Anyone here install their own septic

Frankenkubota · Jul 8, 2021

mine was just installed. i'm pumping up hill so 2 tanks, pump and pump lines and all the rest, $7500.

central NC.

gtbensley · Jul 8, 2021

Jeez some of you have dirt cheap prices for installing system. I had multiple quotes of $15K+ for a basic gravity system with infiltrators. I will be installing myself, starting this weekend.

fried1765 · Jul 8, 2021

gtbensley said:
Jeez some of you have dirt cheap prices for installing system. I had multiple quotes of $15K+ for a basic gravity system with infiltrators. I will be installing myself, starting this weekend.

It seems as though septic system pricing is MUCH higher in the NE, as compared to many other parts of the country.

BoylermanCT · Jul 8, 2021

fried1765 said:
It seems as though septic system pricing is MUCH higher in the NE, as compared to many other parts of the country.

Ding ding ding! Everything is priced much higher in the NE! To quote Monty Python, Run Away! Run Away!

m1garand762 · Jul 9, 2021

I can’t speak for your location but our county needs a set of plans and a soil test by a soil scientist. It’s based on soil type and the number of bedrooms and potential bedrooms

buckeyefarmer · Jul 9, 2021

And then you go to the county 20 yrs later to find the drain field, and you get a hand drawn sketch that’s unreadable. BTDT.

Carl_NH · Jul 9, 2021

fried1765 said:
It seems as though septic system pricing is MUCH higher in the NE, as compared to many other parts of the country.

Most items except fresh lobster and fish is higher in the NE than the rest of the country! Laborers charged out at $40+ Hr and excavators $200/hr then the required certified septic sand $30/ton, then the approval process, engineering, town approval and permitting is a big $ suck - every agency has their hand in the till.

At the end of the day the real materials cost is similar in NE, its the bureaucracy and regulations, and local labor rates that really drive up the costs. I had a 4 Bdrm septic installed in 1989 for $9K and today it's $30K+.

fried1765 · Jul 10, 2021

Carl_NH said:
Most items except fresh lobster and fish is higher in the NE than the rest of the country! Laborers charged out at $40+ Hr and excavators $200/hr then the required certified septic sand $30/ton, then the approval process, engineering, town approval and permitting is a big $ suck - every agency has their hand in the till.

At the end of the day the real materials cost is similar in NE, its the bureaucracy and regulations, and local labor rates that really drive up the costs. I had a 4 Bdrm septic installed in 1989 for $9K and today it's $30K+.

Exactly why I have owned an intermediate size BH since 1986.
I installed my own 3 BR septic (no perk test, design stamp, or permit) in the NE, back in 1986, for $800 in materials.
Simple system is in natural sand, and out of sight, behind the house,....... plus I do have a CE degree.
Design stamped/permitted contractor installed system today would be $30K.

Tx Jim · Jul 10, 2021

In county I live in if one gets caught installing or modifying a septic system without a permit & perk test one will be subject to a large fine($$$$$)

fried1765 · Jul 10, 2021

Jim in Tx said:
In county I live in if one gets caught installing or modifying a septic system without a permit & perk test one will be subject to a large fine($$$$$)

All my work was completed out of sight.
Due to an unanticipated change in local regulations that mandated random inspections, the municipality inspected my system just weeks after I installed it.
They stated that they could not find the permit.
Only comment made was: "it is fine, looks like it is almost new".
That was 35 years ago!
I think I am safe!