There Goes The Garage

Word of warning ! Before you buy or build on your lot , know the type of septic system your going to need to install , and research the costs . This can be a $ 8,000 to $35,000 ( or more ) expense . We found out early on , that the existing system , that we had been using , without any issues , for almost 20 years , no longer met State standards ...wonderful . And of course , the system we needed to replace it with , wasn't on the low end .

Depending on the area you live in , the type of system needed , is either determined by a "perc" test , or soil test . We had to have a soil test done , at the tune of about a thousand dollars . They came out and gathered core samples form about 18 different locations on our lot (our lot is a little under 2 acres ). The results weren't good , we were told , that , if there hadn't already been a house on the lot , we probably would have ran into problems trying to build here .
Because of the location of the well , and property lines , there were only 2-3 locations on the lot where we could build . We were also , going to have to go with a "mound" system . Fortunately , one of the locations where we could build , put the mound behind the house , instead of in the front yard . Thank goodness ! Nothing like having , what looks like a mass grave , in your front yard . I had often driven by newly constructed homes , and wonder , why in the world , would you put that hideous mess in the front yard ? Well now I know why , sometimes you just don't have a choice .

The next step in this nightmare , was having a system designed ... another $500.00. The system we needed to install turned out to be a little complicated , basically it's a mini water treatment plant , with pumps , aerators , and other junk I didn't understand . Now here is the mistake , we made in this step .
The company that we originally had design the system , didn't have their own crew to do installations , They just designed systems , and would sub contracted the installation out , and quoted $34,000.00 for the installation . Skip this step ! Find a contractor , that will include the system design in their price . Most septic design companies represent a specific manufacturer , and most manufactures , have a specific , design for their systems . The system design companies are sales reps, they make money off the systems they sell and mark up on the contractors they use , if they don't have their own crews .

The State of Delaware, and I assume that most states , have lists of contractors who have been State certified to install these systems . Apparently not just anyone can do this . GET bids !!! After that $34,000 quote , I sent the soil sample results out to almost everyone of the contractors on the State's list , the ones that did free quotes that is . We got quotes from $34,000 to $23,000 , you know which one we accepted . Even at $23,000 , that was still a chunk of money . Well ... there goes the garage .

Cutting Out The Middleman

The first thing we did when we finally receive the insurance pay out , was pay off the existing mortgage . Luckily we only owed a little under $30,000 . So our main goal , from that point on , was to remain mortgage free . Which played a big part in both , the how , and what , we were going to do about replacing our home . So now we're on a really strict budget .






The decision to build wasn't reached easily . It seems that , not only were my husband and I not on the same page , we apparently weren't even reading the same book . It took pretty close to a year , and many, many , trips to view model homes , talk to contractors , going back and looking at things a second and some times a third time .

After consulting with numerous contractors we came to the same conclusion , these guys were just middlemen . Almost all of the contractors we talked to , didn't have their own crews , they sub contracted all the work out . Hmm ...we could do this ! Now all we needed to do was , figure out how.

Most home improvement stores offer material packages , these packages include everything you need to build your new home . You can pick from their plans or use your own . We decided to go with a local, family owned building supply company . Mainly because we liked the salesman . We probably could have saved more money by going with one of the bigger chain stores , but like I said , we liked the salesman . He didn't treat me like some dumb female , and answered my numerous questions in a way that made sense to me . This was important to me , this house building business was foreign ground to me . He didn't have an , oh crap , here she is again attitude , when I showed up , or called , with questions .

As I said before you can either use your on plans , or pick from one of theirs . Some people can look at blue prints and start salivating , I look at blue prints and all I see are a bunch of lines on paper . If you tell me a room is 12' x 12" , unless I am standing in that room , I can't visualize the actual size . So we chose one of their plans , which I tweaked a little .

We decided on a Cape Cod . For practical reasons we also decided to have them , put the shell up . Now , we could have sub-contracted this our selves , and , if our situation had been different , we probably would have . But winter , was setting in .. again , we were both working , and we were living in a 40 year old trailer that was pretty much falling apart around us , and I , flat out refused to sink any money in it for repairs .

So in mid August, two years after the fire , ground was finally broken for our new house .