See exactly what’s wrong before anyone digs.
Sewer work has a reputation problem: big invoices justified by things homeowners never get to see. We work the opposite way — camera first, footage shared, options explained, and the least invasive fix that actually solves it.
Start with the symptom.
Backups at the lowest drain in the house
The classic main-line sign. The lowest fixture — a tub, shower or floor drain — backs up first.
Repeated main-line clogs
If the line needs clearing every few months, something structural is catching debris. Clearing is a treatment, not a cure.
Unusually green or soggy patch in the yard
A leaking lateral fertilizes and saturates the soil above it. Worth investigating before it becomes a collapse.
Sewer smell indoors or out
Can be as simple as a dry trap — or a cracked line venting under the house. We trace it before guessing.
Why it happens here
Much of Sonoma County’s older housing — Petaluma’s Victorians, Santa Rosa’s mid-century neighborhoods, older Sebastopol and Sonoma properties — still drains through clay or cast-iron laterals laid 50 to 100 years ago. Clay joints invite roots; cast iron rusts from the inside out; and ground movement leaves sags (“bellies”) that hold water and debris. Newer ABS lines fail less often, but construction damage and settling still happen.
How we diagnose it
A camera inspection with location marking: we run the camera to the city connection, record the footage, and mark depth and position of any problem from the surface. You watch it with us. The report says what’s actually there — roots, offset joints, bellies, breaks — and what each one means in practical terms.
Repair or replace — our honest rule
A single root intrusion or offset joint can often be handled as a spot repair — excavate a few feet, fix the section, done. A line failing in multiple places is a candidate for replacement, and where conditions allow we can discuss trenchless methods that spare your landscaping and hardscape. What we won’t do is sell a full replacement off a single root in the camera footage.
BeforeAfter
The yard goes back together.
Real Family 1st work: the same side yard during and after the job. Drag the slider — this is the standard your property gets put back to.
From our job sites, not a stock library.
Questions homeowners actually ask
Who owns the sewer lateral — me or the city?
In most Sonoma County jurisdictions the homeowner owns the lateral from the house to the public main, including the section under the sidewalk and street in many cases. That’s why a camera inspection before buying an older home is some of the cheapest insurance available.
Is trenchless sewer replacement an option for my home?
Often, yes — trenchless methods can replace or line a failed lateral with far less digging. It depends on the pipe’s condition, depth and routing, which is exactly what the camera inspection establishes. We’ll tell you honestly whether trenchless fits or whether open-trench is the better value.
How much of my yard gets dug up?
With a located camera inspection we know the problem’s exact position and depth before any digging starts — so a spot repair means a targeted excavation, not an exploratory trench. Where we do open ground, we’re careful with landscaping and put things back properly.
My drains work fine — why would I inspect the sewer?
Two good reasons: you’re buying an older home, or you’re planning a remodel or addition that will load the line. Finding a failing lateral on your schedule is far cheaper than finding it on the pipe’s schedule.
Related services
Serving Santa Rosa · Sebastopol · Windsor · Healdsburg · Petaluma · Sonoma — see the full service area.
Dealing with a sewer repair problem?
Tell us what you're seeing — we'll tell you what it probably is, and what it takes to fix it right.