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In December 2015, Janet St-Pierre, a yoga instructor, bought a century-old brick house in the hamlet of Dunbar, about 70 kilometres south of Ottawa, and dreamed tranquil possibilities.
On a half-acre beside a converted church, the lovely old place had just been renovated: new walls and floors, updated kitchen and bath, big wraparound deck overlooking a yard and fertile farm field. Then came the spring of 2016 and a ripe awakening.
The old manse, where a minister once lived, stank to high heaven.
“In the spring, it was every day,” she said one morning this week, describing what is now a two-year battle. “I’ve left my home several times to stay at other people’s houses just to get away from the smell. It can take your breath away.”
St-Pierre, 53, is still trying to unravel the saga of how — despite a pre-purchase inspection by two parties — she’s left with a septic system that does not meet the building code, emits ghastly smells and, most importantly, consists of a tank right under her dining-room table.
It is the kind of problem that keeps her up at night.
“Every day I wake up in my home, my home that I’m supposed to enjoy and care about, and it stinks and some days it stinks more than others,” and she is in tears at the frustration. “There are days when, honestly, I just want to pack up and leave because it’s unhealthy.”
St-Pierre says this is the seventh home she’s owned, meaning she doesn’t make rookie mistakes. Not only did she have the home inspected before closing the $210,000 deal, but she specifically had a septic inspection from Valley Sanitation Services Ltd., of Kemptville, in October 2015, months before she moved in.
And this is where the miscommunication began.
Janet St-Pierre bought her renovated home two years ago, only to discover that the septic system was under her dining room.
Valley co-owner Bob Thomson said this week the company tested the system to see if it was operational, performing the usual flow tests — running some 450 litres through the plumbing — and trying unsuccessfully to find and test the pipes in the septic bed. (After several dig attempts, it couldn’t find the buried pipes.)
“It was operating satisfactory at that point, yes.” He said it isn’t up to Valley to alert the owner about every possible building code violation with the old system, probably 40-some years old, something it would do with a new installation.
So the sale went ahead. After the smell started, St-Pierre would make several disturbing discoveries: there seemed to be no permit for the dining-room addition, it should never have gone over the tank in the first place, the garage seemed to be sitting over portions of the septic bed, there were virtually no permits pulled from the Township of South Dundas and the previous owner was denying any liability.
And the biggest shocker: a whole new system was the answer, costing close to $40,000, money she doesn’t have.
“How can no one be accountable?” she asks. “How, how?”
So she fell into the rabbit hole that is septic system regulation in Ontario. It is an important matter: the improper disposal of sewage on private property could contaminate the home’s drinking water, affect a neighbour’s well, and create unwanted personal and public health risks.
The systems are regulated by Ontario’s conservation authorities and, indeed, St-Pierre has been in touch with the South Nation Conservation, which would issue permits for new systems or major repairs by licensed companies.
Rules have come a long way. Maybe 50 years ago at the cottage, a septic system was a set of pipes leading to a buried barrel with holes in the bottom. Today, the systems must be of an approved design, have accessible, sealed tanks with proper filters and house setbacks, be installed by trained technicians, have the correct dispersal bed and follow a service plan.
South Nation Conservation’s general manager, Angela Coleman, said the authority knew nothing about the St-Pierre septic system prior to purchase, nor about the placement of the overhead addition. It does not have funds available to help new homeowners suddenly in septic distress, she added.
“Potential home buyers can educate and protect themselves and their future investment by doing their homework and identifying what is onsite, and in what condition, during purchase negotiations,” she wrote.
In order to “baby” her old system, meanwhile, St-Pierre is taking short showers, doing laundry only once a week and refusing to use the dishwasher.
“I’m so frustrated because I did what I thought was the right thing.” She says even CMHC, the mortgage insurer, accepted her septic inspection report.
So far, she’s paid $1,200 for a new septic design and $600 for an installation permit. But who will pay for the new system? She’s contacted a lawyer and, thousands later, is no further ahead with the parties she feels share some of the responsibility: the seller, Valley Sanitation, the township and the conservation authority.
“It’s on my mind all the time,” she said of the septic worry. “It’s a huge weight that never leaves.”
SOME SEPTIC SYSTEM THINGS TO KNOW
The cost of a new septic system can hit a homeowner like a bomb. Imagine in the case of Janet St-Pierre that a new system (as high as $40,000) is close to 20 per cent of cost of the actual house ($210,000). Some things to consider before buying a house with a septic system.
To contact Kelly Egan, please call 613-726-5896 or email kegan@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/kellyegancolumn
查看原文...
On a half-acre beside a converted church, the lovely old place had just been renovated: new walls and floors, updated kitchen and bath, big wraparound deck overlooking a yard and fertile farm field. Then came the spring of 2016 and a ripe awakening.
