Commercial & Residential Concrete

Trench & Slot Drains
in Houston, TX

Load-rated trench, slot and channel drains for parking lots, loading docks, wash bays and industrial floors. Formed, sloped and poured by our own crews to move Houston rain off your slab.

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Worker wet-cutting a concrete slab with a walk-behind saw while a second worker core drills at a Houston warehouse

23Years Pouring Concrete

640Foundations Poured

1.2MSq. Ft. of Flatwork

98%Repeat & Referral

Service Overview

Trench & Slot Drains That Move Houston Rain

A flat lot with nowhere for water to go floods. Houston gets close to 52 inches of rain a year. On this flat clay, a slab with no drainage path turns into standing water. That means a slick dock, or a wash bay that backs up onto the floor. A trench drain is the fix. It is a long concrete channel with a grate. It catches sheet flow across the whole width and carries it off, where one small floor drain clogs. Jimenes Construction is a self-performing concrete contractor with 23 years on Houston clay. Our own crews form the channel, set the slope and pour. The water moves the way the plan drew it.

We tie the line into your storm system so it actually drains. A trench drain fits an open lot or a driveway. A slot drain is a narrow slit at the surface with the channel hidden below, so it stays out of the way on loading docks and clean industrial floors. We build both, plus the curbs and gutters that steer runoff to the inlet.

Our own crew forms, sets the channel, chairs the steel and pours. Nothing is brokered out, so the slope-to-drain is right the first time. Twenty-three years on Houston clay taught us that the drain and the parking lot around it move together. We build both to shed water.

Drainage at a Glance

Self-performed crews, never brokered
Trench, slot and channel drains
Grate load classes A through F
Sloped to drain, no ponding
Tie-in to storm sewer or detention
Third-party inspection coordination

Coverage

Trench & Slot Drain Types We Pour

Each one catches water a different way. We form, set and pour all six in house.

Parking Lot Trench Drains

Long cast-in-place channels across a lot or drive lane, sloped to drain and tied to the storm inlet so Houston rain does not pond in the stalls.

Slot Drains for Flatwork

A narrow surface slot with the channel hidden below. Clean and trip-free for plazas, warehouse floors and finished flatwork where a wide grate is in the way.

Loading Dock & Apron Drains

Trench drains at dock doors and down the apron to keep water off the pit, the levelers and the trucks backing in along the Ship Channel corridor.

Wash Bay & Equipment Drains

Sloped slot or trench drains that gather wash-down and runoff for a sand trap or oil separator, so the bay floor drains clean between jobs.

Industrial Floor Trench Drains

Heavy Class E and F channels for plants and shops, with ductile grates rated to take forklift, loader and truck wheels day after day.

Driveway & Channel Drains

Precast or poured channel drains at a garage, courtyard or low spot, set below grade to catch sheet flow before it reaches the door.

Our Process

Our Trench & Slot Drain Process

Five steps, the same on a driveway channel and on a plant floor. Call (832) 576-3278 to start at step one.

01
Site Walk & Drainage Plan
We walk the low spots and check where water sheets during a storm. We also find the storm sewer or detention pond the drain has to reach before we price anything.
02
Load Class & Layout
A line-item quote tied to the plan: run length, channel width and depth, grate load class A to F. It also sets the slope needed to keep the line self-cleaning.
03
Permit, Slope & Tie-In
Permit pulled with the City of Houston or Harris County, invert elevations set, the outfall or storm connection laid out, forms braced to grade.
04
Form, Set Channel & Steel
Channel set true to the slope, rebar chaired around it, edges and frames locked, then the pre-pour inspection before any concrete rolls.
05
Pour, Grate & Sign-Off
One clean pour around the channel, floated to the frame, grates seated and locked, line flow-tested, then closeout with the inspector.

Timeline

How Long Does a Trench Drain Take?

Real ranges from our own job records, from mobilization to flow test and sign-off.

Project Type	Typical Size	Duration
Driveway or courtyard channel drain	40 - 120 lin ft	3 - 6 Days
Parking lot trench drain run	100 - 400 lin ft	1 - 2 Weeks
Loading dock & apron drains	60 - 200 lin ft	1 - 2 Weeks
Wash bay slot drain & slab	400 - 1,500 sq ft	1 - 2 Weeks
Industrial floor trench system	200 - 800 lin ft	3 - 5 Weeks

Engineering & Compliance

Materials, Methods & Code Compliance

A drain only works if the water reaches it and keeps moving. We design the slope and the grate for the load that rolls over it.

