Services available in Vermont:

Septic design & permitting, water-waste water permitting, existing system evaluation, construction inspection & state certification, failed system repair or replacment, permit feasibility study, percolation testing, subdivision design and permitting, house addition permitting, outbuilding construction permitting, apartment addition permitting. You may not know what services you need until we meet with you to evaluate your current situation and goals.  Call Chris Leister at 802-431-0502 for an initial telephone consultation and to arrange a walk at your property.

Here are some common questions:

My septic system is causing problems at my home.  What could be wrong and what can I do about it?

Replacement of a failed system – existing building

I would like to build a barn with an apartment in it.  How do I go about doing the sewage disposal for this new apartment?

Permitting and State rules questions – your situation

I am building a new house and I do not need to build a septic system, I will be connecting to a sewer in the street.  How do I arrange this connection?

Municipal sewer connections – permit required

We are looking at a house and wonder what kind of condition the septic system is in.  In case there is a problem, we would like to find out before we buy instead of afterwards.

Septic system evaluation – check the condition of your existing disposal system

We inherited a tract of land and the taxes on it are more than we can afford.  We would like to sell a portion of the land and keep some of it.  We would like to sell 3 lots.  Are any permits needed to place these lots on the market?

Subdivision of land

We have our permit to build a new septic system.  How do we meet our permit requirements and assure the new system is installed properly?

Construction inspection - certification as required by permit conditions

Inside our company:

We strive to help you accomplish your goals. We know you need permitting complete in a timely manner.   You are "driving the bus" and our experience with treatment systems, construction, and permitting may help guide you when in doubt.  We have many industry contacts in segments of construction we don't work with ourselves.  

Who we are

Technology at work

Customer testimonials

Download a brochure!

Systems and technologies:

We design the right system for your application. Systems vary widely in size, complexity, and cost depending on your preferences, area available, soil type, ledge depth, ground slope, and several other factors.

Frequently asked questions:

Does the lot “perc”?

The term perc, refers to the ability of water to seep into the ground, as in an earth based water disposal system. The answer could be “yes” and at the same time, it may not be possible to get a permit to build on such a lot. Percolation testing does not tell the whole story of permittability. A lot feasibility study is needed to assess not only the percolation rate, but the proposed location of the well, location of existing wells, the location of property lines, the slope of the land, the depth to ledge, location of easements, etc, etc.  All that can affect the ability to design a water source and a waste water disposal area(s) on the lot.

My existing house has a failed waste water system, can a replacement be installed?

The state has a “best fix” policy for existing residences or other structures that allow for some flexibility in complying with the rules. The goal with a replacement is to make the situation better, not to continue a failed system situation. Variances in a best fix situation cannot be granted if the structure is being make larger, load is increasing on the water and/or waste water system.  Variances are granted to continue the home or business use at the same level as present.

I need to sell some property, I can't afford the taxes anymore. Can you help?

Existing properties are not always in an optimum configuration for sale. Multiple residences on a single parcel of land is a good example. One residence on a large parcel may be better sold on a smaller parcel while the balance can be sold as one or more lots. We work with realtors to find answers for property owners that may help them make decisions on how to proceed with real estate sales. Lot subdivisions require town and state approval.

I need to talk with someone about my situation. Can you help?

Talking with us, or emailing is really the best way to find out what needs to be done, how long it will take and how much it will cost. We take a stepped approach to completing your work which helps save unnecessary cost should the plan run into a roadblock because it is not feasible to permit as originally envisioned. We can conduct a site walk with or without the Owner for a permittability “impression”, for minimal expense. We can do a complete feasibility study with a couple of days for $500 per lot which gives us enough information to give an opinion of the likelyhood of obtaining a permit. Lastly, we can use all the information gathered in the feasibility study toward a complete design and permitting application to the State.