How Would You Fix This Drainage Problem??

In this video I have a drainage issue - and I didn't know initially whether it was a blocked pipe or a blocked soakaway! Join me on this adventure in problem solving downpipes, guttering and soakaways - and if you think you can help - please let me know in the comments as quite frankly I am out of my depth!
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[@kasroa]

The worst thing about being a home owner is definitely the abysmal quality of tradespeople. I've had to teach myself so many different things just because it's so hard to find a reliable, competent tradesperson who actually cares about and takes pride in their work.

[@kiers1970]

You forgot to mention how much you're willing to pay! Pay cheap pay twice. You're more than likely a punter who went cheap. Looking for someone to blame? Might be the cheapskate in the mirror.

[@Petertronic]

@Kasroa Same here, on the Sussex coast. Since I moved into the area I've had nothing but problems. I have a blacklist now with 8 tradespeople/builders on it, while my whitelist has only one entry on it. In the last six months I've been conned (or attempted to have been conned) by two consecutive roofing companies.

[@kaoskrew8577]

@@kiers1970 Say's the tradesperson who won't get out of bed for less than (?Think of a number and double it if you happen to be elderly or female) Don't get me started on how many times I've been way overcharged for a totally crap job! 🤨

[@thomasvnl]

Pride in work is a hard to find quality of tradesmen nowadays (also in The Netherlands). Lots of shady people around that will sort of do the job, but not by the quality standards you would set for yourself nor for the quality you would expect for the amount of money you're paying. Shame

[@nialstewart8263]

"Don't want to leave it like that forever because the pipe looks awful" It'll still be there in 20 years! 🤣

[@vathevladimir]

The most permanent solution is the temporary one.

[@bdlii]

Decorate it for Christmas 🎄 😂

[@zimmejoc]

@@bdlii and hang cat toys from it the rest of the year

[@stewartmoir9464]

And in 20 years time there will be another video probably with new owners and the cycle continues

[@Matt-kl1pg]

In my experience temporary solutions have a tendency of becoming permanent. That being said you could hide some of the guttering behind a living wall, or some cat-related structure.

[@BigDan1190]

Honestly I don't think the pipe looks that bad. If i was a buyer looking to buy the house it wouldn't put me off, put it that way! The only improvement I can think to make is if there was a 45d adapter perhaps so the pipe could run more vertical than horizontal going up the wall. A slight drop ofcourse, i know, but better than diagonal. Nice fix Keith, and educational to those of us yet to come across this problem.

[@sn_all_test]

hi Keith. Unfortunately when dealing with tradesmen if you turn your back for one second they WILL do the one thing to destroy everything. That is the rule, always be on top, and inspect prior covering. Their mentality is : By the time it all goes bad i will be long gone. It seems your solution is the best you can do, unless you are prepared to dig the patio (which you are not)!

[@pbarnfield]

Totally agree with you about the majority of tradespeople. Got to a point that now I do most things myself - might take longer but I get the sense of accomplishment and I know exactly what has been done and to what standard. Latest issues - windows installed badly and poorly sealed, new driveway is shambolic, 18mth driveway dug up to fix a leak and now is sinking (should've done a Proper DIY job and done that myself) and new electrics to shed and hot tub was installed by a blind person with no skills!! Great way to solve that problem. Whilst not aesthetically the best, it does the job and as it's round the back out the way it's not too bad for now. Cue a few years down the line, video for patio replacement, new soakaway and drainage! 🤣

[@crashkg]

I am dealing with the same tradesman issues right now. If I had the time I would do everything myself. Water and waterproofing is definitely something you don't want to get wrong. Thank you for your brutally honest videos.

[@David.M.]

Getting water safely away from the house is important. You have done a great job of temporarily fixing it.

[@skybenedict]

I would have laid a length of aco drain between the wall and the patio. New downpipe straight into the start of the aco. Replace the existing square section underground with an aco gully end with rodding point. More expensive than your current solution but would look neater.

