Soakaway?

jue

Hi my DD is just in the process of buying a new build house.
We noticed that the guttering from the conservatory at the back just discharges onto the brand new patio. Is this a problem?
I suspect that it should have a soakaway?
If this is the case it will mean digging up a brand new patio and land scaped garden!
Any suggestions?
Thank you in advance.

Ebe_Scrooge

Insist that the builders plumb it in properly before you buy the house ?

Doesn't sound right to me. Whilst it may not cause a problem as such ( as long as the water is able to run off into a proper drain ), it will certainly cause discolouration over time. A soakaway is OK-ish, but if it's a brand new house why didn't they route it into a proper drain from the outset ?

Furts

If the ground conditions are clay then a soakaway is not the best solution. Regardless, if a soakaway is constructed it has to be a minimum distance from the foundations which will mean digging up the garden for a trench and soakaway.

The water discharging across the patio could freeze in winter presenting a hazard.

Conservatories are exempt from Buildings Regulations but I would suggest this situation could fail a final inspection and the issue of a Completion Certificate.

jue

It doesn't run off into a drain, just onto the patio.
And that's a very good question about why wasn't it plumbed in, in the first place.
Thank you Ebe.
Sounds like DD has some questions to ask.

jue

Thank you Furts, I am not sure if the completion certificate has been issused, I think it probably has as the house was completed in October. But definitely another question to ask.
Definitely will be a problem when it freezes.