Slope & Hydraulics

Low spots and sheet flow walked before we quote
Continuous slope to keep the line self-cleaning
Sized for Houston rain near 52 inches a year
Outfall or storm-sewer invert confirmed first

Channel & Grate

Precast polymer or cast-in-place concrete channel
Grate load classes A through F per the traffic
Ductile iron grates for forklift and truck wheels
Sand traps and oil separators on wash bays

Code & Permits

City of Houston or Harris County permit pulled
Chapter 19 finished-floor and floodplain rules
Storm-sewer tie-in and detention coordination
Grade beams below the channel where the plan calls for it

Inspection & Sign-Off

Pre-pour steel, channel and grade inspection
Invert elevations checked against the plan
Line flow-tested before we call it done
Closeout with the inspector on record

Why Jimenes

Why Choose
Jimenes Construction

One Crew Sets the Slope

A drain fails when the slope is wrong, and slope is lost at the hand-offs. Our own crew forms, sets the channel, chairs the steel and pours, so the water moves the way the plan drew it.

Built for Houston Water

This is a flat, wet city. We size the channel and grate for real storm flow, tie into the storm sewer or detention, and slope the slab so it drains instead of ponding.

Right Grate for the Load

A pedestrian grate under a loaded forklift breaks. We match the grate load class, A through F, to what will roll over it, from a courtyard to a Ship Channel dock.

Line-Item Drain Pricing

Run length, channel, grate class, steel and the storm tie-in each get their own line. You see what drives the cost, and change orders are signed before the work.

Credentials

Insurance, Warranty & Sign-Off

Texas does not license concrete contractors, so we send the insurance certificate and the inspection records with every proposal. Here is what a drainage contractor in Houston can actually show you.

Permitted & Inspected City of Houston and Harris County

General Liability $2M per occurrence

Workers’ Comp Full crew coverage

Warranty 10-yr structural, 1-yr workmanship

Where We Work

Our Service Area

Headquartered in Houston and pouring trench and slot drains across the Greater Houston area, from inside the 610 Loop out past the 180-mile Grand Parkway. If you searched for a trench drain contractor near me and landed here, this is the radius we cover. We can be on site the same week.

Do not see your town? Call us, we travel for the right project.Check Your Address

Good Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Still not sure? Call and talk to the person who will run your drainage job.

Talk to a Builder

(832) 576-3278

What is the difference between a trench drain and a slot drain?

Both catch water across a whole line instead of one point, but they look different at the surface. A trench drain is a wide channel with a grate you can see, and it moves a lot of water fast on a lot or a driveway. A slot drain is a narrow slit at the surface with the channel hidden below, so it stays clean and flush on loading docks and finished floors. We pour both, and we help you pick based on the flow, the traffic and the look you want.

How much does a trench drain cost in Houston?

There is no flat rate, because a short driveway channel and a 400-foot lot run price very differently. Five things move the trench drain cost:

Run length and how deep it has to sit
Channel type, precast polymer or cast-in-place
Grate load class, A through F
The storm-sewer or detention tie-in
Cutting into an existing slab versus a new pour

We do not quote a price per foot before we see the site, because a number given blind is a guess. Ask for the free written estimate and every item gets its own line.

What grate load class do I need?

The grate has to carry whatever rolls over it. Load classes run from A, for pedestrians and bikes, up to F, for docks, ports and airport aprons.

A and B: patios, walkways, courtyards
C: driveways and light parking lots
D and E: truck lots, industrial yards, dock aprons
F: heavy plant floors and Ship Channel dock work

Put a light grate under a loaded forklift and it breaks. We match the class to your real traffic before we order.

Will a trench drain stop my parking lot from flooding?

It will, if the water can reach it and has somewhere to go. On flat Houston clay we slope the lot to the drain. We size the channel for real storm flow, then tie the line into the storm sewer or an on-site detention pond. A drain with no slope or a blocked outfall just moves the puddle. We check the outfall first, then design the curbs and gutters to steer runoff into the inlet.

Do I need a permit for a trench drain in Houston?

Usually yes, especially when the line ties into the public storm sewer or changes how the site drains. Inside city limits the permit comes from the City of Houston. Outside it comes from the Harris County Engineering Department, and the surrounding counties run their own offices. Any cut into the public storm system needs its own approval. Chapter 19 finished-floor and floodplain rules can apply on a low or flood-prone lot. We pull the permit and book the inspections.

Can you add a trench drain to an existing slab or driveway?

Yes. We saw-cut a clean channel in the existing concrete, dig the trench, set and slope the drain, then pour back and match the surface. It is common on a driveway where water runs under the garage door, or on a lot with one low corner that ponds. We flow-test the line before we leave. Call (832) 576-3278 and we will look at where your water goes.