[@FlavienLaurent]

This intro 👌 Good luck from a french home owner. The home todo list grows every day

[@mark_loveless]

100% agree on dealing with trades! And truthfully I was arguing with you on the screen saying, "just run another pipe above ground until you can fix it permanently" but then you did. Either great minds think alike, or we're both idiots, haha!

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Haha thanks! We will find out whether we are great minds or idiots once the comments start rolling in, possibly !

[@nielsdevries5714]

The reason I do everything myself, tradesmen these days are not good at all. Same problem here in the Netherlands! Great video again Keith!!

[@cottawalla]

You could have run that new pipe horizontally underground as originally planned and come up to enter your new T piece in the existing downpipe. As long as all the joints are sealed it will work fine.

[@tworiversworkshop6111]

As Matt commented, temporary fixes have a habit of becoming permanent. We had a similar issue four years ago and decided to paint the angled pipe into the soakaway, just below gutter level and across the wall the same colour as the house wall. By year two all my partner's protestations of how ugly this looked had stopped as she admitted she really no longer noticed it! You could also check out cat friendly plants, as there are a number of climbers, such as the flowering hydrangea climber, which can be container grown and is ideal for climbing up a pipe. Being in a container, there are no root invasive problems to deal with and with careful pruning growth can be contained and the whole thing can be come a feature rather than an eyesore!

[@AndrewMcQuillen]

You could also paint it the same colour as the wall which would help disguise it a bit.

[@AndreaArzensek]

You did a great job and you've just made a feature for Mickie 😻😻😻

[@waynesinden]

Just brilliant with Mickey performing during the Tradify add 😃 I'm in South Africa but watched the whole add.

[@danieldevuono782]

Fit a small water tank (120l) and use it to water the garden, you can then hide the tank behind some timber cladding, vertical garden or a cat run accessory. To deal with the overflow, fit a smaller diameter pipe (say 50mm) and run it underneath the gravel ensuring a decent fall and tee it into the downpipe.

[@PabloBD]

I can totally see that new pipe hidden by some new catio furniture, like a cat slide or something like that, cats love to climb I think you did great considering the constrains and it looks very tidy anyway! I have some horror stories with trademen too, I always choose a DIY when I feel I can.

[@thecreativecardinalbyl.bet7012]

Years ago I worked in my family's landscape, drainage, and gravel supply. We basically sold a lot of rock. Drainage is such an overlooked part of homeownership and many people came in at their wits' end with huge and expensive problems that either were not disclosed with the purchase of their home, or as you pointed out more often than not, contractors just sticking pipe places that had no outlet. Here in the US, with sometimes larger yards, entire backyards would have to be excavated and repitched, then you have problems with the neighbors taking on your water, etc. There is a complete mathematical science behind drainage and pipe capacity that can scramble your brain. Add septic systems and other issues and well, it can be an absolute nightmare. All that said, I really don't have any suggestions on what you could have done differently. And I actually don't think the pipe looks that bad. It's black and it goes with your colors. Perhaps it can be incorporated into some sort of feature for the kitty. At any rate good luck!

[@dannybaker2763]

You could always cover the angled pipe with a structure that the cats could sit/sleep/play on. Turn it in to a feature for them.

[@elchimpo9590]

El Chimpo would have burned the whole structure down to the ground. 🤷🏽‍♂️ but you did commendable work good sir. Working through the steps to find the problem and ultimately a solution the will work until you can redo all the drainage keep up the vids much appreciated

[@waterjetting]

Good video as always, just a quick tip, if you have a blockage as you had, its sometimes a lot easier to vacuum (wet and dry vac) the blockage out, I have a long length of vacuum hose for this type of problem. Keep up the good work!

[@aaronalquiza9680]

but the blockage is gravel, sand, stones and roots. i dont think a shopvac can suck all that up.

[@nickpotter1897]

I have a shop vac hooked up to my cyclone it’s very powerful I had to suck up stones and done it no problem

[@101alexs]

Agreed, I have fixed some nasty problems like this with a vacuum cleaner and some patience.

