Sewer Excavation in Lithonia, GA

For many families, the first hint that a sewer line will need excavation arrives in the middle of a home sale. A buyer's inspector runs a camera through the building sewer, the footage shows a broken joint or a sagging section, and suddenly a repair has to be planned around a closing date. In Lithonia, as elsewhere, the dig itself is ordinary work, but the timing, the paperwork and the question of who handles it make a sale different.

What a pre-purchase scope can show

A sewer camera inspection follows the line from a cleanout toward the street and records what it finds. Common findings include roots growing through joints, joints that have shifted out of line, low spots where water stands, cracks, and sections that have broken or lost their round shape. Some findings call for cleaning; others mean the pipe has to be dug up and replaced. If the camera cannot get past heavy buildup, the line may need hydro jetting first so the rest of it can be seen.

Turning footage into a repair plan

A video clip on its own does not say how big the job is. To price it fairly, the defect has to be located on the ground, its depth estimated, and the surface over it noted, since a break under a driveway is a very different dig from one under lawn. Ask for a written scope that gives the length of pipe to be replaced, where the repair starts and stops, the pipe material, how the trench will be restored and what happens if more damage turns up once it is open. If the footage shows pipe that is worn but not collapsed, get a price for lining the pipe alongside the dig.

Who handles the repair: buyer or seller

There are a few common paths. The seller can have the line repaired before closing. The parties can agree on a credit at closing and let the buyer arrange the work afterward. Sometimes money is held back at closing until the repair is finished. Each has trade-offs: a seller-arranged repair gets done sooner, while a buyer-arranged one lets the new owner choose the contractor and the scope. Your agent or closing attorney can explain how these arrangements are written up; the plumbing side is simply making sure the scope is clear whichever path you choose.

Lithonia's permit rules during a sale

Lithonia's Building and Permitting Division issues trade permits and inspects the work. Permits go to contractors holding the proper license or to owners who live in the home and file a notarized homeowner affidavit, so a repair arranged before closing by a seller who is about to move out is normally handled by a contractor who pulls the permit.

What a buyer should ask for after a repair

• The permit number and confirmation that the work passed inspection.
• Camera footage of the whole line after the repair, not just the new section.
• A sketch or description of which part was replaced and which is still original.
• The new pipe material and the location of any cleanout added.

A spot repair fixes one point, so if the rest of the line is old clay or cast iron, the buyer should know that going in.

Home sale sewer questions in Lithonia

Should I ask for a sewer scope when buying an older house?

It is worth considering, because a general home inspection does not look inside the buried sewer line. A camera run shows the pipe material and its condition, and it is far easier to negotiate a repair before closing than to discover a broken line after you move in. For a newer house the case is weaker, though problems can still turn up.

Can the seller fix the line with a quick patch before closing?

A spot repair is legitimate when the camera shows one defect in otherwise sound pipe. It is a poor fix when the footage shows trouble at several points. Ask for the before footage, the scope of the repair and a camera run of the entire line afterward, so you can see whether the rest of the pipe is likely to need work soon.

Can I make the repair myself after I move in?

Possibly, once you live there, since Lithonia lets an owner-occupant pull the permit with a notarized affidavit. The paperwork is the easy part, though: a sewer trench can be deep, and the new pipe has to hold a steady fall and pass inspection. Many new owners leave the trench and the pipe to a crew and handle the replanting themselves.

Get a clear scope before closing

Working against a closing date with sewer footage that looks bad? Alpha Plumbing and Sewer can help turn what the camera found into a repair plan that buyer and seller can both understand; call (404) 409-4448.