* Remember the area of ground that is now covered with this non porous material used to soak up the rain, and now it doesnt.

* There are many ways of dealing with water landing on a courtyard, but the most common is a pipe grate drain.

This is usually inconspicuous and is set in a position that will most benefit the catchment of water, usually the surface is levelled in a way to direct the water to the grates. These are usually plumbed into the stormwater, only if the stormwater has an open end. If not, then the water will have to be piped somewhere where it will do some good and not damage the ground through erosion.

* If the court area has an edge that will allow the water to flow off onto a garden or grass, great, but keep an eye on any erosion problems that may occur.

* Fixed grates are not really suited for gravel courtyards so it is best to use an agg. line or slotted stormwater pipe. This is usually set into a trench deep enough so as not to be damaged by walking on it and covered with the gravel so its not seen. This is then plumbed into the stormwater pipe.

* Multiple lines can be placed in, the same way as above where there is a chance of a lot of water.