[@danlynch1154]

Based on your explanation your decision and effort is brilliant if not elegant. Good job!

[@gaz740]

Totally agree with the trades bit! To be honest Keith, you've done exactly what I would have done....it works even if it doesn't look as good as you'd like it to. Sometimes you've just got to sort the problem for now then look at fixing it to your liking in the future.

[@paulzirker706]

I'm sure I've seen square to round rainwater adapters Keith. I would have run a surface gutter and the downpipe into that the ones with metal grill at ground level.

[@mattclark7700]

you could have used the bits off the hat and coat stands instead of the grey painted wood to temporarily block off the bit at the end ffs! disappointed Keith:)

[@RagnBoneBrown]

This is the correct answer! 👍

[@mattclark7700]

@@RagnBoneBrown man after your own heart here kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqDMc2iKrMlqr9k

[@steenfraosterbro3268]

Maybe a rainwater barrel (don't know if you have a "garden" that needs water). I have that setup and during the wintertime where we do not use the rainwater, I have a hose connected to barrel that leads the water onto the ground under some trees. With heavy rain the barrel works as a buffer.

[@bdlii]

This is an excellent idea. So simple.

[@steenfraosterbro3268]

@@bdlii I'm a simple man 😉

[@sallymay5272]

It could even feed the cats drinking vessel(s)

[@DocteGaby]

I liked the honesty of the video. I hope you keep your spirits up though. 🤗

[@sharileeboyle7760]

Being a homeowner has it's ups and downs. The soak way you have in the US would be called a dry well. My father dug those out on our property. Your solution seems like a good one. I can only imagine it will take a while to get the money together for the permanent solution. Your cat is very cute and kudos to you for building the catio.

[@james-jq8sk]

In Australia, we have either rigid plastic soak wells which are covered in a geotextile sock or concrete ones with a lid, seem to last forever. Cheap to DIY, just a bit labour intensive...

[@p_mouse8676]

You learn something new every day. Apparently a soakaway is a thing in the UK, I have never ever seen such a thing. Here the drainage pipes, just stop right above the ground or tiles. (which are on a angle pointing towards the street drainage). The only thing I have seen that is kinda similar, is a 1 meter (3 foot) drainage pipe they jam deep in the ground, directly underneath.

[@bryonysays]

Agree with you about trades people unfortunately. I just had a Norfolk plumber deny my loft leak was a plumbing problem, charge me £140 and not do anything until I investigated myself to find it absolutely was. You did well.

[@mattcred]

3:55 "The bad experiences far outweigh the good",(Regarding getting trades people in). I've had exactly the same experience. It may take me 10 times as long to do, but at least I know it's done right.

[@dobman2011]

Agree on making the temporary solution permanent. A nice long wood-box with an open front on it for drying the logs for your wood-burner would do a nice job on hiding the pipe. You'll have access every spring when the logs run low. I built one out the back of my own house and it works a treat.

[@MCsCreations]

Pretty nice work, Keith! 😊 But yeah, sometimes there's no other way. Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@henley1100]

Gidday Keith. You've made a wise and thoughtful solution to the pipe problem. Personally, I don't mind the orientation of the new pipe, and least it will work pro temps. Don

[@deeeirl]

I had to have Dyno Rod out a month ago to clear a blockage in our soakaway, so I feel your pain! It's a solution that works anyway and I'm sure at some point you'll come up with a less visible option; but plenty of other stuff to get on with in the meantime I'm sure. And agreed, owning a house is an endless list of problems that need to be solved and I don't trust half the "professionals" so I have a go myself these days also.

[@rutterfordgo2063]

Thanks for the tips to fix gutters

[@grotekleum]

I might have used drain channelling and had both pipes enter it and joined it up (somehow) with the existing square pipe. Thanks for sharing.

