There are different types of septic fields and it will depend on the soil what type you need. Some types do not require you to dig up a lot of trees, they can weave the lines between the trees.

How far away the pool needs to be and where the septic field can be located are questions you need to ask at the county building office. When we had our lot tested for septic field locations, there were only certain places on the 7 acres that would work. So, you cannot necessarily decide you want the septic tank and field in the front yard.

How expensive it is depends on the type of system needed. Some systems are very expensive. Also, does your county require a perc test or do they require soils analysis? Here in Chatham county they require a soils analysis. Your best bet is to go down to the county building office and ask them your questions.

Don't ever buy land without a recent perk test. We paid up front ($280, IIRC), and made the sale contingent on the results. While problem lots can sometimes be made to work, the results are usually expensive, and often ugly or high maintenance. The rules on septic systems have gotten much tougher, so don't go by an old test or approval. In our case, the perk test was also considered a permit for the system, and was good for 5 years. We just made it under the wire, and the installer said that we would have had to redesign the system under the new rules, so it was a good thing we made it. As dekeboe said, only your building department can give you an exact answer.

In our area the County Health department oversees septic systems. When a new subdivision is built, the county determines the type and size of septic system that is permitted. I assume that testing is required to be completed by the developer. In my neighborhood there are mound systems, field systems and very recently a Presby system (I think that is a brand used for a specific system type). All of the systems are permitted for four bedrooms.

The perc test mentioned in the FSBO ads likely means that the process for a permit was started. Whether the local approving body issued a permit or approval is a different story. Depending on the process in the area a perc test is one of the few tests completed by someone else that I would be inclined to trust after a little research.

It can be placed anywhere, but your local permitting body will likely make the determination of where it can go. The location will often dictate the type of system needed.

We also have a pool. The actual septic tank is about 25-30 feet away. More important than the tank is that the "drainage" area is in the opposite direction of the pool. We were working with what is probably a larger lot so this was easy to do.

The cost for installation was greater than hooking up to city sewer, but we do not have a monthly sewer bill. Every few years we have the tank pumped for a couple hundred dollars.

Costs, location, permitting, and oversight are really local issues. Even in my neighborhood there was a lot of variance on cost. For example we were able to use the dirt from our basement excavation for our system so didn't have to pay for that. A neighbor without a basement had to pay for dirt thus his system was much more expensive. Another neighbor didn't have enough dirt from excavation and also had to pay to haul in more.

I would strongly suggest you start with a call to the local Health department or whichever local governing body oversees septic systems.

While we are on the topic, we recently had our perc test. We will have a septic tank and drain field. We will be mowing about 1-1.4 acres of lawn and the drain field will be in the mowed area. We both love the look of an expansive mowed lawn.

Does anyone know if there are drain field vent pipes that are either flush with the ground or very low profile? I'd hate to have a bunch of white PVC vents sticking out of the lawn if possible.

Mini Soda: Our drain field is in our lawn area. There aren't any vent pipes in the ground. Are there in some configurations? Our vent pipe(s) are on our roof. The drainfield does have end caps on each end of each line. The grass covers those.

Okay, none of this makes me feel particularly good.

I don't mind paying for a new test (and would never, ever spend on a lot until I KNEW it would build), but the idea of a septic tank forcing my hand in exactly where I can lay out my house and my pool ... I don't like.

Yet the lot we're talking about is nice for so many reasons:

- It's in a very large community on a nice lake ... and across the lake is a state park /mountain view.

- Club house, community pool, tennis courts, and lots of nice, heavily wooded walking trails. And reasonable yearly dues.

- It's a very social community, and I feel sure we'd fit in well.

- The lot we're looking at would be "third row back" from the lake itself (no actual lakefront lots remain), but it backs up to a 2.5 acre pond ... so we'd have a small pond at the foot of our house, the big lake very close by ... and it's only about three blocks from the club house and community boat slips.

- I'm saying "lot", but in actuality, three adjacent lots are available, and the price is such that we can afford to own a triple lot.

- The neighborhood doesn't have a "cookie cutter look" to it; that is, the houses vary widely: Some are mini-mansions, especially those right on the river, but most are modest in size and could be described as middle class. The house we have in mind, at 1905 sf, would fit in nicely.

