Like hosts of other builders, I am concerned about the growing burden of regulation imposed upon our industry and the effect it is having upon housing affordability. Our inspection department is now recommending to the city council that minimum specifications be established for residential driveways that is equal to a street construction specification. It will include verification testing of compaction, 7″ concrete depth, aggregate sub-base and a mix that is the same as that required for streets and highways. Additionally, preconstruction meetings with two city officials at the job-site will be required prior to a curb cut.
I am of the opinion that, while it might be prudent for the city to legislate minimum standards, decisions concerning quality beyond the minimum ought to be left to the homeowner to decide. Legislating the standards that have been proposed here will only serve to raise the affordability threshold and is not in the community’s best interest.
I would like to know if such requirements are in existence elsewhere and, if so, how do they compare? Are there any inspectors out there that could comment?
Edited 10/22/2003 4:38:32 PM ET by jev
Replies
We only have to worry about the set back of the gate and aprons relative to the thru fare and right of ways...
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
Those are ridiculous requirements. A driveway will not be subjected to the stresses of a loaded wheeler running 55MPH and the city will not be subjected to maintainance costs.
Here, the reason a new subdivision road must meet design and construction standards is that it will be ceded to the public for use and for maintainance after it is built so they do not want a poorly constructed road to fall apart and blow the road budget.
For drivewways. our only requirements are that the entry apron be level and square to the road within a couple percent, and that it be at least 15 feet from the property line, and some execptions are allowed
Excellence is its own reward!
When we purchased our 1880 era home 20 years ago the lawn had completly taken over the driveway. The former owner didn't have a car and, whatever material (crushed stone?) was used for the original driveway, was well buried beneath the sod. Anyway, we liked the look of our "lawn driveway" and haven't changed it. I must admit that we don't use it much in the winter and only use it the rest of the year to unload bulky items. Most of the time we park on the street.
I realize this wouldn't work for most folks. Still, it would be nice to occasionally see something less than the massive two or three car driveways made out of concrete or asphalt. Brick or those two narrow strips of concrete which were popular in the 1920s look nice on older homes. Who knows? Lawn driveways might even catch on. Well, probably not, if jev's post is an indication of things to come.
It is catching on with some people.
There is a couple of million dollar houses here that were built with a construction roaad a quarter to a half mile long which was subsequently grassed over for use by cart and balloon tires only to gaurantee a more"natural" access way. Looks nice and peacefull but it means they spend voluminous sums of money for bringing in the groceries and UPS deliveries. UPS needed a shack at front to take to so they aren't l;eaving out in the rain..
Excellence is its own reward!
The over regulation was all the plumbers fault! When he installed the water, gas or sewer line, he backfilled it but did not compact it.
All the Building Official has to do is have someone drive over the bare dirt. The tire tracks will reveal all the soft or uncompacted areas
We have no regulations here in rural New York. You can do anything you want for a driveway, or not have one at all.
nada, nothing,
except that sooner or later it'll be the other way around for us. We got storm water issues, we'll probably have to do pavements that "breathe" pretty soon, then they'll have an inspection at every lift.
Oh, yeah, were' on the east coast.
The reason for our square and level requirement is because if you have a steep up or down slop running right into the road, in an icy winter, there will be no stopping to look for other oncoming traffic..
Excellence is its own reward!
The purpose of building codes and enforcement is to provide safe and weatherproof housing with reasonable longevity for the unknowing public. Other regulations may be necessary to protect the surrounding environment - ie runoff, etc.
Sounds like someone in your inspections department has a Napolean complex.
To answer your question more directly, in the towns that I have built in around here, the driveway apron and portion of the driveway which will be used as a public sidewalk (if there are any sidewalks, have minimum concrete thickness requirements, and they want to see firm ground - yes they do a quick inspect. That's it.
A little off topic, but street side sidewalks installed by the builder/developer have width and thickness requirements and the surface must be even - no trip hazards. Once accepted these sidewalks are maintained by the municipality.
The above is specified on the subdivision plan, and is overseen by the town's engineering department - not building inspections.
Sounds like someone needs to go before the city council, or partition them and make sure they know how much expense they would be adding to the cost of driveway construction. Give them an average cost for a small driveway, average driveway, and large driveway.
Thanks for your insights and suggestions. It's good to know that some reasonableness and common sense does still exist somewhere out there. Continually having to defend oneself and our industry against the napoleonic bureacrats can get depressing.