Every new home or extension needs them and no one wants to do them. Why? It's probably because it's about as much fun as digging a hole. That said they serve an important function and cheap products that are poorly installed generally result in disaster.

The reason they are so important is to ensure adequate and controlled drainage of the water runoff from your roof. All of that water has to go somewhere and without good quality cement soak wells installed under all of the downpipes on your home the ground around your home will sink with every downpour of rain.

The structural integrity of your home can be threatened if they are not installed as well as the inconvenience of sinking paving, pooling water and other associated problems.

Cheap or incorrectly installed DIY versions often result in a combination of the above issues or total collapse which generally means more expense for you. Quality soak wells are not expensive to have installed by experienced professionals so why take the risk?