[@fuzzix]

Shocking stuff, Keith. Been getting some house upgrades done in recent years, and it seems that "done" really means "half-done". Doesn't matter how well recommended someone is either. I don't have the skills to do most of this stuff myself, so really rely on honest dealing. I do know how to blow a fuse / trip a breaker so have chased some wiring around the place. Found mains wires joined with insulating tape, and in one case masking tape. Found light fittings so rusted from the leaky showers, that the wires in em were all brown - had to clean them to figure out which was live / neutral. Owning a place seems to be just an endless series of surprises, but we're still beyond lucky to be able to afford it. Cheers for sharing!

[@fuzzix]

Your "temporary" solution was definitely decent, all considered. You might be sad to see it go when it finally gets replaced in 2037.

[@CharlesKiblinger]

Might be time for a custom replacement of the broken blue plastic top platform of that ladder at ~1:57? Maybe teak or some other rot-proof scrap. That's the kind of project I always do to procrastinate when there is some other unappealing project I want to avoid. Could the pipe along the wall just be angled a little lower so it's still a bit above grade but lower down in or near the shadows of the gravel trench? Might have to get a different T or heat-bend the existing one to change the angle a little. Not sure if worth the effort though!

[@denisconor648]

Great stuff.

[@twincamtim]

Good job! 😎

[@doubleedgedsword6352]

I'd have done everything you did, but not worry myself whether that new pipe looks good or not. If it works, it's good enough for me! Though I'd have probably capped the knackered pipe with something, just to be sure no junk travels down. Wouldn't worry about that though given you've plans on renewing the whole thing in future.

[@laurawerner]

I haven't watched yet, but this one seems like it will be useful for me. Now that our rainy season has started, I'm have some serious water issues around the house I bought last spring. I'm probably going to have to start by replacing all the gutters. 😞 But after that, I need to find a way to get all the water away from the house, even though there's a big concrete patio that runs the whole width of the house. 🤦‍♀

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thanks, hope it works out ok! 👍

[@richg3417]

Tradesmen make me rant. I only took up DIY because of poor work in the past and found almost every job I could do better myself. If I could, would have replaced the boiler myself. Used a government appointed boiler company to fit it then found they left my electrics illegal and pipe from condenser permanently leaking. After years of getting no where, got another pro in to service boiler and fix the leaking, now he messed that up and wants to charge me over £200 to fix the damage he caused. So frustrating as know what damage he done...the rant would continue but you don't want to hear my moans. On a positive Keith, excellent work buddy, it's a very good temporary solution 👍

[@W4TRI]

You did exactly what I would have done with the exception that since you know so many makers that also do ABS/ASA 3D printing and would collaborate on a pair of videos with this I would have designed a junction for that downpipe.

[@adammono1839]

Sounds like a real faff Keith! I don't think it looks too bad though. Maybe make another log store to go in front of it?

[@BischBaschBosch]

Aw mate. Given what you tried and the problem at hand, your fix is fine I'd say. Should certainly do until you get the funds to redo the soakaway properly. Doesn't look that bad. Back/side of the hoyse so only you, the missus, the kitties and 100,000 or so viewers need ever know.😁👍

[@MandeepSingh-kl5rq]

Your cat is cool, reminds me of Postman Pat's black & white cat Jess.

[@georgegriffiths2235]

You could run a covered gully good for washing down the patio as well

[@AccountantDoesDIY]

I’d have done the same Keith. I did have the same thoughts as others have posted, namely use a Waterbutt and use a T rather than Y connector to allow the pipe be horizontal along the ground and let laws of physics do the rest. However, on reflection these ideas both have flaws. I built a garden office/gym during lockdown - not that big - and use a large waterbutt. It completely fills in seconds with the slightest rainfall- always amazes me. And using a T connector, yes laws of physics will ensure the water flows through when it rains. However when it stops raining that horizontal pipe will be left with a pool of water in it. If that then freezes it could damage the pipe.

