Permeable Pavers in Leesburg, VA

Permeable Pavers for Leesburg Homes and Estates

Permeable pavers look like an ordinary paver surface but are built to let rain pass straight through. The joints are wider and filled with small washed stone instead of sand, and the base is a stack of open-graded clean stone layers that works as an underground reservoir. During a thunderstorm, water drops through the joints, fills the voids in the stone and seeps slowly into the ground instead of racing across the yard, into the street or against a basement wall.

Construction differs from a standard patio. Installers typically dig deeper, then place a reservoir layer of large washed stone, a thinner choke layer of medium stone and a bedding course of fine clean chips, with no fines to clog the voids. On slow-draining Loudoun clay, the reservoir is often thicker and an underdrain pipe is added near the bottom to release extra water to a safe outlet. Fabric lines the sides of the excavation to keep the surrounding soil out, and a concrete or heavy edge restraint locks the field. In karst pockets north and west of Leesburg, concentrated infiltration near sinkhole-prone ground needs careful siting, so an underdrain and outlet away from that ground may be the safer design.

Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District takes part in the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program, which may offer cost-share for some permeable paving and similar practices, so check current program rules before the design is final. Permeable systems fit driveways, patios and paths across Leesburg, River Creek and Ashburn, especially on lots with soggy lawns, creek-side land or neighbors downhill.