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Good luck with the soil pipe, Freddy. I assume that, although 50 years old (did you bake a cake?), it is 110mm plastic and therefore susceptible to easy alteration with push-fit or solvent-weld fittings of current manufacture. A few observations: 1. With a 40mm waste, a very gradual gradient will usually be fine unless the run is longer than about 3m (which is far from ideal anyway). 25mm/m will be perfectly OK - anything greater can lead to the flow being too rapid with an increased danger of 'pulling' the trap. For 32mm, increase to 40mm/m or more if the run is greater than about 1.7m - or run in 40mm pipe. 2. Whilst bath and basin wastes are best connected to stack separately, it is not essential and they can join before stack - helpful if space is tight or to avoid duplicating pipe runs (especially if basin run would be long). Using an anti-vac trap will avoid the flow in one pipe pulling the other trap. 3. I see your concern about WC connections being better below waste pipe connections, although WC waste most unlikely to block any lower waste inlet, but the latter should be at least 200mm lower. Do however avoid two waste connections at same level being opposite one another - but they can be at 90 degrees. A short boss pipe [http://www.toolstation.com/search?searchstr=32314 24326] is a handy and compact means of connecting wastes if the WC branch does not have bosses suitably located. Make sure you get the right rubber adaptor to fit each boss you use - not all makes of boss are the same internal diameter, and also pipe may be 32 or 40mm of course. 4. I assume that, although internal, your soil pipe goes on through the ceiling/wall/roof to vent above the eaves. (Unusual to do otherwise 50 years ago.) Have you considered fitting an internal air admittance valve instead (above overflow level of highest appliance connected - probably a basin): [http://www.toolstation.com/search?searchstr=45005 77893] ? This can save space and eliminate unsightly higher pipework but of course will need old exit holes etc to be blocked/made good. 5. I'm sure your WC connection will be OK. The connectors have a fair amount of give in them and you could always use a flexible connector if really necessary, although they are not pretty. 6. If you don't have a rodding access conveniently below the WC connection(s), it may be worthy adding one - ideally where you need to join pipe anyway: [http://www.toolstation.com/search?searchstr=69732 72361] 7. Don't forget to allow for small expansion of waste pipes, especially with solvent weld, e.g. if pipe runs vertically through a hole in floor and may get pushed against side. 8. The common shallow bath trap has, strictly, insufficient seal depth when connected to soil pipe and can get pulled (so smells get into bathroom thru plug'ole). A 3" seal is preferable if space below bath allows - cut a hole in floor if necessary to take trap bend. 9. However tempting/convenient/pleasurable it may be, do NOT wear stilettos when standing in a bath to do work above. Wear wedges instead.

During part of the last weekend, I'd finally made a start on replacing/re-positioning the main internal soil stack. I will only gain about 10-12 inches of space, but it also gives me some room for new supply-pipe runs for the all-direct (combi) heating/hot-water system. A good job I didn't price it up before-hand. Pipework is costing .... About half done. Mrs Freddy has a working bath, but we don't have a working toilet on the upper floor at the mo'. I don't want to risk upsetting my pipework bodge and leave us bath-less, until she has a day or two off work. Back when we bought the house originally, she had to have a strip wash as the gaff was so dirty, she wouldn't use the bathroom until it had been sanitised. She is reluctant to start doing this again, especially at 5.30am anyway, and I don't blame her. In my defence, had I two sets of every conceivable bit of pipework and joint I might need, it's a job that could (and should) have been completed in a couple of days. The worst bit being the removal of 50 year old (used) soil pipe. A couple of hiccups included removing the two pipe clips that were NAILED into joists, and finding a (less than perfect) way to get the ground floor soil stack vertical, despite where the heating engineer had placed new hot-water pipes for the replacement boiler 6 years ago. When the older boiler goes, so will the pipework which will allow the soil pipe to sit unbent. (I've had to put a slight curve in it to get the pipework above in the right place.) The new installation looks prettier, with adequate clipping, unlike before. Some bathrooms have a single waste for bath and sink, we don't, and I want to keep that to avoid siphoning and the increased noise a single waste can cause. Originally the bath waste led to the stack underneath the toilet connection (???) The new arrangement means the (plain) water running from the sink and bath, will now help carry toilet debris away in a slightly more effective manor. (No outlet to catch debris on its downward journey.) I had perceived the big problem would be getting the toilet connection in roughly the right place. At the moment (since the toilet isn't connected) it doesn't look like it's going to be a big deal after all. Getting the right point for the bath waste to join has been much harder. The run is 1.7m long, and the bath outlet -obviously- starts pretty low when it leaves the bath... Mine isn't the cheapest solution by any means, but I have high hopes the new arrangement will work. I have found room to drop 50mm over the length of the pipe run, and have a little more if needed. For 40mm waste, I reckon 20mm minimum to 30mm maximum per metre should be about right. 25mm per metre is recommended - research suggests. The older arrangement that I will need to completely replace, didn't have any pipe clips holding it up either ... My neighbour is insistent the original builders here produced a good quality product ... My experiences suggest otherwise ... In fact it rather looks like anyone claiming to be plumbing/heating qualified tradesman that has worked here, were plainly 'passed' with the lowest possible marks. I'm not saying anything is "bad" as such, just nothing is close to being "good" (or well thought out) either. 'Minimum possible' would cover it. P.S. Thinking about it, I AM saying it's bad. I've just reminded myself of how much pipework sits against floorboards.... Cowboys.