Looking for Grader and Well Driller in Klamath Falls...

[Jeeper55]

Originally Posted by oregonbecker

...and who did you use to install your septic? any recommendations?... and by 'least expensive' do you mean $5000-$7000?.... also, do you know how the county reacts to putting a trailer on the land in KFFE while we build?.... thanks

Yes, approx $5000. We have not installed it yet. Will do it in spring/early summer (Nickelson Excavation). County told me ok to live in RV while actively working on getting your home and infrastructure put in.

[rbrannie]

Hi, all. Welcome to Bonanza! We live just down the road from you. My husband is a contractor. I'll be happy to have him help answer questions you may have. Here's what I know: I second the kudos for Roger Chancellor. He's reasonable and ON-TIME. He is properly licensed, bonded and insured (very important, especially these days.) Roger has good equipment and good guys on his team. He uses good quality pumps and pressure tanks AND his service during and after installation is exceptional. We've used him a LOT. For driveway, digout and septic, I'd suggest Dan Smith of D&R Dumptruck and Backhoe Service. Write me offline for his phone number - I'm not sure if is appropriate to post it here. Dan is another good guy. He's also reasonably priced and you'll save money because he's your neighbor. Dan is another guy who won't gouge somebody because they're out of state - we've learned that many do, around here.

Klamath County had problems with folks who "moved onto" their lots and camped out. They now require a building permit before installing power, which has helped that situation. Other than that, they are great to work with.

Leslie always gets the septic approval (perc test) first. Draw up a plan of your proposed site that shows where the driveway and house are located, where you propose to site the well and septic system plus an area for a reserve drainfield. (You can get the forms at the county website listed above.) Then have Dan (or somebody) dig holes so the county can inspect the soil to determine if it's suitable for a drainfield. Installing the septic system can happen anytime - before, during, or after construction of your home. If it were me, I'd handle the septic approval first, then drill the well. The cost to ensure the site is suitable for a septic system is far less than to find out if it has water. Our policy is to help people get the "cheap questions" answered first!

Again, WELCOME to the community! You're going to love living here!! a

[rbrannie]

For a standard septic system, you should budget $6,000 - $6,500 including fees, test holes, inspection of the test holes, permit cost, installation of a standard septic system, inspection of finished system. The mount system referred to above is a sand filter system. You should probably budget $11,000-$13,000 depending on how many bedrooms the house will have.

Excavators work by the hour - you want someone who is experienced, FAST, and who knows how to use a laser. If your digout isn't level you'll pay more for concrete for the foundation. (Start getting things RIGHT from the ground up!)

[oregonbecker]

Originally Posted by Jeeper55

Yes, approx $5000. We have not installed it yet. Will do it in spring/early summer (Nickelson Excavation). County told me ok to live in RV while actively working on getting your home and infrastructure put in.

so are you RVing on your land while you build, jeeper55? does the county give you a time limit for RVing on the land? did you have to have approved building plans, etc, or could you move onto the land and do all the legwork after that... thanks !!

[oregonbecker]

hello everyone. been awhile. we are getting closer to moving to oregon, so closer to making our dream a reality as far as building a home goes. i was actually wondering how many homes are in the klamath falls forest estates so far... i could not find anything on the internet. and we have not visited our land yet. are a lot of people building, or does it seem slow going? are people building expensive homes or is it a mix? do people tend to be using solar or other alternative energy? if anyone could paint me a picture of what kind of community we could expect in this area i would really appreciate it. i am just getting more and more curious but we dont head that way for another few months. we have a place up around kodiak road, if anyone is familiar with the area. anyway, thanks for your time.

[PNW-type-gal]

The recession's hit the county hard, and new construction is way, way down and a lot of contractors have gone out of business. I wouldn't expect to see a lot of new development anywhere.

KFE (and I admit I've only driven through twice) tends to be a modest area where privacy and seclusion are important, at least by the looks of things. Upscale or expensive would be about the last word I'd use.

ETA: I don't know what percent of lots have been built on, but driving around, it looks very low, like maybe 5-15%.

[oregonbecker]

thank you for your response PNW-type-gal. much appreciated.

[packwomack]

Hi, thinking about buying property in the Bonanza Oregon area, but read something about ground water contamination from lowered water levels.. is this true? and how is it being dealt with? is it something that a water purifier can resolve? Tahnks for any info you may have

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by packwomack

Hi, thinking about buying property in the Bonanza Oregon area, but read something about ground water contamination from lowered water levels.. is this true? and how is it being dealt with? is it something that a water purifier can resolve? Tahnks for any info you may have

Yes, not being dealt with at all because it means stopping farmers. Purifiers don't help for a lot of the contaminants.

[rbrannie]

Town of Bonanza gets water from Big Springs at the edge of town. When water level is down, water from Lost River can enter the springs and pollute. This issue affects city water only, to my knowledge. We live 2 miles from town. No problem with our well water.