Last Words of Warning Finally, if you are in the early phases of picking that perfect spot for your new country home, factor in the feasibility and cost of building a country-practical driveway. Down the mountain from us, a steep hillside has been subdivided into narrow minimum-frontage lots. Lacking ample lot width for gently rising, curved driveways, the fresh-from-town homeowners find their deeply cut switch-back driveways washing out after heavy rains (one downhill drive at the bottom of a two-mile hill road becomes a virtual torrent after every thunderstorm). Not even a plow-equipped 4×4 pickup can bull its way up their steep driveways through heavy, midwinter wet snow. So, following every blizzard, our new neighbors’ vehicles cluster at driveway entries, as they shovel for hours or struggle up and down slope with snow-blowers which are better suited to flat, paved suburban driveways. “For Sale” signs are beginning to pop up. Don’t let something as comparatively minor as a driveway dampen your joy of country living…plan and build your driveway well.

Preventing Washout on Hills The main problem on a hill driveway (no matter how much or little rain will fall there) is a periodic overdose of water which will use your driveway as a channel and wash out. If you have no choice but to build a steep driveway, you can keep it passable…with effort.

Driveway construction is conventional; cut and fill the hillside as needed to attain the best grades and easiest curves.

Put ample rock-lined or baffle-dammed ditches on both sides of the driveway. Over knobs, deepen the ditches enough so that they maintain a steady down-grade, and install drain tile in a gravel bed at the bottoms.

You may be able to divert water by cutting ditches above the driveway and leading them downhill in another direction—in effect, creating a new stream bed. Be sure to clear these ditches frequently. Perennial sod and forest roots will choke them quickly.

If a driveway cuts sharply around the hill you may have to install a culvert under the driveway from the uphill to the downhill ditch to prevent rushing water from eroding the inner driveway margin. In dips, you may also have to run culverts or drain tile from the ditch to the outer slope of the hill.

Finally, if the hill dumps more water on your driveway than the ditches or culverts can handle, you may have to dig a sump on the uphill side of the driveway just below the spot where the water courses converge. Sink a well about a yard across and four feet deep. From the well bottom, dig a trench across the driveway so it opens out on the downslope. Lay a culvert or iron pipe in the trench from sump to outlet, refill, and compact. Line the well with rock or brick and cover with a metal sewer grating or install parallel pipes at the top to keep forest trash from clogging the pipe. Keep the grill clear and the sump should keep your driveway from washing out. To read more follow the link below http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/build-a-driveway-zmaz92aszshe