Permeable Driveway Installation
What the base does
Water moves through this permeable driveway installation at 8,000 to 10,000 mm/hr, straight down through 125 mm of Permcon into a base of clean screenings underneath. On a driveway profile, that base is designed to hold 37 to 42 litres per square metre, storing a heavy shower and releasing it rather than sending it down the kerb. Less water leaves the block altogether, which is really what a council's permeable-area condition is asking for.
The brief
The owners came to us with a short brief: keep the water off the garage apron and stop it running to the street. Looks mattered too. It had to read as considered, not as an industrial pour someone had to live with.
Why soapstone
Soapstone is a soft sandy grey that sits back against brick, render or timber instead of competing with it. A driveway covers more ground than any other hard surface on most blocks, so its colour ends up setting the tone for the whole frontage. Because Permcon's surface is open-textured rather than dense, that soapstone tone reads a touch softer once the slab has cured and been swept clean.
The pour itself is one continuous surface with no joints. It's a 25+ MPa pavement, which is plenty for the cars and utes that use a home driveway every day.
Colours, and the finer option
Permcon is available in plain grey, charcoal, soapstone and sandstone. For owners who want a smoother face, Ultracon runs the same system with 2 to 5 mm stone bound in a permeable resin, usually picked for driveways, paths, pool surrounds and tree protection zones.
Every permeable driveway installation comes down to the same rule: keep it clear and it keeps working. Sweep or blow it off, check it monthly, and stop garden soil from washing onto the slab after mulching. Inspect the voids for moss or organic build-up once a year and remove it if it's there.
Those figures are general ones; every block is different. More on colours and base depth is on our permeable concrete driveways page. Ask us to look at your block and we'll give you a real figure instead of an average one.