When you are looking into building an extension, it can be easy to get carried away with the finer details such as decorating your new space and the guests you can invite over. It’s important to know that before you start thinking about the interior aspects, there are a few official steps that need to be taken.
For example, when deciding what size extension you want, you need to know what actions you are expected to take before you will be allowed to build. You may, for example, need to have a WRC drain inspection carried out.
The Legalities
By law, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety and care of any drains throughout your property, and this will extend to drains or sewage lines that you are planning to build over or even near.
Severn Trent requires you to declare whether you are building over or near a public sewer so that necessary action can be taken to prevent any issues either for yourselves or the community. If you don’t know whether this affects you, we have found some great contacts that you can call for advice.
It may be worth considering a drain inspection which will consist of a camera being inserted into the drain, an operator observing and recording and blockages, and a report being presented. That way you won’t have to endure any nasty surprises that could prolong or prevent a build from taking place.
What If I’m Not Having an Extension?
Even if it is something simple like wanting to build a drive outside your home, there are things that you can take into consideration to prevent any damage to connecting drains or sewers. PlanningPortal.gov suggests that if you are wanting to build a new driveway to consider incorporating a slope and choosing specific materials (like gravel) that will allow rainwater to escape, preventing the risk of flooding. A sloped driveway may still require a WRC inspection depending on where sewage and drainage pipes are located and how deep they are, so it’s worth having one carried out.
What Does a WRC Drain Inspection Consist of?
Our inspections have 3 stages:
You can find more information about them here, and we also found a great report written by the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters that details how drain inspections are made so you will have an idea of what your report means.
The Results
Once you get your results, you can move on to the next stage of planning your extension. If there are issues, it is better to find the problem early on to cause as little inconvenience as possible. We can advise you on what steps need to be taken next and what kind of engineer needs to be consulted so that everything can be approved for your new build as soon as possible.
Posted in CCTV Survey, Drain Maintenance, General Plumbing
