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Post by crimsoncat05 on May 26, 2021 16:15:57 GMT
You may remember, I asked a while ago about deciding to move somewhere in the US for retirement... my DH and I are finally starting to talk seriously about what we want to do when we retire, and where we want to do it. (he didn't ever think about it before because he wasn't sure he'd even live that long-- sigh. The joys of living with a dramatic fatalist...  ) Anyway- we currently live in a town of about 45,000, about 40 miles south of the Phoenix metro area, in a subdivision. The neighbors are right there, houses all over, 0.25 acre lots. We know we want to live someplace much more rural, and we're starting to talk about locations- so far the outlying St. Louis, Missouri area seems to be leading the list as far as compromising on the extremes of climate, terrain, rural living with city nearby for jobs, etc. But- my question(s) are more about living in a more rural area: the houses / areas we are targeting will have septic systems, wells, their own propane, and will ideally be partially wooded, on 5-10 total acres. Talk to me about costs, maintenance, and living with managing your own 'utilities' vs. paying an in-town utility company to deliver those services to you, please. What type of maintenance do you have to do? If anyone has moved from a town to a rural setting, are the costs comparable to utility companies? cheaper? more expensive? What should we be thinking about and preparing ourselves for, in terms of being ready for emergencies, having inspections, potential costs & pitfalls, etc.?? (oh, and how prevalent is good and FAST internet service in more rural areas??) thanks! (our 3-5 year timeline for this move may be gearing up to be VERY accelerated, due to some information we recently obtained... so I'm trying to gather up as much information as possible for us to make good decisions.) |
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Post by crazy4scraps on May 26, 2021 16:56:03 GMT
I live in a semi rural suburb. We have our own well and septic but we are on the grid for natural gas and electric so no propane. The only real differences IMO is that we don’t pay a water bill which was marginal when we lived in the city as far as utilities go. We still have to pay for the sanitary sewer out in the street.
As far as maintenance goes, we have to have our septic system pumped at least every three years. I want to say last time it was about $300-350 if memory serves. We are responsible for having our well pump serviced if anything goes wrong there. We have had to do that once since we’ve lived here and I don’t recall what it cost to have that guy come out. A new pump is probably $1500-2000; if you have to have a new well drilled I have no idea what that would cost. We need to do that at our hunting property and the cost is what is keeping us from doing it.
Something else to consider is the condition of the water. If you have hard water you may need a water softener if the house doesn’t have one already, and that requires buying salt periodically. Hard water is hard on appliances like your dishwasher, washing machine and refrigerator if you have an ice maker or water in the door. Hard water also makes your faucets get crusty from sediment/scale and your sinks, tub and toilets will get stains.
That’s about all I can comment on. Hope others can help more.
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Post by rymeswithpurple on May 26, 2021 17:05:52 GMT
When I was younger (probably when I was between 8 and 10), my parents got city water. (And they're not super duper rural either.)
However, the things I remember are them always having to buy water (I distinctly remember those big jugs that go in the fridge that have the little button to press to dispense water), and occasionally, the pipes would freeze and my parents would have to shower at the gym.
Oh, and then there was the fun of my dad having to clean the septic tank himself once. Like, he literally got into it. I have no idea why he had to clean it, but it was absolutely disgusting. The neighbors apparently liked to throw their kids' diapers down the pipes (it was a shared system).
Needless to say, it was a good day when we finally got city water. Felt like we were living big. Hah.
(Hopefully systems now are better than they were 20-ish years ago!)
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Post by busy on May 26, 2021 17:21:16 GMT
You will need to understand your systems and the basic safety precautions around them, and what to do in emergencies. LEARN THIS ALL BEFORE THERE IS AN EMERGENCY. Do not assume you'll be able to call anyone for help in a weather emergency, because everyone will be in the same boat and there won't be enough pros to go around.
Also, if you go that route, you need to have a generator. Rural areas lose power more often and for longer periods than suburban/urban areas. My brother and his family live in St Louis near WUSTL and weather in the general area can be lousy, including tornados. If you're on a well and you lose power and don't have a generator, you lose water too.
