Western Massachusetts Tacomas

perc test on a new septic for a home/land parcel we are buying. The current one failed and is not allowed to be used. It's about 15 feet from a stream, and there is more stream water than septic mess. Oh it was built in 1950 and is still being used, no leech field, no end caps on the inside so back up comes back up...

Anyways, this is the last piece of the puzzle and then we can close and get to work! Got a roofer and septic lined up, just need some wood rot replaced and a new subfloor after that....

Yes it is a POS, but its going to be beautiful and be a good thing long term for my family!

 

You putting in a raised system ?

 

Morning Neighbors

 

I hope not!

Our engineer thinks it should be the same as the past 3 we’ve done, with the exception of needing a pump. So we will pump it out back, then it will go to a gravity fed leech field I think? will know better in a few hours

 

We got away with a conventional system at my daughters house . That was lucky. Most new construction around here almost always has a built up system . We saved probably $25 -35k

 

someone in town just got a 50k “horseshoe” system quote. don’t even know what it is but it cost more than I knew they could go! We’ve been very lucky with state minimum systems, fingers crossed that continues minus the pump

 

Is this a move for your family? You built your current home fairly recently no?

 

House I recently bought has a cesspool septic system.

At the last minute the bank decided they needed a septic test. I had a septic company out but they could not locate the tank in about 1.5 hrs with 2 guys. I eventually found the cap. Located in the woods by just a few feat and under brush. The piping runs under my garage.

The septic guys carefully read what the bank was requiring of me as they said it would likely fail a perc test, so they didn't want to do 1. The septic is located about 15 ft away from a tiny trickle of water that turns into a 3-4ft wide creek when there is heavy rain.

The next door house is abandoned, and the septic guy says its because of the septic system. There was 10 people living in a 2 bedroom house on a very similar system to what I have and it was just flowing out into that creek trickle, so the environmental cops forced a shutdown.

I was told by the septic company that to put in a modern system for my 2 bedroom house would be 8-12k depending on the size i wanted to go with, but my system is properly working and they passed it for the banks inspection.

 

We are not going anywhere, the neighbor across the street bought the cabin and 3acres that was originally part of the parcel we are on, he wants to sell, and we want to make sure no future neighbor complains about our business, or worse, does something to harm it. We will renovate and turn it into an air bnb for our guests and skiers. We are paying a little premium thats sure, but it was a private sale and unlike a regular owner, we can make the money back quick and use it to build on the lot that comes with it. This is my plan to diversify our income and open a route to savings/ start up future projects without messing with our main business or savings goals.

In MA you can't sell a house that's on septic without a passed septic inspection, or as we are doing, an agreement by the seller to take it on. It must be replaced within two years of the failure. It is also required in neighboring towns but not ours, that you put the lid to the septic at grade. We will be doing this so that in 20 years we don't have the same issue you had. I remember selling a house as a realtor in NC and I spent 4-5 hours trying to find a septic from the 60s with no drawings and 3 owners past had installed. It was miserable

We passed our test no problem, and we can have the smallest set up possible, but adding a pump box and pump is going to add 3-4k it sounds like. So we would have been around that 8-12k, but it sounds like 12-15k now. Should get a better estimate by Friday. Worst case scenario they are thinking around 20...

And the engineer said the average one they do is like 30k these days! We "got lucky"

 

Oh, and so there are a few black walnut trees around the back of the house I want to remove because they are contributing to rot since there is never sun on it, and a HUGE one is going to destroy the house one day guaranteed.

I have heard these trees can be worth some money? Or people like to use the wood for stuff. Does anyone know anyone who would come take a big and small one for free? I can get rid of the brush and shit they don't want (fire), but I just don't want to pay someone to take them because I want to use that money on things like a subfloor and encapsulating the dirt floor basement...

 

I cant help you with a person to take them down, but do know that the wood definitely has value. My dad used to make children's toys out of wood, and he would spend good money on black walnut, plus many other species as they are beautiful colors.

 

Right, the tree is HUGE so there is big chunks to be had, I figure someone must have a use for it and be willing to either pay to get it taken down, or know how to themselves to sell it. My neighbor splits wood non stop and his father has his land in town logged regularly, I should probably ask them, but wanted to throw it out on here too incase someone here wanted it.

 

Call the local hardwood sawmills, maybe Wayne at LP Adams can help if you have trouble finding someone. It has been my experience that people will pay you for the logs depending on the current market values. It would be a shame to cut it into firewood.

 

i guess i just meant burn the branches not the good stuff. I agree, someone should use it!!! Good call on the mills or LP

 

Depending on what a grader would say, they're worth money.
All kinds of things can be made, including gorgeous rifle stocks.

 

What do you consider "western" MA?
I am west of 495, next to Devens...I ride (HD owner) out western MA more than anywhere else in this state, because its pretty out there, and dont have to deal with city folk!

 

I consider everything past the 95 loop West, lol. It that’s me since I live pretty much in Boston.

 

I consider Western MA anything west of I-91.

 

I look at from Ware and westward

 

See, I don't see anyone outside of berkshire county being from western mass, the rest of you are central. I'd assume most that live here feel that way, but could be wrong.

You all are big city folk from the never never land to me.