Building over a soilpipe?
Discussion
Hello, a guy at work has a house with an extension on the back of it. The foundations for it currently cross over the main soilpipe for the row of houses.
He wants to knock it down, and rebuild it slightly bigger, however he has been told that he can't as it goes over the drains. Can he build a bigger extension over it, given that the foundations will go over the drains?
I've drawn a picture, pipes are purple. The existing extension is in solid black. The proposed one in line black, with where it is going to cross the drains marked with red X's.
Thanks!
He wants to knock it down, and rebuild it slightly bigger, however he has been told that he can't as it goes over the drains. Can he build a bigger extension over it, given that the foundations will go over the drains?
I've drawn a picture, pipes are purple. The existing extension is in solid black. The proposed one in line black, with where it is going to cross the drains marked with red X's.
Thanks!
Public Sewer
If the proposed building works is to be constructed within 3.0m of a public sewer and/or you are to connect new drainage to a public sewer system, then it is a legal requirement that you contact your local water authority (‘sewerage undertaker’ (SU)) to consult with the proposed works you plan to carry out.
It is advisable to contact the SU before plans are drawn up as work associated with the sewer could require special measures that affect the design or construction of the new building. If the sewer you are planning to build over or near to needs to be surveyed, then the SU may make a charge for this service.
Inspection Chambers (Manholes) - SUs will not usually allow the extension to be constructed over the inspection chambers (IC) of public sewers. Any existing IC will need to be removed and replaced by a 'Y' connection. The new inspection chamber is then constructed in the garden, away from the new building, taking all the waste from the house and transferring it back to the main system using the 'Y' connection.
Private Sewer
A private sewer is a system that is not owned by the water authority, but instead by the home owners who use them. In general most private sewer systems were constructed after 1939. It would be recommended to contact your local Water Authority who can determine if your sewer is public or private. The maintenance and upkeep is usually the responsibility of those who use the drainage system.
If you wish to carry out works that could affect other users of a private sewer then a notice should be given and permission gained from them. If you chose to construct an extension over an inspection chamber (IC) and it is a private system then a sealed, screw down cover is required to prevent odours and gases reaching the rooms of the property. However, it is good practice to move any IC outside of the building as described above, as this will give better access for any maintenance of blocked drains.
Building over sewers
Where the foundations are to be constructed each side of the drainage pipe then care should be taken to ensure the weight (loads) from the foundation and walls is not imposed on the pipe. This would normally involve bridging across the drain using, for example, lintels, with appropriate gaps to ensure that, if the foundations move slightly, it will not impose loads on the pipework, causing damage to it. It is good practice to fill the gap with a flexible material, especially if there are known rodent problems.
If the proposed building works is to be constructed within 3.0m of a public sewer and/or you are to connect new drainage to a public sewer system, then it is a legal requirement that you contact your local water authority (‘sewerage undertaker’ (SU)) to consult with the proposed works you plan to carry out.
It is advisable to contact the SU before plans are drawn up as work associated with the sewer could require special measures that affect the design or construction of the new building. If the sewer you are planning to build over or near to needs to be surveyed, then the SU may make a charge for this service.
Inspection Chambers (Manholes) - SUs will not usually allow the extension to be constructed over the inspection chambers (IC) of public sewers. Any existing IC will need to be removed and replaced by a 'Y' connection. The new inspection chamber is then constructed in the garden, away from the new building, taking all the waste from the house and transferring it back to the main system using the 'Y' connection.
Private Sewer
A private sewer is a system that is not owned by the water authority, but instead by the home owners who use them. In general most private sewer systems were constructed after 1939. It would be recommended to contact your local Water Authority who can determine if your sewer is public or private. The maintenance and upkeep is usually the responsibility of those who use the drainage system.
If you wish to carry out works that could affect other users of a private sewer then a notice should be given and permission gained from them. If you chose to construct an extension over an inspection chamber (IC) and it is a private system then a sealed, screw down cover is required to prevent odours and gases reaching the rooms of the property. However, it is good practice to move any IC outside of the building as described above, as this will give better access for any maintenance of blocked drains.
Building over sewers
Where the foundations are to be constructed each side of the drainage pipe then care should be taken to ensure the weight (loads) from the foundation and walls is not imposed on the pipe. This would normally involve bridging across the drain using, for example, lintels, with appropriate gaps to ensure that, if the foundations move slightly, it will not impose loads on the pipework, causing damage to it. It is good practice to fill the gap with a flexible material, especially if there are known rodent problems.
Do you have a link to where that came from?http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en...
I thought you were going to say it was a planner. f
ktards. Check there are no existing covenants if the waterboard are the owners, if they are then talk to them. If its private build away.
I thought you were going to say it was a planner. f
ktards. Check there are no existing covenants if the waterboard are the owners, if they are then talk to them. If its private build away. Taita said:
Chairman LMAO said:
Taita said:
however he has been told that he can't as it goes over the drains.
ps. who told him? 
There's a rather large office block at the bottom of the Headrow in Leeds that sits slap bang over the middle of one of the biggest Victorian sewers in the city. I know 'cos I designed it.
Chairman LMAO's information above explains the legal situation fairly succinctly. In practical terms, you're often better off diverting shared private sewers/drains and to be honest I couldn't be arsed with the process of getting approval to build over a public (adopted) sewer for teh sake of a domestic extension. A private sewer/drain serving only your own property really isn't a problem and technically there's nothing to prevent you building over any sewer, provided you go through the appropriate legal and design processes.
It can become quite complex and costly, though. The aforementioned office block in Leeds has foundations with ground beams that were designed to span like a bridge over the top of the sewer and obviously in all cases you need to ensure that the foundations can't bear upon the sewer in any way that can damage it. A simple lintel or rocker-pipe arrangement is adequate in most cases, though.
Edited by Sam_68 on Tuesday 6th January 18:11
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