Lot with Sewer Manhole - yay or nay ?

Hi all..

Just wondering what's the general opinion out there regarding buying property with sewer manholes ? The manhole is on the back-right corner.

Thanks in advance..

lots of properties have these and no body realises it. I have one that is sealed in the rear of my property, which I have covered up with an inch of soil and atm there is grass over it.. I would prefer its not there however there are other more important thanings that take prioirity when chosen a block. I would just make sure its not going to get in the way of anything. On a smaller block this may be an issue. Although on an easment it may take up space that can be used for other things.

the price should be cheaper than one without the manhole, you realize you will not be able to build over the manhole

I have a sewer vent pipe in the back corner of my yard ..PERFECT for dumping doggie doos, my dog is trained to do his biz next to it.

it's right in the back corner, about a meter away from the corner.

I have oen smack bang in the middle of my front yard. But at the time it was the only block that was titled, in my price range and the size and frontage I needed.

I haven't done landscaping but plan to put a garden bed around it, as a friend of mine also has one smack bang in the middle of the front yard and their turf makes it look a bit silly

We have one in the back corner of our block. It isn't really a big issue. you just need to be aware that where there is a manhole there will be associated sewer pipes and it is these that may cause an issue.
Our block has a 2.5m easement across the entire back of the block because the main sewer lines run through there.
We have had to pier the side of our house because it is built right up to the easement. We sub-divided our block so new all about the easement and just planned the build around it.
As long as you are aware of any easement then I don't see it as a problem.

I have mine right at the front, can't really see it.

as long as there is never a need for someone to come over and open it , should be a problem i guess

Paint it, lay synthetic turf or place a bird bath over it.
...or replace the lid with a toilet pan <<<< whoops I didn't say that...

Thank you all for your replies.. looks like it's not going to be an issue at all.

It looks like there's a "Stormwater drain" on the left hand corner. Does anyone know what that is or what it looks like ? We've still got a couple of days to pull out so just checking.

Block from the engineering plan:
Block: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3939501/block.JPG
Legend: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3939501/Legend.JPG

Cheers..

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac353/regentalltrades/block.jpg

Now you see it....

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i18/kerrynw/Back_before_3_1.jpg

Now you don't....

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i18/kerrynw/Back_after_1_1.jpg

Fantastic Kek!

I have one in my back yard too (and in the most inconvenient spot) it happens to be quite a bit lower than the natural ground level, and we were just going to build a merbau box around it....but if yours is completey covered by something that is easily removable, then grass will be over ours!

We figured the chances of ever having to provide access are slim, but if we do, it's easy to just pull up a couple of pavers and re-lay them again later. The manhole is actually under our path (out of shot in the foreground), so it's mostly gravel with a row of stepping stone pavers.

Grass would be even easier. Just remember to note down the distance it is from a corner of the building or the boundaries or something, so you can dig in the right spot if need be. Otherwise it might look like gophers have attacked the lawn.

No worries. We have had many blocks with sewer manholes. No dramas. Just cant put anything over the top. And remember, a very very very small chance if anything went wrong and council had to come into your block, they wont give a */>% about your fancy garden around it. So design gardens around them.

We have one too, I was never concerned about it. Some great ideas in this thread for covering them (even though your not "meant" to). I was thinking about using those outdoor non-slip rubber tiles you can buy from clark rubber and putting the tramp and swing set over it.

from what I understand, they are placed at junctions or bends, so if the line is going to block, thats the place it will block.

In our last house we had one also and the sewer people came twice in 7 years. One of those times they had to dig up half the backyard fixing a blockage in the line, so unfortunately it does happen. (therefore I think garden lover is on the money designing your garden around them!)

I had one in my last house. It never caused me a issue in the 11 1/2 years i was there and when I sold it none of the 60+ ppl that inspected the house raised it as a question/concern.