Virginia Garage and House - Let the process begin.

[hcallaway]

The half bath was framed up after the garage floor was poured.

 

[hcallaway]

Rough Grade done.

Built up the yard to eliminate steps for when I or we get old.

Power company finally got the lines buried. 400 AMP

 

[s219]

Really looks sharp as a tack with the combination of colors and materials. I remember when I used a box blade on my little Kubota B2920 to grade and tidy up around our house for the first time. The first 3-4 passes, the box blade kept filling up with construction debris and I kept having to drive off to a far spot to empty the box of all the junk. Once cleaned up, I could finally smooth the actual dirt without crap getting caught in the box and leaving divots.

Are you going to have gutters installed? Now is a good time to consider ground gutters if you want to avoid having them hanging on the house -- you can just grade in some shallow ditches around the perimeter with minor slope to an outfall, line with plastic, and cover with gravel (if you level off the gravel, you'll never even know there's a ditch/gutter in the ground. You can let the rain create natural drip line trenches in your recent grading to help you decide exactly where to shape the ground gutter ditches. Widen/smooth the drip line trenches with a regular shovel and that's it.

I did that around most of our house except for over the front steps where I put a short 6' gutter. All around the rest of the house, it's just a shallow ditch shaped under the drip line with plastic and covered with #57 gray gravel, and has been working like a charm. I think it helps that our lot is sloped so that all the ground gutter trenches have a clear path for water to flow downhill. At some point, I want to put another layer of #57 brown over the top to better blend in with our brick color.

 

[hcallaway]

Thanks, we are installing black gutters as well. He has the downspouts in the garage. I just spoke to him at lunch and they have the gutter machine doing two other jobs and then will knock mine out. I wish they were already up on the garage. I have a lot of fill that I am going to have to redo around the backside of the garage.
We are getting close. I may get in the house before my wife kills me. Now almost a year and one month since this all started.

I did ground gutters like you described on a 48 x 24' shed roof and they worked well. I have 24" overhangs on that building which I think helps with spray off the ground.

 

[hcallaway]

Engineered Septic System
About 600 feet away from the house was the one area out of the 5 acres that they would approve to have an engineered field. The trees had to be hand cut, and dragged out. We were not allowed to have any heavy equipment on the area. It could only be done when the ground was dry.
He used cables after felling the trees. Stumps were to be left in place and cut flush. The top layer of pine needles etc.. had to be raked off. A specfic sand had to be truck in for the bed. It is about 2 hours away. Total Septic System is 26K. Pricing is in line for this area.
A skid steer with tracks was allowed to spread the sand for the base.

Two concrete tanks were installed. One is 1500 gallons with a divider for the actual filter system and another 1275 gallons for the treated water that will be sent via a pressurized loop to the field. This timer runs in cycles and the field actually has 2 loops that alternate.


I don't know too much about how the system operates, but I know there is compressor that runs to areate and any treated water that does not leech into the ground returns back to the tank to be sent again on another cycle or side of the field. The contractor said this is a lot of S--t just to use the bathroom.

 

[hcallaway]

The field out in the woods will have sand on top of the lines. Then it is covered with top soil. I think as much treated water goes up as goes down. There is ground cover planted on top. You have to stay off of the mounds or you can damage the lines. The lines look like radiant heat in a floor.

 

[dave1949]

Thanks for the pics of the engineered septic system. Wow, that's complicated with the pressurized loop lines in the mound and air pumps.

Given the cost, I wonder if people in your area consider composting toilets with grey water systems? Clivus Multrum makes some interesting systems.
Composting Toilets and Greywater System Products and Services | Clivus Multrum, Inc.

 

[EddieWalker]

I see more and more of these very complex septic systems going in, and wonder what they do that a traditional septic tank and leach field doesn't do? Is there a measurable difference? or is it just more government feel good, do anything and say it's better?

 

[newbury]

<snip>
Fill dirt never goes far enough when you are trying to build an area up.

Looking great.
And if you have to dig dirt up (I'm planning on putting in a basement in Northern Virginia) there is nowhere to put the dirt in Virginia for free. I can't even spread it around my half acre.

I see more and more of these very complex septic systems going in, and wonder what they do that a traditional septic tank and leach field doesn't do? Is there a measurable difference? or is it just more government feel good, do anything and say it's better?

It probably employs more people.

 

[hcallaway]

We are in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Water at the drip end is 99% clean. New systems this year are even cleaner with 50% less phosphates. Also required to maintain a contract to keep in compliance.