Getting Services To A Build Site

Water & Waste
Electricity, Gas & Communications

If the building you're going to make into your home doesn't have any or all the necessities of modern life, find out how to get them.

By Sarah Warwick

Getting your renovation connected in every way is something you need to plan ahead for. The time taken to get the different services organised from quotation to connection can be lengthy, so enquire early, and build this into your build schedule. Bear in mind that you will want to have water and electricity during the renovation process - not just when you move in.

Water & Waste

You'll need to contact your local water company to arrange a new connection to your property for water and waste.

The water pipe is laid from the water main to the boundary of your property. You will need to have laid the pipe that connects from the boundary to the house before it does this. There will be a connection charge, which the company sets, and which covers the costs of work and materials. You'll need to find out what this will be from your water company, and it will be dependent on the situation of your property, so varies widely.

For a sewer connection, your local water company can again explain its procedure and provide a quotation for the connection costs involved. Most allow you to connect to the sewer yourself if you wish to do this work, in which case you might have to pay an inspection fee. Again, bear in mind that the construction costs will be dependent on the complexity of the job.

As well as the company's own charges, there will also be an infrastructure cost added to your bill for first-time connections that's regulated by the Water Services Regulation Authority. The infrastructure cost for water and waste water is around £300 plus VAT.

The water main or public sewer might need extending before your home can connect into them at all. You will need to pay for this - generally connection, infrastructure and pipe installation charges.

If main drainage is not available, you will need a package sewage treatment plant, septic tank or cesspool. As a very rough guideline, these can cost approximately £14,000, £7,500 and £8,000 respectively. 'If there's clay or it's an area where there are underground water aquifers then costs could escalate,' says Ted Smith of consulting engineers Johnston Smith.