DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

I was in the process of ordering a new bathroom from B&Q. The existing shower room is too small so we planned on converting the smaller bedroom next to it into a bathroom. The design went well - cost was to be in the region of £5k. However, the B&Q surveyors came out today and said the job would be nigh on impossible as our existing soilpipe is cast iron and even though we are looking to locate the toilet on the other side of the wall, this cant be done as the elbow bends the wrong way.
Apparently, the options are:
1) Take out the existing pipe by removing walls in my lounge and replacing the cast iron soil pipe with a plastic one.
2) Get an external soilpipe fitted.

There is a manhole cover approx 2 metreies from where the downipe would hit the round with concrete paving.
So.....my questions for you are:

1) Does this sound correct?
2) What would the approximate cost be to doo option 2 above?

I live in Cwmbran, South Wales and would be interested in any recommendations to quote/do the work.

Thanks

And why can't they cut out the existing Tee and replace the short piece with a new plastic tee pointing the right way???????

plumbbob wrote:And why can't they cut out the existing Tee and replace the short piece with a new plastic tee pointing the right way???????

Apparently it can't be done as they would have to access the whole pipe??

If I were you, I would try and get a second opinion. As you might imagine, this is not exactly a new problem that has never been encountered before.

I've solved this dilemma without ripping downstairs walls out in the past but obviously, I can't be too adamant as I can't see your exact predicament.

Maybe you should be wary, if they can't offer a simple straightforward solution to this conundrum, what else might they find they're unable to handle I wonder.

How experienced is the surveyor. Is he a time served plumber or a text book wizard?