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enter image description hereNew townhome has a steep driveway that leads into a ramp up into the garage. Cars are bottoming out as the wheels go into the dip. Looking for advice on the best way to fill or bridge this gap in order to get cars into the garage.

enter image description here

GarrenL
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  • Hello, and welcome to Stack Exchange. I presume you mean that (assuming you're driving forwards) the front bumper of the car scrapes as you try to drive into the garage. Am I correct? How much additional height would the dip need to avoid this (which depends on your car)? – Daniel Griscom Jan 23 '18 at 00:10
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    first thing I'd do is get some lumber or bricks or whatever and build it up in a temporary way so you can determine how much height you need. It may not need much from the look of it. – agentp Jan 23 '18 at 00:34
  • what was your ultimate solution? I'm in the same boat! – Dave Aug 20 '21 at 01:22
  • I'd be equally concerned about the car hitting the couch... – FreeMan Aug 20 '21 at 13:00

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It looks like the dip is there for drainage, so you can't fill it in - otherwise water from the street would flood your garage every time it rained!

My suggestion would be to get hold of a set of "bridging ladders", as used by off-roaders to bridge gullies - they look very similar to the grids covering the drain in your photo, but thicker, wider and stronger to hold the weight of a car. You could probably bolt them down if necessary to stop them moving, or just store them loose in the garage, depending on how often you need to get the car through.

Nick C
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If you want to keep it "on the cheap", here's one option.

  1. Procure some pressure-treated timbers (4x4, landscape timbers) and fit them to the sides of the approach area as retainers. You'll need to cut tapers at each end so they fit the profile of the depression.
  2. Secure these timber retainers using expanding anchors and lag screws, rebar stakes, or any other practical means.
  3. Fill the depression with large washed rock (2" screen should do). This will create a fairly stable base while still allowing water drainage. It'll feel a bit loose at first, but it'll settle in. Use crushed granite rather than river rock for best results.
isherwood
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I assume the dip is where the driveway meets the street ? If so, a neighbor had that problem; unfortunately he had to breakout about 12 feet of drive to smooth the contour ( he could not do anything to the city street ).

blacksmith37
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