How to Make Your Trench Drains Complement the Rest of Your Property
If you're planning a major home construction from scratch, you will be focusing on various parts of the infrastructure to ensure that the house looks good, functions well and can deal with the Australian climate. In particular, you need to make sure that you can handle everyday rain and unexpected storms, so you need to have a drainage system that works as it should without being too obtrusive. What options should you consider when it comes to installing drains around your property so they fit in with your aesthetic and do not stick out like a sore thumb?
Drainage Requirements
When it comes to drainage, you need to look at the area immediately around your primary structure so that you can direct stormwater away from the foundation. At the same time, you need to look at the pool, spa and patio to keep that area functioning as it should. Furthermore, you may need to install several different trench drains along and across your driveway so that you can route the water properly and keep the surrounding landscape in good shape too.
Designing Your Work
To do this work correctly, you will need to make proper calculations and should bring in an engineer who knows how to set up and design a network of drainage channels. Each drain will need to handle the water flow from its respective area, and thus the depths and width of the drain may vary, especially if you have undulating land to consider.
In the pool area, you may not need to deal with such high volumes of water, so the trench drains can be shallower and narrower. Here, you want to keep rainwater away from the pool or spa so that it does not pollute and alter the chemical balance.
Pool and Patio Grates
Once you've decided where to place these drains, make sure they are as unobtrusive as possible and look as if they are simply part of the design aesthetic. To do this, you could choose decorative stainless steel grates, and these can be custom designed specifically for your property. Alternatively, you can pick bronze or aluminium or even decorative cast-iron grates, depending on your surrounding design. In every case, they can be made to fit in with the concrete or paver patio that you have planned for this area.
Driveway Grates
You can also choose decorative cast-iron grates for your driveway, and once again, these can be designed to fit the surrounding area. If you've chosen concrete pavers for your drive and parking areas, choose decorative trench drain grates that make the most sense.
Picking Your Options
Talk with your drainage contractor to see what options they have available. They'll introduce you to a range of custom grates that can help to make your project stand out.