[@markwatters6875]

Mate, I wouldn’t worry about the aesthetics at this stage. As long as it gets the water away from your home and prevents damage to the foundations is what matters. Besides the cats will love the new angled down pipe, something new to climb and walk along. Have a good one 👍🇦🇺

[@tonyworkswood]

That looks alright to me Keith, good alternative. Life's too short to worry about seeing a bit of pipe. Tony

[@anton2956]

i would have put gravel up to 2 inches below the patio surface THEN put sand/soil so that you have more drainage into the soil ..youd have to place soil back a bit but larger particle size == better drainage great vid love to have an idea of how to diagnose stuff when i see you go through it

[@glyn1206]

Looks good to me !

[@CraigRoyK]

Totally concur with the view that: “I’ll do it myself because then it’s only me to blame and I’ll learn something!” At least if I cut a corner, I know I’ve done it!

[@geoffreycoan]

Snap! I had the same issue on my house earlier this year when I noticed that the downpipe in one corner of the house (that drains half the back of the house away) wasn’t in fact connected to anything at all, it just went under the paving slab and into nothing. Like you we’d had the gutters and downpipes some years beforehand and the trades had just left this downpipe draining into the foundations 😮. There was a drain hole about a foot away, but on investigation that went to a 3’ long piece of perforated drain - completely unsuitable for the volume of water. I had to dig a trench across the garden and run a new drain to the underground water tank and soakaway we have. Lots and lots of digging. For yours, it looks a perfectly fine fix. I’ve seen far worse things than that with pipes running across the back of the house. Long term you’ll have to dig it all up because that underground brown squareline drain is unlikely to be big enough. A job for the summer …

[@Gojirosan]

Proper ballache, mate, but I think your solution was great, especially with financial constraints. I don't think that pipe looks too bad at all!

[@thomasvnl]

Relatable home-owner shenanigans!

[@khookieman]

Keith,,perhaps you should consider heating the pipe up with a torch (careful not to burn through it) and then bending the molten but still intact pipe towards the ground. At least it would not be running up the wall in that precarious way and not to mention that it doesn't look ideal. This way perhaps you could even bury the (new) pipe into the small space you dug up.....

[@Wordsnwood]

do you regularly walk along that side fence? I would have wondered about extending the pipe that way and running it along the fence rather than tilting it towards the house as you did. Or would that block a needed walkway? Still, I think you did a pretty good job.

[@anwolfs9804]

Wouldn't have done anything different, you handled it well, but if you hate that slanted downpipe, build a kind of woorden construction around it for a bit of storage and perhaps an outdoor scratching area for Hazel and Mickey and on top a spot for cosy softies for them to lay on or some catgrass plants? Just an idea.

[@johngratton467]

Oh boy Keith, I feel for you having had similar experiences with 'so called tradesmen' I'm still discovering problems some major some minor after having a house renovated by a cowboy 25 years ago, always in the places that are deliberately hidden from normal view strangely enough (erm !!!!!,) if it's something I can't avoid I tend to think can I turn it in to a feature, so to speak, perhaps a fixture for planter boxes / storage for gardening tools or something to hide the angled horizontal run of the pipe, just a thought

[@krisgair5863]

Personally, I think the end result looks fine, works so all is good, Can't belive the way the "tradesman" left it

[@johncreaby3040]

I think those holes in the buried pipe were probably for drainage. If you had heavy rain hitting that wall you'd get substantial run off going into where you have the decorative stone. Other then that, cracking job.

[@Quaker521]

Your solution was the same one I was thinking of. And I'm sure that it will be a good temporary solution until you sell some more (a lot more 🤣) wax to pay for a more permanent fix. Thanks for the upload.

[@benjaqsonworkshop9974]

Best temp solution possible. Worth checking how that gulley affects the flow to the down pipe. A water butt could act as a buffer with a low constant drain along the floor. Longer term, replace the square drain with a better possibly open option to allow air flow behind the water and a better seal from the ground run. *not an expert but neither were they by the look of things.

[@OldMan_PJ]

You may have made an escape path for the cat up that angled pipe.

