Septic Installation
Septic installation is one of the most common jobs we run, especially across the cottage country we serve. New builds, replacements, system upgrades – we handle the design coordination, the perc test, the permit, the install, and the final inspection sign-off. If you’re at the start of the process and don’t know what kind of system you need or what it costs, that’s normal. Most of our customers don’t know on day one. We help you figure it out.
Septic systems we install
Conventional septic
The standard system for most rural and cottage properties: a tank and a leaching bed sized to the home.
Tertiary treatment systems
For sensitive sites, smaller lots, or where the lot won’t accomodate a conventional system.
Raised filter beds
For properties with high water table, shallow soil, or restrictive site conditions.
Replacement systems
Full replacement of failed systems, often with upgraded designs for current code.
If you’re not sure what your site can support, the soil tells us. We do that work first.
Septic Installation Process
01
How we approve a septic site
Before anyone designs the system, the site has to pass:
- Perc test (percolation test) – measures how fast water moves through your soil. Drives the size of the leaching bed.
- Soil profile – depth of native soil before bedrock, water table, or restrictive layer.
- Setbacks – distance from wells, lot lines, structures, and water bodies. Ontario Building Code Part 8 sets minimums.
- Lot suitability – slope, drainage, access for the install crew and tank truck.
If your site won’t allow for a conventional system, we’ll tell you on the first visit, and walk you through the alternatives.
02
The install - start to finish
- Site visit and quote – we look at the site, talk through the home or cottage size and bedroom count, and outline the likely system type.
- Perc test and soil work – done by us or coordinated with a soils contractor.
- System design – by a qualified designer (us, a licensed designer, or your engineer).
- Permit application – submitted to the township.
- Install – tank, distribution box, leaching bed or filter bed, risers, and inspection ports. Typically a 2–5 day job depending on system and site.
- Inspection – by the local approval body.
- Final grade and sign-off – site graded clean, system mapped, paperwork in your hands.
03
Permits - Muskoka, Simcoe, and Parry Sound
Septic permits in Ontario are issued by the local township.
We handle the permit application and the inspection coordination as part of the install. Fees vary by approval body and are passed through to you with no markup.
What it costs
New Install
A new conventional septic system in our service area typically runs high-teens to low-thirties of thousands installed, all-in (permit, system, install, basic restoration). Replacement of a failed system is similar. Raised beds and tertiary systems run higher because of the materials and design complexity.
The variables that move the number:
- System type and size (driven by bedroom count, number of plumbing fixtures and soil type)
- Site access and slope
- Distance from the tank to the house
- Restoration of landscaping after the install
- Permit and design fees
We build the quote with the assumptions called out, so you can see what could change.
Replacement vs new install
Replacing a failed system has its own quirks: what’s there now, what condition it’s in, whether the existing bed can be reused, and whether the lot’s setbacks still meet today’s code. Sometimes a replacement is straightforward; sometimes the new system has to go in a different spot, which is its own scope.
If your system is showing problems – slow drains, surfacing effluent, sewage backups, call us before it fails. Replacement under pressure is more expensive than replacement on a plan.
More Services
Excavation
Foundation digs, basements, utility trenches, lot excavation.
Site Preparation
Land clearing, lot grading, stump removal, erosion control.
Demolition
House and cottage teardowns, concrete demolition, debris removal.
Septic Installation
Septic system installs and replacements, with permits handled.
Drainage
French drains, weeping tile, regrading, swales, culverts.
Trucking & Aggregate Delivery
Gravel, sand, topsoil, fill — by the load, on schedule.
Retaining Walls
Armour stone, boulder walls, and shoreline-safe walls.
- Waubaushene
- Tay Township
- Port Severn
- Midland
- Orillia
- Port Carling
- Parry Sound
- Tiny
- Springwater
- Elmvale
- Oro-Medonte
- Gravenhurst
- Rosseau
- Collingwood
- Bracebridge
- Huntsville
- Dwight
- Baysville
- Bala
- MacTier
Get a septic quote
Tell us the address, the home size (bedroom count and number of bathrooms are key), and whether this is a new install or a replacement. If you’ve already had a perc test, send us the results.