Considering a quirky house and have questions

[Harriet Vane]

We are househunting and have found a unique property. There are issues associated with the property that we are not familiar with. Can anyone offer wisdom?

 

1) Upkeep of big yard with creek: The house is on nearly 1 1/2 acres, mostly grass with a biggish creek in the very back of the property. We are city dwellers who have never coped with that much land, though we love camping and hiking and being outdoors and find the large yard quite appealing. How much work is it to take care of a yard like this?

 

2) Creek issues: Is there anything we should know about living with a creek so close? It's big enough to kayak right by the house, but grows too shallow further south. We have no idea if we would be "allowed" to kayak it since it goes through private property and no idea how clean it is since it goes through a large town. As we walked through the (flat, non-sloped) yard it was quite spongy from recent rains but we assume that will dry up???

 

3) Propane tank: The house is heated from a humongous propane tank in the back yard, behind the garage. How does heat from a propane tank work? I have no experience with that and am leery of it. We are city dwellers who have always had gas heat.

 

4) Crawl space: The house has no basement, just large crawl space lined with what looked like a white tarp. There was a machine down there--I think it is a dehumidifier? I have only lived in houses with basements. What are the pros and cons of a crawl space like this? How much work it is to maintain? I have arthritis and could never manage down there--is it realistic to think that dh and ds could take care of anything we need in the crawl space?

 

5) Adding a room: The house is too small and the roof is mossy and in need of replacement (though the interior appears to be well maintained). In replacing the roof, we would want to add a room to the back of the house, extending the length of the house and out 15 feet or so. Any guesses on cost? How about the cost to add a small basement room under the new room (probably too expensive, but let's just ask the question)?

 

Thanks for any thoughts and wisdom you can offer.

 

Edited to add some clarification about damp:

 

Some clarification:

 

The yard immediately by the house was fine (dry). It's a long, narrow strip, and the creek is at the extreme far edge of the property. The yard was spongy closer to the creek (say halfway to the creek??), though we have had recent rains.

 

The crawl space did not look or smell damp to me. Ds crawled around down there (on top of the white tarp-thingey, among the current owners boxes and things). I assumed the dehumidifier is standard for a crawl space?? I have always kept a dehumidifier in my basement, so I assumed it was the same idea??

 

The house was built in 1960, and the roof looked to me like it has two layers. It is mossy. I am assuming it is just an old roof that needs a full tear-off for proper replacement.

 

[Starr]

I'm not the expert here but this house sounds too damp, the yard, the creek, the crawl space, the roof..

[Harriet Vane]

I'm not the expert here but this house sounds too damp, the yard, the creek, the crawl space, the roof..

 

Some clarification:

 

The yard immediately by the house was fine. It's a long, narrow strip, and the creek is at the extreme far edge of the property. The yard was spongy closer to the creek (say halfway to the creek??), though we have had recent rains.

 

The crawl space did not look or smell damp to me. Ds crawled around down there (on top of the white tarp-thingey, among the current owners boxes and things). I assumed the dehumidifier is standard for a crawl space?? I have always kept a dehumidifier in my basement, so I assumed it was the same idea??

 

The house was built in 1960, and the roof looked to me like it has two layers. It is mossy. I am assuming it is just an old roof that needs a full tear-off for proper replacement.

[Incognito]

I'll try to answer a bit.  My experiences are slightly different, but may help.

We are househunting and have found a unique property. There are issues associated with the property that we are not familiar with. Can anyone offer wisdom?

 

1) Upkeep of big yard with creek: The house is on nearly 1 1/2 acres, mostly grass with a biggish creek in the very back of the property. We are city dwellers who have never coped with that much land, though we love camping and hiking and being outdoors and find the large yard quite appealing. How much work is it to take care of a yard like this?

If it's all yard, 1 1/2 acres would take probably an hour to hour and a half to mow on a riding mower.  If it is a damp area (what is your climate in general?), this may easily be a weekly task, perhaps even twice a week.

 

2) Creek issues: Is there anything we should know about living with a creek so close? It's big enough to kayak right by the house, but grows too shallow further south. We have no idea if we would be "allowed" to kayak it since it goes through private property and no idea how clean it is since it goes through a large town. As we walked through the (flat, non-sloped) yard it was quite spongy from recent rains but we assume that will dry up???

