Country Living (septic, well water, etc.) ... who's done it?

LBV said:
I'll still be commuting to work until I retire in 4 or so years ... will be farther than now but I can put up with that for those years and may end up working out a deal to work from home 1 or 2 days a week.
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Not knowing the details of your new location, but it's likely that the stores you are used to being just around the corner are not there anymore and you have a half hour there and back again to get something you need. Nothing like starting a project or a repair and finding that you need some little thing that you don't have. Plan ahead.
 
GreyGhost said:
I've never seen a gravity-fed residential system with an alarm (including the one the in-laws just had installed by a company that only does septic systems).
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The new Type 1 we installed had a few sensors that would set off an alarm on a box mounted to the side of the house (completely with flashing light), though it's been a few years so I can't remember exactly what. Pretty sure it would go off for too high, too low, and excessive flow into the field. Mostly was set and forget, and the only alarm we had was immediately after install where a sensor needed adjustment. Was good peace of mind rather than relying on looking for excessive grass growth or a soggy yard...
 
My driveway is about 250’-300’ long and about 15’ wide.A 9 1/2 hp Honda snowblower works great for me , I just need to throw the snow left or right a few feet to clear my driveway. A four wheeler with a plow would not work well for me. By February the snowbanks on either side would be too high to push more snow over. With respect to septic, a gravity fed system without a sewage pump is best if possible and remember, if it’s yellow let it mellow.
 
thwak said:
Not knowing the details of your new location, but it's likely that the stores you are used to being just around the corner are not there anymore and you have a half hour there and back again to get something you need. Nothing like starting a project or a repair and finding that you need some little thing that you don't have. Plan ahead.
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I wired up a friends new garage at his cottage recently near Calabogie Racetrack. It was just over an hour one way to the nearest Home Depot so if you forgot something there goes half a day. I made sure I showed up with everything I needed.
 
Is this a subdivision or a spin off of a farm?
I would recommend going to the local municipal office to get a copy of the land title.
Check to see if there are any caveats attached.
With the gentrification of rural land some of them can get ridiculous.
Can you have dogs, cats or chickens and what colour you can paint your fence!
Can you park an RV on the property for more than 3 days.
The local county council used to be farmers but now it may be lawyers and bureaucrats.
Of course you can pay lawyer fees to send a secretary to do this.
 
If you live on a school bus route you get the road in front of your house plowed Monday-Friday.
If your niegbour is a County Counsilor you get the road plowed every day!
If you live on a city residential street you may never see a snow plow.
 
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So we went and checked out the place in the country I like plus a couple of others.

The one I like was built in the late 1800's (board & batten exterior) and the basement walls are made of a stone & mortar material and there's a bad musty smell down there. They had what I think was a dehumidifier running but I suspect there's no way of getting rid of that smell. Anyone know of a way?

It's a small area and the only reason to go down there is for laundry anyway (once a week for me).

Back then they never built closets for your clothes so when you walk in you need to hang your clothes on hangers on the wall.

The bedrooms have no walk-in closets, just dressers for storing your items. There's a 3rd bedroom upstairs that can be converted to a walk-in closet easily though.

The A/C was on and working fine. Previous owners added a living room off the kitchen on a concrete slab so there's no venting for cooling or heating. They have a wood stove with lots of wood piled up outside ... I suspect that room is cold in the winter so that's another adjustment.

My heart loves the place, but my brain is saying "it's an old house with some compromises".

The other 2 were brick bungalows that were further away from work than I'd prefer and I've ruled those 2 out.

I'm not sure yet what to do about the 1 I like but my agent keeps looking as do I.
 
LBV said:
The one I like was built in the late 1800's (board & batten exterior) and the basement walls are made of a stone & mortar material and there's a bad musty smell down there. They had what I think was a dehumidifier running but I suspect there's no way of getting rid of that smell. Anyone know of a way?
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I like old houses. As for getting rid of the musty smell, it's not impossible but it would be expensive and ruin a lot of the charm. Old basements weren't meant to be living spaces. You need to create the vapour barrier they are missing to keep the humidity and smell under control. While you are undertaking that project, you might as well underpin to get some more height and lock in the stones for the next 100 years. Just like that >$100k up in smoke but your basement is now a nice place to be. Personally, I wouldn't bother.

The intermediate step is a proper built-in dehumidifier. They are ducted to get complete air circulation and remove a lot more water. It may be good enough. A few thousand for the unit and probably close to that for installation. It won't get you back to perfect but it will be far better than a crappy portable dehumdifier.
 
