A new water connection brings mains water from the water company’s network to your property. You might be building a new house, converting a building into flats, splitting one supply into two, or replacing an old pipe that can no longer cope.
The pipe is rarely the hard part. It’s the water company application, a quote that’s higher than you expected, the permit to dig up the road, and chasing different trades to get it all finished.
That’s where we come in. McFadden Utilities is a family-run, WIRS-accredited water contractor based in Welwyn Garden City. We help with the water company application, dig and lay the new pipe, connect it to the main, test it, and put the road or path back as we found it. One team, one quote, one number to call.
We've done hundreds of connections over the years. For clients, it's about getting it done properly without chasing three different contractors. They make the first call to the water company, and we take it from there. The install, the testing, the handback.
Paul McFadden, Director
Send it over. Much of the digging on a new connection is what the rules call contestable work, which means an accredited contractor can do it instead of the water company. When the water company doesn’t have to dig, its own connection charge usually drops, sometimes by more than half.
Whether that saves you money overall depends on the site, and on a short run through a soft verge the saving can be small. We’ll look at your quote and tell you honestly. Our guide to new water connection costs sets out the current charges for Affinity, Thames and Anglian.
Homes built before the 1970s often still have a lead pipe between the main and the house. We find the old pipe, lay a new one (usually MDPE) along the same route or a better one, connect at both ends and make good. Some water companies and councils run schemes that help with the cost, and our guide to lead water pipes explains how the Thames, Affinity and SES schemes work.
On a development, we can run the connections alongside self-lay mains, reinstatement and other utility work with the same teams, on one programme. Subcontract enquiries from developers and main contractors are welcome.
Most single connections follow four steps. The water company's paperwork takes the longest. The work on site is usually a day or two.
Tell us about the property and send over any water company paperwork. We visit, confirm what's needed and help you through the application.
We agree the pipe route with you and the water company, then sort the permits and traffic management if we need to work in the road.
We dig the trench, lay the new pipe, connect it to the main without cutting off your neighbours, and bring it into your property.
We pressure test and chlorinate the new pipe, reinstate the ground to standard, and hand the records over so the water company can sign it off.
Your water company depends on where the property is. Each one runs its own application and sets its own charges every April, so it’s worth knowing which you’re dealing with before you start. Across our area, it’s usually one of three.
Some pockets are served by smaller companies such as Essex & Suffolk Water, SES Water or Cambridge Water, and the process is much the same. Not sure which applies? Send us the site postcode and we’ll tell you.
The questions homeowners, self-builders and developers ask us most.
There are two parts. The water company charges a fixed amount for the connection and the wider network, published every April. On top of that is the cost of digging, laying and reinstating, which depends on how far the pipe runs and whether it crosses a road, path or garden.
Our new water connection cost guide breaks down the current charges for Affinity, Thames and Anglian. For a firm price, send us the site postcode and we’ll come and look.
Either works. The first contact with the water company comes from you as the property owner or developer, but you don’t have to do it alone. Call us first and we’ll talk you through the application, or apply first and send us the water company’s quote and design when they arrive.
Often, but not always. Much of the construction is contestable work, so an accredited contractor like us can do it instead of the water company, and the water company’s own connection charge usually falls when it doesn’t have to dig. On a short run through soft ground the saving can be small. Send us the quote and we’ll tell you honestly whether we can save you money.
Yes. We connect single houses, self-builds and conversions as well as larger developments. The same accredited teams and standards apply whatever the size of the job.
Yes. When a house becomes flats, or an annexe needs its own supply, the water company will usually want each self-contained property on its own supply and meter. We lay the extra connection from the main and the new pipework to each property, including the boundary boxes for the water meters, all to your water company’s requirements.
The work on site is usually a day or two for a single property. The water company’s application and design stage takes longer, from a few weeks to a few months depending on the company and the site. Thames Water, for example, aims to connect within about four months of the permitting agreement. Getting the application right first time is the best way to keep things moving.
The one that supplies the area where the property is. Across our patch that’s usually Affinity Water, Thames Water or Anglian Water. For an existing home, your water bill tells you. For a new plot, send us the postcode and we’ll tell you.
Yes. We find the old lead pipe, lay a new one (usually MDPE) along the same route or a better one, connect at the main and at the property, and put the ground back. Some water companies and councils run schemes that help with the cost, so it’s worth asking yours.
Not quite. Self-lay is when an accredited contractor, rather than the water company, builds the contestable part of the work, which the water company then adopts. Plenty of new connections are done that way, but connections also cover upgrades, replacements and work for main contractors. To self-lay, a contractor has to hold WIRS accreditation, administered by LRQA, and McFadden does. For developer-led schemes with new mains, see our self-lay water services.
We work from our depot in Welwyn Garden City across Hertfordshire, London, Surrey, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Berkshire, and further afield for larger schemes. If you’re not sure we cover your area, send us the site postcode.
Send us the site postcode and a few details, plus your water company quote if you have one. We'll come back to you the same working day. Developers and main contractors welcome too.
Phone: 01707 648 420
Email: [email protected]