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I'm not thrilled with it but it is my son's place and he (and his girlfriend) will have to figure out how to handle it.
I know my son said that the neighbor only has wood heat, that the neighbor inherited his place from his mother, and he doesn't think they have much money.
But I do have my concerns about it, too.
Edited to add: Unfortunately, I think because no one has lived there for so long, that neighbors may have gotten used to having access to it for whatever purpose they wanted - my son found the remains of a dressed out deer down in the logged off area.
Technically, the logger bought the trees, including any debris that has been left behind; so "if" the logger told the neighbor he could have them, they were his to give. In most cases the landowner gives the logger a certain amount of time to clean everything up or forfeit ownership. Since in this case the property was vacant and on the market the this may have been left out of the agreement, so now your son has to decide how to handle it.
I think to avoid any hard feelings down the road your son needs to make a firm agreement with this neighbor regarding the wood. That could be a certain amount of time to get everything he can, or an agreement as to the specific material the neighbor can take. I admire your son for wanting to help the neighbor, but if they don't work something out up front problems could easily develop.
Another thing to consider is the liability issue. What if the guy gets hurt while working on this wood on your son's property? At the very least I'd want the guy to sign a liability waiver.
Technically, the logger bought the trees, including any debris that has been left behind; so "if" the logger told the neighbor he could have them, they were his to give. In most cases the landowner gives the logger a certain amount of time to clean everything up or forfeit ownership. Since in this case the property was vacant and on the market the this may have been left out of the agreement, so now your son has to decide how to handle it.
I think to avoid any hard feelings down the road your son needs to make a firm agreement with this neighbor regarding the wood. That could be a certain amount of time to get everything he can, or an agreement as to the specific material the neighbor can take. I admire your son for wanting to help the neighbor, but if they don't work something out up front problems could easily develop.
Another thing to consider is the liability issue. What if the guy gets hurt while working on this wood on your son's property? At the very least I'd want the guy to sign a liability waiver.
Actually, the liability issue is my primary concern and one I did talk to my son about.
Ultimately, all I can do is offer my opinion and hope for the best. The waiver is an excellent idea, though, and one I will definitely pass on to him.
His father and I used to have a small custom logging business. Usually the landowners would want what wood was left for themselves, but occasionally we would have a job where the landowners didn't want the wood and we sold it by the truck load to whoever wanted to come in and cut it and we always had them sign a waiver. I had actually forgotten about that.
Since there are people who do derive their primary income from producing food on small acreages; I have no issue with using the phrase 'farmer'. If you produce food for market, have a ball.
I have seen many times on forums like this, where guys with 1500+ acres become very upset when anyone with less than 500 acres using the phrase 'farmer'. So what makes a 'real' farm anyway? Is that like a 'real' Scotsman?
And their "farm" is less than two miles from my son's "farm." It is only a little bigger than my son's future place and they have raised a family, as well as employing a number of people (including my neighbor), by being "farmers" on twenty acres.
And about the well - there is always a certain amount of caveat emptor when you buy anything. There is no reason to believe the sellers are hiding anything, but I think most of us understand that anything can happen down the road.
But, we are definitely not in an area prone to drought; this is Western Washington, after all.
Since there are people who do derive their primary income from producing food on small acreages; I have no issue with using the phrase 'farmer'. If you produce food for market, have a ball.
I have seen many times on forums like this, where guys with 1500+ acres become very upset when anyone with less than 500 acres using the phrase 'farmer'. So what makes a 'real' farm anyway? Is that like a 'real' Scotsman?
As to well drillers, sometimes you need to hire one well driller to check up on another well driller. My well was put in by a well driller with 30+ years of experience. It seemed to work fine for 3 years, but then the biologics in the water got so bad that I was not able to control it anymore with chlorine flushing. I hired a second well driller to inspect, and he found that the first well driller had not installed a pitless adapter. Instead there was a PVC elbow that led the water line from inside the casing to outside. The PVC had cracked and was letting in algae. So I dug up my water line, I re-drilled the casing hole big enough to fit a pitless adapter, and I fixed it. Now would I have done better by re-hiring the 'professional' well-driller with 30+ years of experience to re-messup my well? Or by doing it myself.
If you are happy with a well, then your happy.
If you live in a drought-prone area, there is a good possibility that aquifers may move or dry-up in which case your well may dry-up; or not. If you do not live in a drought-prone area, then never mind.
Many homes in my area do just fine for decades on 20' sandpoint wells.
Where was your local health department in all of this????
This company has a lot of good information on wells in your state.
All states have different codes......in Michigan we have to set 27 foot of casing. So a well has to be 30 foot.