[@Hollegripchannel]

In the past with a job, I set up a large water butt. And used a submersible pump to pump it far away from property

[@havenview]

a few lengths of "Driveway drainage channel" - google them - toolstation sell them fitted along the section you dug the gravel out of you may need to angle grind a few cms off the edge of the paver slabs

[@musthavechannel5262]

May be a coat of gray (wall matching) paint on the horizontal length of pipe will make it appear better

[@MrSmid888]

My recent nightmare has been LAP security lights from Screwfix. Under 1 year old, had one burn out and the other stay on constant. Changed them for some of Amazon no issues and already in bad weather. I’ve one more LAP light, only a matter of time. Just a pain!! Should last ten years. Amazon ones higher IP rating also. Mikee I think the make is.

[@c.a.g.1977]

It's a "good enough" solution to a nasty problem, Keith! Only thing I would have done differently was to let the long pipe run as close to the ground as possible (and if at all possiblle: run it underground).

[@DirkieB]

Build like a shallow box around the bottom of the wall covering the pipe. Plonk some plants / flowers into it, and you'll never have to look at the pipe again!

[@terencehooper2448]

In Australia all stormwater is piped to the road, my suggestion would be to paint the down pipe the same colour as the house. The cat's won't mind and probably use it as an escape run!!

[@Andrew-jn2pc]

Hi Kieth, great temporary solution, but, the square pipe isn’t a current underground pipe, it should be an orange 110mm thick wall pipe. I would do properly in the summer as you have bought the house for long term, but, maybe an opportunity to change the pipe routing and a new soak away. Shame to see this low quality of work on the property you purchased, I would be frustrated too. Good luck and keep up the great honest video production.

[@becool365]

I studied and worked in architecture. Given the monetary constraints, I think you did what you can. You really don't want water building up near a foundation however, it is a much bigger issue than you think over time. Even if it is just from the roof. The whole thing needs to be changed however, I don't remember you building the patio, is there a lot of hardcore underneath there? That should help with drainage. Normally you try and tie the guttering into sewage because that doesn't tend to go bad. Some countries have separate water outflow systems for rainwater which is good but the UK is not one of them. I also highly doubt that your lot is big enough to warrant some kind of SUDS.

[@darrenatarrant]

Could you run a french drain (aco system) along that wall and have both down pipes drop into it?

[@ianpearse4480]

Cool.

[@ianvicedomini2648]

I've been wondering if you could maybe soften the pipe up just enough to perhaps level it out. Just an idea mate. It seems durable enough to do but I'm not 100% sure if it'll alter the integrity of the pipe though. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@dougdavidson175]

To quote another KZbinr "It is only temporary, unless it works." May have to keep an eye on the cats if they decide that's for their entertainment. Take care & stay safe.

[@robbristow]

My option would be to see if I could install a small sump against the wall at the good/square pipe location. One of the pavers might have needed lifting/cutting, Then the new connecting pipe would have the gradient required to run along the gravel edge.

[@BjornV78]

A temporary solution can be to install a watertank and collect the rainwater, and add the overfill attached to that down pipe. Another solution and bit more expensive at the moment, but it will regain itself in the future, is to collect the rainwater and use that rainwater with a filter and pressurepump to flush your toilet(s) and save on drinking water. But this needs some plumbing offcourse.

[@baptiste_boo]

You could perhaps paint the pipe white to blend it, besides that I can’t think of a neater way of doing it. You did all you could.

[@virtualfather]

When I have to dig in tight places I use my old shop vac and a crowbar to keep loosening the dirt

[@outoftheburrough]

Think of the temporary solution as a mini climbing frame/itching spot for Micki & Hazel, cat enrichment in the catio 👍

[@bc3024]

Silly question, may have missed it, but why not change the slope of the gutter so it flows to the other side of the patio doors? I can see a down pipe there (0.38)

[@daviddangerous1580]

It looks fine (ish) The only thing I would have done differently… I would have taken the opportunity to replace the soil against the house with pebbles and topped with pea shingle. You had already removed the soil. Perhaps paint the down pipes the same colour as the wall.

