How to Build a Drain at the End of a Driveway

Snap a chalk line across the driveway where the drain channel will go. Measure the width of the prefabricated metal or plastic channel drain with measuring tape. Space a second chalk line parallel to the first so it’s as wide as the drain plus 6 inches.

Cut through the pavement along the chalk lines with a masonry saw. Make the lines smooth and straight, and wear goggles, ear plugs and a face mask.

Pry out pieces of cut pavement with a pry bar and shovel them into a bucket. Remove gravel from the driveway base until the trench is as deep as the channel drain plus 3 inches.

Use a fine-toothed saw to cut the channel drain to fit across the width of the driveway.

Mix concrete in a wheelbarrow with the prescribed measurement of water until it is thick. Scoop it into the trench with a trowel and spread a 3-inch thick layer of concrete over the bottom of the trench. Cover each side of the trench with about 2 inches of concrete.

Use a paint brush to coat the joints of each channel drain unit with PVC primer. Attach the grate to the top of the drain and place the channel drain in the trench. Press it into the concrete until the grate sits just below surrounding pavement.

Tamp more concrete down the sides of the drain until it is compacted and 1/8 inch below grate.

Dig out a trench from the side of the driveway opposite the house to the nearest underground drain pipes. The trench should be 6 inches deeper than the existing drain pipes.

Cover the bottom of this trench with a 6-inch layer of gravel.

Lay 4-inch perforated PVC drain pipes from the end of the channel drain to the existing pipes. Use tee or wye fittings to tie this length of pipe to the channel drain and existing underground system.

Cover the PVC pipes with gravel until it is about 6 inches from the surface. Fill in the rest of the hole with the dirt you removed and replant the grass on top.