I would suppose it wouldn't always be wet, but look at the grass.  If there is a lot of moss, it is probably quite wet often.  I live in a very wet place.  Our yard gets soggy for the rainy months of the year, and we have ditch (not as much as a creek like you).  The level of the water varies with the seasons - when the spring rains come and cause snow to melt in the mountains, everything gets more saturated here, and the water is at its highest.  Perhaps your area is something like that.  For us now, it is down, but not dry yet.

3) Propane tank: The house is heated from a humongous propane tank in the back yard, behind the garage. How does heat from a propane tank work? I have no experience with that and am leery of it. We are city dwellers who have always had gas heat.

We don't have that, but some people around here do.  It is like gas heating, but you are too rural for regular hook up, sort of.  Of the things you mention, this would be the least of my concerns.  You could learn how it works and get used to it. 

4) Crawl space: The house has no basement, just large crawl space lined with what looked like a white tarp. There was a machine down there--I think it is a dehumidifier? I have only lived in houses with basements. What are the pros and cons of a crawl space like this? How much work it is to maintain? I have arthritis and could never manage down there--is it realistic to think that dh and ds could take care of anything we need in the crawl space?

We had a crawl space like this in our former house.  Chances are, the water table is really high in your area, the crawl space floods in the wet time of year, and the tarp is there to generally keep the musty smell down (it's dirt, not finished).  Likely your house will sort of smell like an old house, but you will get used to it living there.  It doesn't mean it's moldy or anything terrible, it's what life is if you have a dirt crawl space.  The dehumidifier running while showing the house tells me they likely have recently had flooding down there.  We never ran one down in our crawl space, but I suppose we could have.  When the water went down, it dried fine, and we never put anything down there, so it was fine.  Where we live now there is a basement with sump pumps.  If the running things are sump pumps, they are working to get the water out of the crawl space.  If they are running now, I'd wonder how often they are running usually.  Ours run for about a week or so in the wettest time of year.  

 

Are there any important things in the crawl space?  There was nothing in ours, so the only maintenance was airing it seasonally (well, and furnace duct work and laying the tarps over the dirt that was bare when we moved in).  If there is a furnace or anything important down there, I'd care a lot more about the things you have seen down there and be leery.  If there is nothing down there, it might just be the area and what life is like there.  No one within a couple of square miles who has lived in our area longer than a year puts anything in their crawl spaces or on the floor of their basements.  Lots of nice homes, but high water table.

 

5) Adding a room: The house is too small and the roof is mossy and in need of replacement (though the interior appears to be well maintained). In replacing the roof, we would want to add a room to the back of the house, extending the length of the house and out 15 feet or so. Any guesses on cost? How about the cost to add a small basement room under the new room (probably too expensive, but let's just ask the question)?

With what you have said about the water, I would not add a basement room.  That'd be asking for trouble.  Cost - in our area, building costs about $200 a square foot.

 

Thanks for any thoughts and wisdom you can offer.

 

[Guest submarines]

We tend to get attracted to small quirky houses.

 

I'm no expert, far from it, but I'd be investigating whether the crawl space floods, and whether it affects the house. And any foundation issues.

 

Good luck!

[sbgrace]

Our last home had a crawl space. It had a layer of plastic type stuff over the dirt for a vapor barrier. It had no moisture issues or odor.

 

I'd be concerned about moisture. I'd want to know what was running down there. I would be wondering if that crawl space takes in water with heavy rain. I'd wonder about mold. Also, how much does it cost to run whatever it is that runs down there.

 

My parents have a terrible headache with water. There is a ditch running behind their, and our, property. The yards get that spongy thing you're talking about. They, though, get water in their basement and garage. We get nothing. It's a matter of grading. Because of my parent's issues, I marked homes with any sort of water issues off my list when we were looking. If they get water in that crawl space, I would keep looking. Before I offered, I'd want to see it after a heavy rain.

 

My inlaws heat with propane. It got terribly expensive this past winter I know. Of course, various fuel types will be worse or better in particular years. I don't think it's going to feel a lot different than gas, it's just that you'll get it delivered directly to you.

 

I think building costs vary wildly in different parts of the country. A local contractor might be able to give you a rough idea of price per SF for your area. Grading/water again might be limiting depending on the layout of the property. You might be able to get a rough roof estimate too.

 

 

 

 

[Unicorn.]

It sounded ideal until...

1. dehumidifier in the crawl space... not normal

2. Mossy roof

 

the spongy yard could have been from the rain, but when you add in the other two factors, I'm going to say dampness is a major problem. 

