Soak away in garden

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Locornwall
Locornwall Posts: 356 Forumite
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in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving
Does having a soakaway in my rear garden have implications for future building work?

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  • Chanes
    Chanes Posts: 882 Forumite
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    Found this on Google:

    The soakaway must be at least 5 metres from the extension and 2.5 metres from your neighbours' fence. The pipe flowing to the soakaway should be 100mm underground waste ideally, but the Building Inspector may settle for 75mm, and it should be laid to a fall of 1:40.
  • Locornwall
    Locornwall Posts: 356 Forumite
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    Any idea if I can put an outbuilding/shed with a concrete base slightly above a soakaway?
  • Chanes
    Chanes Posts: 882 Forumite
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    Might help: https://job-prices.co.uk/soakaway-questions/
  • Chanes
    Chanes Posts: 882 Forumite
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    Might help: https://job-prices.co.uk/soakaway-questions/

    I am guessing that you cannot build anything over the top of a soakaway or within a few metres of a soakaway, they aren't structurally sound things and if they were compromised a collapse could happen. You local planning office and building control would give you some good advice.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
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    edited 23 August 2019 at 9:45AM
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    Yes, you can build a shed over a soakaway if either the soakaway or the slab on which the outbuilding sits is constructed carefully to allow it.

    A 'crate' type of soakaway takes up less space than one made with rubble, so you can span that with a reinforced concrete slab if you put in sufficient hardcore around it to take the slab. Or you can build a larger rubble pit as I've done, because it's often handy anyway to dispose of the building waste. That can just form the base for the slab as well if the material is suitably graded.

    Whether a soakaway is appropriate in the first place is the key question. Where I used to live, even building control said I had no chance of it working properly. Here, no problems.

    When I demolished our old conservatory, I discovered soakaways under each front corner within the building, under about 200mm of concrete raft. We never knew they were there, but they wouldn't be allowed now so close to the house. Probably originals from the 1970s.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
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    Chanes wrote: »
    You local planning office and building control would give you some good advice.


    Building control are a source of helpful advice for situations where building control would be involved . However, this is a shed/outbuilding and they will not be, as there are no building regulations sheds or simple outbuildings must meet.
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