In 1998, twelve test pits were dug on the Maple Hill Road property. Results indicated that the soil was definitely unsuitable for a relatively inexpensive leach field system. If we were able to get permitting at all, it would be for a mound-based design, which could cost anywhere from $8,000-$25,000 to construct!

Last week, we got bad news from our engineer. He visited the land and discovered that the current owners roughed in a gravel road and installed a well without consulting the soil investigation documentation. Their work completely plowed over several of the viable test pits, and changed the topography of the land such that the entire process will have to begin anew.

He isn't confident that permitting will be obtainable at all, the failure of which would render the land effectively useless for our purposes. It looks like our hunt for home isn't over yet. We've backed out of our contract and asked the sellers to pursue permitting on their own (and we've assured them that we'd buy the land in a heartbeat if we knew we could build on it).