Fix the Plumbing Once and For All

So I knew the plumbing at this place was woeful, but we have had all the plumbing renewed, haven't we?
Buying an old house always brings with it the 'JOY' of finding where everything is. The storm water pipes, the drains, where is it all. After months of investigation involving probing the soil, digging and cursing I thought I'd finally worked out where all the external plumbing pipes were located, Septic, sewage, storm water all accounted for. BUT!!!!!!!!

Old pipe did 90 degree turn away from house
down  the drive then came back across  drive
reconnecting at end of house. The new pipe
is straight!

When digging the trench for the underground electricity cable another terracotta plumbing pipe was discovered/broken. at the bottom of the drive all the way to the top the pipe clearly hadn't had water in it for years. But then right up the top of the drive water was in the pipe. It made no sense all the old terracotta pipe at the back of the house had been renewed in the last few months, and reconnected to all the services in the Kitchen, Laundry & Bathroom. These pipes were blocked, cracked and broken by tree roots of a large Blackwood tree covered in Ivy which we had removed.
I had assumed the main storm water pipe stayed close to the house connecting up with pvc pipe I knew was there. but no the terracotta pipe did go down the side of the house but then did a 90 degree turn away from the house under our drive down the boundary then another 90 degree turn back across the driveway connecting with the new PVC pipe to our storm water outlet. BLOODY HELL!!!!!!

Old pipe out

So the only thing to do is what any self respecting plumber would have done in the first place, remove all old terracotta pipe and replace with new PVC pipe.  No more fragile terracotta pipe is left now. I dug up the old terracotta pipe (the last of the rotten stuff finally) along the side of the house and reconnected with PVC storm water pipe. Leaving the broken/smashed terracotta pipe on the other side of the drive in place. Basically I have bypassed a number of U turns in old terracotta pipe reconnecting with existing PVC storm water pipe further down the line. So now storm water pipes are simple straight lines following the side of the house, instead of a maze of pipes zig zaging across the drive way. It was MADNESS.

All done and back filled pregnant wife can park next to
house again. Mission accomplished.

So who would have known I had an inner plumber with in. Very satisfying finally solving our plumbing woes. No more blocked/broken pipes, the drains/sinks/spa bath & shower finally drain quickly and trouble free.  WOOOOO HOOOOOOO!