Drains issue

Calleja

Hi all,


I have a small yard with a small patch of grass. I want to remove the grass and lay a patio. My builder friend suggested I had the drains checked first - some of the concrete slabs outside my house at the back (not on my property) have sunk and he said that could indicate a problem, and any leakage that is occurring on my property will be being absorbed by the lawn. The house is a 1910 terrace.


Had a CCTV drains inspection, and he did find some standing water in the pipes near the boundaries of my property, but he can't tell if there is any leakage. He said the pipework isn't bad given the age of the house but some of it could be replaced. He has recommended the following works:
1. Install new SVP pipe bend, kitchen gully and inspection chamber
2. Excavate and pipe through intercepter.
For this, he has quoted £1200.


This is a lot of money and just interested in peoples thoughts. If I shop around, am I likely to get in done cheaper? Should I just leave the lawn and not bother? I have no drainage issues in the house but I'm guessing over time this standing water could make its way to the house? But it may not?


Would appreciate peoples thoughts on this, I'm a little clueless on such things!


Cheers!

Furts

Drainage, done properly, is a skilled job. It is likely that any work that you request will not be done to good standard, particularly if Building Regulations are not involved.

Your specification sounds unorthodox which concerns me. You have standing water in a pipe and he cannot tell if there is leakage. Leakage is checked by a drain test so why has he not done this? You have standing water at your boundary but it is recommended that your svp bend is replaced - this does not add up. A "pipe through interceptor" sounds like mumbo jumbo to me.

Will all this in mind you would be wise to get expert advice and you would be wise to make an Buildings Regulations Application - to protect your interests. This will add to your costs. A standard response might be that the work is exempt because this is deemed repair and maintenance. But persist, otherwise you would be overseeing the work and are you qualified for this?

The easiest solution is to forget the CCTV survey, say ignorance is bliss, and go ahead with your patio. This could be constructed as a land drainage/porous detail if you have concerns about water ponding - but again I am concerned if this has not been explained by your builder.

Calleja

Furts wrote: »

Drainage, done properly, is a skilled job. It is likely that any work that you request will not be done to good standard, particularly if Building Regulations are not involved.

Your specification sounds unorthodox which concerns me. You have standing water in a pipe and he cannot tell if there is leakage. Leakage is checked by a drain test so why has he not done this? You have standing water at your boundary but it is recommended that your svp bend is replaced - this does not add up. A "pipe through interceptor" sounds like mumbo jumbo to me.

Will all this in mind you would be wise to get expert advice and you would be wise to make an Buildings Regulations Application - to protect your interests. This will add to your costs. A standard response might be that the work is exempt because this is deemed repair and maintenance. But persist, otherwise you would be overseeing the work and are you qualified for this?

The easiest solution is to forget the CCTV survey, say ignorance is bliss, and go ahead with your patio. This could be constructed as a land drainage/porous detail if you have concerns about water ponding - but again I am concerned if this has not been explained by your builder.

Thanks for this - I appreciate the time and effort you have put into this reply. Building regulations is something I had not even thought of and you are right, a very quick look at their website states this work is covered by building regs, so I should really look into this.


I don't think the SVP pipe replacement recommendation was made because of the standing water, rather that was something he noticed during the CCTV inspection (that it looked like it needed replacing).


As opposed to the drain test, I have no idea why he didn't carry this out - like I say, my property is 100yrs old, would this have anything to do with it?


So you are saying I could still lay my patio, and if the correct materials/construction is used, I can avoid water pooling problems which may result if there was a leakage underneath?


If I decide to go ahead with the drains work, how can I ensure I have a reputable 'drains person' - is there an association I can check with or something?


Thanks to anyone who can help.

Furts

I am not aware of any reputable trades body that can help you on this, that is why I suggested making an Application for Building Regulations, even if none is technically required.

Few surveyors could oversee your work - they simply do not have the knowledge.

In essence drainage is specialized work and few are competent in it. A good experienced groundworker would be your ideal. But the problem here is that many groundworkers are not properly trained, nor technically savvy. There are some excellent old school ones, and those who are of Irish origin who came over to the UK decades ago. But the majority are mediocre, at best.

Similarly it appears that your CCTV survey person was not competent. Again, many are chancers seeking a quick buck.

You do not know if there is "leakage underneath". In reality most 100 year old drains will have some problems and many had problems from the moment that they were laid. Hence, in the absence of any significant problems I suggest you go ahead with your patio.

An experienced, competent groundworker could set the patio to falls, do a porous construction, and construct a land drain detail that could cover you for most realistic scenarios. The key, as before, is competence!

xyz123

Op- you mentioned you were given advice by "builder friend". How well do u know him and trust him. Did he do the checks on drains?

Calleja

xyz123 wrote: »

Op- you mentioned you were given advice by "builder friend". How well do u know him and trust him. Did he do the checks on drains?

I know him well as a friend but not his work. I haven't asked him to do any work for me, rather he just gave his opinion on what I should do if laying a patio and after he saw the sinking slabs outside the rear of my property. He didn't do the inspection, and has said upfront he isn't able to do any drains work himself. I phoned a few companies to get quotes for the drains inspection and this guys quote came in mid-way. Unfortunately, I don't seem to know anyone who has personal experience of doing anything with the drains.