- It's a gated community and very safe rural area.

Still, I'm not without concerns:

- It's across the river from the county where we really want to live. It's easy to say "just across the bridge", but across that bridge is a whole different world: There's NOTHING on that side of the bridge -- no shopping, no restaurants, no services. So we'd CONSTANTLY be crossing that wide bridge ... and then it's about 15 miles into town. Every time we need someone to come out to the house (to service the HVAC or whatever), we're going to have a limited number of people who will come out that far, and we'll pay extra for their distance. I grew up like that: Nothing was ever close, and it gets old. You can't JUST run out to the grocery store for a couple things or go out for lunch.

- I don't know where my children will "land" after college, but I'd like to think they'd be close to me. I'd like to think that we'll live close to our grandchildren and can provide childcare for them. Unless our children work from home, a professional job "across the bridge" is just not realistic.

So, I'm concerned about the septic tank idea -- and y'all have not made me feel better about the idea! But I wanted honest answers, not platitudes. And I don't love the location. My husband dreams of living on the lake, and I think I'd enjoy that community, and I really like the lot(s) ... but, seeing my thoughts laid out in black and white, I fear it isn't for us.

MiniSoda, in our old house, the septic tank was in the backyard, under the lawn. We had no white pipes sticking up. It never gave us any problems; and, in fact, I never thought about it at all.

I'm just trying to get a feel for how it came to be in that location, and how much work went into it!

In my location (MA), the septic typically goes in the front yard and the well in the backyard. I don't know the sizes of the lots, but if you are considering a triple lot, then I don't see why you wouldn't have enough space for what you need.

Yes, you need to do more research before you would buy this lot, but I don't really understand why it's such a deal breaker for you.

Butternut, I won't say the septic is a complete deal breaker.

I have three lots on my short list right now (plus the 45 acres I already own, which IS still a very viable possibility, and my house plan fits perfectly on my acreage), and this lot is both the best and the worst: I love the community and the idea of living on the river /near the state park w/ mountains. But the surrounding community is not what we want (because it is super rural and far from family).

Heaped on top of that, the septic is one more reason to look at my other two options.

Each of my four current options has its pros and cons.

We will have a septic system on a rural piece of property and I commented to a neighbor that the best place to build a septic system our our property according to the county is not really where we want the house. His comment was, You tell the county where you want the house and they will tell you how to design the septic system. In other words, you can make it work. But the trade off might be costs. If the soil doesn't drain well where we want the house, then we can move the system to where the soil does drain and the septic system can be engineered to work.

It seems the answer to every house building question is, oh, sure, you can do that but it might be expensive. Anything is possible for a price!

much depends on where you are....we live south of houston, tx on almost 4 acres in a subdivision that's a bit far removed from shopping, etc ....it's a good 15 minutes to a town of more than 10,000 but that doesn't bother us, we lived in houston and rarely went shopping (except for groceries etc) i usually shop about twice a week and keep an ice chest in my car for "ice cream, milk, meat and produce" but that's no real problem
about septic tanks ......... we've lived with them three times in our married lives 2 were no problems, the third we had to replace a week after we moved in (house was 40 yrs old and the drain lines were surrounded by oyster shells which had basically turned to concrete over time we found out later that the people who lived there before us did not cook, do laundry or much else that required water usage and had the tank pumped weekly) what a disaster of course it passed inspection because it was pumped so recently....
99 percent of the people in our area install aerobic systems --- these are mini water treatment systems and you actually get trained on their use (like a couple of hours training)
they get inspected by the texas railroad commission occasionally other than that, unless a pump goes out they work even in a flood
in arkansas they apparently do not even allow those systems to be built????
the aerobic system requires less "lawn and tree" damage and isn't priced exorbitantly (or more people would install traditional systems)
i wouldn't let either of these "problems" keep me from living where i wanted to live
we were able to place the well and septic (and house) exactly where we wanted them-but if the location had not been satisfactory we would have been required to place it where "they" wanted it

Nanj, As for "anything for a price", yes, I've heard that. I've heard it said that you CAN BUILD on any lot, any where ... but it may be expensive, and it may be high maintenance.

