After careful consideration ( having been a little freaked out by the propensity of our lot to make like a swimming pool) we are bringing in a soils/testing consultant to see what, if anything, we need to do to move forward. We may need to bring in some stone to raise it up a bit or we may need to do a little more extensive redesign. Regardless we are holding off on any work until we have a clear path and plan. We expect that we will have a better idea how best o proceed in fairly short order.
Thanks for your understanding, and as always thanks for your support.