 

I dream of a place with a creek, but I wouldn't get this one, because I would constantly be worrying about mold issues.  I had a damp, spongy yard one time, due to a too small septic tank (and there were only two of us).  It was impossible to mow, because it was always wet... and the grass would get high.  I had to cut it all w/ a weed eater.  blech

[Belacqua]

Where I live, creek = salmon. Which sounds quite lovely until late fall/early winter. There's an area near my house that is almost painful to drive past at Christmastime because of what we know fondly as The Stench: many, many dead salmon in the creek (not to mention the mess from the seagulls who know a good thing when they see it). I don't know how the people who live there ever get used to it.

[Rosie_0801]

I know nothing about your climate, but the creek would have me thinking about revegetation.

[sassenach]

We are househunting and have found a unique property. There are issues associated with the property that we are not familiar with. Can anyone offer wisdom?

 

1) Upkeep of big yard with creek: The house is on nearly 1 1/2 acres, mostly grass with a biggish creek in the very back of the property. We are city dwellers who have never coped with that much land, though we love camping and hiking and being outdoors and find the large yard quite appealing. How much work is it to take care of a yard like this?

 

I think it kind of depends on how well groomed you want it.  I've lived on land that took almost no upkeep because it was kept natural, and I've lived on smaller property that took tons of time because it was all landscaped out and needed special attention. 

 

2) Creek issues: Is there anything we should know about living with a creek so close? It's big enough to kayak right by the house, but grows too shallow further south. We have no idea if we would be "allowed" to kayak it since it goes through private property and no idea how clean it is since it goes through a large town. As we walked through the (flat, non-sloped) yard it was quite spongy from recent rains but we assume that will dry up???

 

I would not make that assumption.  I would be very interested in the flooding risks and historic levels.  You'll also need to calculate the extra cost for flood insurance (which is a separate insurance from homeowner's)

 

3) Propane tank: The house is heated from a humongous propane tank in the back yard, behind the garage. How does heat from a propane tank work? I have no experience with that and am leery of it. We are city dwellers who have always had gas heat.

 

You call a company to come out and fill it as needed (this totally depends on the size of the tank and how quickly your family uses it).  My friend's tank is $900 a pop and in the winter she has to fill it monthly.  Definitely investigate this cost.

 

4) Crawl space: The house has no basement, just large crawl space lined with what looked like a white tarp. There was a machine down there--I think it is a dehumidifier? I have only lived in houses with basements. What are the pros and cons of a crawl space like this? How much work it is to maintain? I have arthritis and could never manage down there--is it realistic to think that dh and ds could take care of anything we need in the crawl space?

 

Crawl spaces are common here.  Basements are unheard of, so I don't know what kind of a loss that is for you, but I actually prefer a crawl space to a slab foundation- makes repairs easier.  The white tarp is a moisture barrier, that's good.  The machine is probably a sump pump- it pumps out any water that gathers under the house.  That's also good.

 

5) Adding a room: The house is too small and the roof is mossy and in need of replacement (though the interior appears to be well maintained). In replacing the roof, we would want to add a room to the back of the house, extending the length of the house and out 15 feet or so. Any guesses on cost? How about the cost to add a small basement room under the new room (probably too expensive, but let's just ask the question)?

 

I'd want to know why the roof is mossy.  Is that common in your area?  Is it surrounded by a lot of trees?  The only mossy roofs I've ever seen were in very moist, forested areas.  It makes me nervous.  The whole property sounds very damp.  I would be cautious and have a very, very thorough inspection before purchasing.

 

As for the price, no one here is going to be able to give you helpful information.  Building costs can vary by tens and hundreds of thousands from one part of our country to another.  No telling what they are in your area.

 

 

Thanks for any thoughts and wisdom you can offer.

 

Edited to add some clarification about damp:

 

Some clarification:

 

The yard immediately by the house was fine (dry). It's a long, narrow strip, and the creek is at the extreme far edge of the property. The yard was spongy closer to the creek (say halfway to the creek??), though we have had recent rains.

 

The crawl space did not look or smell damp to me. Ds crawled around down there (on top of the white tarp-thingey, among the current owners boxes and things). I assumed the dehumidifier is standard for a crawl space?? I have always kept a dehumidifier in my basement, so I assumed it was the same idea??

 

I didn't realize he had stuff down there!  That's definitely a different type of crawl space than we have here.  You're probably right about it being a dehumidifier.

 

The house was built in 1960, and the roof looked to me like it has two layers. It is mossy. I am assuming it is just an old roof that needs a full tear-off for proper replacement.

.

