Yeah, roots can really throw a wrench in things. Had a similar battle with maple roots a couple years back—those suckers are relentless. Root barriers definitely helped, but I also ended up trying catch basins in a few trouble spots. Honestly, they've been pretty solid for me. They seem to handle heavy rain better and don't clog as easily, especially if you pair them with those metal mesh screens you mentioned (totally agree on plastic ones being flimsy). Plus, they're pretty easy to clean out when leaves start piling up.
One thing I'd suggest is keeping an eye on the slope around your drains—sometimes minor adjustments there can make a big difference in how well everything flows. Glad your storm shelter passed inspection though... always nice when something actually goes smoothly for once, right?
Good call on the slope adjustments around drains—I learned that lesson the hard way after dealing with standing water every time it rained. Ended up tweaking the slope just slightly (nothing drastic, maybe an inch or two difference over several feet) and it made a noticeable improvement. Sometimes it's those little things that save you headaches down the line.
Glad to hear your storm shelter inspection went smoothly, too. I swear, inspections usually find something to nitpick about, even if you've done everything by the book... nice to catch a break once in a while. And yeah, maple roots are no joke—had one tree practically invade my drainage line a few years ago. Root barriers helped, but I ended up having to remove the tree altogether eventually. Not ideal, but sometimes you gotta make tough calls to protect your home.
Sounds like you're on top of things though—those metal mesh screens are definitely worth it. Keep at it, sounds like you're doing great.
Good to hear the inspection went well—those things usually find something random to ding you on, like a missing screw or some obscure code violation nobody's ever heard of. Curious though, did you have any trouble installing those metal mesh screens? I tried something similar once and ended up wrestling with them for hours... maybe I'm just not cut out for DIY, haha. Anyway, sounds like you're ahead of the curve on this stuff.
Glad the inspection went smoothly for you, but honestly, I'm surprised those mesh screens didn't give you trouble. Are you sure you're not secretly a DIY wizard? Because when I tackled something similar, it was like wrestling a metal octopus—sharp edges everywhere and nothing lining up right. After about two hours of frustration (and a few choice words), I ended up ditching the metal mesh altogether and went with heavy-duty fiberglass screens instead. Cheaper, easier to handle, and they've held up surprisingly well through some nasty storms.
Did you find some special trick or tool that made the metal mesh manageable? Because if there's an easier way to do it without losing my sanity—or fingers—I'm all ears.
Honestly, metal mesh can be a pain, but I've found that using a good pair of aviation snips and wearing thick gloves makes a huge difference. Fiberglass screens are definitely easier to handle, but in my experience, metal mesh holds up better long-term, especially if you're dealing with critters or debris. Did you try pre-bending the edges slightly before installation? That little trick saved me from a lot of frustration (and band-aids)...
