Guides and advice
The things we wish people knew before they rang a contractor
Written from doing the work, not from reading someone else's website. Including the guide that tells you when a blocked drain is not your bill to pay.
Who is responsible for a blocked drain?
Half the drains we are called to are not the householder's responsibility at all. Here is how to work out whose it is before you pay anyone, including us.
7 min read · updated September 2026 Read it →Dropped kerbs in Hampshire and Surrey
Hampshire lets you choose your contractor but insists on a licence and £10m of cover. Surrey will only allow its own approved contractors. Getting this wrong costs a non-refundable fee.
8 min read · updated September 2026 Read it →Homebuyer drain surveys
A valuation does not look at drainage and a homebuyer survey barely does. On an older property a drain survey is the cheapest way to find a five figure problem before you exchange.
7 min read · updated September 2026 Read it →Driveways, permeable surfaces and planning permission
Since October 2008 a traditional impermeable front driveway over five square metres needs permission. A permeable one does not, whatever its size. That is worth knowing before you choose a surface.
6 min read · updated September 2026 Read it →Building over or near a sewer
Building over or within three metres of a public sewer normally needs the water company's agreement. Finding that out after the footings are dug is one of the most expensive mistakes in domestic building.
6 min read · updated September 2026 Read it →Blocked drain, or a job you want priced properly?
Ring us and speak to the person who will be doing the work. Twenty four hours a day, no call-out fee, and a fixed price before anything starts.