Scatological Installation

Even though I have a hard-to-get, simple to install and maintain conventional septic system, putting it in required a lot of hard work.  The house sits on a little drop, and the system had to be designed to accommodate the lay of the land.  The tank itself has to be X number of feet away from the house, and the drain field has to .... well, drain. 

Carroll Mullins had the unenviable job of interacting with me, the absolute novice in this house building thing.  After he and his brother

 

Bernard

Hauled out their equipment which I kept referring to as a tractor

They cleared more space

Carroll wondering if it will ever get done, with all the rain we'd had

They had to clear a driveway, haul in some hard stuff to keep us from sinking up to our ankles in mud.

Bernard measuring to extend the culvert, which here they tend to call a drain tile or drain pipe.  VDOT in the not-too-distant past once installed the drain tile, but no longer.  I pay for the pipe and for the installation.  And, apparently, once it gets stopped up, which it did in the last big rain, either I crawl down in the ditch and wriggle my body through it to clean it out or.....  I don't know the or.

Many of those lovely trees will be firewood in Doug's fireplace next winter, but much to my wondrous delight, their demise revealed a marvelous view, in the winter especially, of High Knob.

A sea of mud.  Too much down time for Carroll and Bernard, and they don't do indoor work.

Finally, the rain ceases and Bernie and Kevin stake out the house corners so the real job of installing the septic can begin. 

Pipe and hose which will go into the drain field trenches

Down the hill below the house site to the drain field

I do think it looks like a very odd coffin, but in fact, this is the fabled septic tank.  It sits on the edge of the small cliff where the house will be.  Its location required 60 dumptruck loads of dirt; please do not ask me how much moving all that dirt cost me.  However, I am installing a coin slot on the toilet.

 Seems a rather small pipe, but it passed inspection.

Pipe connecting to septic tank, leading down the hill to the drain field.

 The finished product, before the 60 loads of dirt disappeared it.

Finally, house plans.  Kevin, my local guy, and Dan the Man the logsetter, rendezvous to discuss the footers and foundation.