ETA: With wooded lots, pay attention to the distance and size of trees that are near any of the equipment that keep everything going... a heavy storm the brings down trees could cause serious damage.
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Post by librarylady on May 26, 2021 17:31:13 GMT
Find out what the laws regarding septic systems are in the planned location. Find out about the water systems. I grew up with propane. My mother had the supply company come by on a schedule and check it to refill. The frequency depends upon size of your tank and number of people using the stove, heat and hot water.
Will you be required to install an aerobic system?
Fast internet is a joke at my mother's home, which is very close to Houston.
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Post by jlynnbarth on May 26, 2021 17:32:41 GMT
I came to say exactly what busy said. Be sure and have a generator. If you have a well and lose power, you lose water too. |
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msliz
Drama Llama
The Procrastinator
Posts: 6,419
Jun 26, 2014 21:32:34 GMT
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Post by msliz on May 26, 2021 17:33:08 GMT
crazy4scraps gave a lot of good info in her post regarding costs, so I'll just say "same." We have private well and septic.
To add, I'll say you'll need to be prepared to lose your water every time the power goes out. No power means no well pump, so you'll need to keep lots of bottled water on hand. We drink a lot of bottled water anyway during dry months because when the water level gets lower, we end up with more sediment in the water. We have filters of course, but they don't catch everything, and you can taste the metals.
We have propane for just the stove, so we can still cook when the power is out.
And, we're in the suburbs, not rural, so our internet is good. Our only problem is with how much they charge for it.
Good luck with your decision
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Post by stingfan on May 26, 2021 17:45:30 GMT
We have well/septic. Our house was built in the 90s. We've lived here for 7 years and have had to replace the water softener ($1200) and the pressure tank ($1500). We've also had the septic pumped every couple of years ($300-$400ish). So let's say that's $3300. Over 7 years, that comes to $39/month. That's less than our water/sewer bill was at our last house. Plus, we expect the softener and pressure tank to last us for awhile now, so the price per month should continue to drop. Now, if we have to replace the pump, too, our numbers won't look so good  . We're not really in a rural area, so I don't know about the rest. We get Comcast cable/internet where we are... |
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smcast
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,333 
Location: MN
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Post by smcast on May 26, 2021 17:51:45 GMT
My parents had to make sure things didn't freeze with the well in winter. Not sure about that possibility in Missouri. Also, I'd test the well water and may need to treat water so its ok to drink.
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Post by ecvnj58 on May 26, 2021 17:58:46 GMT
Our propane is set up where the company comes out and auto refills and just sends us the bill. We also have a water treatment system that requires maintenance and filters. It’s not cheap but our water is fabulous. My house was built in the 90s and everything is in good condition so we have done mostly maintenance yearly/ every couple of years.
The one thing I wanted to add is consider a generator and the cost of that. Where we are it takes a while for power to get back on and it basically goes out at the drop of a hat (although less so after sandy took down a bunch of trees). It’s been really handy having a generator that powers the entire house.
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Post by mollycoddle on May 26, 2021 18:01:59 GMT
You will need to understand your systems and the basic safety precautions around them, and what to do in emergencies. LEARN THIS ALL BEFORE THERE IS AN EMERGENCY. Do not assume you'll be able to call anyone for help in a weather emergency, because everyone will be in the same boat and there won't be enough pros to go around. Also, if you go that route, you need to have a generator. Rural areas lose power more often and for longer periods than suburban/urban areas. My brother and his family live in St Louis near WUSTL and weather in the general area can be lousy, including tornados. If you're on a well and you lose power and don't have a generator, you lose water too. ETA: With wooded lots, pay attention to the distance and size of trees that are near any of the equipment that keep everything going... a heavy storm the brings down trees could cause serious damage. All of this. Plus make sure that any property that you buy has good water drainage. That area seems to get a lot of storms. |
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Post by coaliesquirrel on May 26, 2021 18:22:32 GMT
We built a new home on 10 acres and have been here right at 14 years (moved in when I was pregnant with DD). We've had the septic tank pumped once about 7-8 years in, I think, and the guy told us it really wasn't even close to needing it yet. So, it all depends on how you size it. That said, neither DD nor I use any feminine supplies that are flushed, so I'm sure that helps. DD did use flushable wipes for quite a few years after potty training, but even so, they apparently weren't a big deal when it was pumped.
