Water installation quote. Seems excessive.

[flanagaj]

So I received a quotation today for having a new water supply put in. The main runs down the grass verge just outside of our house and requires no road excavation.  So the road closure part seems very high.  Just wondering if I have any other options here, or do I have to use Southern Water to do this?

[Oz07]

3 months from passing inspection I've never had that before even on a busy road with 2 way lights

[Oz07]

If you look at the quote its the traffic management thats killing it. Any pics of the road and verge? Seems a mistake. 

[ProDave]

Unless the verge is wide enough for a mini digger I suspect they will want to close 1 lane of the road.  What sort of road and how busy?  I doubt you will get very far arguing it is not necessary.

 

Post a plan of the proposal.  Is there any way it could avoid running along in the verge, i.e. enter your plot at a different location?

 

One thing I found when getting services in, is don't expect anything to happen quickly, forget any notion of trying to get different service connections coordinated, and don't plan a holiday in the 3 month window after your inspection as there will be no flexibility to change their date.

[saveasteading]

It isn't easy, and an excavator needs space and stability. Then the muck has to sit somewhere. 

Hence it needs a properly cordoned off space  for the work and the vans.

 

Even if it was a smallish hand dug pit, the workers need protection.

 

You can always ask, but these are fairly standard cost levels. 

 

We just had something similar. They closed the  whole road. 

The workers had abuse and sticks thrown at them.

Apart from needing road reinstatement, the scope was similar and the cost.

But ask if it can be reduced because.... find some reason.

[ProDave]

We got away with no traffic management because it was a single track no through road, and Scottish Water brought with them a "road plate" and when a car wanted to pass, they slid that over the trench and drove the digger off the road onto our plot.

[flanagaj]

7 minutes ago, ProDave said:

We got away with no traffic management because it was a single track no through road, and Scottish Water brought with them a "road plate" and when a car wanted to pass, they slid that over the trench and drove the digger off the road onto our plot.

This road is exactly the same.  It's a no through road with about  houses further down the lane.

[ProDave]

2 minutes ago, flanagaj said:

This road is exactly the same.  It's a no through road with about  houses further down the lane.

Post a picture?

 

If it is single track and they are only digging in the verge, then traffic lights will do nothing.  They simply need to put up some roadworks signs and when a car wants to pass, drive the digger out of the way.  It would mean they could not pile the spoil on the road, but that would apply anyway even with lights.

[flanagaj]

1 minute ago, ProDave said:

Post a picture?

 

If it is single track and they are only digging in the verge, then traffic lights will do nothing.  They simply need to put up some roadworks signs and when a car wants to pass, drive the digger out of the way.  It would mean they could not pile the spoil on the road, but that would apply anyway even with lights.

 

 

 

[ProDave]

If I am reading that right, the pipe is under the existing entrance (is that yours) has to be dug just a few feet along the verge, and onto your plot through the hedge?

 

there is clearly room for the digger to pull off the road when a car needs to pass.

[flanagaj]

3 minutes ago, ProDave said:

If I am reading that right, the pipe is under the existing entrance (is that yours) has to be dug just a few feet along the verge, and onto your plot through the hedge?

 

there is clearly room for the digger to pull off the road when a car needs to pass.

Exactly. I think they are taking the **** 

[Mr Punter]

It looks like they could do all the work from your side.

[Conor]

They have to allow for heavy vehicles etc safely passing the excavation which clearly isn't possible. The pit will be right at the edge of the road, high risk of collapse. It's deffo a road closure.

[ProDave]

53 minutes ago, Conor said:

They have to allow for heavy vehicles etc safely passing the excavation which clearly isn't possible. The pit will be right at the edge of the road, high risk of collapse. It's deffo a road closure.

But that is road CLOSURE no traffic at all either way while works are in place which means giving notice to all the affected houses that the road will be closed for a few hours.  Not just traffic lights.  the only heavy traffic we get are bin lorries, oil delivery lorries and occasional heavy delivery lorries.  It would make sense to inform neighbours not to book their oil delivery that day.

 

@flanagaj will there be any other services that need connecting on our under this road?

