On the peninsula, a camera inspection is not optional diligence. It is the difference between buying a house and buying a house plus a sewer replacement.
Before you buy downtown
Standard home inspections exclude the sewer lateral. On a property where that lateral may be original clay from the nineteenth century, running under a brick drive with no access, it is the single largest hidden liability in the transaction. An hour with a camera prices it before you commit.
Before any sewer quote
Ask to see footage. Roots, a belly, a crack and a collapse are four different repairs at four very different prices, and on the peninsula the gap between them is large.
What the footage tells us
- Pipe material and rough era
- Root intrusion and entry points
- Low spots holding water, common where ground has settled
- Cracks, offsets, separated joints
- Whether it can be lined or must be replaced
- Depth and route marked from the surface
Knowing the route matters here
On tight lots with shared drives, simply knowing exactly where the line runs prevents a great deal of unnecessary excavation later.