Since I own land that'll work perfectly well ... and since I'm -- well, not in love, but definitely in like -- with three other lots, I'm not willing to perform financial gymnastics to make something work.

If we were looking at THE LAST LOT in THE NEIGHBORHOOD, maybe we'd feel differently.

Zippity1, yes, I've lived in places where we were far from ... everything, and it's totally workable. But right now I live in a place where I can be at the grocery store in five minutes, doctor's office in ten, work in five ... and I like it. Since we're talking about our retirement home, I want to be close enough to amenities that I won't have to drive long distances.

The town where I really want to be is small ... but growing. It has two grocery stores, a number of restaurants, a newly built library, a primary care physician, and a number of other things that appeal. It's 30 minutes from the small city where I live now, which would afford us specialists and a variety of things not available in the small town. And an hour away is the biggest city in our state. As I said, that's where I'd really like to be, AND it's a low cost area.

In my experience most places now require an actual soul rest but even if they don't, I'd rather have that then a perc test. Perc test is too variable based on soil moisture content when it is done. We have clay soil and in summer it could absorb a huge amount of water vs. none in a wet spring like this one. We to have an aerobic system which does not require a leach field and works even when the ground is saturated because you pump out clean chlorinated water through the sprinklers. Definitely need tolerance what type are legal in your area and the pros and cons of each

We are building a house in Arkansas. The State Health Dept. has TOTALLY been in charge of our septic tank system and where it will be located. We are building a 3 bedroom house and the cost will be around $4000. We are ready to begin the installation BUT the State Health Dept. will not let the installation begin because it is too wet and we just had a thunderstorm move though with quite a bit of rain. The septic tank installation will probably be the big delay in moving into our house.

We are building with a septic on 3 acres in Central California. We are across the street from a river and have a fairly high water table, because of this we are having to install an Aerated Septic. It will cost roughly 2 times more than a standard but in talking with installers and neighbors, it should never need pumped. Our bids are coming in at around 15k to service 4 b ed with 3.5 bath 2400sqf.

Ps. My old name on gw was Mrsfireman

Mrs. Pete,

I live on a lake and love it. We each drive approx. 35 miles to work in the city and find lake living well worth the commute. My husband says, since living on a lake, he doesn't think he would buy anything that wasn't waterfront. Having said that, I also lived in a house with a septic tank. We lived there for 20 years and most of that time was without incident. However, when something goes wrong it's inconvenient, expensive and just plain yucky. Finally, when living on a lake surrounded by septic systems, your lake can be impacted. In essence, you are dependent upon all of your neighbors maintaining all systems properly. When we were considering lake property there were a couple that actually had impaired water quality due to the number, types, size or age of the septic systems surrounding it. It's really hard to discount the beauty and peace of sunset on the lake though. So many positives and possible negatives. It's great to have choices.

The health department is also in charge where I'm located. Our plumber just stubbed out his lines in a location on the side of the house opposite of the garage/driveway. We are having ours installed as soon as it dries up from all the rain we've had. Ours is $3700 including a pump for a 4 bedroom/3 bath home. Once you go to 5 bedrooms here, you are required to have a larger system at increased cost. We have a 5th room, but it's an office and labeled as such on our plans. The health department is who determined that from our plans and issued the permit. We couldn't get a building permit here without first securing a permit for the septic from the health department. I'm in SW Louisiana.

Just heard back from the guy that did our perc... we are on a bluff and apparently the bed rock is shallow. So, we will need to do a mound system. I'm really hoping they can avoid it being an eye sore! We planned to mow over it, but might keep it natural so it's not as obvious.

It's not generally so much that the county tells you where you can put your house, etc, but that by the time you consider where YOU want your house PLUS whatever the setback requirements are from the property line PLUS whatever other locational requirements there are (esp. if you or your neighbors have wells, for ex.) then there will only be a few suitable locations left. But designs vary greatly depending on local regs, soil conditions, etc.

Still, it is sounding to me like you are sort of looking for reasons to nix this idea, based on other aspects of the location. In a similar situation, I ask myself if I didn't have the option to buy this, would I feel disappointment or relief?

So soil test trumps perc test? Meaning, it's more comprehensive? This neighborhood has a 3-day a week office; I'll call them tomorrow and see who's done the other tests in the neighborhood.