[@JD-op9cd]

Build an inverted siphon system Connect gutter downpipe to a 110mm pipe clipped to the wall, the end should have a branch tee, cap the end and side for inspection and service. Use a strap on boss to connect to the pipe with a smaller diameter pipe to run elsewhere and drain.

[@JD-op9cd]

The Romans used this technique that is water will always find the equal level to drain to depending on where you place your pipes. You could go the water butt route either.

[@nathanlucas6465]

You could have got rid of the downpipe?, then extended the gutter over the fence. The water then becomes someone else's problem 😆 Seriously though, if the pipe is really bugging you just make a giant cat tree clim ingredients frame thingy to go in front of it. We found a similar level of bodgery on one of the down pipes here. Round 68mm downpipe that just disappeared into the ground. When we noticed that the gutter overflowed in heavy rain I dug out around it the same as you, hoping for a nice easy fix. Discovered that the end of the 68mm pipe was just sat loosely in some odd yellow pipe. Smaller than standard soil pipe but bigger than downpipe. I managed to pull almost all of the accumulated mud from the pipe but was really struggling to find any sort of adaptor to satisfactorily seal one to the other. Ended up using a wc pan connector the wrong way round and adding a gulley. This way we can see if it blocks up again and I can clean the u bend if I need to. It'll do until I can think of a better way of doing it

[@andreacrashe9894]

*The cats will love climbing up and laying down on the 'temp/permanent' pipe. Plus in the summer months they will sunbath on it. It's a win/win for all the cats.*

[@fred_fred]

I'd say mount a waterbutt to collect the water from the downpipe. That way you can collect grey water for the garden or when it's getting too full use a perforated hose to run it out away from the building.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

New soakaway needed unfortunately... Coming soon to the channel

[@fred_fred]

@@RagnBoneBrown I thought that was going to be the case when I saw you hoarding the gravel, but then you used it for the slabs.... I don't envy you at all, soakaways can be a nightmare

[@steffenuhlig1970]

First time ever that I did not skip the sponsor because I wanted to see more of Mickey.

[@MrSmid888]

Just paint the pipe with Zinsser bin then use the masonry paint colour on walls to paint the pipe. Hardly notice it. I’d have used slate or stones instead of concrete between flags and house. But good job nonetheless 👍🏻🎅🏽

[@reversegreenpotato]

Just like how a typical S trap under your sink still drains... you could have run the new down pipe along the wall level (or even below ground) and then join up with the existing square pipe (assuming your joins are all glued/water tight). You would get some standing water in the low points, but it will still flow when it rains - since the water is coming from much higher (the gutters) so the pressure will force it through, even if a little uphill. You don't see it done that way often - more things to go wrong long-term, but for a "temporary" less-unsightly solution...

[@RagnBoneBrown]

68mm pipe isn't available in 90 degree turns unfortunately

[@reversegreenpotato]

@@RagnBoneBrown That makes sense then! You're a better man than me then, for not just reaching for the duct tape 😂

[@WoodworkJourney]

A grand fix I reckon, and with the best will in the world if it were me I’d tell myself it was temporary, and then never look at it again. In fact, cover up the pipe with a wooden cat tree multi level climbing doodah with scratching post and job done 😁

[@bigpete4227]

I’d have done it completely differently Keith. I would swore repeatedly, kicked everything over, snapped stuff and bemoaned the fact that I should have gone to school regularly so I would now have a newer house. Other than that…same.

[@stevebettany8778]

Totally off the subject in hand but I’ve been watching your table saw blade video and it’s enlightening but I’m damned if I can find a supplier who will properly describe their blades or has a rip blade. It’s as if they don’t exist where do you get yours please. My 210mm Dewalt would love to know.

[@dannymurphy1779]

It looks to me like the levels have been raised round the house, also there should not be earth right up against the brickwork. There is no drip on the bottom of the render either, looks like someone has had a problem before hence the black treatment to the base. Given the problem with the soakaway you previously had it would seem a few things have been bodged. Btw you need to inform your planning office if you are putting a new soakaway in. Hope this helps.