter itself could be a trip hazard, but I think it is so obvious that it's OK.

 

The gravel board of the fence on the other side makes the back edge of the pavement, it is hard to see on the picture here, but we used two strips of board below the fence so the bottom one would be pretty much buried.

 

It was covered in dust and grit before we filled it in, I didn't know the kerb stones were missing.

 

The pavement is made up of all kinds of rough surfaces along the street, but none have the slope that we have.

Edited October 27, 2018 by AliG

[Oz07]

I think your kerbs want bringing closer to the edge of your new access. You will gain around 4" in height on the kerb side reducing your fall. Will probably be able to surface ontop of what's there saving you breaking out etc

[Oz07]

If you cut the path back a foot away from wall and just plant it up you could of lost height there too. Wouldn't actually need a planter. Be somewhere nice for local dogs to do there business!

[AliG]

We had another look at it this morning, we are going to ask the builder to raise the kerb and then top up the tarmac.

 

That should create a flatter area over most of the width of the pavement. It will still be bit steeper close to the wall, but there will be a fence and hedge past the wall that tends to push people away from it. The flat area will be the area people walk in.

 

Looking at it, the area of missing kerb is I think where the services come onto the site, but there are some kerb stones there so I don't see why we can't reinstate the kerb, maybe even a little higher than it was to flatten the pavement.

[Mr Punter]

At least you wont get people trying to wheel shopping trolleys along there.