[Biggd]

Originally Posted by mswlogo

The new property on Squam isn't likely to happen.

We just got the septic site assessment and it was a pretty harsh report I didn't expect.

The lot was small (1/3 of acre) but narrow long dimension being further away from the lake. With leach field at the furthest distance away (lot is 209 feet deep).

Septic was 3 Bedroom (450 gal/day) and "newish" installed 2002 or something under current "State Approved" guidelines, but house was on lake water at that time. So that was all good. They installed a brand new well within the last year or two. So I thought state approved, way back from water and brand new well, all good.

However, they put the well within the 75 foot radius of the leaching field, almost the whole leaching field is inside the 75 foot well radius (starting at 50 ft).

The site assessment down rated the septic to a 1-Bedroom. From 450 gallon/day down to 125 gallon/day (so as not to contaminate the well).

We wanted the option of possibly rebuilding. And it would have probably been 1.5 story (currently 1 story) 3 Bedroom (same as now) all within the same existing foot print. Which is 1416 sq feet, which would be very spacious by moving two bedrooms up.

There are tons of rules of where the well, septic tank, house, lake and leaching field can be. There was room to keep leaching field outside the 75ft but that would place it closer to the Septic Tank and house. The 75ft radius also encroaches on both neighbors land as well by quite a lot (50 ft on one, also small lots). I think the Septic Tank needs to be some higher grade in order for well to be closer to it. Still puzzles me why they put the well where they did (there might have been not better place than where they did).

They could have also sleeved the well to increase the effective distance of the well from the leach field. But they didn't. That can get very expensive though and that sleeve would have to be really deep I think (~60 ft I think).

Functionally I know it's probably fine. But getting approvals / waivers is a bit of a crap shoot. And if we ever needed to sell (for what ever reason) before any potential new work that *might* get past all this, it could severely limit resale.

Are we being stupid or smart walking away? We were paying over asking.

For the record, we've been through this Septic sh$t before. Our last home we got because the previous buyers backed out due to non state approved septic. The house only 7 years old, including septic when we bought it. But it was classified as 2 bedroom septic and not "State Approved". So if it failed you'd have to find another way, lot was narrow along the lake. The Well, House, Septic and Leech were all on close quarters. When we went to sell we had a buyer at near asking price all lined up. We got the site assessment and it labeled it as "2-Bedroom seasonal". Buyers ran so fast the door didn't hit them on the way out. Next buyers were fine with it, but also a little bit lower selling price. I think this is all partly why I trapped myself into confirming we HAD to sell it.

I would run away from that unless the owners were willing to drill a new well somewhere else on the property far enough away from the septic. I'm surprised they drilled the well that close to septic in the first place.