Builder asking for more money for Septic Field Costs; Normal?

mjwkr2000

10 years ago

Before I address this issue with my builder I wanted to get opinions from some who have been through this in the past. I am in the late process of building a home on 2.5 acres with a well and septic system. During the perk test the health department provided the requirements for the septic field which the builder had in his possession prior to our signed purchase agreement. This week they are getting ready to put the tank in and have the sand delivered. He told me that the septic field plan was changed by the health department and may have to have more sand fill then expected. The lot to the east of mine was recently cleared and they are saying its too high for the current plans for my house (which my builders engineer drew up). He said he thinks the original cost may double.

My stance is that the Health Department shouldn't be able to "change" the plans on the fly. Whether the lot next door was cleared or not they should have known what the elevation was and what the necessary field requirements for my lot are. I have a tough time paying additional money out of pocket for this type of change. Is this normal?

TIA

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Comments (7)

sushipup1
10 years ago
First, contact the Health Department and get confirmation of the change. Yes, they can and will change things. But don't take the contractor's word for it.
gw1997
10 years ago
That really stinks BUT sadly the Health Dept definitely has the authority to change your plans. They really couldn't care less what it does to your budget. You are at the mercy of inspectors if you want to get occupancy.
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User
10 years ago
Many requirements can change from the time you did your original plan to the time it's actually constructed. In addition to the septic issues, you might want to see if any well regulations have changed. And you also want to be sure which version of the building code you have to satisfy. It's become more restrictive on many things, including insulation levels. Of course, you can always plan to do things above the code minimum, and you won't have issues with just skating by under the minimum.
User
10 years ago
Around here, the health department has the final say in septic. If they won't pass it, you won't get a CO.....so....

I'd call the health department just to confirm what you are being told is true. You can ask them some friendly questions about why the change, etc. - but at the end of the day, they really hold all the cards here. And no, they don't care what it does to your budget.

Good luck - I had a minor septic issue too. It cost more, but it worked out fine in the end. It's just money, right? Ha-ha. :)
mjwkr2000
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the responses. I just spoke to the health department. Essentially the plans (and thus the budget) called for the "minimum" acceptable amount of sand. When the health department came out to check the progress they determined the minimum ammount of sand was not sufficient. Stinks but I would rather have something like a septic field be done right the first time :)
robin0919
10 years ago
How can a few loads of 'sand' double the cost?? How many loads of sand are they talking about?
mjwkr2000
Original Author
10 years ago
Robin0919:

The health department determined that my field required 650 cubic yards of 2NS sand. The original plans called for roughly half that due to the actual grade/elevation of the house, etc. The cost of the sand went from ~$5500 to over $10K.