Plumbing Disaster

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Hen-Gen

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Island of Fetlar, Shetland Islands
I had my house built in 2003. Today I had plumbers in deal with blocked drains. They lifted the manhole and found 9ins of water under the house. Nothing to do with the drains. Every thing to do with the fact that the house was not built on a concrete raft above the level of the surrounding ground but was built below ground level. The implications of this for the life of the house are serious. The solution is a complex, and expensive, series of pipes and sinkaways. Pee'd off would be an understatement. Hopefully it will last for another 15 years which should see me out or the blocks crumble or timbers rot in which case I would have to abandon the house and move into one of the old persons bungalowettes that are here. Or move south and live with my husband who works there.
So, to contradict Tom Hanks, life is not a box of chocolates.
 
Not just as simple as underpinning then? Sounds a nightmare. Hope it gets sorted relatively stress frer
 
I know it sounds serious Hen-Gen, but if you have no rising damp on the walls then the water is below the damp course and there should be no problems with rot or crumbling blocks. The drain covers need to be brought above the water level that's all. Make sure the space under the house is ventilated.
 
That's reassuring, chrismahon. The plumber and his mate the builder turned up this morning and indicated that it was an easy problem to solve for circa £300. A big weight off my mind because I was anticipating thousands.
The lesson I have learnt is always build your house on a slope! Fortunately mine is.
 
We have the same issues here Hen-Gen, not because of high annual rainfall but because when it rains here it comes down in sheets! We had to buy somewhere with sufficient slope to drain but not so steep that we couldn't get up it and that's been very difficult. The slopes are between 5% and 15% and generally away from the house. But we have a drain to the septic tank that is potentially below storm water level and I have to raise it. We had a damp bedroom but it turned out that an underfloor vent had been sealed, presumably to reduce heat loss? Removed the seal and within a week the room was completely dry and noticeably warmer. We don't have damp proof courses- didn't have such a thing in 1768, so it's important that storm water doesn't hit the foundations in any quantity.

Apart from the septic tank not working properly, because of wrong cleaning agents, the plumbing here is quite good.
 
Thats better news Hen-Gen, somehow I can't see you in an old persons bungalow. it must be a great weight off your mind to find it's not so serious
 
Gosh, HenGen, I can just imagine the sick feeling on finding something like that! The very thoughts of just having to abandon your home! :shock: I'm glad it's worked out to be not as bad as first thought.
 
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