Buying a House with Low out.put water well. (earthquakes, live) - Alaska (AK) - City-Data Forum

RaeMary · 11-09-2010, 07:47 AM

The House we're considering buying has a low out/put water well. Inside are reserve tanks. Possible future drilling in that area of Alaska is a possibility too. My question is should we make an offer based on the cost to have a new well put in? I'm thinking it will cost about 15k to drill a new well. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Marty Van Diest · 11-09-2010, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaeMary

The House we're considering buying has a low out/put water well. Inside are reserve tanks. Possible future drilling in that area of Alaska is a possibility too. My question is should we make an offer based on the cost to have a new well put in? I'm thinking it will cost about 15k to drill a new well. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I don't know where you live but I deal with this kind of stuff all the time. There are a few things to consider.

First, how certain are you that you will hit better water if you drill a new well. There are certain areas where there just isn't a good chance of getting water at all. I know some properties with 5 dry wells on them.

Think about resale. When you sell, how many buyers are you going to lose because of your lack of water?

Wells cannot be guaranteed to continue to supply water over time, sometimes they will go dry depending on a lot factors, earthquakes, and aquifer fluctuations are the big ones.

Still, I sell some places with poor water. The reason people are willing to put up with little to no water usually has to do with the property's location, location, location.

Glitch · 11-09-2010, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaeMary

The House we're considering buying has a low out/put water well. Inside are reserve tanks. Possible future drilling in that area of Alaska is a possibility too. My question is should we make an offer based on the cost to have a new well put in? I'm thinking it will cost about 15k to drill a new well. Any help is greatly appreciated.

What Marty posted is very true. I would only add that you should also check with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Water and the Division of Spill Prevention & Response, Contaminated Sites Program before purchasing the property. The Division of Water will be able to provide you with water table location and depth for the area, and the Contaminated Sites Program will inform you if there has been any contamination of the water table in that area.

As far as the costs are concerned, if they have road access to the property the cost is around $40/foot to drill the well, with the typical well being anywhere from 80 to 120 feet in depth. It is an additional $1,500 to $2,000 for the pump, electronics, and pipping. So an estimate of $5,000 to $7,000 is more reasonable. Once you get more information from the Division of Water on the water table in your area you should be able to refine the estimate.

1stimestar · 11-09-2010, 09:56 AM

Many places here have cisterns for their low volume wells. If having one bothers you for some reason, I wouldn't buy the place.

RaeMary · 11-10-2010, 06:12 AM

Thanks all..

We spoke with a well drilling company in the area the home sits. He said low out/put wells aren't usually an issue in the area. He thinks back in the early 90's when the house was built that the driller came short for whatever reason, and perhaps money might have been a factor. Lots to think about, and professionals to talk with.. Thanks all for your responses.

Bob Blockus · 11-10-2010, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaeMary

The House we're considering buying has a low out/put water well. Inside are reserve tanks. Possible future drilling in that area of Alaska is a possibility too. My question is should we make an offer based on the cost to have a new well put in? I'm thinking it will cost about 15k to drill a new well. Any help is greatly appreciated.

If it's in remote area of town. leave it as is because it's true Alaska with lack of water. use half of the money saved to buy water and the other half use it for travel. If it's around $3,000 for new well by all means drill. too bad RV's can't have water makers on board. then all you would need is a RV in the driveway.