We're on grid for power, water, and gas, as well as cable internet. We're at the end of the line, though, so we do have - and have needed - a generator for power outages. Also, we have backup wireless internet through our cell phones that has been essential a few times during this year+ of WFH for me.
As far as upkeep, for our now 5.5 acres, we have a couple small tree lines, but basically mow it all minus the trees, driveway, house, and barn. It's about a 3.5 hour job in the mower (if you search John Deere 1585, it's very similar to that). We're inside the city limits (the sign is next to our property), so we're required to keep things mowed to 3' or less, particularly the ditches back 3' from the road. DH does the ditches about once every 3 weeks to a month, Aprilish - Octoberish, and that's another 2.5-3 hours total. We have to keep down noxious weeds (thistles) but otherwise, we're fairly lazy gardeners. In November, the mower deck comes off and the snow plow goes on. We're at the end of the line for plowing, and of course are responsible for our own driveway (350') in any event.
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Post by austnscrapaddict on May 26, 2021 18:28:19 GMT
Everyone has given great insight, but I will add, although it's a minor thing, it annoys me when we're at the ranch. On a septic system there is no garbage disposal, so food scrap have to be disposed of.
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janeinbama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,176
Location: Alabama
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Post by janeinbama on May 26, 2021 18:28:31 GMT
If you are moving to an area with well water and septic system, chances are you will also have a road/driveway to maintain. Check locally about fast internet. We are rural and we have great internet, however, 1 mile away is spotty. We have been on septic with 2 houses and never had problems. DH (a plumber by trade) took out the disposal in the first house and we pump septic every couple of years. No experience with a well. Buy generator prior to an emergency and then electrician can wire it properly to your house. You can practice running it instead of waiting till power is out and it's raining. Once you get areas you are interested in relocating to, join local county FB groups to get the real truth.  |
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tracylynn
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,872
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Post by tracylynn on May 26, 2021 18:43:57 GMT
Everyone has given great insight, but I will add, although it's a minor thing, it annoys me when we're at the ranch. On a septic system there is no garbage disposal, so food scrap have to be disposed of. That's not necessarily true. I grew up in 2 houses when I was kid, both on septic, both had disposal. And the brand new build house I bought in 2019 is on septic, w/ a disposal. That said, I don't use it to dispose of major food scraps. I'm careful about what I put down there, but it's nice not to have to worry about every little thing on dishes either. As for maintenance on the septic, a lot of municipalities now require you to have them checked/pumped every 3-5 years. Regardless if you need it or not, it's just good septic maintenance and care. And the new ones now actually do require more frequent cleaning because of the extra chambers and baffles inside. Also, if you move into an existing house and the septic tank does NOT have easy access (meaning you have to dig), I would insist on having the holes dug, collars put in, and lids installed. That way there is no digging in a septic emergency. Way easier for everyone. |
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Post by coaliesquirrel on May 26, 2021 18:45:42 GMT
Everyone has given great insight, but I will add, although it's a minor thing, it annoys me when we're at the ranch. On a septic system there is no garbage disposal, so food scrap have to be disposed of. It may not be common, especially with older homes, but we do have a garbage disposal and septic. So, it's possible - but you do want to be careful what you send down. You need bacteria in the tank to help break down some of the solids (which eventually drain away into the lateral lines instead of having to be pumped), so you don't want to use a bunch of antibacterial soaps, cleaners, etc. And, from what I understand, you want to watch how much grease you send down (not sure about why exactly - it's just what I've been told). |
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anniebeth24
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,566
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Post by anniebeth24 on May 26, 2021 18:48:15 GMT
Just a thought on the St Louis area - I'd stay on the Missouri side of the river. There are some nice communities on the Illinois side but the taxes are ridiculous and the political corruption seems to be widespread.
