Car scraping on the driveway

[daveaspy]

This sloping driveway came with the house we moved into (ie I didnt do it ) - for some reason there is quite a big hump at the top then it goes back down to the road surface. Because my car is quite long, it wont go over the hump without scraping so I cant really back it down the drive. Whats needed to sort this out - remove 4 or 5 rows, scrape out some sand and drop them back in? Whats the chances of there being enough depth of sand to remove to drop it enough? Do I need to go back more rows than that to smooth out the curve?

Wondering if this is a job I can do or if its a cheapish job for a pro

 

[sircerebus666]

Is it me or do those brick pavers rise up then drop down to meet the tarmac?

If that's the case if you level the pavers the you will naturally get rid of the hump and solve your problem

I would get in a pro to do it personally unless your confident laying pavers and using a vibe plate

 

[^woody^]

You need to go back further and lower that section of tarmac at the front too.

 

[Old Salt]

A temporary solution, if you have the space, is to drive on/off the drive at an angle. It works for my classic getting over sleeping policeman or road humps.

 

[Nige F]

Drive sideways - is it a Landcrab ?

 

[billzy]

1, take your car to a friendly garage to check if the object catching on the kerb has been positioned properly, there might be some wriggle room to raise it.
2, Check the Specified tyres for the car, increased wall size if allowed so as not to contact the top of the wheel arch might help.
3, check if the Road has ever flooded, if a river nearby. It does not look like an adopted road and may have no drainage for storms etc.
4, the driveway appears to be down hill to the property, so the front may be a dam. I would guess it looks like the blocks have been simply laid on top of a tarmac drive that expired and the falls are towards the house.
5, I would consider taking it out-back 6 blocks to the end of what is a level edging wall There would still be a dam but a little further back and about 3 ins lower. Instead of having to dig up too much of a previous drive, You could do the new front bit in thinner Paviors.
6, I you intending digging First check where your water, Gas if applicable, electric and telephone services are.

 

[plastic_peanut]

Is it not the plastic **** guard underneath that’s catching? If so introduce it to Mr Dremel then pour a beer

 

[catlad]

You need to add sand not remove it! the block paving has sunk.

 

[billzy]

There definitely needs to do some investigation as to how the block drive is constructed.
I have assumed the 6 brick on edge at the side are level. and the road level is falling. both sides of the entrance
If the car is level the block driveway is falling. and the high front may have a use......
There is nothing there that can't be sorted level wise.

Before the cowboys invite themselves in, take out a line of 6 blocks front to back -- First have a few bags of chippings, sand or cones /something to fill, or cover the resulting hole if blocks are not put back, or the postman, or anybody may trip over and sue you. don't leave a trap with it open. You can easily remove any sand etc later.
or simply put the blocks back.
When the blocks are out and any sand, or other foundation such as tarmac, or stones whatever etc is seen and measured as to depth below top of existing blocks and also recorded with your camera with a long straight piece of wood and with long spirit level if you have it and lay this as a level indicator along side the top of your mini trench on the remaining adjacent blocks as a level indicator of the fall of your driveway with perhaps a standard Brick laid flat, or on edge one end of long timber which you lay level to give also a visual indication to measurement -

Use a old Bread knife or similar from a charity shop to cut around your first block as it will be solid with soil and sand probably you might need to drill it with a hole to put in a lifting bolt for the first one you can easily fill the hole or lift it again later

 

[billzy]

Catlad has the right answer what is needed are several boards either buy or borrow eg rough shelving shed quality long enough for both wheels to drive onto reverse as shown until just about to touch front kerbing - move car forward a foot lay a thin board behind the Front kerb to prevent any grounding and say 3 boards behind the rear wheels and drive on to them if clearance is ok - Then the thickness of the board is the amount the blocks must be lifted plus an amount to allow settlement or you need thicker boards continue doing this until the there is increase in the grounding distance when front wheels come up on kerb. it may be needed to thicken up the boards as you proceed depending on fall until the car has both wheels on the drive. Remove car from drive raise Blocks according to amount determined. Now there a simpler process of matching up to the original block drive levels. You may have to allow 3/4 inch for settlement on the raised blocks as trial and error

 

[sircerebus666]

There definitely needs to do some investigation as to how the block drive is constructed.
I have assumed the 6 brick on edge at the side are level. and the road level is falling. both sides of the entrance
If the car is level the block driveway is falling. and the high front may have a use......
There is nothing there that can't be sorted level wise.

Before the cowboys invite themselves in, take out a line of 6 blocks front to back -- First have a few bags of chippings, sand or cones /something to fill, or cover the resulting hole if blocks are not put back, or the postman, or anybody may trip over and sue you. don't leave a trap with it open. You can easily remove any sand etc later.
or simply put the blocks back.
When the blocks are out and any sand, or other foundation such as tarmac, or stones whatever etc is seen and measured as to depth below top of existing blocks and also recorded with your camera with a long straight piece of wood and with long spirit level if you have it and lay this as a level indicator along side the top of your mini trench on the remaining adjacent blocks as a level indicator of the fall of your driveway with perhaps a standard Brick laid flat, or on edge one end of long timber which you lay level to give also a visual indication to measurement -

Use a old Bread knife or similar from a charity shop to cut around your first block as it will be solid with soil and sand probably you might need to drill it with a hole to put in a lifting bolt for the first one you can easily fill the hole or lift it again later

Does anybody here speak billzy?

 

[sircerebus666]

Catlad has the right answer what is needed are several boards either buy or borrow eg rough shelving shed quality long enough for both wheels to drive onto reverse as shown until just about to touch front kerbing - move car forward a foot lay a thin board behind the Front kerb to prevent any grounding and say 3 boards behind the rear wheels and drive on to them if clearance is ok - Then the thickness of the board is the amount the blocks must be lifted plus an amount to allow settlement or you need thicker boards continue doing this until the there is increase in the grounding distance when front wheels come up on kerb. it may be needed to thicken up the boards as you proceed depending on fall until the car has both wheels on the drive. Remove car from drive raise Blocks according to amount determined. Now there a simpler process of matching up to the original block drive levels. You may have to allow 3/4 inch for settlement on the raised blocks as trial and error

There's a good chance the back of the block paving can't be raised because of the height required to level it would create a large step

Far simpler to drop the blocks at the front to level and lower the tarmac too

 

[Notch7]

you are thinking about this the wrong way.....

 

[Ian H]

I would do as you say, go back 5 rows but I would also swap that unusual front row for a standard block paving chamfered edge so it finished flush with the tarmac.

 

[billzy]

Quickest answer would be to test drive higher cars.
My answer with the boards: Was because the front kerb may have been constructed to hold back water on the roadway assuming the road was level was level, with all the fall on the driveway back to the house and to drop the Front kerb may allow road ditch run-off down the drive towards the house. ie it may have happened previously and the kerb was a protection solution. as the front of the drive could be small roadside ditch.
Getting onto the first part of the drive using boards was to see just how much the existing blocks needed to be raised for a wheelbase length then the blocks would need to be similarly adjusted down to the existing levels say a car's length.
That being the existing problem solved. with an answer what to do. having done nothing more than get the car onto the driveway, and how to get off again do it in reverse.
There is an apparent existing access stone line visible in the side view with a post visible and appears to me when you look at the plan view of that corner it being the possible level of a previous drive.
The house holder Daveaspy is the only one who will know what he wants to do.