Don't build your driveway like this.

[Zrexxer]

What is rip rap and how did you trowel it? How did you place it? Most pumpers don't like low slope.

See pic. Bad pic, because there wasn't adequate support underneath and the erosion is causing the rip rap to slide off into the river, but that's another matter.

No pumpers, usually. Get a ready mix truck down low and start at the bottom, when it gets higher than the chute move the trucks up top and go from there. A lot of manual (spelled "Manuel" around here) labor. But it's not gunite or shotcrete.

 

[Nova_Guy]

My wife and I looked at a house here in Ohio that a had a really steep drive. We thought about making an offer on it. We tried my wifes 08 GT Mustang and it wouldn't go up the drive it was too steep. The chin spoiler drug the ground and it was the better of the two cars. My Nova would have never made it up the drive and my enclosed trailer would never made it past the sidewalk.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Googled up another thread with a good explanation:
http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?25606-Maximum-residential-driveway-slope

Seems that the sidewalk was eventually moved closer to the street, and the front yards (and driveways) regraded.

Here is the address if you want to do a Google Street View:
5028 New Bridge Road, Fayetteville, AR 72704

Compare the sidewalks between the picture and Google, and you can see how it was regraded.

That's what I said earlier, but people aren't paying attention...

 

[Jawn]

I used to live in the NC mountains in a place with one nearly that steep. I measured it at around 35% average (short pieces where the concrete was broken were steeper).

The V6 Sunbird I had at the time had no problem with it, but my Nissan truck could not make it up unless I put it in low range... and if the ground was wet, I'd have to lock the front hubs for 4wd too lest it just sit at the bottom and spin.

The house was divided into apartments... and my neighbors' visitors occasionally had accidents sliding down the hill into parked cars on the other side of the (very narrow) street.

 

[ratdoggy]

Shoulda went with a basement garage...

That makes sense

 

[dtt454]

i saw one that looked almost that bad, it doesnt look AS bad, but still id be afraid to park on it.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The neighbors have a steep drive way and sometimes park a Dodge truck in the drive. I believe the ****** has went out once already. It's steep enough that I would never park in that drive way.

They built the garage onto the house after we started to work on ours, I guess they were trying to keep up with us, not to mention they won a lawsuit for their piss poor driving. Most people that they should have put a drive way in, that goes around back nad not what they did. Last week, a contractor was out and I believe they repoured part/all of the driveway. I haven't went by it yet to see what they actually did.

 

[IDASHO]

Ill have to get some photos for you guys of some of the newer places around here.

Take that first photo, and reverse the situation.

Garage lower than the street... and a significantly sloped driveway to the garage

Awesome design for a place that gets loads of ice and snow.... Im still waiting to see a report in the paper about somebody that tried to park in their driveway during winter, but instead slid into the garage and came out the other side

The wife and I will probably go for a hike on Turkey-day. Ill see if I can get some I-phone pics.

 

[jhelrey]

I should take a pic of a driveway just down the road. They have stairs on the side of it for you to walk up and down. I have no clue how they get in or out of it during the winter.

 

[TWX]

That's what I said earlier, but people aren't paying attention...

I've noticed that a lot around here actually...

 

[bigbubba]

That photo first went around the internet probably 8 or 10 years ago; a person on another forum said he had seen it in person, if I remember correctly he was an engineer or construction manager for the housing development. He said the angle of the photo made it look worse than it really was, but the driveways were still way too steep. They ended up tearing it all out and regrading the street higher so the driveways would work.

This is what i remember as well

 

[Jackfre]

YOu guy just don't get it! There is obviously a hydraulic ram anchored to the garage foundation and timed off the garage door opener. You do not push the button until the car is on the incline. There is a sensor to detect the weight of the vehicle. It is adjustable. Ram pushes out, vehicle comes level and you drive in your garage. This set-up is good because it also gives you another entry into the basement so you can house all the controls. Easy peezie!

