College Station - Got a plumber out this last weekend to take care of a stoppage on the toilet in the guest bathroom. He scoped it and showed me where the wye sheared off along the trunk just before the second connection. The toilet was the first. Thankfully, he says it's within 5' of the edge of slab, so they should be able to dig a pit and tunnel in to repair it. Quoted me $3000 to take care of it. What say y'all, seem reasonable?

1. I'll bet .... you or I would charge a lot more to do all that, if we knew what we were doing.

2. My concern is that ... be this an engineering slab or spec.house worry, it's best to have a structural engineer guide the excavation and certainly the backfill, slurry and what/how to do it WITH inspections.

Have some stories to tell, where bodies are buried, etc. to back up that opinion ... that I would force upon anyone family.


Option B:
2nd opinion from a 5-star remodeling contractor that supplies
Struct.eng
excavation & backfill guru
plumber

I may not be an excavation and backfill guru…. But will stake a claim on excavation and backfill geek!

Here's some info that will help you with estimating tunnel costs, while this one covers slurry and how it is used to backfill effectively.

Those are a great place to start while you figure out what the best option is for you and your home.

So, should we fix a pipe that has been broken for years? It is about 6-8 feet from the outside wall.

Do you have any recommendations in the Grapevine (DFW) area?

Thanks in advance!

DallasAg2 said:

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So, should we fix a pipe that has been broken for years? It is about 6-8 feet from the outside wall.

Do you have any recommendations in the Grapevine (DFW) area?

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Great questions, I'll answer them… but have initial questions first that will help you decide;

• What is broken?
• Is it a small separation, or a big gaping crack?
• Is this fixture used much?
• How did you know it has been broken for years?
• Has it ever been clogged + cleared out by a plumber?
• Do you have trees near by?
• Have you noticed any signs of foundation movement in this area?

The foundation repairman in me says you should plan on getting it fixed eventually… or at least start saving for it.

The homeowner in me says you've had luck without doing it for years… so let it ride!

Dave Bennett, owner of Southwest Foundation Repair is a long time family friend and he's located up in your area.