SoakawayInstallationinBournemouth&Poole
Sized from a real percolation test, not a guess, so it copes with the worst week of the winter and not just the day of the quote.
- Supports building control and septic sign-off
- Installed by qualified groundworkers, not subbed out
- Covered by a two-year workmanship warranty
- 2 yearsWarranty on work
- Owner-ledOne team throughout
- In-houseBy our own team
- CSCS · SSSTS · NVQ 2Qualified team
What a Soakaway Actually Does
A soakaway is a below-ground chamber, usually a stack of crates wrapped in geotextile, that takes surface water, roof water or overflow from a treatment plant and lets it soak away into the ground around it rather than into the public drains. Sizing it starts with a percolation test, which times how fast the ground actually takes water. We size every soakaway from that result, not a guess, so it copes with the worst week of the winter rather than just the day of the quote.
How We Get a Soakaway Right
Three steps, in order, from the first look to the paperwork.
01We Assess and Test
We look at where the water is coming from and where it is going. Trial pits and a percolation test tell us what the ground can actually take.
02We Size and Quote
The soakaway is sized from the test result, not a guess, and priced on a fixed quote before anything is dug.
03We Install and Sign It Off
Dug in, connected, tested and reinstated, with building control paperwork provided where the job needs it.
BRE 365
Percolation test standard used
A few days
Typical soakaway and run install
15+
Years in groundworks and landscaping
Sign-off
Building control paperwork provided
What's Included as Standard
The detail behind the quote.
Percolation Test First
Trial pits timed to measure how fast the ground actually takes water, so the soakaway is sized to the test, not guessed.
Crate System Built to Size
Modular crates wrapped in geotextile, sized and laid to soak away the volume the test says the ground can handle.
Falls and Connections Set Properly
Pipework laid to falls that actually drain, connected in cleanly rather than bodged onto what is already there.
Backfilled, Reinstated and Signed Off
Ground made good and building control paperwork provided where the job needs it.
Pricing
What a Soakaway Costs
Sized from a test, then priced
A soakaway is priced off what the ground can actually take, and that is what a percolation test measures. Until that number exists, any figure is a guess. Once we have it we size the soakaway, work out the run and the depth, and give you one fixed, itemised quote covering the test, the dig and putting the ground back.
- Percolation test first, so the size is measured rather than assumed
- One fixed quote covering the test, the dig and the reinstatement
- Building control paperwork included where the job needs it
How the Job Runs
Three steps, from the first look to the paperwork.
Assess and Test
We work out where the water is coming from and dig trial pits. A percolation test times how fast the ground takes water.
Design and Quote
The soakaway is sized to the test result and priced on a fixed quote, agreed before any digging starts.
Install, Test and Reinstate
Dug in, connected and tested, then backfilled and the ground made good. Sign-off paperwork provided where the job needs it.
Soakaways We've Installed
Drainage work happens underground, so most of what we do never gets seen once it is backfilled. These are the moments in between.
What Our Drainage Customers Say
Feedback from homeowners across Bournemouth and Poole who have had a soakaway or drainage system installed.
Natasha Coombes
Really happy with our garden transformation. We went to Four Groundworks and landscaping for the installation of a land drain, soak away, new garden pathway and barked play area. However, as with any project nothing is ever straight forward and we had to pivot with the plan and instead they installed a land drain directly into our house drainage which was a much bigger task than originally quoted. As well as adding on installation of artificial grass. They offered a competitive quote, did a great job and left the site clean. We'll be sure to use them again for future projects.
Drainage and Groundwork, Done Locally
A wider set of real projects is on its way.
The Questions Worth Asking Before You Dig
Answered honestly, not smoothed over.
Will This Actually Fix It?
We size every soakaway from a percolation test, not a guess. If the test says the ground needs something different, we build for that, not for what was quoted before we'd seen it.
Will My Garden Be Left in a State?
Digging for a soakaway is messy for a couple of days. Turf is lifted and kept where possible, spoil is muck-awayed as we go, and the ground is reinstated once it is backfilled.
