Jindalee paving and soakwells, by arrangement
Jindalee is on the coast north of Quinns Rocks, about 24 km from IBP Paving's base in Landsdale. That puts it outside the area we cover every day, so we take Jindalee work by arrangement and start by asking for the job details: the area to be paved, what is there now, and a couple of photos. If it suits, we book a visit and schedule the job. We lay driveways, alfresco areas, side paths and garden paths, and size and install soakwells, all with over 20 years of trade experience and a lifetime workmanship warranty.
Sizing soakwells on a small coastal lot
Jindalee homes are often on compact lots, which makes drainage a space problem as much as a volume problem. The City of Wanneroo sets out both sides of it.
Owners must confine stormwater runoff within their property boundaries, using soakwells, spoon drains or similar for roof and paved areas. The guide is one downpipe per about 15 m2 of roof, no more than 12 m apart. The City's sizing table runs from a 600 by 600 mm soakwell holding 180 litres, enough for about 14 m2, to an 1800 by 1200 mm unit holding 3100 litres for about 250 m2, based on normal rainfall. For single dwelling lots its design specification allows sizing at 1 m3 per 60 m2 of constructed impervious area. Soakwells should be set back from buildings and boundaries by at least their width where the width is at least the depth, and they are not recommended in narrow clearances.
Source: City of Wanneroo, Information Sheet, Stormwater Runoff; Development Design Specification WD5 Stormwater Drainage Design (June 2019).
That last rule is the one Jindalee owners run into. A side setback of a metre or so leaves no room for a soakwell that needs to sit its own width away from the wall and the fence, so on a small lot we usually position units in the front garden, in the rear yard away from the slab, or under the driveway with a trafficable lid. When a new alfresco adds 30 m2 of roof and paving, the 1 m3 per 60 m2 rule calls for roughly half a cubic metre of extra storage. Our soakwell cost page explains what those volumes mean in units, and the City of Wanneroo soakwell requirements page covers the City's documents in full.
Brighton Beachside and the 2000s structure plan
Much of Jindalee was laid out under the Butler-Jindalee District Structure Plan, approved in 2003, and Satterley's Brighton Beachside estate accounts for about 900 lots. The homes are new builds and the first wave of houses is now old enough for early repairs. Typical requests are a better front driveway, often replacing a builder's standard finish with a herringbone pattern that holds up under turning cars, and an alfresco area extended out to the back fence. On the older streets, driveways that have dipped near the garage get a relay on a recompacted base, and narrow side yards get a paved path to keep sand out of the house.
Eglinton Hill and the name Jindalee
The suburb's name most likely refers to a bare hill, Eglinton Hill, which gives views out to the ocean and north to Yanchep. Higher ground like this means some Jindalee lots may fall noticeably from front to back. On those blocks we set driveway and alfresco levels so water runs to a grated drain or soakwell rather than toward the house, and we keep the base thicker where fill has been placed to build up a pad.
Coastal sand, salt and scrub
Near the beach, Jindalee is typically on pale Quindalup dune sand, the same ground the City lists for neighbouring Quinns Rocks, and it grades inland to the yellower Spearwood sand found at Butler. Both drain freely, which is why the soakwell rules above work here. There is no named wetland in the suburb, though groundwater near the coast sits over a saltwater wedge. Homes within about a kilometre and a half of the sea take exposure grade pavers and a sealer. Much of Jindalee has been recorded as native scrub and heath, with fire listed among the causes of its degradation, so on lots near remaining bushland we prefer paving to mulch beside the house.
Quinns Rocks, Butler, Alkimos and nearby
Quinns Rocks borders Jindalee to the south, Alkimos to the north and Butler inland, with Merriwa and Ridgewood a short way south east. See areas we service for the complete list.
