The Well
Planned Home
Menu

Septic System Quote Comparison: Tank, Drain Field & Permits

Compare septic system quotes: the design and permit, the tank, the drain field, the digging and what happens to the old system.

Type the price of each written quote, then mark what each one includes. A cheaper quote often leaves work out: mark that work Extra with its price and the totals add it back, so you compare the same job.

Put your quotes side by side

Two quotes or three; the third is optional.

Quote A
Costs outside the quote & your reserve

This is money you set aside. It is not a contractor charge or a recommended percentage.

Enter a quoted price

Quote B
Costs outside the quote & your reserve

This is money you set aside. It is not a contractor charge or a recommended percentage.

Enter a quoted price

Quote C (optional)
Costs outside the quote & your reserve

This is money you set aside. It is not a contractor charge or a recommended percentage.

Enter a quoted price

A price difference helps only after the work matches.

Before you sign: six checks
  • Get three written quotes, and do not pick the lowest on price alone.
  • Hire a licensed, insured contractor. Your state or local building department says which licence the work needs; ask for current insurance certificates.
  • Get a written contract with the contractor’s name, address and licence number, start and finish dates, the payment schedule and who gets the permits.
  • Do not pay it all up front: tie payments to finished stages, never pay in cash or by wire transfer, and make the last payment when the work is done. Some states limit the down payment.
  • If you sign at home, you have three business days to cancel, and the contract should say so in writing.
  • Be wary of a contractor who knocks on your door, pushes you to decide now, or asks you to get the permits yourself.

From the Federal Trade Commission’s advice: How to avoid a home improvement scam.

Check what each quote includes

Leave anything unclear as “Ask.” Choose “Extra” to add a separately priced item to that quote’s budget. Do not also put it in the general left-out costs below.

Materials

Septic tank

Size in gallons, material (concrete, plastic or fiberglass), risers and lids to grade, and any pump or filter.

Drain field

The type (trenches, chambers or a mound), its size in feet or square feet, the stone or chambers, and the distribution box.

Equipment, access and disposal

Excavation and restoration

Equipment access, damage to the driveway or lawn, final grading and seeding, and who pays if rock or water is hit.

Old system

Pumping the old tank and whether it is crushed and filled or removed.

Protection, permits and terms

Site evaluation and design

Who does the soil test and draws the design, and whether getting the health department’s approval is in the price.

Septic permits and inspections

The permit, the inspections during the work and the final approval, and who corrects anything an inspector finds.

Septic warranty and upkeep

The workmanship warranty, the first pumping, and the maintenance the warranty requires.

Nothing is sent to a contractor. Saving keeps these entries in this browser; downloading makes a text file.

Before asking for a price

Keep the number of bedrooms, the soil test results, the approved design and the drain field type with each quote. A quote for a different design is a different job.

Reading the totals

Compare quotes built on the same approved design and drain field. A cheaper quote for a smaller field or tank is not the same system.

The budget adds the quoted price, separately priced Extra items, other costs left out and any tax not already included. Your chosen reserve is added to that subtotal. Treat every “Ask” row as work that is not yet confirmed as included. Get the answer in writing before comparing totals.

My plans

Plans saved in this browser. Open a tool, then choose its load option to restore your measurements.

Choose a calculator