Survey reveals broken soil pipe under recent extension. Costs to repair?

webbyyccc

Hi All,
We are in the process of buying a house. Unfortunately, the survey reveals a broken pipe is the cause of dampness in the extension which was built 30 years ago. The soil pipe runs down the original outside wall and under the extension. running a further 9 meters before discharging into the sewer.

Our problem is we live in Devon and the house we are buying is in Yorkshire. Can anyone give me a rough estimate as to the costs of replacing or repairing please?

Many thanks

thearchitect

I'm afraid that there are too many variables to answer that easily:  depth, materials over, options for rerouting, need for manholes, and so on.

bravotango

As said above, there are too many unknowns to give an approximate cost.

If you simply want a "...rough estimate.." as you say above, I'd set aside at least £25,000 just in case the people doing the work uncover something else, which "may" be costly.

With everything costing more these days, I would err on the side of caution and think it might cost quite a bit. If cost comes to less than what you budgeted for, then think of it as a bonus.

FreeBear

bravotango said: If you simply want a "...rough estimate.." as you say above, I'd set aside at least £25,000 just in case the people doing the work uncover something else, which "may" be costly.

Large voids that end up requiring underpinning of the foundations spring to mind - A distinct possibility if the drain has been leaking for any length of time.

Jeepers_Creepers

Webby, it might not be as bad as suggested above.

Find a drain inspection company in Yorkie that has a good reputation, and ask them to carry out a CCTV inspection that results in a quote for repair. If such an inspection discovered the issue in the first place, then simply ask that company for their quote to repair - you can always go elsewhere if their quote seems suspiciously high - ie they reckon they have the job in the bag.

To get a quote from the first 'existing' company shouldn't cost you anything, so you should have an answer; they've been paid for the inspection, and should know exactly how to sort it. If you need to go elsewhere, then assume a CCTV inspection charge of just over £100 - I had one done recently in Devon for that.

Repairs don't necessarily require major digging - it is often possible to clear out and sleeve the existing pipe. But you won't know until you have it checked professionally.

Mickey666

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Repairs don't necessarily require major digging - it is often possible to clear out and sleeve the existing pipe. But you won't know until you have it checked professionally.

Exactly.  Might only be a few hundred pounds to line the existing pipe if that's appropriate.  Without a proper evaluation of the problem we're all just guessing.

It's easy to panic when things like this crop up and panic can lead to people willingly paying someone £1000s for a repair.  Coincidentally, I was replacing a broken gatepost last week and managed to cut through the water pipe to my house.  Any ideas what that little calamity cost me?  Less than £12 and a bit of extra digging.  Not everything is a disaster!

One other thought.  I would have thought the leaking pipe was BELOW the DPC/DPM of the extension so, on the face of it, would be surprised if the leak was causing any damp problem. Something else to check perhaps?

Caramac

My dad’s bungalow had problems with the pipes under the conservatory, the buyer was threatening to pull out. The EA recommended a drain inspection company and he was excellent. In that case the problem was a tree root, he quoted to fix it and gave us a before and after DVD. It cost approx £3k