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Post by LuvAgoodPaddle on May 26, 2021 18:49:11 GMT
We were looking for a rural property for the previous few months (gave up due to the craziness), but the biggest thing for us was high speed internet. Almost all rural properties here do not have decent, let alone high speed internet. These were properties within the county, but just outside of the main roads and we were shocked there was no fast internet options at all. Definitely wouldn't work for TV let alone anyone working from home which we both do.
Comcast has a place on their website where you can input an address and it will tell you if you can get service or not.
We can deal with septic and well water, but can't deal with no internet these days.
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Post by nlwilkins on May 26, 2021 18:59:50 GMT
We've lived in a rural area two different times. Both times we had septic tanks. My husband's family did not have anything but the the great out doors for years, but in his teens they finally got a septic tank. In about 70 years we have only heard of the tanks needing pumping about twice for all the different places. (The homes are all still in the family.) If you know what you are doing when you put the tank in and treat it right you don't need to get it pumped but maybe once every 15- 20 years. You learn what not to flush, you learn when to flush enzymes, you don't use garbage disposal, you are careful not to put chemicals down the commode, and so on. It is not an onerous task, just takes educating yourself. Oh and where you place the septic tank is important as well.
We had propane for our heating and cooking. You have to monitor your tank to make sure you do not get too low as getting refilled may take a week or more. Our water was provided by a co-op that you have to purchase a membership in.
Some of the things that I learned this last time we moved to the country that I did not expect:
You have to take care of your trash - many times we were under a burn ban and could not burn our trash. We hired a private company to collect it on a weekly basis.
We had to make do with dial up the first year. Daughter had a satellite dish for hers. We got DSL which worked just fine.
We had to go with Dish for Television, no other choice. Brother in Law made do with an antenna and got just basic stations.
Electricity went out very often as others have mentioned.
Delivery trucks had a hard time finding us.
Mail was at the end of our driveway which was a 30 minute walk there and back. (Watch out for critters!!)
Doctors and medical attention was 45 minutes away (why we had to move into town)
It was a hour or more round trip to pick up anything you needed. So planning ahead was necessary.
BUT --I loved it. It was so quiet, some of the critters were amazing to watch including the deer who would come up in the middle of the night to eat the food we put out for them. I learned to be careful and to always carry my cell phone with me when out on the property. We could hear the coyotes late at night on the hills around us.
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
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Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on May 26, 2021 19:00:25 GMT
Everyone has given great insight, but I will add, although it's a minor thing, it annoys me when we're at the ranch. On a septic system there is no garbage disposal, so food scrap have to be disposed of. That's not necessarily true. I grew up in 2 houses when I was kid, both on septic, both had disposal. And the brand new build house I bought in 2019 is on septic, w/ a disposal. That said, I don't use it to dispose of major food scraps. I'm careful about what I put down there, but it's nice not to have to worry about every little thing on dishes either. As for maintenance on the septic, a lot of municipalities now require you to have them checked/pumped every 3-5 years. Regardless if you need it or not, it's just good septic maintenance and care. And the new ones now actually do require more frequent cleaning because of the extra chambers and baffles inside. Also, if you move into an existing house and the septic tank does NOT have easy access (meaning you have to dig), I would insist on having the holes dug, collars put in, and lids installed. That way there is no digging in a septic emergency. Way easier for everyone. It really depends -- our town bans garbage disposals with septic systems. It's part of the plumbing code. They used to be allowed, but the town code changed a few years ago due to having issues with them. We built our house/septic system 25 years ago. It needs pumping every 3-5 years. So long as you don't flush any extraneous items it pretty much takes care of itself. I stay away from sending much bleach and disinfecting cleaners down the drains because that messes up the bacterial balance in the septic system. Read up on how they work -- we've never had a problem with ours. But my state is extremely strict about their installation, and requires inspections if the house changes owners. I totally second the collar and lid and making it easy to find -- the pumping company is in and out of here in less than an hour and you'd never have known they were here. |
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Post by kellapea on May 26, 2021 19:19:53 GMT
