Recommendation for drainage/plumbing company CM Drainage

[LisaSam]

Snags after a rennovation - do they ever end? Our latest was a downpipe at the back of the house that managed to acquire a couple of holes in it, resulting in not one, but two waterfall displays in heavy rain. This may be related to where a condensate pipe is, popping out of the wall right behind the downpipe in question. But who knows, could have been a stray, umm.. arrow? No idea.

The main thing is that I found a good drainage company to fix it, which was a big relief. Because drains are kind of confusing. There are those companies that like charging a lot of money for fancy reports about the state of your drains having stuck cameras down them. But in my experience those companies are then unresponsive if you only have a small job that needs doing following their report. If the drain is near the roof, you think, is this for a roofer? Or maybe I should ask a plumber, but will they have a tall enough ladder? What about those guttering companies that have gutters and fascia boards in five different materials and 20 colours? (Yes, that's a thing too.)

Luckily, I found Charlie and Michael of CM Drainage Ltd. I contacted them over Checkatrade and Charlie messaged me back, arranging a time to come and look at the issue. We discussed a couple of solutions and he emailed over a quote for the preferred option. Scheduled in the work not long thereafter, and there was good communication about arrival time on the day.

Charlie and Michael are friendly and professional, wore masks consistently, and were mindful coming through the house not to ding the walls (not an easy job with a big ladder and long sections of downpipe). They got on with the work, did a good job and offered to clean up. It wasn't a particularly easy spot to get access to with a ladder, with a planter near the base that is drilled into our deck. And they had to drill when up the ladder. They just managed it somehow, without complaint.

They also very kindly helped with a couple other bits that were off-spec, which I *really* appreciated. There was a gaping hole in a bit of fascia board close to the top of the section of downpipe they were replacing. I asked if they might be able to close it, somehow, to decrease any risk of water damage. They did some troubleshooting and came up with a solution involving some bubble wrap and silicone over it, which looks good.

Having seen that they had silicone, I was a bit cheeky and asked if they might also use that to seal around the top of the kitchen sink (a job that has long needed doing but I've foolishly never gotten around to). Charlie very kindly helped me out with that one too, while Michael packed up. Offered to pay for the extra time they spent on the two odd jobs, but they wouldn't hear of it.

All around, the section of downpipe replaced looks great, and I'm grateful for the help with the odd jobs too. I'll be asking Charlie and Michael back when we have scaffolding up to deal with another issue (related to the loft conversion), so that we can improve a couple parts of the guttering/drains higher up while the access is easy.

My understanding is that they do all sorts with drainage, sewerage, clearing blockages, other bits of plumbing, including new connections from a property to water main, etc.

[email protected]

Charlie's number 07399 144384 (and he's on WhatsApp)

https://cmdrainageltd.com/

Reviews - https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/CmDrainage

P.S. Just remembered something else I wanted to mention. We had to reschedule the initial visit for Charlie to look at the issue. Received a message from Charlie on the day: "Sorry for the inconvenience, we?ve been held up on a job and doesn?t look like we will be able to make it to you today. Are you available I?m the morning tomorrow? I could get out to you then. Again sorry for any inconvenience caused." It wasn't a problem at all for us. Later it turned out that they were dealing with burst pipes for another client. Found it kinda reassuring that they are willing to prioritise accordingly and stick with the more urgent job to get it sorted. I know I'd appreciate it if we had a burst pipe issue!!

[Kereru]

Just another recommendation for Charlie from CM Drainage, who came to sort out botched, leaking drains after a renovation. Arrived on time, did a good job, tidied up afterwards and were very easy and pleasant to deal with. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. His mobile is: 07399 144384