GAH.
Musty smell and damp in our house, particularly in summer.
Got drains people round to inspect. Said drain was cracked and dropped in places (showed on camera, to be fair) and needed to be relined. Problem - we have no drains access. Initial estimate of cost - £7k.
Shallow trench dug across our front - couldn't find it. Bigger hole dug in front of door - find it 1.5 m down.
Out front pipe suddenly too big (to be fair, it is big - 9 inches). They say they'll now have to dig down by soil pipe at back. Cost goes up to £10k plus VAT.
We say 'no, we need to think about this'. They say they could be really nice and maybe do it for £8k plus VAT. We still say no.
So now we've got a big hole outside our front door, and someone chosen by our insurance coming round on Monday to have a look.
And we're £1.3k lighter in our pockets, for seven hours' work/pratting about.
Oh yeah, and they covered our patio in shit.
Not looking for advice necessarily (but if anyone has any positive drain stories, I'd be very happy to hear them!) - just having a moan.