Most Wellington villas in Newtown, Thorndon, Mt Cook and Aro Valley are still draining through 90-year-old earthenware pipework. We dig it out, lay modern uPVC with proper falls and bedding, and reconnect through to the Wellington City Council main — with camera footage and a WCC sign-off where required.
When a drain has reached the end of its life, patching only buys you a few months. Earthenware pipes — common on most Wellington homes built before the 1980s — crack at the joins, sag where the bedding has washed out, and become magnets for tree roots. Once a single section starts failing, the rest is rarely far behind.
We dig out the failing line, lay modern uPVC with the correct gradient and bedding, and tie it back into the existing system cleanly. We run a CCTV camera through both before and after, so you can see exactly why the old drain was failing and confirm the new one is laid right.
Most of our re-lay work starts as a callout for a blocked drain or a soggy patch in the lawn. We run the camera, show you what we're seeing, and give you both the patch-it option and the do-it-once option in plain numbers — no scare tactics. If a $400 spot repair will hold for years, that's what we quote. If the line is fundamentally gone, we'll tell you that too.
A spot-repair is the right answer 60% of the time. The other 40% is a re-lay — usually because the line has hit one of these three thresholds. Wellington's housing stock makes the call relatively predictable once we've seen the camera footage.
Newtown, Thorndon, Mt Cook, Berhampore, Aro Valley. Original pre-1940s drains with multiple joint failures along the run, not just one. Once we see 3+ root masses or cracked sections on a single camera survey, repairing each is more expensive than re-laying the whole line. New uPVC has a 100-year design life — done once, done.
Kelburn, Khandallah, Wadestown, Brooklyn, hill Karori. When the camera shows the line has bellied so badly that water sits even after we jet — or worse, the gradient has reversed and it's now flowing the wrong way — the pipe needs lifting and re-bedding properly. Tricky access on hill sections; we're set up for it.
Wellington-wide — all suburbs. Buyers are increasingly asking for a CCTV report before settlement. Renovators don't want to lay new bathroom over a line that'll fail in five years. If the camera tells us the line is borderline, re-laying before the project starts is far cheaper than ripping up new tiles later.
Re-lays that tie into the Wellington City Council main need a WCC pre-cover inspection before backfill. We arrange that as part of the quote — no surprises, no delays past the time the council quotes us.
When CCTV shows multiple cracks, sagging, or sections of pipe that have lost their fall, a re-lay is usually the cheaper long-term option. We'll always show you the footage and give you both options before we quote.
Sometimes. We minimise excavation wherever possible and use targeted digs rather than open trenching when the layout allows. If we do need to lift hard surfaces, we leave the site tidy, with proper compaction so paving doesn't sink later.
Most residential re-lays are 1–3 days on site, depending on length, depth, and access. We'll give you a clear time estimate before starting, and we don't leave a job half-done.
Modern uPVC laid with correct bedding and gradient has a service life of 50+ years. Properly installed, you should never have to think about it again.
Yes. As a qualified drainlayer, any work tying into the public network is signed off properly. We coordinate council inspections where required and provide as-built records.
One owner-operated crew across the wider Wellington region. Whatever you've got going on with your drains, we can sort it.
Cheaper than emergencies.
Learn more →Not every problem needs a full re-lay.
Learn more →Razorback HD CCTV with metre-counter and locating beacon.
Learn more →Free quotes, fast response, and we'll explain what we're doing in plain English. Call us or send a message — we'll be back within the hour during work hours.