I'm interested to hear that on this thread two people have paid roughly 4K for a septic tank, while another poster paid significantly more at 15K. Because our circumstances sound more alike (across street from lake), I suspect ours would be on the higher end. Of course, I'm balancing this against the cost of "hooking onto" city water in the other areas we're considering -- that's not exactly free, as we all know. BUT once you're on city water, you're less likely to incur maintenance bills later.

Gamacar, I hear you when you say you love the lake and find the drive "worth the time cost", but I'm not sure I'd be on the same page.

Lori, I'm kind of on the bubble between looking for reasons to nix the idea. I really do like so many things about this neighborhood -- for several reasons, I think I'd be happier IN this neighborhood than in the others we're considering -- but once you pass the security gate and leave the neighborhood, there's really nothing positive to say. You know that people say that three things sell houses: Location, location, location.

Truthfully, none of the lots we're considering right now are ABSOLUTELY IT!

Mrspete - we are one of the $4000 installs. Our building site is also on a lake :) I don't believe this made a difference in the type of system or the installation. I would definitely have a meeting with the government agency that controls septic tanks in your area before I did anything. Good Luck!!!

MrsPete- Septic tanks can be a pain, but you don't have to pay a sewer bill :) You do have to have it installed and maintained, but it's your responsibility and your choice.

It doesn't seem like the septic tank is the issue, but rather you have TOO MANY CHOICES. LOL It does make it difficult if you have too many options. Where do you want to live? Where does DH want to live? Where do kids want to live?

Aren't you waiting until kids are out of house to build? I would look at property then. You already own a lovely piece of property, but I know the recent development has your DH worried. I know how frustrating it can be, when you're ready to start your dream home, but circumstances are not with you.

I would recommend taking a deep breath, writing down what YOU really want in your dream location....and thinking about what will work best for you. A septic system is usually not a big deal, as long as you have a qualified person put in the system. Clay soil will have less 'perc' than sandy soil...and probably require more drain field, but that won't really matter if you know this location is "IT". :)

Okay, so my assumption that lake = high end septic is wrong ... PLUS I hadn't considered the loss of the monthly sewer bill. Yeah, we live in the land of red clay.

Lavender, you're right that we have too many options, and we're still in the "gathering stage" rather than the "whittling down stage". We've made a list of what we want -- but we've determined that it's impossible to get EVERYTHING (in one lot) in our area of choice, and every one of our options has SOME of the things we want. I really think we haven't seen "it" yet.

And, yes, we do own a large piece of land that is still a very real possibility. We're in love with a house plan that is ideal for this piece of land (and I'm operating on the assumption that we'll use that house plan elsewhere, though that is something we'll address later). My husband has some fears about the location -- is he right or wrong? Only time will tell. Our area is growing much, much faster than average.

Yes, our oldest is essentially out of the house, but our youngest has chosen to stay home another year or two -- and we won't move while she can have the benefit of living so close to the community college. However, we hope they'll remain relatively close to us, and we hope to be close to our future grandchildren. My grandmother kept my oldest for her first couple of years while I worked, insisting only that we put away the money that we would've paid in day care for her college education -- and soon she'll walk across the stage to collect a BS in nursing, in part thanks to her great grandmother. We would very much like to offer the same deal to our children. Will this happen? That's up to our kids, but we'd like to live in a place where this could be a possibility. The small town where we really want to be is near a small city and a LARGE city, where they are likely to find jobs after graduation; however, this lake community is a good 45 minutes past that small town. Also, our family is scattered around that small town, and we do get-togethers on a very regular basis.

By the way, I do not need to take a deep breath, as I am in no way hyperventilating.

Not hyperventilating....just a relaxing, yoga breath :)

i'm thinking much of the difference in the costs of a septic system revolve around number of bedrooms/bathrooms the house has, the type of system installed and building costs in general in your area....example the person who's building a house in south texas for 55 dollars per square ft. vs someone in another location with costs of over 200 per sq ft. that money goes somewhere.......

