Ponds on Juniperwood ranch? (Phoenix, Flagstaff: neighborhood, water bill, land)

[crazyjae]

Originally Posted by TrentBeaver

99% of Ashfork is on the North side of the 40, I may be exaggerating a bit, but the only thing I can think of on the south side of the 40 is a Chevron gas station and a Texaco gas station..Most of the land on the south side is Prescott National Forrest.

-Trent

There are over 850 homes in Juniperwoods Ranch, off of Bullock Road, as of 2010 (more now). The Bullock Road side of Juniperwoods is south of town proper and it's where a very large population of residents that claim Ash Fork as their town of residence live. Juniperwoods Ranch is 640,000 privately owned acres (mostly 40-acre parcels) that are backed up to Prescott National Forrest.

[crazyjae]

Originally Posted by TrentBeaver

Forgot to answer about the ponds, I believe most of the ponds around Ash Fork are ponds that are filled by rainfall, I know the wildlife (Deer & Elk) use these as drinkers, but I am pretty sure they are natural ponds. I think if you planted trees and vegetation that has a similar natural habitat that they definitely could live off of just rainfall, snow melt, etc.

-Trent

All the ones in Juniperwoods Ranch and most of Northern AZ for that matter are all man made cattle stock ponds, referred to as "push ponds".

[crazyjae]

Originally Posted by fengxg

Looks pretty cool. 25 minutes drive for grocery is not a problem. I live in San Jose now but I still drive for 20 minutes to my favorite grocery. I like to stare at stars at night and wake up in the morning to see only quite views near my house. Ash fork Sounds pretty cool. Can anybody give a guide line of the cost to build a house 1500 sft with solar, septic tank, propane tank, and water tank? Just a rough estimate. Thanks.

It's a little different drive than San Jose. I'm from the Bay Area as well. It's also a little more than 25-minutes to the grocery store as well. It's more like 35-miles, but, if you are looking to live in Juniperwoods, it takes a while to get to Highway 89. Bullock Road is a rough dirt road that will likely never be paved past the railroad tracks. The county will not pave or maintain roads; it's up to the residents to form a tax district called a Road Improvement District to maintain the road. I'm 2-miles off of pavement and it takes me 45-minutes to get to Chino Valley. It takes more people I know in Juniperwoods about an hour to get to Chino Valley, just because the road conditions are bad. Williams is a waste of time for shopping and takes roughly as long to get to in the dry months, much, much longer during the snow months. Unlike San Jose there isn't a Safeway around the corner. That 45-minute to an hour, 35-mile drive is the nearest actual grocery store. There is very little between Ash Fork and Chino Valley or Williams. It's mostly National Forest.

Not knowing if you are doing the work yourself, these are rough prices (with labor/installation).

Per tests/Septic tank: $5k for a system for a 3b/2b 1,500 sf house.
Water system: $4k(ish) for a 2k gallon system with pump/pressure tank and pipe to house. Water delivery is $80 and up (depending on how far "in" you are) for 2k gallons.
Propane tank: $800 for 200 gallons (6-8 mo supply depending upon heat source). $75 a year for rent on tank after first year, plus fill-ups which run around $4 a gallon.
Building Permits: $5k
Decent sized solar system w/ battery: Plan for at least ~$20k installed (local installers are charging around $4.5 a watt w/out battery. A decent battery system will cost about $7k. Also be aware that improper maintenance and/or usage of a battery can lead to shortened life span and need for replacement often).

The house is up to you. Manufactured homes run anywhere from $70k and up for that size home. Building prices for a comparable size home are more. The last price I was privy to was in the $125 per square foot range.

Also, you'll need a road to be cut in and the pad for the house to be cut in. Tractor work runs about $100 an hour. Depending on where the property is at, it may be a lot or a little work.

The last comp/comparable I saw on land prices puts 40-acres in Juniperwoods Ranch at $25k for 40-acres. That sale was in January 2014. There was a time when people payed more, but they bought site unseen and made terrible life and financial decisions in doing so. With limited jobs, limited area growth potential, lack of utilities, lack of paved roads and the need to haul water you need to be aware of what you are getting into.

Buying a pre-existing home is certainly an option, but be very aware of what you are buying. There is a house listed in Juniperwoods Ranch that's currently listed at ~$80k. It's a 1,500 sf manufactured home on 10-acres. The only problem with this deal is that the road to it is illegally cut through someone else's property (an absentee owner not aware of the illegal road). The legal road for the property is totally impassible. To fix that road will run about $100k for the tractor work, culverts, fill and permits required to make it drivable. I literally cannot get my 4x4 quad, with a winch, down that road.

