Please help this city dweller: what do well water and on site septic mean?

[Anonymous]

We had 6.25 acres before we moved here. We had about 3 acres of woods, 2 acres of grass around the house and then about an acre that we put in a wildflower prairie. Get a good zero turn to mow, it took maybe 1 1/2 hours to mow the whole yard. We also had a large tractor with a front loader that also had a snow thrower. We were in an area that got a good amount of snow though and the drifts could get 2-3 ft high in places. Def get a whole house generator, preferably one that automatically turns on when the power goes out and can handle at least the major items ( well, heat, outlets that any fridges/freezers are on).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP here.

Wow, thank you for the great advice! You've been very helpful

Yes, there are woods on about a third of the property, and on satellite view and photos/videos, this and neighboring properties look well-maintained. I dug into the Master Plan for that area and apparently the residents and powers that be wish to keep their area rural and not too developed. It's designated a conservation area type IV, which is the least developed (even though it's not that far from DC). I agree with PPs about keeping a portion of the property wild.

Adding a question: I've heard of people keeping a few goats or sheep, as pets, but also to keep their lawns "self-mowed" and free of encroaching jungle. There is a stable and field on the property already. What do you guys think? Is this crazy? Maybe I could just rent them when I need to. I know a couple of people who do that.

Mow a perimeter along the woods 6-7 times and you’ll be fine.

Depending on topography/layout, you could get a sub compact tractor with a belly mower. If you have acreage, the functionality of a loader on a small tractor is really huge.

But, if you have a lot of trees, tight turns, small spaces, you’ll need a zero turn.

You’ve really graduated when you have a sbs, zero turn, and tractor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have only ever lived in cities and close-in planned communities. I'm looking at a exurb/country place on Redfin right now that has "well water" in the listing. Also "on site septic". What does this entail compared to my urban place with water and sewer that are integrated into the city systems?

Also, it's 5 acres (with stable, horse allowed!). Horse aside - my daughter will go nuts - is that much land manageable for a regular family? On large exurb plots like this, I suppose people outsource the mowing and shrubbery maintenance? How much does it cost?

Any other questions I should be asking myself, regarding moving to somewhere more rural? I've considered commute and schools.

It means more land, longer commute, more things to fix but for less upfront cost.

How many kids do you have and is it a neighborhood with an HOA or private road?

OP here. 2 teens, one in college already, no HOA, no private road, but a cul de sac. All the properties are 5 acres min. Some restricted farming allowed, but I don't think the properties close to the one on sale do any of that (maybe a hen coop, but hard to tell).

They might not now, but you can never assume what will happen in the future especially when people have plenty of space, no hoa, and rural zoning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have only ever lived in cities and close-in planned communities. I'm looking at a exurb/country place on Redfin right now that has "well water" in the listing. Also "on site septic". What does this entail compared to my urban place with water and sewer that are integrated into the city systems?

Also, it's 5 acres (with stable, horse allowed!). Horse aside - my daughter will go nuts - is that much land manageable for a regular family? On large exurb plots like this, I suppose people outsource the mowing and shrubbery maintenance? How much does it cost?

Any other questions I should be asking myself, regarding moving to somewhere more rural? I've considered commute and schools.

It means more land, longer commute, more things to fix but for less upfront cost.

How many kids do you have and is it a neighborhood with an HOA or private road?

OP here. 2 teens, one in college already, no HOA, no private road, but a cul de sac. All the properties are 5 acres min. Some restricted farming allowed, but I don't think the properties close to the one on sale do any of that (maybe a hen coop, but hard to tell).

Cul De Sac is good. This sounds like a good option me. You have your own space, no thru traffic, and some neighbors if you want to socialize with people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have only ever lived in cities and close-in planned communities. I'm looking at a exurb/country place on Redfin right now that has "well water" in the listing. Also "on site septic". What does this entail compared to my urban place with water and sewer that are integrated into the city systems?

Also, it's 5 acres (with stable, horse allowed!). Horse aside - my daughter will go nuts - is that much land manageable for a regular family? On large exurb plots like this, I suppose people outsource the mowing and shrubbery maintenance? How much does it cost?

Any other questions I should be asking myself, regarding moving to somewhere more rural? I've considered commute and schools.

It means more land, longer commute, more things to fix but for less upfront cost.

How many kids do you have and is it a neighborhood with an HOA or private road?

OP here. 2 teens, one in college already, no HOA, no private road, but a cul de sac. All the properties are 5 acres min. Some restricted farming allowed, but I don't think the properties close to the one on sale do any of that (maybe a hen coop, but hard to tell).

Pull the deed and title records to see what the restrictive covenants are on the neighbors properties, if any. My neighbors have restrictions, they cannot subdivide their property, own more than 6 horses or 3 alpacas, chickens (up to 20 I think) are allowed, but no roosters, no pigs and no cows.

They might not now, but you can never assume what will happen in the future especially when people have plenty of space, no hoa, and rural zoning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP here.

Wow, thank you for the great advice! You've been very helpful

Yes, there are woods on about a third of the property, and on satellite view and photos/videos, this and neighboring properties look well-maintained. I dug into the Master Plan for that area and apparently the residents and powers that be wish to keep their area rural and not too developed. It's designated a conservation area type IV, which is the least developed (even though it's not that far from DC). I agree with PPs about keeping a portion of the property wild.

Adding a question: I've heard of people keeping a few goats or sheep, as pets, but also to keep their lawns "self-mowed" and free of encroaching jungle. There is a stable and field on the property already. What do you guys think? Is this crazy? Maybe I could just rent them when I need to. I know a couple of people who do that.

Mow a perimeter along the woods 6-7 times and you’ll be fine.

Depending on topography/layout, you could get a sub compact tractor with a belly mower. If you have acreage, the functionality of a loader on a small tractor is really huge.

But, if you have a lot of trees, tight turns, small spaces, you’ll need a zero turn.

You’ve really graduated when you have a sbs, zero turn, and tractor.

Do not get goats, I made this mistake and regretted it. They are very mischievous. They escaped from the enclosure during my spouses zoom meeting and starting pooping on our back porch. They are very hard to keep in their fence, they will even stand on the back of other goats and use them as a platform to jump over the fence.

[Anonymous]

It means instead of making a regular payment to a utility you run the risk of a large fixed charge to fix something.