Outside plumbing on potential new house purchase

[Joonyer]

Hi all

My SO and I are looking at moving house. We've found one we really like but there are two major concerns for me.

They've built a big extension across the back of the house, which looks well finished to me (though I wouldn't know, to be fair). However, the guttering runs down into two big water butts on either side, and each of these has a hose-pipe which runs a few feet across the patio to a 'trap door' between the patio slabs. I lifted the trap door, and it looks like the main drain manhole cover (the rectangular ones). So I'm assuming this was his temporary fix - it's working fine at the moment.

Would it be a huge job to get this done right? I'm trying to picture how it would work (I know nothing about this stuff). Pull up the slabs, lay pipes to take the water from the gutter-pipes to the drain... seems simple enough but I'm assuming there's a more formal way this should be done, rather than it just running into the top of the manhole cover and finding its way into the sewer. What are your thoughts on this? I'll get some pics if that'd help.

On a separate note, the boiler is in the master bedroom in a cupboard. I'm a bit worried about potential leaks, and I was told a proper wired in electronic carbon monoxide alarm would be a good idea, but is there anything else I should be asking for - some sort of safety certificate?

Most of the house looks done to a really high standard - they've spent a lot of money on it, but these two things worry me.

Advice appreciated; if you need more info just let me know. Many thanks.

Matt

 

[Newboy]

The drainage needs to run to either a surface water drain or, if the house is old enough, a combined drain. As part of the extension, the plans (and building regs. sign off) should include disposal of surface (rain) water.

The boiler in the bedroom is not an issue - there should be a building regs. compliance document to confirm that it has been correctly installed by a qualified person.

CO alarm isn't a bad idea but the risks are minimal. The noise of the boiler in the bedroom might disturb your sleep if you're a light sleeper.

 

[oldbuffer]

1. If the property has separate foul sewer and surface water drain, the water from the guttering must go into the surface water drain. Once you've established that you will need to look at running proper drainage to the appropriate system. Quite likely to involve lifting slabs, excavating, laying pipework and joining. May require one or more additional inspection chambers and manhole covers. If you leave it as it is, heavy rainfall will outstrip a hosepipe's ability to clear it, and you'll have water flowing all over the patio.

2. Boiler in cupboard will be OK provided its a fairly recent boiler. Get make and model and look up installation instructions. They'll tell you if compartment ventilation is required. A CO alarm is a sensible thing to do anyway. There isn't really any sort of certificate, but you could ask for proof the boiler has been serviced regularly. If they can't provide proof, you could consider asking for a "Landlords Gas Safety Certificate" but this will cost the vendors money to have the system checked and the certificate produced.

 

[Joonyer]

Thanks guys, really appreciate your advice. The drainage is my main concern, as it's sounding expensive. Might use it as a bargaining chip. If they drop the price enough then it might be worthwhile.

That said, they've built a conservatory that covers the entire rear width of the property, so there's no rear access either... shame as the house is lovely.

Given me something to think about, thanks again.

Matt

 

[DaveHerns]

I'd be wondering if the extension was put up by professionals .

 

[endecotp]

Noise of the boiler will be an issue unless you're both very sound sleepers.

 

[Doggit]

The boiler is pretty much guaranteed to be a sealed room system, so to my mind, a CO alarm shouldn't be necessary. They are a necessity for open flued boilers and woodburners etc, but if it give you peace of mind, then go for a mains wired system, and consider a combined smoke and fire alarm for good measure.

It could be worth checking out the paperwork on the conservatory; as Newboy says, it should have been dealt with when it was built.

Is there a surface water drain nearby that you could run a channel drain round the conservatory into.

 

[Agile]

With houses starting at £300k, I don't think a few hundred to improve or correct any drainage issues will be any issue.

It could be they store rainwater for garden watering and the hoses are just an over flow.

Tony

 

[motorbiking]

I'd be checking the building control approval for the extension. Its unlikely that it would have been signed off without proper drainage.