The old manse, where a minister once lived, stank to high heaven.
“In the spring, it was every day,” she said one morning this week, describing what is now a two-year battle. “I’ve left my home several times to stay at other people’s houses just to get away from the smell. It can take your breath away.”
St-Pierre, 53, is still trying to unravel the saga of how — despite a pre-purchase inspection by two parties — she’s left with a septic system that does not meet the building code, emits ghastly smells and, most importantly, consists of a tank right under her dining-room table.
It is the kind of problem that keeps her up at night.
“Every day I wake up in my home, my home that I’m supposed to enjoy and care about, and it stinks and some days it stinks more than others,” and she is in tears at the frustration. “There are days when, honestly, I just want to pack up and leave because it’s unhealthy.”
St-Pierre says this is the seventh home she’s owned, meaning she doesn’t make rookie mistakes. Not only did she have the home inspected before closing the $210,000 deal, but she specifically had a septic inspection from Valley Sanitation Services Ltd., of Kemptville, in October 2015, months before she moved in.
And this is where the miscommunication began.
Janet St-Pierre bought her renovated home two years ago, only to discover that the septic system was under her dining room.
Valley co-owner Bob Thomson said this week the company tested the system to see if it was operational, performing the usual flow tests — running some 450 litres through the plumbing — and trying unsuccessfully to find and test the pipes in the septic bed. (After several dig attempts, it couldn’t find the buried pipes.)
“It was operating satisfactory at that point, yes.” He said it isn’t up to Valley to alert the owner about every possible building code violation with the old system, probably 40-some years old, something it would do with a new installation.
So the sale went ahead. After the smell started, St-Pierre would make several disturbing discoveries: there seemed to be no permit for the dining-room addition, it should never have gone over the tank in the first place, the garage seemed to be sitting over portions of the septic bed, there were virtually no permits pulled from the Township of South Dundas and the previous owner was denying any liability.
And the biggest shocker: a whole new system was the answer, costing close to $40,000, money she doesn’t have.
“How can no one be accountable?” she asks. “How, how?”
So she fell into the rabbit hole that is septic system regulation in Ontario. It is an important matter: the improper disposal of sewage on private property could contaminate the home’s drinking water, affect a neighbour’s well, and create unwanted personal and public health risks.
The systems are regulated by Ontario’s conservation authorities and, indeed, St-Pierre has been in touch with the South Nation Conservation, which would issue permits for new systems or major repairs by licensed companies.
Rules have come a long way. Maybe 50 years ago at the cottage, a septic system was a set of pipes leading to a buried barrel with holes in the bottom. Today, the systems must be of an approved design, have accessible, sealed tanks with proper filters and house setbacks, be installed by trained technicians, have the correct dispersal bed and follow a service plan.
South Nation Conservation’s general manager, Angela Coleman, said the authority knew nothing about the St-Pierre septic system prior to purchase, nor about the placement of the overhead addition. It does not have funds available to help new homeowners suddenly in septic distress, she added.
“Potential home buyers can educate and protect themselves and their future investment by doing their homework and identifying what is onsite, and in what condition, during purchase negotiations,” she wrote.
In order to “baby” her old system, meanwhile, St-Pierre is taking short showers, doing laundry only once a week and refusing to use the dishwasher.
“I’m so frustrated because I did what I thought was the right thing.” She says even CMHC, the mortgage insurer, accepted her septic inspection report.
So far, she’s paid $1,200 for a new septic design and $600 for an installation permit. But who will pay for the new system? She’s contacted a lawyer and, thousands later, is no further ahead with the parties she feels share some of the responsibility: the seller, Valley Sanitation, the township and the conservation authority.
“It’s on my mind all the time,” she said of the septic worry. “It’s a huge weight that never leaves.”
SOME SEPTIC SYSTEM THINGS TO KNOW
The cost of a new septic system can hit a homeowner like a bomb. Imagine in the case of Janet St-Pierre that a new system (as high as $40,000) is close to 20 per cent of cost of the actual house ($210,000). Some things to consider before buying a house with a septic system.
- Get a professional inspection that would not only test the system, but provide a list of code shortcomings, as well as permits that indicate age and size, type of tank and location of leachate bed, especially with regard to any wells.
- If possible, obtain maintenance records that show how often tanks were pumped out and pipes inspected. Ask the local conservation authority about what records it has.
- Ask about the life expectancy of the system and the replacement cost and options.
- Check on the annual cost of a service provider, a required element under Ontario’s building code.
To contact Kelly Egan, please call 613-726-5896 or email kegan@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/kellyegancolumn
查看原文...
