Stonewall308

I am looking at a small piece of land with no sewer or water hookup.

Apparently the owner put in a well and a septic tank that were not big enough to get county approval for a building. The price has been dropped from $200k to $75k since the approval was denied.

How much would it cost me approximately to get a new, bigger septic tank and well?

I don't want to build on this land anytime soon, but if it is extremely inconvenient to build on the land I am sure it will be hard to sell if I ever need to sell it.

UncleNorby

In most states I'm aware of, you'll need an approved septic design and inspection during construction. There are many designs, but they basically consist of a septic tank for solids and leach field to evaporate water. The size of the tank is generally based on the number of bedrooms in a house, as is the size of the field. Soil conditions can affect the field size as well, and percolation tests are done to determine how fast water will move through the soil.

Unless you have a very high water table, you should not have much trouble putting in a proper design. On bad soils, sometimes it is possible to build an area up with fill, and use that for the field.

You mention a well too. The kind of well you need depends on a lot of things. In consolidated aquifers, artesian wells are most common. These are drilled to bedrock until they intercept an adequate seem of water. In un-consilidated aquifers you can have driven or dug wells. There are guidelines for how close a well can be to a leach field of course.

mbmrang

That seems like a large price drop for just a well and septic. Even with hiring a plumber, well drilled, and excavator, you should be able to get both completed for less than $20k. When I built my house, I think I had about $1500 in septic tank and pipe for lateral lines. Had my well drilled for less than $2k. I already had a backhoe so the dirt work for the septic only cost a day of fuel.

But as already said, the soil type and available space will make a difference for the septic options.

Valentine

...is nothing like buying a developed property. With undeveloped land there are legal hoops to jump through. Is it in a flood plain. Most jurisdictions require soil perc tests. Some land can't even have on site sewage disposal. And there never is any guarantee of good potable water. Drilling through rock with some total depth and we're talking some real money.

Learn about the foregoing factors and you may learn why the price of the property came down.

Sfury

It sounds like this isn't the property you would want for an investment. The septic issues now will only get worse in the future if, when really, you have further issues.

If this is a property you want to hunt, or hunt from, build a cabin that has no septic system or running water. Go with the old traditional outhouse if that meets the code for the land.

Terasec

Actual work is not a big deal,
But if there are other issues preventing such that could be a big problem,
Is the land buildable? Not in a flood plain, water adequate for drinking? Drilling a hole and testing the water is only way to know if water below is good, if you have neighbors using same water ssource(they can be a mile away) you have good chances of good water, just may have to drill deeper, such tests can be part of the purchase agree,
With such a big drop in price probably worth spending a few bucks for proper tests,
Also what do you consider small piece of land?
$200k is quite a price for rural land,
I paid $20k for 50 acres about 10 yrs ago. Completely buildable, have a house on it now.
I didn't go through the tests when I bought the land as it was hunting land first, but did go through the tests when selecting building site.
Leach field can always be built up, added to.
Water quality would be my main concern.

Champlain Islander

Even if the land doesn't perk there are some new technologies that can be used to get a legal septic system at least here in VT. Expensive but allows the land to be built on if that is what you really want to do. Good water would be what I would be more concerned with.

Outdoor

Septics run around 6K for a 3 bdrm...wells are by the foot for casing & drilling...average is around 5K complete.. that means pump and lines are installed.
Now here's the bottom line, everyone can tell you this & that but only an engineer who will stand behind his decision on what he can make happen will be your best answer. Wells and septics have space requirements all around them and between them and each county/state/town is different. We do not see perk test anymore...they are almost obsolete. Test pits checking soil tells them Just how well the land will perk.
If the land was 200K and is now 75K is a BS story >OR< was so out of the ball park to begin with. If you really like it buy it with a contingency that it must be able to obtain a BUILDING PERMIT...that covers everything not just well and septic..maybe you have a wetland issue, setback issues or Liens on the property...the list goes on forever!
Get an engineer 1st...this means spending money on something you don't own yet but its better then spending 75K that will never get a permit! BTW... a engineer will probably give you up front info for free but certainly give him the job should you decide to move forward..Our company pays around 1800 for septic design and layout...need more info you can e-mail me at [email protected]

jerry d

I own property in TN., 7 acres, in the county i bought in you don't need a perk test for property over 5 acres. We have gotten prices on building a house and the septic system for a 3 bedrm. house cost $3500 hooked up.

Sfury

The real question here is, why did the current land owner get denied a permit?

Answering that question will help answer any concerns that you have. I'd need the specifics on that first, and then I could make a choice. If the county denied the permit, that is a red flag in my neck of the woods.