Building home on Elk River, Athens, AL area (assessors, houseboat)

[frugalliving]

Hi,

I own a riverfront lot on the Elk River and want to build a home on it. I'm looking for advice on selecting a reputable builder experienced in building on the waterfront. Or if you know a builder in the area, that'll be great.

The lot is approx 100x50ft (100ft on water) and it slopes from the road toward water at approx 30 degrees.

The home would be less than 1,000 sq ft, single story with a walkout basement.

Any advice/help is appreciate to help guide me through the process of getting approval for septic, drilling a well, etc etc.

Thanks!!!

[Twostep]

A general contractor should take care of of everything required by code and bank.
The tax assessors office may be willing to tell you which river lots have recently been added to the books. Or try building permits at the court house. Especially in small communities I found offices such as these very helpful as long as I explained why I wanted information.

[harry chickpea]

30 degrees is fairly steep. You also have a problem in that the lot is almost assuredly too small for a septic system, and too near the water. Contact Athens Land Surveying for the required perk tests and permitting. It'll cost roughly $600 just for that(the price is the same wherever you go, and you want an independent company that doesn't just want to sell you a system), and then if it flies, you'll be paying about $5K+ for the tank and field. I'm betting that you may have some problems, since many areas of the country seem to want about 400' between a septic system and a waterway, and a normal septic sytem has about 50 to 100 feet of drain field. Haven't checked on AL yet, but flood stage will be an issue, and I would be surprised if you get permitted.

From your description, you may be near Buck Island off 99 (near the old fish hatchery), or off Shanghai Road near Cave Spring. Cave Spring is probably fairly safe, but if you are by Round Bottom and the old hatchery, you also need to realize the river wants to erode that bank on the outside of the bow.

In your situation, I would do some unusual things. Number one, forget the basement. No one builds basements in the area, and building one by a river is nuts. Number two, I would have pilings driven at least 15 feet into the soil for the house to sit on unless you have a solid shale base. (Yes, it'll cost some bucks.) Number three, I would drop a modular or manufactured home on the pilings and sonotubes rather than try to have someone construct a stick built. If the river does encroach over time, you can then just remove the house and place it somewhere else. It'll also cost a lot less than stick built and be in place faster.

If you can't get the septic permit, you might (and I haven't verified this yet) be allowed to use a San-Mar toilet or electric toilet that turns waste into ash. There are two septic tank installers in the area that have good reputations with the locals, Miller and Miller, and Ikard, and I would contact one of them for a consultation before spending a dime. It sounds like you bought a river access that you might be able to use for camping or to park an RV, but little else. 100' x 50' is just too small a lot in a rural setting.

BTW, no way would I drive a well near a river. If there isn't county water, pump river water or water from a shallow well and use either a Berkey filter or reverse osmosis to get enough drinking water.

[Twostep]

Herry you are good!

[harry chickpea]

Actually, I could have been a lot more brief and suggested that frugalliving not even attempt to build on that property. After thinking about it for a few minutes, that became the obvious answer.

Frugalliving may not have considered that the useful 50 foot dimension of his property might be even less than what he thinks. The county roads have a right of way that extends 30' in each direction from the center of the surveyed roadway. The actual road often uses only about 1/2 that, so the land available for building and installing a septic system might be only 35 feet wide or even less, and there is no way the Feds would allow extending the land out into the river, even if AL or Limestone County would.

My guess is that the land was sold cheap, with the only claim being river access. I did find it curious that fl asked about septic tank contractors when I had asked the same question to a local about a week ago, by my life is full of synchronicities like that.

[Twostep]

He may not have done a site inspection before buying the property? The dimension sounds like a hunting cabin to me.

[harry chickpea]

Heck, there are many homes that are 100' x 50'

A hunting cabin might fit, but I'd think a travel trailer and a bass boat more suitable. No way would I want to live that close to any road. Hmmm, there's a thought. Moor a houseboat on the river and skip building on land.

[Twostep]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Heck, there are many homes that are 100' x 50'

A hunting cabin might fit, but I'd think a travel trailer and a bass boat more suitable. No way would I want to live that close to any road. Hmmm, there's a thought. Moor a houseboat on the river and skip building on land.

I get seasick going over a bridge :>)
On a serious note - this was a way to keep hunting equipment in DC before the recent law change. But you had to deal with the flavor of the fish market :>)

[tuxedocat]

Hello--I joined this forum to talk with you Mr Chickpea
I am thinking about looking for a place to purchase on the elk river -- I have never been there, not yet anyway. You know it very well it seems
All I know is that the pictures look lovely. I am looking for a lovely unspoiled quiet place to get away and fish etc.
Is there any info you can send me? in particular about this river? any lots you know of or anyone to contact about a lot?
You mentioned a houseboat. I had not thought of that--who can I contact about a houseboat?
thanks in advance

[harry chickpea]

tuxedocat, Elk River is nice, and the area around Cairo is especially intriguing, but you might also consider Sugar Creek, a bit to the west. Elk River is bound to become developed, whereas Sugar Creek may stay unspoiled during our lifetimes. *Be aware that the area has been in drought for a few years, and you need to take into account flood stage may be much higher than you would estimate from growth on the banks.*

As for that lot frugal living had, there is no way he could have been approved for a septic system. The leach field has to be 25 feet from water, the size for a 3 bedroom home is 900 square feet, and an area that steep would require an engineered system even if it was big enough. The folks at the Limestone County Health Dept. are nice enough, but they have to have something to work with.

Oh yeah, if you want quick appreciation of land, look even further west in Lauderdale County. The area where 72 crosses a backwater of the Tennessee is as ripe for development as any I've ever seen.

FWIW, there are a bunch of land auctions occuring in northwest Limestone county on October 13. None of them are waterfront that I can see, but you might call around to realtors.