When creating a Home-Buyers Checklist, don’t forget your drains! Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases we can make in our lives. We want, as much as possible, to be going in with as much clarity and certainty as possible. The drains are often overlooked because they are out of sight but you can be left with some nasty surprises if you don’t get them checked out. Nobody wants to have to call for emergency drain cleaning on their first week in a new home or even have to replace the drains!
Why Your Drainage System Matters
With the majority of houses in Ireland having been built decades and generations ago, we have a lot of old pipework running through the walls and under the floors of our homes. Many older homes connect to private shared drainage systems with neighbouring properties which may not be straightforward. Even in newer homes, this pipework connects to the municipal system, which in many places is over a hundred years old!
If there are structural problems in the drain you might end up having repeated blockage problems and maybe repairs will be required that aren’t in your renovation budget. Leaking drains might be a concern for the foundation of the house too.
You will need to know if the house in on a shared drainage system or a direct connection the sewer. If the house is not connected to the public sewer you will need to know where the tank is, if it is a septic tank or a treatment plant and what condition it is in.
There’s a lot of places for things to go wrong. Very often issues are very minor but even a minor leak or blockage can cause havoc if it’s been going on for weeks or months without anyone knowing. It’s best to have this information before you finalise a purchase so you can at least discuss it with the seller.
What to Add To Your Home-Buyers Checklist
We provide comprehensive home buyers drain survey to help give you the full picture. You may also want a drains test if there is a concern that the drains could be leaking which is important for the structure of the house. You will get a written report with our findings including a sketch of the drainage system and photos of the manholes. We will include photos of any problems we find so you can fully understand any issues. We can then provide you with costs for solutions if applicable. As a new home-buyer, the more information you can get in advance, the more confidence you will have in the purchase.
Avoid Nasty and Expensive Surprises
If you want help with your purchase (or sale) today, give us a call, and we can advise on the steps to take. Most of the drainage system is hidden away. This means that we’ll need to use a CCTV Drain Survey system and send it down through the pipes to perform a thorough inspection. We’ve often found some extraordinary things when we’ve gone looking. From tree roots and kids toys, collapsed pipes and rodent infestations. In many situations, these issues cannot be detected until we go down and get a good look with our specialised equipment.
If we find an issue, we’ll provide advise on the best course of action to take and advised of what it would cost to fix it. Rest assured that whatever the outcome, we aim to provide you with the full picture, so you can make your decision with complete peace of mind.
