I am planning to build a house with a walk-out basement in the future. In the meantime, I am going to build a detached, two car garage with an apt. above it(which is where I'll live while the main house is being built). The garage will be on the left side of the house and set-back so that the front of the garage will be even with the back of the house. Where would the septic tank and drain field have to be placed to accommodate both the apt. and the house? Thank you.

What state and county is this property? A county permit is usually required and you must submit plans showing all elevations. You also need a perc test. Depending on the county they may not approve two dwellings on one tank. If they do approve this my guess would be between the two building further into the back yard by about 20'. I have seen some homes where do to soil and terrain the tank dictated where the house would go. 2 friends actually had to buy the lot across the street from their home and pump to a new field.

Thanks for your response. Putnam County, TN. Property is on three and a half acres.

Thanks for the info. Acerage will not matter to the county, size of the tank and field *** well as number of bedrooms will play into your septic. Call the Putnam County The Official Home of Putnam County Tennessee (http://www.putnamcountytn.gov/index.php?p=departments&s=building) and ask about their approval process. This is usually an unpleasant experience dealing with county and state codes must it's a must