Septic field and tank sticker shock $65k

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gzecc

gzecc

Minister of Fire
Sep 24, 2008
5,123
NNJ
3BR 1600 sq ft house in north central NJ on 2 acres. Add one 1500 gal tank and a leach field. Gravity feed system because of elevation change. $56000 for contractor, $4000 for town permits, $4000 for engineer, $1500 survey.
I almost fell over when I saw these numbers. Anyone have experience in these matters. Is this stuff really this expensive now?
Only received one quote so far.
 
That's at least 6 times what a system costs here
No engineer no township permit
We do need a Provincial Health inspection before (no cost)
and during installation. It has to be approved
That gets you a license to operate a septic wastewater system
Lad next doors system this past spring cost $6200 complete
Get a second quote
 
johneh said:
That's at least 6 times what a system costs here
No engineer no township permit
We do need a Provincial Health inspection before (no cost)
and during installation. It has to be approved
That gets you a license to operate a septic wastewater system
Lad next doors system this past spring cost $6200 complete
Get a second quote
Click to expand...
Yeah welcome to our NJ "paradise tax"
 
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Is this for a mound system? because that is the only way I can see that high a cost. as far as town, engineer and survey ( perc test?) thats beyond Highway robbery. Course I am in WI brand new septic system 5000sq house under 12k ( my son's place) He did not need a mound system, even if it did likely would not exceed 24k. then again stuff on the right coast is as bad as the left coast cost wise. You need a bunch more quotes.
 
Probably technically a mound system. Mounded below because of slope in yard. Its gravity feed from tank.
 
Something has to pay for his new Lariat.
 
That's at the upper end of what I hear people quoting around here, but typically comes with pumping uphill or other challenges. More often, I'm hearing $25k - $40k for gravity to mound. Drain fields are nearly impossible to get approved around here, anymore.
 
I have a design ready to be priced up, Its going to be the special Presby Design so only 30" to seasonal high water table. Its on a slope and I had the design include capacity for an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). That increased the field size 30%. At least its a gravity design but I expect its not going to be cheap.
 
Find another contractor. He's too busy or doesn't know what he's doing.

I do the same, when we get full with work I'll continue to price work, but the price goes up. Sometimes it goes up a lot if we're really busy so it's worth the headache to take on more.
 
Dam... that is about $3000 in supplies in my area and usually when i was installing systems i could have it done in less than 8 hours at about $200/hr
 
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It’s no longer a about cost to do the job plus profit but charging you just a bit less than the competition. So materials, time, itemized breakdowns etc. are meaningless. If you need a septic you’re a captive, if there’s only one contractor he can charge you a million. Highway robbery.
 
haha... im due for a vacation...

Not sure what its like their but in the last 20 years i have lost track of how many times they have changed the requirement's.. Went from the tried and true drain field to all of this stuff requiring pumps and such and now back to the old tried and true drain field.. What is really funny is i know people that have old cars/vans burred as their tank and 40 years later still working as it did on day one..

Heck on my street they were going to force us all to hook up to a sewer until they had difficulty getting it across the creek and it was going to cost them TO much money..
 
A mound system with all the pumps is running around $35-40k in my neck of the woods. They have to use a "special" sand for the mound which only one guy has so you know what that means $$$.

Unless you have been sitting on an already approved gravity system it ain't happening here.
 
haha that's funny special sand.. they tried that around here as well and the inspectors were told to go pound sand.. They also tried to tell us our field drained to fast... Its just a money grab they keep trying to change the rules every few years to make it cost more to the consumer.. Simple septic fields have been working perfectly since the were invented
 
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I was thinking of doing my own. The soil was tested and okayed. Just flat ground out in a farmland. I didn't have an excavator. So, I called a person with an excavator. He sent his 2 sons over who grabbed a 1-day rental on their way over. I picked up the plastic drain field forms.

We marked up the ground and they started digging (I already knew the needed length). The younger brother got tired at dusk (he had a party to go to). They pushed on and called it done an hour later. I looked at the 2 parallel holes. They hadn't done enough slope. I hand shoveled the trenches for a few days.

The septic tank was placed in the hole - the measurements worked out. The angle was good. More pipes and angles. The drain field plastic domes were laid. I cut a hole for the pipe in one of the plastic drain field domes. Upon inspection, the inspector said that was a no no. What to do? He said switch the cut one with the last one, and he would come back. I did this and it was approved.

I asked aren't you going to check the slope? He said he could tell it was good by looking at it. I rented a small excavator and filled the domes over with dirt. I placed 2 clean-out pipes in the wrong way in the pipe leading to the septic tank, too (you mustn't have a small unreachable section). But it was done. Cost? It wasn't that expensive - like $2500 total.
 
Last edited:
zrock said:
haha that's funny special sand.. they tried that around here as well and the inspectors were told to go pound sand.. They also tried to tell us our field drained to fast... Its just a money grab they keep trying to change the rules every few years to make it cost more to the consumer.. Simple septic fields have been working perfectly since the were invented
Click to expand...
Here in NJ they keep changing and changing it as well. A properly maintained septic will last for decades. Even if it functions perfectly fine on some homes they still require it to be replaced due to new requirements. Of course then you have the shady inspectors who will fail it so they can then install a new one.
 
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