Building Inspector Run Around - Septic Systems

We had two issues on the table building our log home this past week. The first is getting our septic installed. The second is getting sign off from the township so that we can backfill.

We really hoped to accomplish both these items in one day - paying to bring in the heavy equipment only once instead of twice. This could potentially save us thousands of dollars, but the man in charge is not working in our favor.

Our Building Inspector for the region only works one day a week, so much of our planning and organization for the build is based on his availability to sign off at various stages.

On October 20 Eric visited the township office with the completed Septic Permit, a blank cheque and a site plan. I wasn’t there so I’m telling you this second hand but Eric was told what he had was inadequate, supposedly shown a sample of what was required, and sent away without a permit.

As it turns out (we discovered two days later), the current Building Inspector isn’t licensed to approve, nor deny, septic permits. This work is still in the hands of Dolly Clayton - a woman who had been our buiding inspector for years in the area but recently retired. Dolly, for the record, is fabulous.

At any rate without a septic permit there was little sense in having the excavation and septic installation team coming in, but a few hours later - not knowning how it had gone for Eric - I arrived looking for an inspection and sign off on the 6″ of clean gravel at our footings that is part of the building code (6″ covering a minimum 3″ O-pipe).

Three sides of our house required this gravel application, the remaining side already has an approved, buried, 6 foot frost wall (also with gravel around the base of the footings).

Neither our word nor past dedication to our building site was good enough however. I was told that when the stones were fully completed, he would return, and would perhaps sign off on them at that time.

Steve did however say that what we had done to date was acceptable so we should just continue on in that manner. (You know really, I have issue with this. We are building a home we plan to live in. We are not cutting corners just to make a quick sale of this log home or pull a fast one on the Carlow/Mayo township. We are not about to gyp ourselves out of correct and ‘to code’ installation. This just reeks of a power trip - but I didn’t say so.)

No sign off on the gravel means no backfilling, but our septic installers are keen on getting the septic job done without waiting another week on the whims of a building inspector that isn’t even in charge of septic installations for our region…

I believe it was the next day, Tuesday, when Daryl Levoy (septic specialist in Bancroft, Ontario) decided to get to the bottom of this screw-up. It was his discovery - not ours - that found Dolly was the only licensed inspector. Odd how we hadn’t been told this as the stalling continued in the basement of the township office. Perhaps stranger was how the site plan was approved within 20 minutes with Dolly (no week to week hold up), as nothing else was required than what had been previously submitted.

Daryl Levoy, sick of the run-around, had gone straight to Dolly’s house for the answers that we should have had days earlier, and the job moved forward. Dolly is fantastic at communication and one of the most informed, knowledgeable, and helpful individuals I’ve crossed paths with during this process. Note to myself - call Dolly more often when processes ’stall’ and answers are required.

October 22

Since we were approved for septic installation, Daryl Levoy, Richard Koster and Jamie Koster (Excavation Experts) arrived on the log home site on Wednesday. Dolly Clayton wasn’t far behind ensuring that installation was to plan and to code, and she approved it all on the spot. The job is done - one more project off our building list - great thanks to everyone involved on Wednesday!

October 27

Today Veronica and I stopped into Carlow/Mayo township office again to request a Building Inspector visit and sign off on gravel at the footings. Even though the excavation equipment has come and gone, we still need excavation work on site - but not without the Building Inspector’s pre-approval.

Since backfilling couldn’t be done on the same day the excavation equipment was already present (due to lack of approval on October 20) this has the potential to cost us a lot more money. Township officials don’t care about the little people’s money apparently.

In fact I was told once already (on another issue) that “…this is what happens when you buy expensive logs for a home…” Apparently I am perceived to be a woman with too much money - hence the attitude that I can afford to waste it on two heavy equipment floats.

Whatever.

Our building inspector said he’d visit and investigate. If all was well he’d sign the building permit (pointing to the septic permit in my hands) and also agreed to call and leave a message at our house. I reminded him that I needed approval on my building permit, not my septic permit, and said it was on-site.

We really need this approval before we can move forward with anything else right now. One day’s work with a bulldozer will backfill around the house’s original excavation, fill in the 400 foot long trench that goes to the existing on-site well, smooth the surrounding grounds, and fully cover the new septic tank installation.

However, we can’t get a bulldozer in to backfill until we have his approval.

And, of course, I have no signature, no phone call, nothing. So now we wait another week. Held up further, yet again.

Guess I’d better call the excavation team and cancel. Again.