Private Home, Bristol

Contractor: Back to Front Landscapes
Type of works: supply of Hanson's Aquaflow™ permeable paving and rainwater harvesting system for a private driveway project.

Back to Front Landscapes installed Formpave’s industry-leading Aquaflow™ permeable paving and rainwater harvesting system at a house in Bristol. Hanson Formpave’s SUDS solution complies with the Government’s Future Water strategy and saves the homeowner substantial amounts of money on mains water bills. The integrated permeable paving system provides a constant supply of recycled water for non-potable purposes and eliminates any risk of flooding.

Installation of the Aquaflow permeable paving and SUDS system at the property was affordable, quick and incredibly straightforward.

The multi-functional Aquaflow system has been installed in all external front and side areas of the home and is paved with Aquasett and Chartres paving blocks to provide an excellent, aesthetically pleasing finish. The home owner is able to harvest rainwater and can reuse it for the garden easily and efficiently.

Rainwater run-off from the roof of the house is also harvested into the Aquaflow system, recycling even more rainwater for reuse. At the surface the gaps at the sides of the paving blocks allow water to infiltrate into the ground before being cleaned by Inbitex, the geotextile layer. The PH neutral water is then stored beneath the paving in a sub-base tank and can be pumped out when necessary via a tap or hosepipe for garden and car cleaning use. Even during times of heavy rainfall, this system works efficiently and has the added advantage of operating as a floodwater control method.

There are significant benefits to homeowners who install the Aquaflow water-harvesting system; it is affordable to install, reduces the mains water consumption of the household and cuts the cost in water bills. Another advantage is that the system can deliver water for use even when there is a hosepipe ban, as the tank operates as a subterranean water butt.