How Do You Know What Size to Build?
A percolation test times how fast the ground takes water. That result sets the size, not an assumption based on the last job.
What You Can See, and What It Actually Means
Self-diagnosis usually gets the cause wrong. Here is what each symptom is really telling you.
Garden floods after heavy rain
What it actually isUsually not the rainfall itself. It is where the water is arriving from and where it currently has nowhere to go.
What it needsA percolation test shows what the ground can take, and a soakaway sized to that result gives the water somewhere to go.
Patio or driveway puddles in the same spot every time
What it actually isFalls that were never set correctly when the surface went down, or a run that was never connected to anything.
What it needsWe reset the falls and tie the surface into a soakaway or channel drain so the water actually leaves.
Existing soakaway keeps backing up
What it actually isOften undersized for the ground it is in, or silted up after years without maintenance.
What it needsWe test the ground again and rebuild to the size it actually needs, not the size that was guessed originally.
New Soakaway Installation: What Drives Soakaway Cost
Soakaway installation sits under Building Regulations Part H, and in practice that means position, size and distance from buildings, boundaries and drains all have to be worked out for the actual site rather than assumed. Soakaway crate installation also needs to account for what's already in the ground nearby, from existing drains to tree roots and services. That gets worked out before a design is fixed, not after.
What actually moves the price is the ground itself: how deep the soakaway needs to go, how far the run has to travel, and how easy the site is to get plant onto. None of that is knowable without seeing it, which is why every job is priced after a visit and a test rather than from a rate card.
The most common failure is a soakaway sized from a guess rather than a test, too small for the ground it is in, or sited somewhere the water was always going to sit. Ground varies from one garden to the next even within Bournemouth and Poole, from free-draining sand to heavier clay and made ground, which is exactly why we test the actual site rather than assume from the postcode. Soakaway installers who skip that step are the ones whose work floods on the first wet winter.
Soakaway Installation Questions
Answered plainly, before you have to ask.
Why is my garden flooding?
Usually not because of how much rain fell, but where the water is coming from and where it currently has nowhere to go. We find the source before we design anything.
Do I need a percolation test, and what actually is one?
A percolation test times how fast the ground takes water using trial pits. The result tells us exactly what size soakaway your garden needs, rather than guessing.
How much does a new soakaway cost?
It depends on the ground, the access and the size the test says you need, so every job is priced after we've seen the site. Get a fixed quote once the ground has been tested.
Will a soakaway satisfy building control or my builder?
Yes, where the job needs it. We provide the paperwork as part of the install.
How long does it take to install a soakaway?
A percolation test is usually a short visit on its own. A full soakaway and drainage run is usually a matter of days once it is designed and quoted.
What qualifications and accreditations do you hold?
CSCS, Street Works (NRSWA), SSSTS and NVQ Level 2, alongside a Diploma in Groundworks. The business is an approved Checkatrade member and holds Google Guaranteed status, with over 15 years in the industry behind it.
Related Drainage Work
If a soakaway isn't quite what you're after, this might be.
Soakaway Installation Across Bournemouth and Poole
Based in Bournemouth, working across the wider patch.
Poole
Ground varies from free-draining sand near the harbour to heavier clay further inland, so soakaways here get sized from a test, not a guess.
Poole coverageChristchurch
Older properties and mature gardens mean existing drainage runs are not always where you would expect. We check before we design.
Christchurch coverageFerndown
We've carried out groundworks and drainage preparation on this side of Bournemouth before, so the ground here is familiar to us.
Ferndown coverageWimborne Minster
A short run out from Bournemouth. Same fixed-price approach, same two-year warranty on the work.
Wimborne Minster coverageGet a free quote
Tell us what you need and we'll come back with a price. No pressure, no hard sell.
Prefer to talk? Call Four Groundworks & Landscaping on 07886 075828
Soakaways we have installed recently
A soakaway is sized to the ground it sits in, and once it is backfilled there is nothing left to see. We photograph the crates open and post them to our Instagram.
See more on Instagram