Driving to your Property?

[Highbeam]

Check out the well pounding vs. drilling thread for Rob's witching photos. You can bet that the well drillers want to set up in a convenient and safe place. The machine they bring is substantial. They actually make more money if they have to drill deeper so they have little interest in a shallow well. Drillers only make money when they're drilling.

I find that groundwater locating is not easy. You don't want surface water so the location of a pond or swamp isn't necessarily an indicator to use.

 

[3RRL]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I find that groundwater locating is not easy. You don't want surface water so the location of a pond or swamp isn't necessarily an indicator to use.)</font>

Exactly what my well driller told me!
Here's a pic of the area I had level in order for them to drill where the best water was. The spot was near that oak on the right.

 

[3RRL]

This is what it looked like when he finished. There was enough room for the drill rig to back right over the spot.

 

[3RRL]

He was able to get his rig right over the spot. We ended up getting 100+ gals/ min!

 

[Highbeam]

"Drillers only make money when they're drilling."

I'll add that drillers loose money when their machine falls on its side and they can't keep it drilling. They don't want to risk that and will look for an easy spot to setup.

 

[stumpfield]

"Drillers only make money when they're drilling."

I'll add that drillers loose money when their machine falls on its side and they can't keep it drilling. They don't want to risk that and will look for an easy spot to setup.
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That's exactly what I'm afraid of. It's a conflict of interest. If you find water easily, the driller make less money. If you don't find water at all, the driller make a whole lot more. Since every well is somewhat unique. You can't really know what's really going on.
I wonder if there's such thing as an independent water consultant for small guys like us. I know there's not guarantee, but I need an objective assessment. I know municipal water districts use hydrologist and geologist to find the best location.

 

[8NTX]

We drive an hour and a half to our 18 acres in the woods, that we've owned for 5 years. We put up a 14x70 mobile there, and have been steadily and very slowly improving the land since that time. Our biggest project was a boat house (it's on a 1500 acre lake). We had planned to build and retire there, but last month the water authority decided to sell the land where our boat dock is - lowering the value of our property by about $125K. Without compensation BTW. Long story, but tentatively we plan to develop it into 2 acre lots for mobile homes and sell it off gradually. Might detract from the value of the luxury homes the developer wants to build next to the water, at least.

Steve

 

[Captinjack]

I drive 265 miles (one way) to the hills of WV. I bought 75 acres in 1982 and try to get there at least once a month and every weekend during the hunting seasons.

I bought a Kama 554 and am having a ball being able to do things that I didn't have the strength nor time to do.

Your post about arriving at 10 and what you do over the short weekend is exactly what I'm faced with though now I can spend alot more time there. I've even worked outa the deer camp for a couple weeks on end after I got a phone line installed.

The property is absoluetly beautiful right now as the apples, pears and dogwoods are starting to bloom. The acreage is the end of a "hollow" and is topographically secluded. It's a hidden bowl that can only be seen from the air. WVU university is only 8 miles away, but you would never know it from the property. No noise (except from airplanes) and what property I can see - I own.

My property taxes for the first 17 years were $39/yr. Now they jacked them up to almost $300. Can you believe that!

Would like to talk to you regarding our common tractors. I only have 44 hrs. on mine so far.

 

[Knute]

Great photos and stories guys, one day I'll have something like that....

But in the mean time, a question: What do you do about security on your remote property? How do you keep people from destroying it while you're gone? Out here it seems anything even a little ways off the beaten path will quickly turn into a dump, shot full of holes or trashed by people with 4x4s, quads or dirt bikes.

John

 

[Captinjack]

My place is so secluded, I have to import my own tomcat!

Actually, in 24 years, I have even left the front door open for a few weeks and nothing was bothered. In WV, all the locals look out for one another and little goes unnoticed. It also helps that the road into my cabin is not a thru road, so the way you came in is the way you must go out. The access road is 1/2 mile, rutted dirt and rises 200 ft. in elevation.

As a safe guard, I always have at least one 35 mm infrared game camera monitoring the outside and inside of the cabin.

I also have a sign that the property is under video surveillance.

In WV, you just DO NOT run ATV'S or trespass on other property if you value your health. This area of the country has little tolerance for political correctness and firmly believe in "what's right is right - and what's wrong is wrong". My property is at the end of a 1 1/2 mile dirt road and the conventional wisdom is if you are civilized, you live on the hard road. If you don't like to be fooled with, you live on a dirt road. The further back the dirt road you live, the less you want to fool with someone. You absolutely do not want to mess with the guy who lives on the end of the hollow!

Very few folks even know my property exists as it can only be seen from the air. While topographically isolated, it is located on 8 miles from the university with 25,000 students and everything that goes along with that.