The system we will have installed will be gravity fed, field lines and the tank. The State Health Dept. based the size of our system on the number of bedrooms not bathrooms - go figure!!! We are living in a mobile home which is located next to the house we are building. The existing septic tank systems we have for the mobile home would not qualify for the new house. The mobile home is 2 bedrooms and the house we are building is 3 bedrooms. The Health Dept. also wanted the mobile home removed before the permit was issued. We informed them we would have no where to live while the house is being built and it is our plans to remove the mobile home once the house is built. The permit was finally issued.

I think you have valid reasons for not building on the lake lot; however, a septic system is not among them (assuming soil test is good.) I've had septic systems growing up and in my current home. Never had a single problem. If you have good drainage (soil test will tell) and only a few people living in the home, it won't be a problem. You may need to get it pumped every 5 years or so at a cost of $150-200, and will need to make some changes to your lifestyle (no big amounts of food in the garbage disposal, and limited use of bleach are the two major ones).

I know it sounds sort of silly in theory, but I totally agree with you on the difference even 15 minutes can make to your lifestyle. Instead of being able to make a quick run for milk, it becomes a big ordeal. You are less likely to go back into town for dinner and activities once you get home. Friends won't visit as much. You won't visit them as much. It is definitely isolating. Of course you benefit from less crime, more space, etc. But I get your reluctance for sure. I vote for "keep looking."

I almost jumped in the other day so say this, but was afraid you would't want to hear it. But you're young, take a break and let life sort itself out and in the meantime keep your eyes and mind open to possibilities. By the time the kids get settled, you'll know so much better what works best for you. When we were about your age, we were thinking about building a retirement home here, casually looking for land and drawing plans. At that time our DD was just graduating from college and planning a year off before grad school to be a ski bum in the resort town we all love 1000 miles away from home. It was supposed to be a one year thing, but in a few years she was married to a great guy, had a good career, lots of friends, and decided to made it her home. Guess where we bought a lot for our retirement home? Now even my 84 year old mother has toured and agreed to move to a new senior housing center in the same town when we move. We're just a few years from retirement and bought the lot last year. We are now working with an architect and plan to break ground in about 2 years. Things have a way of working out. You'll know when it's right! In the meantime keep dreaming and planning.

By the way, we looked for our lot for three years and went through the in town or out of town on acreage thing, but even though in town was more pricey we settled in town because of the convenience to shopping, dining, healthcare and entertainment. Once we decided what was really important to us, making the decision on our 'this is the one' lot was really easy. Yours will be too.

MojoMom, It's not that I don't hear you ... but our area is GROWING QUICKLY, and prices are rising fast. We feel some pressure to buy a lot before prices increase even more. You're right to say that we don't know where our kids will end up, and the likelihood is that they won't stay in this area for their entire working careers, though we're in a part of the country that's experiencing growth, and our small town is nicely positioned between a small city and the biggest city in our state, so it's ripe for professional jobs for our kids ... but the rest of our family is in this area, and that's one reason we want to be here: Our parents, who are becoming elderly and will need help in the future are in this area. Our family business, in which we are minimally involved is in this area. Our intention is to build a retirement house, and we're only a couple years from retirement.

So, it's not that I don't hear you -- it's that we have multiple reasons to choose something. But don't get the idea that we're feeling desperate to have something RIGHT THIS MINUTE. We're not.

MrsPete- Do you live in a cold winter climate? We do and we're about 25 minutes from town...but that becomes more like 40 minutes in the winter. Plus the worry about getting back, before the roads ice up.

We (my mom and I) used to go to the Nutcracker Ballet every winter, but after three years in a row of awful weather, we quit buying tickets. And it's true....most of our friends don't drive out, since it's 'so far' even in the summer.

I do love where we live and having a good pasture for our horses is really more important to us than the convenience of easy shopping. But (when my husband was recovering) driving back from the nursing home at midnight with icy roads...made that drive twice as long, as you creep along at 25mph....praying you don't slide into the ditch. I don't miss that!

No, no, I'm in the South. In fact, I'm ultra-Southern.

Still, even without bad weather, your point is valid. Though we don't have ice very often, everyone hits bad times when driving isn't welcome. For example, I remember when my baby brother was in the NICU, and we drove three hours every single day.

You should take a test by own, its worth before buying a property with septic system. You can find details about how much distance is required between your pool and septic tank from your community office and country building office, its better to have a drain field in back yard.

Vera why are you commenting on old threads?