Code of Country Living - Utilities part one

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Water, sewer, electric, telephone and other utilities may be unavailable or operate at lower than urban standards. Repairs can often take longer than in towns and cities. Review your options before buying a rural site.

2.1 - Telephone communications can pose certain problems. In a few, low-populated rural areas, the only service available may be a part line. If you have a private line, it could be difficult to obtain another line for FAX or computer modem uses. Even cellular phones may not work in all areas.

2.2 - Links to Internet provider services via phone line may require a long-distance phone connection. Not all rural communities have a local internet access provider, though many school systems do offer some connection options.

2.3 - Sewer service is rarely available. If it is, it may be relatively expensive to connect to the system and routine fees could be relatively high compared to city rates.

2.4 - If sewer is not available, you will need to use an approved septic sustem or other waste treatment process. The type of soil you have available for a leach field will be very important in determining the cost and function of your system. Ask for planning assistance from the County Health Department and have existing systems checked - or a new system installed- by a reliable installer.

2.5 - Septic systems requirements vary. ____ County has significant regulations stipulating the type and size of the sewage disposal (septic) system or sewage treatment system you must have. For details on ___ County's sewage disposal requirements contact the ___ County Health Department.

2.6 - Locating the septic system requires careful planning. Sufficient area will be needed for locating the septic tank and drain field a suitable distance from the residence. Floodplains, wetlands, trees, manmade structures and other factors may limit where the septic system can be placed. Also, access will be needed to the septic tank for future cleanout operations. Location of the septic system in relation to wells is also a major consideration.

2.7 If you do not have access to a supply of potable water, you will have to locate one. The most common method is the use of a private water well, but in some areas public well water or community water may be available. Permits for wells may be required in areas served by a water authority, and the cost for drilling and pumping may be considerable. The quality and quanity of well water can vary significantly from location to location and from season to season. It is strongly advised that you research this issue carefully.

2.9 - Some areas of ____ are served by water districts. The districts supply potable water through a rural network of supply lines. In these areas, certain additional taxes and/or fees may be required.

2.10 - Electric service is generally available to all rural areas. However, a power company asked to serve remote areas may demand a share of the infrastructure cost be borne by the user. It is important to determine the proximity of an electrical power supply; extending lines is expensive.

2.11 - In order to get electric power or other utilities to your homesite, it may be necessary to cross property owned by others. It is important to make sure that the proper easements are in place or can be secured to allow lines to be built to your own property.

2.12 - Electrical power lines, telephone lines and pipelines may cross over, under, or nearby your property. Be aware of easements to the property and those nearby, and what they allow the utility providers to do in the way of access, maintenance and expansion.

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), July 16, 2001

Answers

starting a new homestead 101.very good! keep up the good work! boy i gotta get my printer working. thank god for the archives (or whatever i'm suppose to call 'em). thanks again

-- fred in wi (sixuvusmeyers@aol.com), July 17, 2001.

Great list, keep up the good work!

It may be wiser and cheaper to install a renewable energy system, in lieu of going with the grid. CS has had several nice articles about that.
By installing 'grid' you may open the door to more neighbors, because once the grid is nearby it is easier to setup a place.

On the subject of cell phones and ISP connections, sattelite service is available but not quite 'cheap' enough to be an answer.

-- (perry@ofuzzy1.com), July 19, 2001.


Please don't ever be in any hurry to connect to a sewer system. The monthly fees will eat you alive, especially if the system does not monitor how much water actually is going down the sewer system. Some cities actually have this type of monitoring system, which also encourages water conservation, especially important in drier areas. Usually your water is going outside watering plants in the summer, so you're not utilizing the sewer as much, and your sewer bills are lower.

If you cost it out, and are careful with what you put down the sink, a septic will always be cheaper than a sewer, unless you have to put a new one in, which if you're staying in your house for the long term, is just part of home maintenance. Stay away from areas that say you are supposed to have it pumped every few years (we've seen that). You can go ten or more years without pumping if the system is designed correctly and you don't put grease down it or run 10 loads of wash a day right after running the dishwasher and everyone's showers.

Also, be aware that once you have sewer, other mandatory fees like for trash pickup aren't far behind, and you can't separate them out, the city will tack them on. We had our home vacant for over 6 months while we were selling it, and weren't using trash service, but needed to keep the water on so that plants could be watered. I repeatedly wrote to the city to get at least the trash fee removed, offering to have our RE agent verify that no one was in the house, but to no avail. Some friends who have a small vacation cabin in Big Bear have the same problem. They pay for services they don't use. Cash cow for the cities.

If your house is located a long way from the sewer main, it will cost you a bundle (they charge per foot, I think) in addition to the main hookup charge, AND, unlike electric where the wires up to the meter are the company's problem, anything from the house to the water meter is YOUR problem, and will be expensive to fix. Many communities will also charge you sewer fees if you refuse to hook up to the sewer once it is in the street. So much growth in the area created the problem. Mandatory lot sizes would have prevented it from happening in the first place.

Also, if the street has a sewer, and you aren't connected, VHA and FHA loans require you to be connected, or you can't get the loan and may not be able to sell your property or may have fewer potential buyers. The RE agent had to eat the cost of a 100 ft plus hookup at a friend's late parents' house when she told a buyer that it was hooked up to the sewer because of the FHA loan requirement.

Other options are self-composting toilets, if you live out in areas where zoning and code enforcement aren't a problem. Most of the other water used in a household, provided you use completely biodegradeable soaps and detergents, is greywater, and can be used for irrigation of at least ornamental plants.

I don't think sewers are any better than septics for the average homeowner on a decent-sized lot.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), August 14, 2001.


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