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Permits and budget · Sign off and document · legal-22Assemble the house file
A house file collects everything you or a future owner needs to run, repair and prove the legality of the estate.
How
- As-built drawings: record where buried pipes, cables, tanks, drain fields and wells actually are, with measurements from fixed points. Mark up the design drawings if the contractor does not supply them.
- Permits, approvals and final certificates from legal-21.
- Equipment manuals, settings and commissioning records for inverters, batteries, pumps, water treatment and stoves.
- Warranties with purchase dates, serial numbers and registration confirmations.
- Contractor contacts and contracts.
- Photos taken before work was covered.
- Keep one paper copy on site and one digital copy off site.
Safety: Accurate as-built drawings stop people digging into buried cables, pipes or drain fields.
Sources
- Getting ready for your new septic system. Story County, Iowa, accessed 2026-11
- Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: elements of cost estimate documentation. US Government Accountability Office, accessed 2026-11