Chimney breasts and lounge wall removed without plan/docs

Section62

silvercar said:

pieroabcd said:

You may find a manhole cover under the flooring of the extension. Some people put up with the risk. If the water board did need to dig up, chances are they would avoid digging through the house, if they could access from either side.

The greater problem in this kind of situation is how the property's own drainage works and can be accessed.  That hidden/buried/impossible to access manhole/inspection chamber typically is the only way to get into the connection between the house drainage and the public sewer.

OP - that plan extract implies there is both foul and surface water drainage present, and a good chance both are under the extension.

pieroabcd

I see, but that connection is not on the rear extension. It's at the front of the house.
That map also shows a gap at the rear (under the extension).

In that road it seems to be the only house with a connection not at the house boundary.

I'll have to ask the water company if the map is accurate?

pieroabcd

Just to be clear, the part that i'm referring to is circled in this image, that shows a small tip under the lounge area.
I wouldn't want to have a manhole cover in the lounge (that could overflow or smell), nor I would want to break some wall to permit the water company to access the sewer.

Section62

pieroabcd said:

Just to be clear, the part that i'm referring to is circled in this image, that shows a small tip under the lounge area.
I wouldn't want to have a manhole cover in the lounge (that could overflow or smell), nor I would want to break some wall to permit the water company to access the sewer.

The area I'd be concerned about is that circled with green.  The bit at the front is likely to just be a mapping accuracy error (in a similar way to the main line being shown zig-zag whereas in reality it is probably straight)

The green area appears to show both a foul and surface water passing under some kind of extension.  That, if not done correctly, could potentially cause serious issues.

pieroabcd

yes and I can't believe that I didn't read the legend!

The blue line is "Public Surface Water Sewer". Is it the drain water, like coming from the gutters?
The brown line indicates "Public Foul Sewer". I imagine it's the big stuff? and yes, it's just above the kitchen extension, the big selling point of the house.

Noneforit999

Sounds like you have a very thorough solicitor.

Did you end up buying the house or are enquires still happening?

The house we bought (via inheritance, bought Wife's sister out) has had the chimney breast removed in the lounge but left upstairs and in the loft. There is no RSJ or gallows brackets, the upstairs but it being supported by timbers. It was done 35 years ago so no BR and there is no sign of issues, no cracking on that part of the house and the chimney stack itself looks fine, roof etc is not sagging. Its been like that 35 years so seems unlikely a party wall is going to fall down anytime soon. 

pieroabcd

We are still in the search phase.
I chose intentionally the solicitor with the best reviews in trustpilot

Section62

pieroabcd said:

yes and I can't believe that I didn't read the legend!

The blue line is "Public Surface Water Sewer". Is it the drain water, like coming from the gutters?

Yes, if the gutters don't drain into a soakaway it is common for there to be a surface water drain from the point where the gutter downpipe enters the ground across to the public surface water (or combined) sewer.

In this case it appears the front rainwater was collected in a common/shared drain (the zig-zag line) which then connected to the public sewer in the road.

If it wasn't already, in 2011 most of the common/shared drain would have become a public sewer.

However, the plan shows the individual connections from this common/shared drain as if they are public too, whereas legally a pipe which in only on one property and only serves that one property is usually not public - unless the pipes were explicitly adopted prior to 2011. 

Is the property Ex-Local Authority?  That could be a reason why the individual connections are shown as public sewers.

TL;DR - the bit you were concerned about under the lounge at the front of the property probably doesn't exist, but if it does, then it is more likely than not to be a private drain.

pieroabcd said:

The brown line indicates "Public Foul Sewer". I imagine it's the big stuff? and yes, it's just above the kitchen extension, the big selling point of the house.

Yes, the big stuff and anything else people decide to dispose of down the toilet etc.

As I said in a previous post, if the line parallel to the houses has manholes in neighbouring gardens then this pipe under the extension could (usually) be accessed from one of those neighbouring properties.  The bigger problem is the pipe(s) connecting this property to the main pipe. (or pipes as it appears there is a surface water sewer at the rear too).

pieroabcd

No, the house is not ex Local Authority.

Now the solicitor is asking questions about the implementation of the sewer connection, position of the manhole covers and all the rest.
Hopefully they did the right things.

Thanks!!

Section62

pieroabcd said:

No, the house is not ex Local Authority.

So that means if the pipes serving one property only are public sewers then they would have to have been explicitly adopted - and that is so uncommon that it would be a fair working assumption that those pipes are private, not public.