And their "farm" is less than two miles from my son's "farm." It is only a little bigger than my son's future place and they have raised a family, as well as employing a number of people (including my neighbor), by being "farmers" on twenty acres.
It certainly can be done
Quote:
... And about the well - there is always a certain amount of caveat emptor when you buy anything. There is no reason to believe the sellers are hiding anything, but I think most of us understand that anything can happen down the road.
But, we are definitely not in an area prone to drought; this is Western Washington, after all.
I used to own a home in Kitsap County, you are correct on that assessment.
Where was your local health department in all of this????
County?
I guess they are in their offices in the County Seat. It is hard to imagine those folks leaving their office to do any actual function in the real world.
When I moved here, I wanted to get a road number for my mailing address. I played phone-tag with a dozen different county offices trying to find who did the 9/11 numbering. It took a month before someone finally drove out from the city. Then I got a phone call telling me what number to use, and I did. For about 2 months. The problem was that the 9/11 house number was totally out of sequence with the other addresses in our township. Then I got a letter from the PostMaster telling me to make-up a number that fit into the existing sequence, and to begin using that number instead of the 9/11 number.
County officials may serve a purpose in a city. Out where it is rural though, I am not certain they do serve much purpose.
Quote:
... This company has a lot of good information on wells in your state.
All states have different codes......in Michigan we have to set 27 foot of casing. So a well has to be 30 foot.
20 foot is not near enough to be clean water.
I don't think that anybody has 'data' on anything more than a minority of wells in use.
How would they? To get some kind of data, would first mean that someone was giving them data. Like on a form or something. Plus until GPS recently came into common use, how would anyone have any more than a general idea that a well would exist on a given parcel?
Today, a well driller could possibly have a GPS and could give that information to the county after drilling a well; that is possible. But again that only means that new wells would be on a GIS map.
Since this well was drilled in 2005, it is likely noted on the GIS maps. Though I also have a hand-dug well that is too far from my house to be of much use. It is not on any map.
As to depth of casing. I see friends who like me have well drilled by a 'professional' and have the new large casings. I see others whose wells are older and who have the smaller casings. And I see others who use sand-point wells. A realtor friend of mine urged me to use a sand-point well. But he said that after I had already arranged for this well-driller to come out here.
I guess they are in their offices in the County Seat. It is hard to imagine those folks leaving their office to do any actual function in the real world.
When I moved here, I wanted to get a road number for my mailing address. I played phone-tag with a dozen different county offices trying to find who did the 9/11 numbering. It took a month before someone finally drove out from the city. Then I got a phone call telling me what number to use, and I did. For about 2 months. The problem was that the 9/11 house number was totally out of sequence with the other addresses in our township. Then I got a letter from the PostMaster telling me to make-up a number that fit into the existing sequence, and to begin using that number instead of the 9/11 number.
County officials may serve a purpose in a city. Out where it is rural though, I am not certain they do serve much purpose.
I don't think that anybody has 'data' on anything more than a minority of wells in use.
How would they? To get some kind of data, would first mean that someone was giving them data. Like on a form or something. Plus until GPS recently came into common use, how would anyone have any more than a general idea that a well would exist on a given parcel?
Today, a well driller could possibly have a GPS and could give that information to the county after drilling a well; that is possible. But again that only means that new wells would be on a GIS map.
Since this well was drilled in 2005, it is likely noted on the GIS maps. Though I also have a hand-dug well that is too far from my house to be of much use. It is not on any map.
As to depth of casing. I see friends who like me have well drilled by a 'professional' and have the new large casings. I see others whose wells are older and who have the smaller casings. And I see others who use sand-point wells. A realtor friend of mine urged me to use a sand-point well. But he said that after I had already arranged for this well-driller to come out here.
I do not see any consistent trends here.
In most states a permit is needed to drill a well.
In most states a permit is needed to drill a well.
They do a final inspection.
No permit is required before drilling a well here. You and I have discussed this topic previously.
It is possible that the well-driller might fill out a form after drilling a well to comply with whatever.
I am not aware of any 'inspection' done by anyone, unless it was a remote inspection done from within some county office. We do not pay high enough taxes for those folks to be leaving their offices and driving all over the state for every home.
When I sold my first farm in Minnesota ( 1978) it had a sandpoint of about 28 ft and some of the best water around.
A neighbor bought the place and added it to his farm------------no problem.
However, when his son and family wanted to move back closer and build a new house, he hired a well driller.
I was a little upset and asked him WHY .( he was a good friend )
He stated he c ould NOT get a loan to build a house UNLESS the well was a drilled well and at least 40 ft deep.
(this was 35 years ago )
BANKERS like to protect their behind when loaning money !
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