Septic tanks

[Budlet]

I live in a listed house which is not connected to the main drains. The old septic tank needs replacing. Costs vary from abut £5000 for do-it-yourself to £10000 for a company to do it. Does anyone know if I can claim back the VAT?

[squarebear]

Why would you be able to claim it back?

[Budlet]

With listed buildings you can often claim back VAT on building work and some renovations.

[The Builder]

I remember having to build a main supporting wall up through three floors of a listed building. Normally it would be subject to VAT. Because the wall had "migrated" about 100mm over the years, I had to put it back in its original place.
As it was now an alteration that (technically) needed Listed Building Consent, I applied for it.
Anything that requires Listed Consent is zero rated for VAT.
Planning Dept. thought I was mad, applying for Consent that I didn't need, but it saved the guy a couple of thousand!

So ............. new tank ..... re-site it slightly. Also, new rules require a lot more in the way of a soakaway system.......... covering more ground.
Put in an application. Once it's passed, a contractor should charge you zero VAT.
Worth the hassle :o)

[The Builder]

^^^ ....... should have said I had to RE-build an existing defective wall .........^^^

[R1Geezer]

how far away is the main sewer? May be cheaper to connect to that.

[NazNomad]

£5k for a diy septic tank?

Who told you that?

[The Builder]

............. also just what I was thinking Naz !
I wouldn't mind the 10k for installing one either :o)

[Budlet]

You can buy a Klargester for about £3000. A local company reckoned on about £10000 to deliver, fit and connect all pipework to the house. We can't connect to the main drains, they are too far away.
Thanks to everyone for your answers.

[The Builder]

£3k?
The last Klargester I bought was about five hundred quid Budlet!!
I guess you must be thinking about a treatment plant :o)

[JonnyBoy12]

Is is just me, or does anyone else think this a "sh*t" question? Sorry to make light of this, but that does seem an awful lot for a septic tank. How many quotes in total have you got?