[Laura Corin]

1) Upkeep of big yard with creek: The house is on nearly 1 1/2 acres, mostly grass with a biggish creek in the very back of the property. We are city dwellers who have never coped with that much land, though we love camping and hiking and being outdoors and find the large yard quite appealing. How much work is it to take care of a yard like this?

 

How do you want to keep it?  And what is your fire risk?  We have three acres: one acre is trees (I just go through and kill the nettles once a year); one acre is flower/veg garden (it's high maintenance, but that is my choice) and one acre is 'orchard', ie a field with some trees in it.  We hire a brush cutter once a year and spend the weekend mowing it.

 

2) Creek issues: Is there anything we should know about living with a creek so close? It's big enough to kayak right by the house, but grows too shallow further south. We have no idea if we would be "allowed" to kayak it since it goes through private property and no idea how clean it is since it goes through a large town. As we walked through the (flat, non-sloped) yard it was quite spongy from recent rains but we assume that will dry up???

 

I'd be concerned about flooding and insurance.  I would look into any history of flooding and talk to an insurance company about it.

 

3) Propane tank: The house is heated from a humongous propane tank in the back yard, behind the garage. How does heat from a propane tank work? I have no experience with that and am leery of it. We are city dwellers who have always had gas heat.

 

We heat with LPG, which I think is the same as/similar to propane.  Issues have been getting deliveries in snowy weather (we changed company to one that was much more organised about this) and the expense.  I would ask to see the bills and talk to the owners/neighbours about snow.  We have a wood stove too and one electric shower, so we have back-up in case the gas tank is empty for some reason.

 

I don't have any input on our other points.

 

L

[Pawz4me]

Upkeep on the yard -- As others have said, it depends on how you want to keep it.  Neat around here would require mowing at least once a week from April through October, and sometimes twice a week.  Maybe a break in the summer during dry spells.  A riding mower is expensive but makes it a fairly easy task.  Push mowing it will be a pretty big task.

 

Creek issues -- My main concern would be the potential for flooding.  Is there a chance the house is in a flood plain?

 

The propane tank shouldn't be any big deal.  It's no different than having gas except you have to have the tank filled as needed.  I think most companies come out on a regular schedule, so that you shouldn't have to worry much about running out.  I know the cost of propane hit record highs this winter.  I don't know if the price has moderated or not.

 

Crawl spaces are very common around here and considered superior to a slab and less trouble than a basement.  I've lived in three houses on crawl spaces and never had any problem at all.  The plastic is a vapor barrier and normal.  I'd be very concerned about the dehumidifier.  I've never known anyone around here who ever needed a dehumidifier in a crawl space.  Basement, yes.  But not a crawl space.  All crawl spaces here have vents that are opened for ventilation in the spring and closed in the fall.  The older vents had to be opened/closed manually.  Our last two houses had crawl space vents that would open/close automatically depending on the temperature.

[RoughCollie]

I would find out whether the land has underground springs.  If you plan to add to the house, that is important.  It is also important when considering flooding -- water can seep up from the ground into a house.  Around here, a lot of people have French drains around their houses.

 

I mention this because a friend of mine has 2 acres that nothing can be built on (aside from her house) because of the large number of underground springs in her land.  She didn't know about the springs until way after she bought the house.  She has a full, finished basement that floods all the time.  The sump pump can't keep up with it.

 

Depending on your climate, I'd make extra sure the house has newer, double-paned windows.  Otherwise, you will be burning money in the winter, the cost of propane is so high.

[bettyandbob]

Have you had a home inspector look at the house?

 

New roof and addition cost depends on where you live. I think I'd expect to pay 100k, but I knowing estimate low (for my area)

 

Yard: what are you going for. My mom has a 1/4 acre wooded lot. She works on it daily--she makes it look like it's naturally occurring using native plants. It looks perfect. She could probably cut way back on maintenance and it would still look good, but it probably would not be easy for walking around. I mention my mom because the yard may be taking way more time than it appears or the current owner suggests.

[Shelly in IL]

Maybe someone said this already, but check the cost to heat with propane. I know some tanked fuels are outrageously high this year.

[AmyontheFarm]

With the creek, are you allowed to add on a room to the house? We live in what is termed a flood prone zone and we have to get ERCAs (a Canadian government agency) permission to do anything that might change the habitat on our property, including adding a room. Find out from the township about flooding, what is up stream from your place, and have your insurance guy come out to give you a quote on the house before you buy it.

 

Get a house inspector, don't go with the cheapest guy, go with one who will tell you exactly what you are getting into. Is the home owner required to tell you about any insurance claims? Does the dehumidifier stay with the house?

