Ground levels breaching dpc and new gutters, fascias and soffits

[TheSplash]

I live on a hill in a detached bungalow. 3 sides of my property the ground levels are okay but on the side return I have a concrete path that runs from the front of my property to the back garden. The interior wall of the bungalow that runs alongside this path has, in places, bubbling paint and generally feels cold and damp. It's not helped by the fact that the guttering on most of the bungalow along with the soffits and fascias need to be replaced. The soffits and fascias are wooden and well past their best with areas of peeling paint and rot and the guttering overflows in heavy rain with water pouring down the outside wall.

I have 2 options regarding the path. One is to dig a channel next to the bungalow wall and fill it with gravel. The problem with doing that is that the side return is already narrow and I wouldn't have enough room to get my wheely bins down it, one of the bin wheels would have to be dragged through the gravel. The second option is to replace the path, maybe with a block paved path installed at a much lower level than the current one. Underneath the path are all the utility lines for gas and water, I have no idea how far down they are.

Also I have a couple of downpipes, the soil pipe and also the drains for the kitchen and bathroom which go into that path.

So, basically my question is which work do I undertake first, the path or the new soffits, fascias and guttering?

So sorry about the length of this post.

I would sort out the guttering first, as it needs doing anyway and then see if the damp resolves itself. You don't want to dig that path up if you don't need to.

Thanks for your reply. If I do the guttering first and the damp doesn't resolve itself won't I end up with the downpipes being too short if I then need to lower the path later on or can the downpipes be extended in length?

downpipes can easily be extended

Plastic downpipes dont cost much and i think you can get joints to add extra lengths in if needbe.

Oh, that's reassuring. I just kept having visions of all the pipes stopping 6" short of the drain and having an even worse damp problem.

Think I'll do gutters first, then path, if required.

Many thanks.