"French drains crossed our minds too, but the paving seemed less disruptive overall."
Glad to hear the permeable paving worked out well for you. I've seen similar results with a few clients—rain gardens are great, but sometimes they just can't handle everything on their own. Permeable paving can really make a difference, especially around patios or walkways where runoff tends to build up.
One thing I've noticed though, is that permeable paving can vary quite a bit depending on the material and installation method. Did you go with concrete pavers or something like gravel grids? Curious if you've noticed any maintenance issues over time, like weeds popping through or clogging from debris... that's usually the biggest concern I hear from homeowners.
We went with gravel grids for our driveway a couple years back, mostly because concrete pavers were a bit out of our budget at the time. Honestly, they've held up pretty well overall, but yeah... weeds are definitely a thing. Every spring I spend a weekend pulling them out and topping off gravel. Curious if anyone's tried landscape fabric underneath—does it actually help or just end up clogging faster?
"Curious if anyone's tried landscape fabric underneath—does it actually help or just end up clogging faster?"
Tried landscape fabric under gravel grids a few years ago... honestly, mixed results:
- Definitely slowed weeds down initially, but after a couple seasons, dirt and debris built up on top anyway.
- Once that happens, weeds start growing right on top of the fabric. Pulling them out is a pain because roots get tangled in the fabric.
- Now I just spot-treat weeds with vinegar solution occasionally. Less hassle overall than wrestling with fabric every spring.
I get your point about weeds eventually growing on top, but honestly, I've had decent luck with landscape fabric in flood-prone spots. It seems to help stabilize the gravel and prevent washouts during heavy rains... weeds are annoying, sure, but less gravel shifting around is worth it for me.
Yeah, landscape fabric can definitely be helpful in those situations. I've found that if you overlap the edges generously and pin them down every few feet, it really cuts down on gravel migration during heavy rains. Weeds popping up are kind of inevitable eventually, but they're usually easier to pull out when they're rooted in fabric rather than soil. Honestly, dealing with a few weeds here and there beats constantly hauling gravel back into place after storms... sounds like you're on the right track!
