Porous Concrete: A Driveway Rain Goes Straight Through
It carries the car same as any slab, but instead of sheeting water away to the gutter like standard concrete, it lets it drop straight through, right where it falls.
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How Porous Concrete Drains
20 to 25 per cent of a Permcon slab is empty space, and that's the whole trick. Ordinary concrete has none of that: it's packed solid, and every drop that lands on it runs off to wherever the ground falls away. Rain falls straight into the voids instead, drops into a bed of clean screenings underneath, and soaks away from there. It's called Permcon.
What councils think
Many councils count a pervious driveway toward the permeable area they require for a new home or an extension. It's council's call, not ours. What we do is hand you the drainage and storage figures in writing, so you've got something to put in front of them.
What it costs
The ground under the slab sets most of the number, starting with how deep the base has to go. There's also what needs to come out before we start, and how easily the truck gets in. Our cost page explains what moves the price, though the figure that matters comes once we've stood on your driveway.
How it drains
Water drops through the slab at 8,000 to 10,000 mm/hr. Nothing that falls out of an Australian sky gets close to that rate, so the surface never gets the chance to pond. Underneath, a stone base holds what's landed while the soil below it catches up in its own time.
How strong it is
A driveway is poured at 25+ MPa and 125 mm thick, strong enough for the family car and a loaded trailer. Take a commercial car park with heavier vehicles rolling through, and we use the same mix, just a thicker slab. It's one continuous pour with no joints, so nothing rocks or sinks under the wheel. Our driveways page goes into the specifics.
Keeping it clear
Over the years, leaves, grit and garden soil work their way into the voids. Stopping that doesn't take much: check it once a month for a clear surface that's draining after rain, and give it a sweep once a year.
Finish and colour
The surface stays open-textured, with the stone visible, in plain grey, charcoal, soapstone or sandstone. For a smoother face on the same driveway, Ultracon uses finer stone and drains exactly the same way underneath.
Porous concrete questions
Isn't Concrete Porous?+
A little, yes. Standard concrete takes on some moisture and darkens when it rains, but the pores inside it are dead ends. Porous concrete is built differently, with voids that connect the whole way from the surface to the base.
Porous, Permeable, Pervious: Is There a Real Difference?+
Not really, it's one idea with three labels. A homeowner will usually say porous, while pervious shows up more in engineering write-ups and permeable is what tends to land in a council report.
Can You Replace an Existing Driveway with This?+
Usually, yes. We look at the site and design a base that suits it, then pour the new surface over the top.
Does It Get Slippery?+
No. Water drains straight through instead of sitting on the surface, and the open texture carries a P4 slip rating, so there's no film underfoot to slip on.
Let's Book Your Driveway Assessment
Give us the address and roughly how big the area is. An estimator will come out to walk the block and check the soil and slope, then price it once they've seen where the rain runs.
Check if permeable concrete suits your site
A few quick questions about your site. You get a straight answer about whether permeable concrete is the right call, including when it isn't, before anyone asks for your details.
What are you surfacing?
Tell us about your project
Tell us where the site is and what you're planning. An estimator from your state team will call you back, look at the site with you and give you a real figure, from a single driveway to a council car park.
Porous concrete at home