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Post by essiejean on May 26, 2021 19:23:39 GMT
Everyone has given great insight, but I will add, although it's a minor thing, it annoys me when we're at the ranch. On a septic system there is no garbage disposal, so food scrap have to be disposed of. This is not totally true - you can have a garbage disposal if you have a healthy septic system. You can easily google this for numerous articles. We have been on our acreage (5 acres) for 20 years and have had a disposal the whole time. Our system is checked every other year (we have to by law have it checked and certified) and have only had it fully pumped maybe 5 times that we have been here. We make sure that our drain field is not driven on by anything heavier than our dirt bikes or lawn mower - especially during the rainy season. We have low capacity toilets (less water flushing) and are adamant about nothing but septic safe toilet paper going down the drain. We also make sure all cleaners that we use in the house, kitchen and bathroom are septic safe. You don't want anything going down the drain that will kill off your good bacteria growing in your system. When you own acreage it is often more work the less you own. We maintain ALL 5 acres - mowing, weed eater, fertilizer, weed killer, tree thinning, gravel driveway etc - but many of our neighbors with 10 acres and more only maintain the 3-5 acres surrounding their house. The rest of the acreage is wild. So be prepared to invest in some good equipment and a garage/shed to store it all in. We even have a skidsteer for the property as we do all of the maintenance on our road. So after a major downpour my husband typically has to use the skidsteer to grade the gravel and of course it is invaluable in the winter months when clearing snow. You have gotten many great replies and I would concur with the following - we don't have to pay for water or sewer but pump, well & septic maintenance can be costly - upkeep is very important to save money in the long run
- we don't have natural gas so our place is all electric other than the 2 fireplaces in the house and the heater in the garage that we have on a propane tank
- internet is never the greatest
- have a generator on hand - power outages can be frequent and typically last longer than in town
- no city garbage pick up - so you either haul it to town yourself or pay for an outside service to pick up
- water softeners and filters are a must - we have very red dirt on our property so we have a filtration system on the water that comes into the house before it goes through the softener. The water is very good here but be sure to have samples sent in for testing just to make sure your well water is safe
- If you anticipate a power outage (especially in the winter) fill your bathtubs with water. If power goes out you can use this water to refill your toilet tanks so that you can at least use them. if power is out you have no pump so toilets won't fill like normal
All in all - rural living can at times be a little more work and can be spendy if you have well or septic issues BUT the peaceful solitude is WELL WORTH it! |
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scrapngranny
Pearl Clutcher
Only slightly senile
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Post by scrapngranny on May 26, 2021 19:26:08 GMT
I don’t know anything about the costs, DH was in charge of all that. We had business as well as our house on the same system, so things had to get broken down at tax time.
The only side to well water was if the electricity went, so did your water. The pump ran on electricity. We never had any problems with our septic and we even had a garage disposal in the house. Propane price fluctuated like gas prices do. We only ran the heater and water heater off propane. The stove, and dryer were electric. We had regular garbage pickup.
All in all utilities were not a big issue for us. We used huge amounts of electricity especially during the summer, but it was a business expense.
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Post by LuvAgoodPaddle on May 26, 2021 19:27:13 GMT
Oh, I just remembered one other thing about septic systems that we learned. You may not be able to add on to your home since you have to stay within the capacity of your septic. I can't remember if it was specifically just bathrooms, but may have to do with bedroom and/or people count too. If you add on, you may have to replace your septic to a larger one that can handle it.
I heard stories of people buying 2 bed/1 bath with plans to add a bed and bath. Just to find out after the fact they can't because of the size of their septic system. So that has to be upgraded too and it's a whole job of potentially tearing up your whole yard costing big $$$$$.
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on May 26, 2021 19:36:03 GMT
Propane: The cost is lower if you own your tank. We own our 1000 gal tank, and we pay a much lower ppg (about 30-40 cents cheaper). Usually, a buried tank belongs to the homeowner and above-ground tanks are leased. Ask for documentation of who owns the tank when you buy the property. If you own your tank, the propane company is going to want proof because there are pretty significant penalties (at least around here) if Company A fills Company B’s tank. If it is leased there is usually information about the tank’s owner somewhere on the tank itself.