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LBV said:
The one I like was built in the late 1800's (board & batten exterior)

I'm not sure yet what to do about the 1 I like but my agent keeps looking as do I.
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A friend is in the process of prepping his century farmhouse for sale similar to what you describe (he's selling because work is dragging him back to Toronto, and the commute is unbearable from near Bewdley). Lots of pros and cons with something that old, and the concept of an R value didn't apply. There's added work, and some things that can be very difficult to fix (e.g. leaky insulation), but if you like the feel of old places, it can be worthwhile.

Our house is circa 1914 with a Craftsman style, so has some improvements over Victorian with more built-in storage and better natural light, but also has leaky insulation and lath and plaster walls anywhere they didn't tear out the lead plumbing or knob-and-tube wiring. It's a trade-off I'm happy to make for the incredible finishing and details like solid oak doors, inlaid hardwood flooring, and carved marble fireplaces you'd never find in a newer home. I also just like old things, so enjoy being in this house far more than any other newer house we've lived in. Having an older house takes more care, as even the brick mortar typically needs to be re-pointed with a different lime mortar mix than the Portland cement based mortars of newer houses (stronger =/= better in this case).

Aside from the obvious 'old house' headaches (above mentioned lead plumbing, crappy old wiring, lath and plaster walls), other things to pay attention to are non-standard doors/windows etc. that will require custom replacements, badly done renos from way back, insufficient electrical panels, and costing for any renos is at best an educated guess, as opening up finishes can lead to all sorts of surprises.

In the end, make 100% sure your realtor has lots of experience with older homes, and get lots of inspections done by experts in old houses, not Joe Subdivision House Inspector. Spending a few hundred extra now can save you tens of thousands later...
 
Land is always a good investment, if you like the house and willing to adjust, you won't regret your decision. If you want to talk about it, you're welcome to visit my property and I'll tell you the good and bad.. feel free to DM me for contact information.
 
LBV said:
So we went and checked out the place in the country I like plus a couple of others.

The one I like was built in the late 1800's (board & batten exterior) and the basement walls are made of a stone & mortar material and there's a bad musty smell down there. They had what I think was a dehumidifier running but I suspect there's no way of getting rid of that smell. Anyone know of a way?

It's a small area and the only reason to go down there is for laundry anyway (once a week for me).

Back then they never built closets for your clothes so when you walk in you need to hang your clothes on hangers on the wall.

The bedrooms have no walk-in closets, just dressers for storing your items. There's a 3rd bedroom upstairs that can be converted to a walk-in closet easily though.

The A/C was on and working fine. Previous owners added a living room off the kitchen on a concrete slab so there's no venting for cooling or heating. They have a wood stove with lots of wood piled up outside ... I suspect that room is cold in the winter so that's another adjustment.

My heart loves the place, but my brain is saying "it's an old house with some compromises".

The other 2 were brick bungalows that were further away from work than I'd prefer and I've ruled those 2 out.

I'm not sure yet what to do about the 1 I like but my agent keeps looking as do I.
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Re the musty smell: There are ways of getting rid of it but unless the source is eliminated the smell will return.

Our 1960 house had a bit of it and was cured by modern exterior waterproofing at a cost of about $20K

A friend is selling her bungalow in Quebec and having a problem because it's only a two bedroom. It's a long term decision if you convert the third bedroom to closets.

The slab on grade living room could be a problem. The stove will make the room toasty, nicer than a fireplace, but your feet will likely be cold. Floor warming can be added along with tiles. The floor height will go up about an inch for electric, more for glycol systems.

With those older rural properties, one must either learn to live with the quirks or pay a fortune to get rid of them.
 
You guys are awesome! Great info and @Jampy00 I may take you up on that offer, much thanks.

The house has amazing character and a beautiful new wrap around porch (on 3 sides) surrounded by corn fields on 2 sides, a ~$3 mill house on 1 side and an amazing view across the street over the descending rolling hills.

Everyone is right, there'll be compromises and it's a decision between the heart and the brain.
 
NOTHING like that thankfully.
 
LBV said:
You guys are awesome! Great info and @Jampy00 I may take you up on that offer, much thanks.

The house has amazing character and a beautiful new wrap around porch (on 3 sides) surrounded by corn fields on 2 sides, a ~$3 mill house on 1 side and an amazing view across the street over the descending rolling hills.

Everyone is right, there'll be compromises and it's a decision between the heart and the brain.
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Yea, no worries I'm here if you need me.
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