buying a house with a well? (Pittsburgh, Oil City: landscaping, neighborhoods, school district)

[beemajabee]

Hi,

I've got my eye on moving to the Murrysville area and several of the houses that I would consider looking at have wells as their water source. Is that a money pit? Will it dry up and cost me a fortune? Why well water? Why not? Does the geological makeup of Pittsburgh make for good water supply or bad?


Someone I know down here in NO VA had a well dry up. That sounds like a hassle.

Oh, and what about water safety for my immune-suppressed child? Is well water safe?

Any experiences about wells that you can share would be welcome! Thanks.

[PApisces]

I grew up in Oil City, PA. We still have our own well as the source of water at my Mom's house. They have indeed had to have it dug deeper at least once. I don't think it cost that much though, but I don't know for sure. They also installed a special water filter of some sort as well.

But, there have been no major problems or high costs associated with it to my knowledge in the 27 years we've lived there.

[guylocke]

I've got my eye on moving to the Murrysville area and several of the houses that I would consider looking at have wells as their water source.

I'm so pleased!! I think Murrysville is a FANTASTIC up-and-coming area in Westmoreland County. Great, great choice, imo. Some of the new housing out that way is stunning and Franklin Regional is very strong.

Is that a money pit? Will it dry up and cost me a fortune?

I think it might all depend on your luck. I have had a friend that had to drill three times to sustain an adequate water supply in Upper Burrell. I just recently spoke to a friend in Cranberry who uses well water and they've never had a single problem. Cranberry is also slowly but surely pushing city water in their direction, they are one of the last blocks that doesn't have it. I'm sure Murrysville is doing the same thing.

[Katarina Witt]

Oh, and what about water safety for my immune-suppressed child? Is well water safe?

You should talk to the health dept in your county about that. Find out what the standards are, etc.

[MaryS80]

Well water varies from place to place, I would try and get the water tested before even thinking about buying. My uncle had well water in far western beaver county and that water was horrible. Other places I've seen had great clear, crisp tasting water.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by beemajabee

Hi,

I've got my eye on moving to the Murrysville area and several of the houses that I would consider looking at have wells as their water source. Is that a money pit? Will it dry up and cost me a fortune? Why well water? Why not? Does the geological makeup of Pittsburgh make for good water supply or bad?


Someone I know down here in NO VA had a well dry up. That sounds like a hassle.

Oh, and what about water safety for my immune-suppressed child? Is well water safe?

Any experiences about wells that you can share would be welcome! Thanks.

I grew up in Cranberry with well water -- no problems what so ever with the well. MOm did have to have the pump replaced, but she estimated it was about 50 years old -- original to the house.

The water was really good.

A mile and half down the road a friend of mine lived, also with a well -- and she had nasty smelling water -- sulfur. They would take it from the tap and let it sit and it was fine. I do believe you should have your water tested every so many years.

[beemajabee]

Thank you for all your responses! (boylocke, I do need to point out that this is *still* up in the air, but I've narrowed down that I want to be in the Franklin school district and like both the commute and distance to the in-laws. As I haven't actually seen any of the Pgh places in person yet obviously there's room for change, but so far, should we actually make it to Pgh, I'm sticking with Murrysville.)

[guylocke]

but so far, should we actually make it to Pgh, I'm sticking with Murrysville.

I love Murrysville. They have a really nice and not too snobby country club, too, if you're into that sort of thing. My friend used to make their floral arrangements and they are STUNNING. Some of Murrsyville is actually fairly old and dated looking, but there is so much room, once you get back into the hills and the neighborhoods... honestly, I've never seen more beautiful neighborhoods in western PA. And that's the honest to god truth. Some of the neighborhoods are brand new and planned McMansions, but many still have so much character and the natural landscaping is top quality.

Not to mention Westmoreland County taxes are much better than Allegheny. The only problem is that 51 can be a nightmare. lol. It's not so bad on traffic usually, but they seem to be working on the damn road almost 365 days out of the year!!

Murrysville is also growing at a very healthy rate. It isn't growing so fast that prices have been hijacked (aka Cranberry) but it's definitely growing quite a bit every year. It grows at a much higher percent than most western PA areas.

If you want to be around that area, I would also highly recommend looking into North Huntington. It is also a growing area and they are in Norwin school district, another very reputable one. Do yourself a favor and check it out, it's also Westmoreland County and is an extremely nice place to live.

The fastest growing area in all of Westmoreland County is also near the Allegheny County border but is due south of Murrysville and North Huntington a bit. It's a place called Penn Township. To be honest, I've never been there and don't know where those kids go to school, however, I have spoken to a few people who have built homes in Penn Township and they absolutely RAVE about the place. I'm talking head-over-heals rave, so might wanna check it out, too. I'll look into myself so I know more about it. I have a feeling it'll be the Peters Township equivalent in Westmoreland County.