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Directing rain flow; how do I make rainwater flow into my yard and not into the garage at the bottom of the driveway? Answered

The downspout empties onto my driveway, which goes downhill to my garage, 50 feet away. I want to direct the runoff away from the garage and into the yard about 20 feet before the garage, without digging up the driveway and still leaving the driveway driveable.



Best Answer 8 years ago

I saw an old-timer once solve something like this using a tar-coating. He used an ~asphalt driveway-sealer to coat the drive way. Before it set-up, he raked diagonal lines into the coating, making a ribbed-top coat. Water would flow into the troughs and generally off the driveway. He made a french-drain along the edge where the water went to additionally speed away the water. Worked well for the gentle slope my neighbor was dealing with.

You could bury a pipe at the location of the downspout and around to the other side of your house.

Depending on how involved you want to get with this project, you can change the location of your rain water leader (downspout) to a different location, maybe somewhere closer to where you want the water to drain to.
Alternatively you can store the water using one of the many rain barrel plans, possibly adding a hose bib to the bottom allowing you to direct the from there to where you need it.