On the incompetence of professionals

[Matty F]

An architect designed large house has had many problems with its construction, and the owners are in liquidation. The house next door to it has recently been sold, and the new owners hired a large digger to dig out a spot for a garage. They have discovered that the sewer pipe, water pipe and gas pipe from the large house intrude several feet onto his property, through the bottom of a 4 metre high concrete block wall, and are in the way of his garage. It will be a major job to fix this. The professional contractors hired for the large house have been consistent in their general incompetence and slow work. It makes me happier to do almost everything myself. It's cheaper, and possibly I'll do a better job.

[cynic]

I could see how a water pipe and a gas pipe could have been moled under the adjacent property unbeknown to its owner but how did a domestic sewer get installed in secret? Are you sure there are not any easements which you are not being told about?

[Matty F]

All the pipes curve in and out of the adjacent property for a few metres. The wall was built on top later. There's no need for the pipes to be there, just laziness in not checking where the boundary was. The adjacent property had an absentee landlord and was rented out to people who didn't care.

[Hugo Nebula]

In this country, everybody and nobody is a "professional contractor". Anybody can set themselves up as a "builder", with no experience, qualifications, or discernable skills.

The only thing we have to prevent buildings collapsing, falling over, trapping people in fires in, gassing people in, filling with sewage, etc., is Building Control. If you're a rich enough "professional" who prefers not to have too much oversight of your c*ck-ups, you can hire your own Building Control to turn a blind eye to your potential death-traps.

BTW, the routing of the drainage is a civil matter between neighbours. Provided that the householders can get access to clear any blockages, they can route their drains anywhere they wish to comply with the Building Regulations.

IME, drainage shown on architect's plans are the equivalent of "here be dragons" on ancient mapmaker's charts.