Services/Building services

Drainage and rainwater repairs in West London

Gutters, downpipes, soakaways, new runs for extensions and the blocked drain nobody can find.

Daysto weeks, by job
CCTVsurvey before digging
Causefound, not guessed
Oftenthe answer to a damp problem

Listed, vetted and reviewed on

Ogival Ltd, registered in England & Wales no. 15191703 · Public liability insured · NICEIC registered electrical work · Gas Safe registered plumbing and heating

A surprising number of damp and structural problems are drainage problems wearing a disguise. A cracked gully, a downpipe discharging against a wall or a collapsed run under the floor will do more damage over two winters than almost anything else, and none of it announces itself.

What we look for

Gutters and downpipes discharging against walls rather than into a gully — the most common cause of penetrating damp we see.
Collapsed or root-damaged runs, especially where a mature tree is close to the house.
Extensions built over an existing run without diverting it, which becomes someone's problem eventually.

Drainage & rainwater by Ogival in West London

Drainage, gutters and rainwater goods

What's included in a drainage job

Our drainage team handle the whole of it, so there's no second company to chase and no gap between trades for something to fall through.

CCTV drain survey
Blockage clearing
New drainage runs
Drain diversions for extensions
Gully and inspection chamber repairs
Soakaways
Gutter and downpipe replacement
Rainwater harvesting
Below-ground repairs
Ground level corrections

Send a photo of the downpipe

Photograph where the downpipe meets the ground, and the wall next to it. That single photo solves a lot of damp mysteries.

WhatsApp a photo Free site visit and written quote · No obligation

At a glance

ServiceDrainage & rainwater
GroupBuilding services
TypicallyDays to weeks
CoveringWest London
BasedLondon W10

Why Ogival

25 years in London construction
Thirty-one trades under one contractor
Drawings and calculations in-house
A written schedule of works and payments
NICEIC and Gas Safe registered

How we work

Options

What we're usually dealing with

Blocked or collapsed runs

Camera survey first, so the digging happens once and in the right place.

Diversions for extensions

Almost every London extension crosses a run. Moving it properly is cheaper than discovering it later.

Gutters and downpipes

The single most common cause of penetrating damp we find.

Soakaways and surface water

New paving means new run-off, which has to go somewhere legal.

Quickest way to get an answer

Send a photo of the downpipe.

Photograph where the downpipe meets the ground, and the wall next to it. That single photo solves a lot of damp mysteries.

No form, no callback queue, no salesman. Emanuel looks at it himself and tells you what he sees — including the times the answer is that you don't need us.

WhatsApp a photo Call 07428 135100

OOgivalonline

Drain keeps blocking by the back door. Third time this year.

Three times in a year isn't a blockage, it's a defect. Something's collapsed or root-damaged downstream.

Any large trees near that run? And is the gully cracked around the edge?

I'd camera it before anyone digs. Then we dig once, in the right place.

Message

A typical exchange. Usually answered the same day.

How it runs

How a drainage job runs, stage by stage

Four stages, and you'll always know which one you're in.

01
CCTV drain survey
Camera down the run where it isn't obvious, so we dig once and in the right place.
02
Diagnose the defect
What's broken, where, and whether it's your responsibility or the water authority's.
03
Repair or replace the run
Patch, reline or replace the run, and correct the falls.
04
Test and re-survey
Re-tested and, where relevant, re-surveyed so you can see it's right.

Drainage, gutters and rainwater goods

Recent projects

Drainage we've repaired

Gutters, gullies and runs put right — often the answer to a damp problem.

The Grampians, W6Read the case study →

Providence Villas, W12Read the case study →

All our case studies

Permissions

Who owns the drain, and what needs approval

Since 2011 most shared drains outside your boundary belong to the water authority, not you. Knowing which side of that line a defect sits on can be the difference between a bill and a phone call.

Rules change and every property is different. We confirm what applies to yours in writing at the survey rather than leaving you to guess.

Lateral drains and sewers serving more than one property are usually the water authority's
New connections and alterations need building control approval
Surface water must not be discharged to the foul system where separate systems exist
New paving over a certain area needs permeable construction or a soakaway
Building over or near a public sewer requires a build-over agreement

Budget

How much does a drainage cost in London?

We don't publish prices, because a number without a survey is a guess and you'd be right not to trust it. These are the things that actually move it.

Depth of the run and what's above it

Whether it's under a building or a garden

Access for excavation

Whether a new soakaway is needed

Scaffolding for high-level gutters

How long does a drainage job take?

Days to weeks on site for a typical job in West London, though the drawings, permissions and party wall process before it can add longer. We give you a written programme with the quote so you can see both.

A site visit and a written quote cost nothing, and the quote comes with a written schedule of works so you can see what every stage is for.

WhatsApp a photo

Before you appoint anyone

Four questions to ask before you hire anyone for drainage work

Ask them of us as well. The answers tell you more than the number at the bottom of the page — and a contractor who can't answer them quickly is telling you something too.

Ask us right now

01
Ask for a camera survey before anyone quotes for excavation
02
Ask whether the defect is inside your boundary or the water authority's
03
Ask whether lining is an option before digging up the garden
04
Get the post-repair survey, so you can see it's actually fixed

What clients say

Word of mouth, written down.

