septic tank cost

[Leo]

  I will be building this spring ,south central KY (lake cumberland) Any guesses on septic  system installlation. cost.? and merry Christmas

[glenn kangiser]

It depends on how you do it or have it done and possibly code requirements if they apply in your situation.

A tank can be bought for around $800 then a drain field can be a simple as a rock filled trench with perforated pipe and  filter material over it to stop dirt infiltration, or  infiltrator systems or a drilled cesspool.   The more you do yourself, the cheaper it is usually.  You can do the drain field yourself.  Pipe should cost under $100.

The link below has some good info.

http://www.septic-info.com/doc/display/47.html

[keyholefarmhouse]

My brother in law does this for a living in WY.  Turn key cost on normal (soil vs. granite) is $5000-.  

[John Raabe]

A standard septic is around $5k out here (WA) and up to $10-12K for alternative systems — sand filter, mound or aerobic systems for margainal soils.

[Shelley Perkins]

5K?  Holy Moly!  Around here,(NM),  2K unless you have soil issues.

Suggest that you contact some locals.  Like the well drillers, an experienced one should be familar with the soils in your area and what the state might require.

Being a Ky girl, I'd bet the prices will be on the low side.

[Lady_Novice]

I have heard that in the area in which I'll build (Leavenworth, WA), a minimum septic in ideal perkable soil conditions will cost from $5,000 to $6,000. I was disappointed to hear this as my prior Internet research had told me that a septic usually costs around $3,000. Maybe the cost has gone up in the last couple of years, just as the cost of building materials has increased?

I'm thinking about studying what's involved in septic work and then asking a septic contractor if I can defray the cost by doing some of the simpler tasks myself, or by providing labor by working alongside him or her, or other methods. If anyone has any comments about this or about ways of defraying the cost of a septic, I'd be all ears.
Lady Novice

[glenn kangiser]

There is nothing very complicated about a septic system, unless for some reason your building department wants to make it that way, you need a drilled cesspool or are in a ton of rocks.  They made my neighbor install an engineered system which is a failure.  Mine is a normal system about 500 feet away and works fine.

His cost a small fortune.  Mine was about $850 for the tank and about $200 for drain field pipe and some infiltrator modules.  I did my own work, however I have a backhoe to help.

Its entrance has to be deep enough to have proper fall from the farthest drain away in your house.  You can hire a backhoe to do the digging.  You could backfill by hand or if real energetic with more time than money, dig by hand too.  You can buy a plastic tank that 2 people can set in the hole.  I believe they meet codes everywhere- not sure.  Review specifics with your building dept on special requirements, but a drain field is nothing more than a ditch with rock , drain pipe or infiltrator modules.

Study up on the septic info site posted above and others.  Find out the specifics from the building department.  Total up your abilities, resources- friends, equipment, gravel suppliers etc. and your willingness to get in there and get dirty, then ask for quotes from local septic contractors and see if your savings are worth the work.  There is nothing you can't do if you want to bad enough.  Whether you come out ahead and it's worth it is something else.  Win or lose you will come out with knowledge and skills you wouldn't have had otherwise.  A normal system should be doable but a reliable contractor with good references may be able to do it for almost the same cost as you putting it together a piece at a time if you can only do minor portions of the work yourself.  Do check references and get multiple quotes.

[BruceinKY]

 I will be building this spring ,south central KY (lake cumberland) Any guesses on septic  system installlation. cost.? and merry Christmas

Coincidentally, I'm building this spring right close to you (on Laurel Lake)

Just last week I applied for the onsite evaluation, to see if the soil percs etc.  I have to arrange for a backhoe to be there while the inspectionis going on.

My early research is that if all goes well with the soil, etc. I'm looking at about 3000 dollars. It should run about the same for you. This is a one-bedroom/gravel system. They said I'd need a 1000 gallon tank and a 90 foot line, with gravel, 2 feet deep. You're allowed up to a 22 percent grade on the drainfill.

[Leo]

Thanks all ,A week ago a friend here in nw Ohio  put us in touch with  a reliable excavator a mile from our land.(350 miles away)What are the odds?   As this and electrical hookup are the only things I intend to farm out and no septic=no electric= no skill saw. I will post his quote. To me subout and dread  are the same.

[Lady_Novice]

Thanks to Glenn for comments about a DIY septic system, and congrats for getting one in at a very low cost. I'm realizing that, probably like most owner-builders, I'd rather spend my time on the structure than on the septic, in which case my only way to save money will be to call quite a few contractors to get a range of quotes. (The health dept provided a long list of septic contractors.) Perhaps I'll find a relative newbie who is eager enough to gain experience that he or she will charge a little less than the going rate.
Lady Novice

[Ryan B]

When "shopping" for installers, be aware of ALL of the details of the final installation. Best price and best value are quite different. I have a friend who makes a pretty good living cleaning up and repairing sloppy septic installations and home excavations.
Most often septic installers and your excavator for your foundation/utility/driveway/landscape feature will be the same person.
General contractor's also can be good sources for excavators.

[Amanda_931]

Yes! to Ryan B, although I don't have a friend who cleans up after the excavators.

And please, don't forget to put in a driveway.  I do know someone who thought the (long) logging road was going to be just fine, and now has at least one vehicle mired at home.

[Lady_Novice]

Ryan, thanks for the warning about sloppy septic installations, which tells me that I'll have to learn as much as I can about septics before I hand the job over to someone. It's always good to be somewhat conversant about the service you're procuring. You can usually tell how detail-oriented people are by how they talk about the topic. Some people make you feel reassured and some don't. Of course, occasionally one can be fooled by a good salesperson. (I'm thinking of a guy I hired to do my transmission. He was so glib but what a disaster.)

Good point that the excavator will perform other tasks, too. In my case, that would be digging the holes for my foundation.
Lady Novice

[ibcnya]

The cost will depend on how well your soil percs in your locale. If you have a sandy soil it will be cheaper. If your soil has alot of clay be prepared for the 5 to 6 grand range. I had to use a sand filter and dumped a grand of sand into the pit and buried it. Ouch!

[eddiescabin]

Well, advice for saving $$$ is to install it yourself!  In my area of Cali they now require a concrete tank (try having that installed way up a 45degree angled hill!  They also require the drain field to use a pump and pump the effluent UPHILL!  Im talking a $15k to $30k system!  Yikes...with my place it had a redwood box mounted underground that was divided by a redwood wall that had a 4 inch gap used as a spillway for the water to flow over.  On the inlet side, as new water/sewage was added, the solids would drop to the bottom,  the bugs/bacteria did their thing, the clear water would flow over the spillway into the other half of the tank.  I built mine out of 2'X10" heart redwood, coated on all sides in Copper Green.  the outlet for the drainfield is a "J" shaped pipe that as new sewage is added, and the same amount flowed over the spillway and then the same amount of water would be forced out the J shaped pipe that was installed with it's J  just at the desired water level of the tank.  Down from the J pipe/drain water it travels in a sloid plastic pipe to another unlined hole filled with semi large rock once the drain pipe is mounted about 1/2 way depth.  I've seen similar systems made with plastic pickle/water barrels and even steel barrels.  Use the septic treatment often as it promotes the bacterial cleansing effect and dissolves solids better...and my uncle swears on dumping a few beers down every so often to also promote bacteria growth.  Do it on the weekend when the inspector is sitting on his butt at home!