[Carrie12345]

White plastic barriers are the newest (to my knowledge) "water proofing" methods for basements/crawl spaces. This could be a very good thing if it was done by a professional and not just an owner hack job.

I'd ask for the warranty information on that.

The machine could be a sump pump or dehumidifier.  That could be related to the creek, or not.  My crawlspace gets damp even though I'm on top of a mountain a mile away from (and a decent height above) creeks and lakes.

 

I agree with checking into flood insurance.  If the property isn't insurable for floods, skip it all together.

 

I live on an acre and a quarter, but the vast majority is woods. So "lawn" care takes a mere 20 minutes every week or two.  OTOH, I will never in my life catch up with dead tree limbs!

[Harriet Vane]

Thank you sooooo much for the feedback! It's so very, very helpful!!!

 

We will definitely investigate the moisture issues.

 

Any further thoughts are definitely welcome.

 

Thank you!!!

[EmilyGF]

We looked at a house with a creek in the backyard and were told we'd have to purchase flood insurance on top of the normal home owner's insurance for $200/month. We didn't look into anything any further! I'd definitely check on flood insurance requirements/prices.

 

Emily

[MBM]

You'll need to spend some time researching flooding. Search old newspapers, ask nearby residents and business owners if they know anything about flooding, maybe visit the town hall. Floods can be a royal PITA. The majority of homes in our suburb flood. We chose our house because it does not. We don't even have a sump pump which is almost unheard of around here. A site to get you started but you'd still want to research more and ask around:

 

https://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FemaWelcomeView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1

-- click on "Retrieve Printed FIRM Panel"

-- click on the magnifying glass under "View"

-- read the legend in the right-hand column; use the tools in the left-hand column to zoom in, pan, etc.

 

The yard could be easy to maintain if you make a small part of it landscaped with grass, flower beds, etc. and leave the other natural, but you might have wildlife visiting you. They need water and some animals will make their homes there or travel along creeks and rivers.

 

The moss on the roof shouldn't be too difficult to remove depending on type of shingle and how high the roof but you'd probably want someone to do this for you. You'll find moss in humid areas that don't get enough air circulation and sun.

 

You'll probably have a tear-off roof to deal with at some point. You can call and ask for some rough estimates in your area. Tell them you think it's two layers of shingles, the approximate size of the roof, what kinds of shingles you'll use, and you might also want to tell them it has a moss problem. They can add strips of copper or zinc to help prevent it, but I'd ask what they suggest doing.

 

Know how old the propane furnace is and what make and model it is. Then research it. How much will you have to spend on fuel each year?

 

Regarding building out, my guess is that the basement would have to have sump pumps. Make sure you can build. Don't assume you can. Check with the town hall for starters and then ask them if they can give you any more advice.

 

Do a good radon test, something that requires the house not be opened for several days. Wherever you live, you should get this done even if you do it after you buy the house. Abating a basement would be a few thousand or so, maybe less for a crawl space. Don't listen to anyone who says your area doesn't have a radon problem. Get it tested.

 

Go to the library and check out books that teach you how to inspect a home. Get an inspector as well, but you should learn how to do some of this yourself, too. You could save yourself a lot of time, money and grief.

 

Good luck. :)

[Ethel Mertz]

Just want to emphasize the potential for flash flooding with the creek.

 

I'd also be concerned about black mold. You should check with a home inspector about that issue.

 

And the mossy roof? Yikes. More concern about dampness and mold.

 

Propane heat was very expensive this last year. There was also a shortage. Ask about monthly propane bills - especially in winter.

 

We're house-hunting too. I'd steer clear of this property. Too many issues.

[Cera]

Another thing to consider is requesting a CLUE property report which will give you the last seven years of homeowners insurance claims.  Flooding claims wouldn't be on there (you would need to go through the national flood insurance program) but you might see mold or water damage claims.

[elegantlion]

Another issue with flood insurance is if it's not needed now, they could redo the flood plains and you could be required to have it down the road. 

[Kim in Appalachia]

It sounded ideal until...

1. dehumidifier in the crawl space... not normal

2. Mossy roof

 

the spongy yard could have been from the rain, but when you add in the other two factors, I'm going to say dampness is a major problem. 

 

I dream of a place with a creek, but I wouldn't get this one, because I would constantly be worrying about mold issues.  I had a damp, spongy yard one time, due to a too small septic tank (and there were only two of us).  It was impossible to mow, because it was always wet... and the grass would get high.  I had to cut it all w/ a weed eater.  blech

 

 

That would be normal where I live.  This area is damp, and while not everyone with a crawl space has a dehumidifier, they should.