I was visiting a friend in Sacramento a few weeks ago and when I pulled up onto the very steep and short incline at his house he walked out and threw a pair of chocks uder the front wheels. When I got out he said, "Don't ask!"

 

[Jawn]

I was visiting a friend in Sacramento a few weeks ago and when I pulled up onto the very steep and short incline at his house he walked out and threw a pair of chocks uder the front wheels. When I got out he said, "Don't ask!"

That reminds me of the driveway at a friend's former house... there was room for his jeep and his girlfriend's vehicle to park on the level, but everyone else ended up on a stupid steep hill. It was a bit nerve racking when you eased off the brake pedal and it groaned as it settled back onto the parking brake and engine compression.

 

[GarageXXI]

I bet moving in was a pain!

 

[scheu]

There are some driveways like that in Huntsville AL.

 

[Burl]

Something very similar happened in my town like this. Guy built the house at the same time they were widening the road, city built the sidewalks back farther and there you have it. It looks like this may be the same case here.

 

[jsonic6]

That driveway is ridiculous... LOL!

 

[Rickenbackerman]

This guy is right up the road from me...

 

[Zrexxer]

This guy is right up the road from me...

My driveway isn't quite that steep, but it's close. Last winter, we had an ice storm move in one day about mid morning, and by noon I could tell it was going to build a significant layer of ice. My employer wouldn't cut us loose, so when I went home for lunch I didn't plan on coming back if it hadn't gotten better.

As it was, it was treacherous getting home, and when I pulled in the driveway I was glad I'd made it home and I wasn't going anywhere. The driveway was coated with a thin sheen of ice, and I carefully flat-footed over to the grass so I wouldn't bust my ***.

As I turned to go in the house, I heard this "creak-slide-scrape" sound and looked around just in time to see my full size, extended cab Chevrolet pickup slide right down the driveway and out into the street!

No traffic was coming fortunately but I about needed clean underwear. I parked the truck in the street this time and thanked my luck stars.

 

[usafmora]

See pic. Bad pic, because there wasn't adequate support underneath and the erosion is causing the rip rap to slide off into the river, but that's another matter.

No pumpers, usually. Get a ready mix truck down low and start at the bottom, when it gets higher than the chute move the trucks up top and go from there. A lot of manual (spelled "Manuel" around here) labor. But it's not gunite or shotcrete.

Rip Rap wrong.

 

[Lugnut64052]

This is correct. It is not a photoshop; they eventually moved the sidewalk closer to the street.

Googled up another thread with a good explanation:
http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?25606-Maximum-residential-driveway-slope

Seems that the sidewalk was eventually moved closer to the street, and the front yards (and driveways) regraded.

Here is the address if you want to do a Google Street View:
5028 New Bridge Road, Fayetteville, AR 72704

Compare the sidewalks between the picture and Google, and you can see how it was regraded.

Right.
If you turn the street view you can see where the sidewalk "S-curves" toward the curb a couple of houses back up the street.

 

[RVDan]

There are a few around here like that, I used to be a food delivery driver, I parked on one once, left the car in first gear and parking brake on, and just as the customer answered the door we got to watch my car creep backwards down to the street.

In gear and parking brake on, it was steep enough that it rolled backwards, turning the engine over backwards

 

[Steevo]

Has to be less angle than it appears to be, although way past reasonable.
How would you even pour concrete in forms at that angle?

 

[bczygan]

Beat me to it. You would need a very stiff mix to place concrete there.
I knew a house like that built spec in Ore Lake, MI. They never did get a driveway put in. Sold it cheap and owner just parked outside on a driveway built beside the house. Grey house with the garage facing the lake across the road. An example of ploping a plan on a lot.
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?q=ore+lake+mi&mkt=en-US&FORM=BYFD

 

[Kevin54]

Next time I'm up north, I'll try and remember to take the camera and snap some pics of the housing development there. It has drives very similar to that. You have to watch getting mail in the winter for sure.

 

[walperstyle]

My Xterra could climb that