ᐅ Have the sewer connection from the house carried out by a civil engineering contractor?

Hello everyone,

For our construction project, I am currently trying to obtain cost estimates for utility connections. I have already received rough estimates from the electricity provider and the water utility. Since a sewer connection is already available on the property, I assume I should contact the city’s civil engineering department.

So, a quick question: Who is usually responsible for carrying out the sewer connection from the house? The city? A civil engineering contractor?

Thanks in advance.

Greetings from rainy Aachen
Christian

Good morning,
in our case, the civil engineer handled that (as in the neighboring area too). Of course, the appropriate building permit / planning permission had to be obtained beforehand.

We also have the civil engineer on site.

Sewer / inspection chamber connection: civil engineer
Electricity / fresh water: municipal utilities
Gas: Netze BW
Telecom / fiber optic: Leonhard Weiss

After numerous phone calls, I found out that Netze BW also contracted Leonhard Weiss. This meant I had to coordinate the two different site managers so that only one trench would need to be opened. The municipal utilities used their own subcontractor again. After a long back and forth, they also awarded the contract to Leonhard Weiss.

In the end, Leonhard Weiss will come in about 2 weeks, dig the trench once, and install all house connections using the already installed multi-utility duct. It was really a struggle, but it saves a lot of costs since not everyone opens the trench separately. The site manager from Leonhard Weiss said everything will be done in one day.

ONeill schrieb:
Hello everyone,

For our construction project, I am currently trying to obtain cost estimates for the utility connections. I have already received rough estimates from the electricity provider and the water utility. Since a sewer connection is already available on the property, I should contact the city’s civil engineering department.

So a quick question: Who is usually hired to carry out the sewer connection from the house? The city? A civil engineering contractor?

Thanks in advance.

Greetings from rainy Aachen
Christian

Hello Christian,

This matter varies somewhat from city to city.

In any case, you need to submit a so-called drainage application to the building authority (here in Velbert, it is part of the building permit application). Without an approved drainage application, the construction will likely face problems later on.

It’s good that a sewer connection is already on the property.
Is a manhole or inspection chamber required, or is it already in place?

Most likely, coordinating early on with the local sewer system supervisor (civil engineering department) is very helpful. This is where you discuss how the work will be carried out and what requirements must be met. Additional permits may be required for opening the street or tapping into the connection.
Not every civil engineering company is authorized or capable of performing the necessary work; cities may set specific requirements here.

We coordinated with the sewer system supervisor very early on.
That’s why this process went smoothly for us. Several nearby projects started building without coordination and later had to demolish and redo everything.

Please keep in mind that after connection, a tightness test (leakage test) will also be carried out, which can cost several hundred euros.

Best regards
Thorsten

Hello Christian,

ONeill schrieb:

So a quick question: Who is usually hired to carry out the sewer connection from the house? The city? A civil engineering contractor?

Usually, only companies licensed by the city are allowed to install the sewer connection from the street to your property; typically in a branch up to 1.00 meter (3.3 feet). After that, you can hire any civil engineering contractor of your choice to connect your house to the branch—usually between 0.50 and 1.00 meter (1.6 and 3.3 feet)—for the final internal connection.

I say “usually” because I have recently encountered cases where it was not necessary to hire a licensed company for this. So check with the city’s civil engineering department (or planning department) in Aachen beforehand to clarify the requirements for sewer connections; that way, you will know exactly how to proceed.

Best regards, Bauexperte

Oops... I really should read more carefully.

You can hire any trusted civil engineer for the internal infrastructure work; the “public” connection is already available on your property.

However, I would recommend postponing this until you have finalized which builder you will work with. Close coordination is rarely a mistake; moreover, many architects or building supervisors have established contacts, which can lead to savings, such as shorter distances.

As a rough estimate, you can expect costs of around €80.00 to €90.00 per linear meter (approximately $85 to $95 per linear yard) for initial budgeting regarding the sewer system.

Best regards,
Bauexperte