Left by Ogival customers on MyBuilder and TrustATrader

I have used this company for years for many different jobs including painting my whole house, tiling my bathroom, laying flooring, astroturfing my garden and putting up fences. Very knowledgeable, professional and polite. If you want a company that care, I'd stick with Ogival.

★★★★★Repeat client, MyBuilder

Ogival has a friendly and professional team. Our new bathroom looks great and we're very happy with the choice of products used and the quality of their work.
★★★★★New bathroom, MyBuilder

Great communication, polite workers and excellent tidying up afterwards. Definitely recommend.
★★★★★Painting and maintenance, MyBuilder

They were professional, polite, easy to get hold of and easy to deal with. They did a great deal of work for me including building an internal wall, moving a bathroom, carpentry, electrics and plumbing, they re-rendered my balcony, relaid the decking and repainted the whole flat.
★★★★★Full flat refurbishment

I have used this company for years for many different jobs including painting my whole house, tiling my bathroom, laying flooring, astroturfing my garden and putting up fences. Very knowledgeable, professional and polite. If you want a company that care, I'd stick with Ogival.
★★★★★Repeat client, MyBuilder

Ogival has a friendly and professional team. Our new bathroom looks great and we're very happy with the choice of products used and the quality of their work.
★★★★★New bathroom, MyBuilder

Great communication, polite workers and excellent tidying up afterwards. Definitely recommend.
★★★★★Painting and maintenance, MyBuilder

They were professional, polite, easy to get hold of and easy to deal with. They did a great deal of work for me including building an internal wall, moving a bathroom, carpentry, electrics and plumbing, they re-rendered my balcony, relaid the decking and repainted the whole flat.
★★★★★Full flat refurbishment

He replaced eroded bricks and once the wall was dry replastered ready to decorate. Work was delayed because he uncovered wet rot in the ceiling joists. He fixed the cause of those leaks. Throughout this saga Ogival has been professional, reliable, extremely thorough and honest.
★★★★★Exterior leak repairs, MyBuilder

I found them really helpful and honest. They went out of their way to help. They also finished on time and left the place spotless.
★★★★★Renovation, TrustATrader

I decided to go with them as I liked their ideas and Emanuel knew what he was talking about. He made floor to ceiling units, redecorated my room and laid laminate flooring. I have no hesitation in recommending them.
★★★★★Bespoke joinery, TrustATrader

Good finishing.
★★★★★Mohammed D., MyBuilder

He replaced eroded bricks and once the wall was dry replastered ready to decorate. Work was delayed because he uncovered wet rot in the ceiling joists. He fixed the cause of those leaks. Throughout this saga Ogival has been professional, reliable, extremely thorough and honest.
★★★★★Exterior leak repairs, MyBuilder

I found them really helpful and honest. They went out of their way to help. They also finished on time and left the place spotless.
★★★★★Renovation, TrustATrader

I decided to go with them as I liked their ideas and Emanuel knew what he was talking about. He made floor to ceiling units, redecorated my room and laid laminate flooring. I have no hesitation in recommending them.
★★★★★Bespoke joinery, TrustATrader

Good finishing.
★★★★★Mohammed D., MyBuilder

Read them in full on MyBuilder, TrustATrader and Houzz.

Where we work

Drainage & rainwater across West London.

Drainage and rainwater work across West London, where Victorian runs, mature street trees and later extensions built over them cause most of the failures.

Ogival, W10 5DW
Everyday patch, within 10 miles
Regular work, 10 to 20 miles
By arrangement, out to 30 miles

Where we do this most

Outside this? Ask anyway. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right firm for the journey.

Questions we get asked

The things people ring up about.

The questions that come up on the phone most often, answered the way we'd answer them on site.

Do I need a drain survey?

If you have recurring blockages, unexplained damp at low level, or you're buying a period property, a camera survey is cheap compared with the alternative.

Who is responsible for a shared drain?

Usually the water authority once it leaves your boundary or serves more than one property, but there are exceptions. We'll tell you what we find and who to call.

Can you fix a drain without digging up the garden?

Sometimes — lining and patch repairs avoid excavation in the right circumstances. The survey decides.

Can a blocked gutter really cause damp?

Yes, and it's one of the most common causes we find. Fixing a two-hundred-pound gutter problem often solves a damp problem quoted at thousands.

The rest of what we do

Drainage & rainwater, and thirty other things we do

Most jobs pull in more than one of these. Having them all under the same roof is what stops a project stalling for three weeks waiting on somebody else's diary.

Building servicesDamp proofing

Building servicesWaterproofing & tanking

Building servicesGardens & landscaping

Building servicesPlumbing & heating

Building servicesElectrical

Building servicesExternal cleaning

Building servicesRoofing

Construction, structural & civilsHouse extensions

See all thirty-one services

Start here

Tell us what you're planning.

A site visit and a written quote cost nothing. If the job isn't right for us, we'll say so and point you somewhere better.

Free, no-obligation site visit and written quote
You deal with Emanuel, not a sales rep
A written schedule of works and payments before anything starts
Covering Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham

07428 135100 info@ogival.co.uk

WhatsApp a photo See the case studies