Perc Test Here We Come!

We've got the actual perc test application into Harnett County, so now we wait 7-10 business days for some guy to come out and test our soil to see if we can have a septic system on a plot that already has two septic systems and so is perfectly able to have septic systems. Whatever.

We also got the actual CAD plans for the house from Schumacher. It looks great, though there's an awful lot of brick in places for elevation adjustment. I'm sure we're going to be paying a lot of extra for brick.

I'd upload photos of the plans, but they all have copyright and warning notices all over them, so I'm unsure if we should be uploading them. But presumably, if the perc test goes fine, then we go to choose colors, tile, cabinets, etc. and have out pre-construction meeting where we'll get the bad news about how much it'll cost to prep the site...and then it's onto the bank bullshit!

Second site walk complete

After a week at the Outer Banks, our builder Jay came by for another site walk today, this time at the new location (henceforth named Site B). After much discussion we've decided we might even like this new site better for the house though we may just be convincing ourselves of that.

The walk went fine, we're a whole lot closer to the well and power in this new location, though there are water lines that will need to be moved, so it will be a wash. We still have elevation issues, but that's probably normal. All in all, it went well and he didn't see any issues.

Now onto the perc test from the county! We had to cancel the previous one completely, which means we are waiting for a check for our $750 back...and we'll have to just pay it again tomorrow. Yay.

Also ordered a well water test kit today. I wonder what we'll find in our water.

First big glitch

Well, we've hit a snag. Schumacher doesn't seem that confident in us using SunTrust since apparently they won't release funds if there's a lien on the property, but it's normal for subcontractors to put a lien on until they get paid. So we started talking to the preferred lenders they gave us and that's when we hit the snag.

Apparently the bank won't approve a loan on a plot that will end up with two houses on it. This never came up with SunTrust, so they didn't know about the second house. In their opinion it results in an 'unsellable situation' if they need to get their money back on a plot with two homes. This, of course, is total bullshit. It's not like two different families are going to live in these houses, one is going to be a guest house and we're hardly the only people with that situation. But apparently we won't get a loan unless we agree to gut the other house, remove all the plumbing and kitchen stuff and make it pure storage, like an outbuilding.

Screw that. Who are they to ask us to destroy a perfectly good house? Even if we were willing, imagine the labor of having to remove all toilets, tubs, sinks and plumbing? I'm tired just thinking about it.

After much debate, we decided we need to move the new house site. Fortunately our land is divided into 5 plots, so if we build on a plot that doesn't have a house then the bank should stop being dicks about it. So we're back to square one, we need to go identify a new site, have the builder out to stake out the house again and so on. But at least we can probably put a hold on the perc test and not have to pay another $750 since they haven't come out yet.

I doubt this will be the last time we are pissed at the bank.

Site walk complete!

Last week we met with our personal builder, named Jay, out at the new home site. The purpose was to perform a site walk, which gives him the information needed to create a plan for where the house will go, how far utilities will be from the house, and make certain we obey codes related to property line setbacks.

Things went well overall, we had already picked a spot for the house and it works fine for them. The elevation changes were more drastic than we thought, which means we'll have about 6 feet of brick foundation at the low point. That might add to the cost, but we'll also be able to get underneath the house easier if we need to.

Everything else was fine. Jay doesn't think we'll need to get gravel for a construction driveway, but the money we saved there will probably just go towards other things they forgot to spec out, such as drainage systems. Oh, and we were off on our guesswork for the distance to the well. We'll have to see how all that shakes out cost-wise in the end.

Next we go to the county to try to get a health permit for a new septic tank!