sloped - angled driveway question (Garden City: houses, buying, school)

[4everbooks]

I saw a house that I would consider buying but it has a sloped driveway angled downward toward a garage. I know when I have seen houses like these, in the past, I always wondered if the basements flood.

Would you even consider a house that has a sloped angled driveway?

[twingles]

I wouldn't. A few years ago, maybe 6 years ago we had a huge rainstorm that parked itself over Garden City and it rained like 4 inches in an hour or something like that. The streets were like rivers, people who lived there for 50 years saw streets flooding that had never experienced it before, basements, etc.

Anyway there is this one street that is kind of in a valley and it totally flooded, F.D. had to come rescue people from cars. One house had one of those angled driveways and it totally flooded the basement - they were the only people on that block that had everything down there ruined. Everything was out on the front lawn for days afterward.

We looked at a house here that was like that and I just couldn't do it. Some other people bought it and they installed a Frech drain within the first year.

If you buy a house like that you need to flat out ask, what happens when it rains? HAve you EVER had water in? And review the drainage and make sure your inspector does too.

Aside from all that looking UP at the street doesn't appeal to me at all.

[ocngypz]

We had a house like that when I was growing up. At the bottom of the drive before you entered the garage was a 9 inch wide grate spanning the width of the driveway. Dad was always making sure it was clear of clutter.

Never flooded. The garage was used primarily for storage as my mother was too scared to drive down the driveway and Dad couldn't be bothered. I, on the other hand, thought it was quite fun to slide down during our snowy winters (remember those on LI???) on a cafeteria tray when the snow wasn't too deep.

From the garage there were two steps up into the basement.

[pidge1114]

As long as it has a proper drain system, there should be no worries. No drain? No sale.

[executiV]

Originally Posted by ocngypz

I, on the other hand, thought it was quite fun to slide down during our snowy winters

I always wonder how people park their vehicles in these driveways during winter when it is icy... Looks like the vehicle will slide either into your house/garage, or back into the street depending on which way it is angled.

[ocngypz]

We had a flat driveway from the street, then it sloped down the "hill" to the garage underneath the house.

I can only recall my mother's car being parked in the garage due to snow a couple of times in 3 years when anticipated accumulation was going to be more than 8 inches or so. Dad's car would be parked in the driveway.

Dad and I would clear the driveway - he'd drive mother's car up to the flat of the drive... and he'd go off to work. Snow - heavy or not.. back then... just wasn't that big of a deal as it has become over the years. Perhaps it's because most cars were big and heavy, people used snow tires and chains back then....I don't know.

I don't recall having a snow day from school until around 1967 on LI.