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Guru72
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2022 12:48pm
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Hi all. We bought a waterfront property in the Northern Neck of Virginia and it came with a bonus (but totally junk) old cabin that is inside of the RPA zone (100 ft from waterfront). It's about 580 sf and 25' from the waterfront. I got verbal approval from the county guys yesterday that I can rebuild it provided that it's the same size, and in the same footprint. I have some ideas in mind for it; Off-grid, solar panels, solar well pump plus hand pump, possibly composting toilet and corresponding grey water system, LP tanks and kitchen stove, wood-burning stove. It's on a hillside so it would have to be on a pier and beam foundation, which I'm thinking should be sonotube piers with at least 8x8 posts and maybe LVL beams.
I put in an email to the VA Dept of Health to ask about options on the well and septic since the RPA situation is a unique circumstance, but hadn't heard back yet.
I would appreciate any advice or recommendations from anyone that has Virginia-specific experience with well and septic options at a waterfront location, and/or Virginia-specific experience with off-grid rules/regs. TIA!
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NorthRick
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2022 04:47pm
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This was years ago, but I had a coworker who had water front property near there. There was an existing "cabin" that was basically a mobile home that was grandfathered in from the waterfront setback limit. However, he wanted something better in that spot.
I helped him install piles at another spot on his property and rimmed it and braced it with pressure treated lumber. He hired a semi with a flat bed trailer and a crane. We rigged up the mobile home and the crane picked it off it's foundation and set it on the truck trailer. The truck drove over to the piles, the crane re-positioned and picked the mobile home off the truck and set it on the piles.
Then my friend had a manufactured home that fit the existing foundation brought in and set up. It was all above board at the time, not sure about now.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2022 07:49pm
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Welcome to the great obsession 
Sad to say, solar doesnt look like an option with all those trees. Even just a little shading on panels can render them pretty ineffective.
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Irrigation Guy
Member
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2022 08:39pm
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Looks like a nice spot. Good luck!
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2022 04:59am
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I would get more than verbal approval. In the eyes of any government agency if it's not in black and white it never happened.
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Guru72
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2022 06:23am
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Hi NorthRick. The county guys told me to pull off the grandfathering I would have to have engineered plans (even though I'll be doing the hammer-swinging). I'd definitely want to do new concrete piers so it'll be a ground-up deal. The house is completely rotten.
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Guru72
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2022 06:27am
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gcrank1, haha thanks. I've been brainstorming ideas for it for months! The county guys did give verbal approval to remove the big trees that are around it because they are completely in the way for demo/construction (I would have to "replace" them with some other vegetation. Not sure how far back I can get approval to clear for proper solar panel operation, but it seems they would work with me based on the first visit. It would be a minimalist set up anyway (LED lights, minimal outlets, etc).
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Guru72
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2022 06:28am
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Irrigation Guy, thanks!
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Guru72
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2022 06:30am
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Brettny, very good point! He said since the rules change all the time, I would have to get something in to the county on it to "lock it in". I'm guessing a permit app for demo or submission of engineered plans would do just that. Thanks!
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