 

A mossy roof is also not uncommon in the area I live.  Every house has mold growing on their roof on one side.  Mossy would be expected near a creek.

 

I don't like being on a creek, but I know a number of people who have homes with creeks, and it's not an issue. Mold is an issue.  Of course, it's probably an issue for that whole area where you are looking, whether the house is on the creek or not. 

 

I would want someone to do a good check of the foundation; making sure there are no cracks or settlement issues.

 

Propane is what we have.  I'll just say propane has gone up in cost in the last few years, but there are no other issues with using it.  

 

Do research on flooding.  Does the creek flood? How much? How close could it get to the house?  Anything downstream that could affect your portion (like development).  

 

Do make sure the septic tank is good.  That is very expensive to fix.

 

Adding a room is pricey, even a small room is at least $10,000 to $20,000 depending on how much you do yourselves. Adding a basement would be cost prohibitive and unwise.   A basement, in an area with a creek would be very prone to flooding/leaking.  I would not do it. 

[Incognito]

With the age of the house you mentioned, and the things you see that could be issues, I would sit back and consider how much work that house will probably be.  And older house is more work.  Hours more work every month (possibly every week).  To maintain and improve an older house is not terribly hard, but it takes time and diligence.  We moved to a newer house in our area because we didn't want all that maintenance work.  Plus, you'll have the yard work.  So more of your life will be spent on your property - just the care of it.  Which is fine, but it is something to consider.

 

Also, FWIW, I always wonder if a house has a really mossy roof - why didn't the owners deal with it?  There are treatments, strips... ways to clean it off.  If they didn't take care of the roof, what else didn't they take care of?  Might not be an issue, but it might.

[JFSinIL]

I would avoid a property that has that has so much damp land (think mud, bugs) also the one crawlspace we had raccoons tore into. 

 

I'd want to be definitely uphill from any body of water.

 

If the roof is in such poor shape - what else has been neglected? 

[catz]

Adding a room using a contractor is very pricey.  I would be surprised if you could add a very simple room for less than 30K.  And sometimes when you start opening walls in older houses there are surprises.  Ask me how I know.  :ack2:   Between the roof, the creek, and needing to add on, I might pass this one up unless it's a dream house in all other ways.

[happypamama]

We have almost 3 acres. It takes DH about three evenings to mow it -- two to mow using the tractor, and one to mow the areas that need a push mower, plus weed-wacking. In months of high growth, he's mowing frequently, but it does slack off when the real heat comes, and things start dying. We're not quite at the point where the kids can mow but will be in a few years. So yeah, there's some maintenance, but it isn't horrible.

 

Re: the water. We have a high water table, so some of the ground is squishy most of the time, but it's not the part close to the house. The house is on the top of a hill, so the squishy part is the part down the hill (and it's not too squishy, just a little). We have a basement, but even in some of the torrential rains we've had in the past couple of years, the basement has not leaked. Not sure I would like a dehumidifer in the crawl space -- I wonder if that means it's prone to leaking. (Otoh, even in the hottest summers with little rain, we've had no issues with our well going dry.)

[Carol in Cal.]

We looked at a place with some soft, wet land and DH thought that mosquitoes would abound there all through the summer.  Something to check into.

[Happy]

Being from Texas, when I hear water (creek, lake, puddle), I think water moccasins. Kinda takes the fun out of living near water.

 

My broker lives on a lake here. He is very much concerned about snakes in his yard with his small children.

 

On the other hand, we lived on a ranch where rattlesnakes were a common visitor. I learned how to handle them. I could probably learn how to handle other slithery things that came with other kinds of land.

 

Re:mowing...we purchased a zero turn mower a couple of years ago. Can't tell you how much faster it is than our old riding mower. Used to take 3 hours to mow our acre...now we are down to an hour and a half to mow once a week. Sometimes during the spring we need to mow more often.

[Harriet Vane]

Just want to thank you again for all the information. I spoke with OhElizabeth's awesome contractor husband and received an absolute wealth of information. I really appreciate the village helping us think this through--THANK YOU!!!

[JFSinIL]

Just want to thank you again for all the information. I spoke with OhElizabeth's awesome contractor husband and received an absolute wealth of information. I really appreciate the village helping us think this through--THANK YOU!!!

 

Did we talk you out of it?

[Harriet Vane]

Did we talk you out of it?

 

The real question is--did you talk my dh and ds out of it. ;)