 

Who owns that entrance?  could they be persuaded to allow the pipe to pass under their land and through to your plot?

[Kelvin]

I would ask if it really is a road closure. I had some work done at a previous property and it said the same (traffic mgt/road closure) but they didn’t intend closing the road. 

[flanagaj]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

Who owns that entrance? 

 

We do.  That's our site entrance.

[saveasteading]

3 minutes ago, flanagaj said:

That's our site entrance.

Have a friendly chat with the contact name. Explain that vans are welcome to park in your drive and materials can be stored too.

Will you be scraping back the gravel or they?

Will you be needing to use the drive during the works?

They have prob allowed 3 days. Prepare, do, clear.

Ask if that helps and they can reduce the sum?

[ProDave]

41 minutes ago, flanagaj said:

 

We do.  That's our site entrance.

So there is no need to dig up the verge. Connect to the pipe under your entrance and run the pipe through your land to the plot.  All work can be done from your land avoiding a road closure.  Get the water supplier to agree to that route and re quote with you digging all trenches on your land and no need for a road closure.

 

Do you know exactly where the pipe is?

[flanagaj]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

So there is no need to dig up the verge. Connect to the pipe under your entrance and run the pipe through your land to the plot.  All work can be done from your land avoiding a road closure.  Get the water supplier to agree to that route and re quote with you digging all trenches on your land and no need for a road closure.

 

Do you know exactly where the pipe is?

I have just obtained the survey sheet from the quotation.  I have explained that we want a temporary feed, but I don't understand the 15mm meter to serve the new house part.  Does that mean that they propose a 15mm pipe to the house.  I also assumed that the mains to the house would be a 32mm pipe?

[ProDave]

The pipe will be 25mm but the actual meter, probably in a "boundary box" reduces it to 15mm for a short bit inside the meter.

 

 

[flanagaj]

20 minutes ago, ProDave said:

The pipe will be 25mm but the actual meter, probably in a "boundary box" reduces it to 15mm for a short bit inside the meter.

 

 

Ok.  Thanks for confirming.  Is 25mm the standard size for a 4 bedroom property?

[Conor]

 

So there is no need to dig up the verge. Connect to the pipe under your entrance and run the pipe through your land to the plot.  All work can be done from your land avoiding a road closure.  Get the water supplier to agree to that route and re quote with you digging all trenches on your land and no need for a road closure.

 

Do you know exactly where the pipe is?

We (the entire utilities industry) don't install meter boxes in driveways as they get f*cked up from traffic. That main is too close to the road to avoid closing it. You might get away with it, and probably could, but as a contractor I'd be playing it safe. 

 

A 15mm meter is standard for all residential connections. 25mm MDPE is as well for most scenarios.

[Brads10000]

I got quoted £5500 for water connection and kicked up a fuss as it was only 6m trench to my boundary, the contractor came for a pre visit inspection and quietly advised me to go with the flow,

I live on a very busy A road and found out the water mains was the other side of the road, when work started it caused mayhem with traffic lights and cars were backed up half mile each way, the council inspector was on site for hours each day and the works took best part of a week, they hit a gas main so had 3 Cadent teams on site for a day repairing,

The work was finished 6 months ago and we have just had completion sign off, i was dreading getting a revised bill for tens of thousands but looks like the £5500 was a bargain.. 

[Oz07]

I guess its something to do with being a single track lane that means road closure and more cost. As has been said the overall price isn't too high but its still worth seeing if any flexibility on the traffic management. I think its the road closure and associated pen pushing which is increasing your cost. My last connection was on the other side of the road and it was still less than this. That entailed digging halfway through the road and through path. Backfilling and resurfacing, then digging the other half and connecting. This was all done with barriers and iirc no traffic lights on that one. Cars just had to give way to each other for couple of days. 

[Oz07]

You can ask for a quote for a bigger pipe on your side. I think here severn trent encourage 32mm for anything 4 bed and upwards. I had 32 in my place because pressure not great round here and i wanted a good flow rate. Not sure it made any difference because i think they use same meter boxes regardless.