The first time I ever heard I have a portable sawmill that used a vehicle for power, the person described it in a way that sounded like the blade bolted directly onto the Hub instead of using a pulley and a belt over to the blade assembly. I had a mental image even more dangerous than the real thing LOL
OP, as a GC myself, please be careful. Refer to your local building / community development department.
Trust the pros about septic soil work, septic systems, compaction testing for foundation soils, and the foundation itself. Sawmills are pretty legit, but make sure that your lumber is dry prior to installation. Some local authorities require it to be stamped by a kiln.
Not to discourage you, but encourage you to do the research prior to the work. The International Regulatory Code ( IRC) is available online. Check it out. I’m using the 2018 IRC currently (GA)
ETA that you need a real scaled plan (1/4” to 1’ preferable). Do not skip this.
There are some outlaw counties even in the East that do not care what you do building wise, but most require a good bit of oversight in the building process. The more rural, the better.
Good luck Sir
Not all of us have to lock someone up to have sex with them 
Story of my life. Nothing can be easy or straight forward
Wouldn’t his duplex be considered a commercial property? Probably why they won’t let him pull the permit as the homeowner.
My question to the OP probably should have been worded better. I was curious as to the level of code enforcement he has where he’s at. ie: drainage plans, zoning, etc. There are still plenty of areas in the U.S. that require a building permit, but don’t do plan reviews, or even on-site inspections. They just have wording that requires the contractor or owner contractor to follow IRC or IBC codes, but little enforcement.
About 90% of Alaska that’s available on the road system has no government review of plans, permitting process or inspection requirements. Our Borough, same as a county in the lower 48, has ZERO codes for construction. Code construction is entirely controlled by lenders and we have a thriving private code inspection business in this state. It actually works amazingly well and we have great success in surviving 100+mph winds and a recent (Nov 2018) 7.1 earthquake. In the last decade I’ve owner built two houses, a 4000 sq ft work shop and remodeled two houses without drawing a single permit other than state D.E.C. for septics. I financed these places outside the normal process, so I haven’t been subjected to any inspections. That said, I follow the code guidelines because I know that they work and I will need the houses to pass inspection if I sell them. In the last decade I’ve helped build in rural western Washington, Idaho and Montana and while they have code enforcement divisions and permitting, it is usually ignored and the fines for not complying are cheap enough that many folks just pay the fines if caught rather than pull a permit.
Honestly, home building still takes long enough for me with modern tools that I can’t imagine not using modern tools. Old houses were built by hand by an army of cheap labor. We have replaced that army of cheap labor with modern tools. I would imagine that a flagstone foundation and brick house would keep me busy for a couple years, even if I dug the foundation with excavation equipment.
OP, don’t forget the local geology of the plot you plan to buy. Your idea is doable, but it’d suck for you to start digging and then get 3 feet down and hit something you can’t dig thru, or dig into something that won’t be stable enough to build into.
Sent from 80ms in the future