If you are buying land or if you already own a piece of property and are getting ready to build on it, one of the first things you should do is take into consideration how you are going to handle wastewater. If there is sewer service at the property, in most cases it makes sense to hook up to the municipal sewer system.
If there is no municipal sewer service at the property, check with the county or city building department where the property is located to find out what types of waste water treatment and disposal systems are allowed by local building codes and consult with a sewer septic professional about your options before you start to build or even before you start grading the property.
A gravity fed septic system is usually the least expensive and most durable option, but the drain field takes up a lot of space. In addition, placement of the home and the septic system is very important for proper operation of the system. You will want to have the septic system designed and the drain field laid out before you finalize where to put the house to avoid placing the house where the drain field should go. You also want to be sure to install the septic tank where there is easy access for periodic inspection and septic tank pumping.
Failure to properly plan for the septic system and drain field can cost you a bundle. A typical gravity fed septic system costs about half as much as a system using pumps to move the wastewater. Sometimes, simply moving the house a few feet one way or another will be enough to allow for the use of a more economical gravity fed system.
