Home Extensions Paisley

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Avoiding drainage issues for driveways at East Kilbride properties

The driveway at your property plays several important roles – it visually ‘welcomes’ people to your property, it ties in with your property in terms of this aesthetic appeal and it also provides hard standing for cars and other paraphernalia.

Get it right and it will last for years but, without proper foundations etc. it can soon subside, crack, move but there is one other danger lurking that property owners must give consideration too – drainage.

The erosive power of water

You only have to take a look at the huge valleys that ice and water have, over time, carved out in hillsides and mountains across the globe. Despite its life-giving force and banal chemical composition, the power of water should never be underestimated – certainly not when it comes to driveways at East Kilbride properties!

Standing or running water can cause issues over time hence where rainwater goes, and how quickly it can flow away from the property and driveway is important, and so there are factors that must be borne in mind when creating driveways at East Kilbride properties…

• Gradient– the most important (and obvious) helping factor in helping rainwater to run off the driveway is gradient. Too much of a gradient, however, can cause problems for some material; gravel, for example, can be washed away or moved into wave like formations by a heavy downpour. If it is not possible to create a gentle gradient, a ‘crown’ in the centre of the driveway can help with run off.
• Drainage pipes - driveways at some East Kilbride properties can face complex solutions in terms of drainage, especially on those properties where the drive way is long. Pipes can be used to either channel water away into the storm drain or, it can be funnelled away to an area of the property that can handle the rainwater.
• Material– of course, the largest determining factor in ensuring effective drainage is the material that you choose as the surface. Non porous materials – those that do not allow water to permeate through it – such as brick, concrete etc. will need to have thought given to the drainage system. Porous materials do allow water to drain through so have a useful role to play.

Experts and scientists suggest that flooding could become something that we will need to get used to; localised flooding is when rainwater cannot escape or filter in to the ground fast enough – the downpour exceeds the absorption rate. If this is something that is common to your property, then you will need to pay close attention to effective drainage.

Why not take a look at how driveways at East Kilbride properties can be useful and helpful in not only performing the way you need it to, but to also help in preventing localised flooding at your property…?

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