Septic systems: There are traditional systems that require a large leach field that “perks,” and there are aeration systems that are used when there is not enough ground for the leach field or the ground does not perk (drain). The only maintenance you need for the traditional tank is having it pumped periodically and to make sure you have the right bacterial balance to break down waste. Believe me, you will know when that gets out of balance. Use a product like RidX or Green Goblin on a regular basis, and you should be good. And of course, be careful what you put down your pipes. Start thinking about a compost pile, because you won’t be able to use a garbage disposal.
We have an aeration system. It is like a mini waste treatment system in your yard, with waste water going through an aeration chamber that has an arm that “stirs” the water in the first chamber. Hair, toilet paper, tampons— all these can get stuck on the arm and cause your service alarm to go off. If you don’t remove the debris, you will wear out the bearings on the motor ($400-500 repair). My girls knew not to put tampons down the toilet, but I swear every time we had a group of girls over for a party or sleep over, the alarm went off the next day. We have a service agreement with a company that will come take care of all alarm issues, as well as test the tanks quarterly and add chemicals as necessary. The 2nd (and 3rd too?) tank requires chlorine to sanitize the water before it is discharged into the soil. This service costs $300 per year, so $25 a month for unlimited service calls.
Well water: We have public water now, but we had a well in NC. That water had high iron levels, as in turn your white cotton clothing brown levels (didn’t seem to affect synthetics). We tested and treated, tested and treated with something else, and probably repeated that cycle another 3 times before we found a system that worked. We had to use a water softener/reverse osmosis combo system that was new at the time. I don’t know if there is anything better now.
ETA: Get an estimate for how often you have to pump your septic tank. We had ours pumped in 2014 and hadn’t given it another thought until we started having problems in early 2020. After talking to the pump company, they said we should be good on a 4-year cycle. So our next pump will be 2024. It should be easy to remember that election year = septic year LOL!
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,618
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Post by SweetieBsMom on May 26, 2021 19:53:45 GMT
I have propane for heat/hot water/cooking. I pay my propane bill in July for the year. I'm on an automated delivery and in the 17yrs I've lived here I've never run out or had to worry about it. I've never had to even monitor the tanks though this year they just installed a 'monitor' so they can see from the office if I need a refill.
I have town water however it comes from a well so I just installed a water softener as my water was crap.
If I had a private well, I would definitely have a generator. I have a whole house generator but it's because we lost power all the time, for days at a time.
Septic has always made me nervous. I grew up in the city so I had town water/sewer. A woman I worked with had her septic tank back up into her house and the story scarred me for life. But I know plenty of people with septic that have never had a problem.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on May 26, 2021 20:22:33 GMT
Thanks for answering; you guys are great!! I really appreciate it. I picture an idyllic existence tending to a vegetable garden and my cottage-style flowers while a couple chickens scratch around for bugs, and the dogs romp around in the yard, lol. I know it won't be that saccharine-sweet, but I did grow up in a very small town, so driving 30 miles to a fast-food place or to the 'big' grocery store is something I'm familiar with, at least. And I'm more than ready to spend my free time mowing the lawn or pulling weeds in the garden and flower beds with no outside noise, instead of waiting at stop light after stop light in suburban traffic, and hearing traffic outside at 3 am when we have the windows open. I knew you'd have some really good information for me... some of the things I had already thought about, but not in detail, and stuff like NEEDING a generator otherwise you won't have water in case of an electricity outage is something that didn't even cross my mind. Or paying for private trash service. Or the fact that the price of propane can fluctuate. We never had a garbage disposal growing up, so Mom would always just toss the fruit/vegetable scraps out in the garden to eventually get tilled under, so I*am* used to that-- and a compost pile would be good for gardening. Thinking about all this upkeep is sort of scaring my DH a little, but I think we could manage it for the rural / out of town / woodsy-private lifestyle. And where we used to live, we had a private water company and it was so expensive, it cost $90 a month just to HAVE water service- and that was before you ever even turned a faucet on or used a DROP of it. And hey, I moved to AZ with my now-DH 15 years ago, as an adventure, so maybe this 'move to the country' will be our next big adventure, lol!  