how much to dig a septic system? (selling a house, contractor)

[LiveLoveMeow]

I am preparing to close on a bit of land I just bought.

I was wondering what was involved between installing a septic, vs. a holding tank, please? This is my first time at anything like this; please be gentle.

[unit731]

You need to contact a septic system designer.

A holding tank is rarely used. Mostly for land that cannot support a septic system. The tank has to be emptied on a regular basis at your cost. Most do not go this route.

Any septic system has to be state approved. That is where the septic system designer comes in. A cost from anywhere from $400.00 to $800.00 as a guess. A backhoe is needed to test the soils.

After the septic system plan is approved then you have to find an earth/dirt contractor to actually install the system. A typical system has a 1,000 - 1,200 gallon two or three chamber concrete septic tank.

If you have nearly level land or house is uphill then you would get a gravity system. If not you will need electricity to tank and a pump installed.

There is a concrete tank and a dirt leech field.

Technology has changed over the years and some systems can be designed quite small. Some are vented some not. Some can be driven on. All sorts of variations now.

Cost: Somewhere between $5,000 and $15,000 - and that is just a guess.

READ the contract before any work is done. Extra charges may include dynamite if ledge is found between septic system and residence.

Then read up on wells. There are dug wells and drilled - artesian - wells. Best read up on those too.

[NHForester]

Good info above, though I can not immagine a system costing less than $10,000.

[SuperSparkle928]

Originally Posted by NHForester

Good info above, though I can not immagine a system costing less than $10,000.

You got that right..... selling a house in MA (though I am very remotely located from it).... It had to pass Title Five... ran $25K. But then again, nickels and dimes for what it will sell for, so I call it 'the cost of doing business'.

[LiveLoveMeow]

Well, all I'm building is a 1br/1ba cabin; place isn't going to ever have more than 2 people in it at a time.

[unit731]

Read up on building codes and energy codes.

[NHForester]

You'll likely still be required to do a two or three bedroom septic design. Towns sometimes have minimum requirements. Check the zoning and subdivision regulations for the town you are moving to.

[buck naked]

I paid $10K fifteen years ago.

"Well, all I'm building is a 1br/1ba cabin; place isn't going to ever have more than 2 people in it at a time."

you'll never have guests? It doesn't matter. The requirements vary by town. There are special rules if you are anywhere near water or wetlands. There is no such thing as open ground discharge, for example.

as Forester said, get the rules in the town where you are building. Also be advised that not all septic systems are the same. While some systems have been known to last 50 years, some of the newer types fail after five years.

The other thing to consider is the soil sample. What type of soil do you have...sandy? or loam? rocky or ledge?