Digging Begins -- Well, Kinda, Sorta

Okay, so now we're up to September, 2005. My lot plat drawing (the one I got when I bought the property) shows two 4" sewerlines run across the backside of my property to the "back" manhole shown in previous picture. They shouldn't interfere with my house building. Unfortunately, the sewerlines didn't actually run where the plat showed them. Yes, you guessed it, they run right under where my living room will be. Somebody elses sewer running under your house is a no-no for the city, so they will have to be moved.

So, yes digging has started, but not the digging of the footers.

The ditch dug in this pic puts the sewers back to where they were shown in the original plat drawing. The city was nice enough to draw up a new plat drawing for me (for free) and file it with the county (also for free).

I know what you're thinking (cause I thought it too). That being, since the sewer wasn't where the city said it was; that I wouldn't be responsible (financially) for moving it. Wrong thinking oh wise one. There is a little law (put there for this very purpose) that says wherever a sewer runs, an easement is automatically attached to it, whether it is platted correctly or not. And, here's the good part, once you "know" about it (the easement), you can't knowingly build on it. So, if I hadn't taken the time and effort to confirm the sewer locations I wouldn't have "known" about it and COULD have built over it. Or, at least when the city finally did discover where it really was, then maybe they would have paid or at least help pay to move the two sewer lines. I hope this makes sense. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to confirm things.

You know, they always say building a house costs more than you estimated....yepp.