A few more questions: 1) is any toilet paper compatible with a septic system? we're both kind of picky about that. (I don't want to be stuck using the really thin, scratchy one-ply stuff... ick. lol.) 2) Can you have a regular gas stove in your kitchen with propane? I love cooking on gas. I grew up with a gas stove, and the few times in my life when I've had to live with an electric stove, I *hated* it. (if not, I guess I'd learn to live with it, but I'd rather not.) 3) are there any conditions when well water would be undrinkable? Such as, could it get contaminated with bacteria, or chemicals from the surroundings, or anything like that? Because it's just coming from the local water table / aquifer (or whatever you call it), right? And how do you know if your well has enough capacity, or if it's running out of water? (is that even the right term? I hope you know what I mean.) I guess I get concerned about the amount of water because it's in such short supply where we live, since we've been in a drought for years. 4) are insurance rates different, for homeowner's and car insurance, living rural rather than in town? Is there a separate or additional policy for the land itself, or anything like that, which would add to the insurance costs? Such as, more land = more insurance costs?? (We wouldn't be renting any of our land out for farming, or anything like that. We don't want that much property-- just enough to have some solitude.) |
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Post by crimsoncat05 on May 26, 2021 20:26:12 GMT
election year = septic year LOL! ^^^ that's quite fitting, isn't it??   |
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janeinbama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,176
Location: Alabama
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Post by janeinbama on May 26, 2021 20:34:12 GMT
1. We use Angel Soft, but it really depends on the water in the area. DD did a science experiment with different brands!
2. Yes, gas stoves have a adapter added to use propane.
3. No well here
4. Homeowner's Insurance varies depending on areas Fire rating. Car Insurance is a bit higher because commute increased, however car taxes are less in the county we reside in now.
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Post by Linda on May 26, 2021 20:36:13 GMT
A few more questions:
1) is any toilet paper compatible with a septic system? we're both kind of picky about that. (I don't want to be stuck using the really thin, scratchy one-ply stuff... ick. lol.)
something like Scott tissue (which you don't like) is BEST for septic but anything that says septic safe will be okay - you just might have to pump on the more frequent side.
2) Can you have a regular gas stove in your kitchen with propane? I love cooking on gas. I grew up with a gas stove, and the few times in my life when I've had to live with an electric stove, I *hated* it. (if not, I guess I'd learn to live with it, but I'd rather not.)
Yes - growing up one of our homes (we were military) had a smallish propane tank hooked up to the stove. I remember that after the time we ran out of propane mid-turkey and had to run across the street to use the neighbour's oven, my dad made sure to check levels more often.
3) are there any conditions when well water would be undrinkable? Such as, could it get contaminated with bacteria, or chemicals from the surroundings, or anything like that? Because it's just coming from the local water table / aquifer (or whatever you call it), right? And how do you know if your well has enough capacity, or if it's running out of water? (is that even the right term? I hope you know what I mean.) I guess I get concerned about the amount of water because it's in such short supply where we live, since we've been in a drought for years.
there are - if your well gets flooded, you need to have the water tested before you use again without boiling. It's never happened to us because we've always bought land that was a bit higher elevation than around it but we know people it did.
Also unless you have a generator (or a hand pump) - no power = no water
You can have the well inspected/tested during the inspection period when buying a property - it is possible to drill it lower if needed but $$
4) are insurance rates different, for homeowner's and car insurance, living rural rather than in town? Is there separate or additional insurance for the land itself, or anything like that, which would add to the insurance costs? (We wouldn't be renting any of our land out for farming, or anything like that. We don't want that much property-- just enough to have some solitude.)
insurance rates vary by risk and rural areas are often lower for car insurance. Beyond that - we needed to be within a certain distance from a fire plug (hydrant). Land isn't insured- just the house and buildings
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