Roofs and flat roofs
Is a water butt, together with the downpipe shoe, any evidence on overflow soaking the plinth, or only a note of what was visible?
A water butt together with the downpipe shoe is only a note of what was visible. It is not evidence that overflow is soaking the plinth, and it is not evidence that the plinth is dry. The survey saw the butt and the shoe. It has not run the pipe, measured the butt, or decided where water goes when the butt is full. A shoe that stops short of the gully, or a butt with no diverter overflow, can wet the base of the wall. That mechanism was not tested on the day.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
The shoe is the outlet at the foot of a downpipe, meant to throw water into a gully. A water butt interrupts that path so rain is stored. When the butt fills, water still needs a way out. If it spills at the shoe or the rim, it can sit against the plinth at the base of the wall. The surveyor records the fittings and any splash line that was present. A dry day does not show the overflow. No stain proves the arrangement works in rain.
Ask the solicitor how the butt is arranged and where overflow is supposed to go. The seller can show the diverter. If the plinth is marked, a builder can relate the stain to the shoe, which this visit has not proved. Do not remove the observation because a butt is ordinary. The report has not decided the drain below, and it has not called the plinth saturated. It has recorded fittings that need a proper overflow path.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Where does the downpipe shoe discharge relative to the butt?
- Was any overflow route visible, or only the butt itself?
- Did the plinth show staining, or was the base simply noted?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the butt and shoe as fittings, not as a soakage test.
- Ask where the overflow goes when the butt is full.
- Keep any plinth stain as a separate observation.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a gully beside the butt mean the shoe is connected?
A gully in the ground shows a grating nearby. It does not prove the shoe discharges into it, especially if a butt sits in between. The visit did not pour water or lift the grating to test a drain. Connection remains unseen unless the report says the outlet was watched into the gully.
Should the butt be moved before completion?
That is a practical choice for whoever will maintain the house, not a finding of this survey. Moving a butt does not rewrite what was seen, and it does not test the plinth. If overflow is the worry, sort the discharge path and record what was agreed. The report itself has not ordered the butt to be taken away.