[Ash Fork Rat]

I live on North side of I-40 in Kaibab Estates West . more established area with power , phones lines , and satellite tv . mine is a stick built house ,1200sq ft . have lived here for 20+ years and looking to move this summer or maybe sooner . I love it here but wife wants to be near her daughter so as soon as I sell I will be gone .

[fengxg]

Hi Crazyjae thanks so much for all the information and you are so helpful. The parcel I have is to the north side of the I-40 exit west to Ash Fork. It is about 3 miles to the exit near the road called Pineveta Rd. Any comment on this area?

The view looks so nice here. I am just imagining how life will be living here. So how is the life here? You seem to enjoy it. $80K water bill is OK. Is it delivered or you haul it in? There are houses all around my parcel, but I dare not to knock the door, being afraid to get shoot down. I am not sure if my neighbors live here all year long, but I doubt they do.

Thanks again.

[fengxg]

Hey Crazyjae, you mentioned summer snow in your post. Is this very often in Ash Fork? How is the impact to the life there? I definitely like cooler summers but never experienced snow in summer.

[crazyjae]

Originally Posted by fengxg

Hi Crazyjae thanks so much for all the information and you are so helpful. The parcel I have is to the north side of the I-40 exit west to Ash Fork. It is about 3 miles to the exit near the road called Pineveta Rd. Any comment on this area?

The view looks so nice here. I am just imagining how life will be living here. So how is the life here? You seem to enjoy it. $80K water bill is OK. Is it delivered or you haul it in? There are houses all around my parcel, but I dare not to knock the door, being afraid to get shoot down. I am not sure if my neighbors live here all year long, but I doubt they do.

Thanks again.

I'm familiar with that area. The roads are a little rough there but you may know that already.

It's also very close to Dante's Decent which is a giant volcanic sink hole. It's fenced off now but you should go take a look at it anyway. It's really interesting.

I have my water delivered by Whitey's Water. It's $80 for a truck load and lasts me about 5-weeks. I get 2,000 gallons at a time. I have very high efficiency appliances (all LG brand).

You have quite a few neighbors over there in that neighborhood that do live their full time. I take it you are just inside the Yavapai County boundaries? Coconino County has unreasonable building codes as they expect that you build to Flagstaff standards for frost lines, etc. We are 2,000 feet lower and our snow loads/frost lines are different. They are also bizarre when it comes to septic systems.

[crazyjae]

Originally Posted by fengxg

Hey Crazyjae, you mentioned summer snow in your post. Is this very often in Ash Fork? How is the impact to the life there? I definitely like cooler summers but never experienced snow in summer.

It's usually just a random late season snow that kills gardens.

Almost every year I've been here (7-years) it's done that. It didn't, however, this summer. I've owned property here and have family that's lived here for 20+ years and they've all seen late snows in May/June.

The rain is really cold in the summer. Which is nice because it cools the area off a lot!

[fengxg]

Originally Posted by crazyjae

I'm familiar with that area. The roads are a little rough there but you may know that already.

It's also very close to Dante's Decent which is a giant volcanic sink hole. It's fenced off now but you should go take a look at it anyway. It's really interesting.

I have my water delivered by Whitey's Water. It's $80 for a truck load and lasts me about 5-weeks. I get 2,000 gallons at a time. I have very high efficiency appliances (all LG brand).

You have quite a few neighbors over there in that neighborhood that do live their full time. I take it you are just inside the Yavapai County boundaries? Coconino County has unreasonable building codes as they expect that you build to Flagstaff standards for frost lines, etc. We are 2,000 feet lower and our snow loads/frost lines are different. They are also bizarre when it comes to septic systems.

I am about 3 miles from I-40 exit. The road is the so-called Old Railroad Bed, which is wide and bumpy. I am inside Yavapai county, which is lucky based on your information. LOL. The land is 5800 feet high. So you are sitting at 4000'? I don't see anywhere so low in Juniperwoods. Must be near Prescott? $80 per month water bill is very durable. The only thing I need to worry is what to do when I am not around.

I can't find Dante's Descent on map. Is it a tourist attraction?

Thanks so much for all the interesting information.

[Gandalara]

Wiki says to check with the Ash Fork Library

"Dante's Descent, a 275-foot (84 m) deep sinkhole also known as "Devil's Hole", which is approximately five miles northwest of Ash Fork, off of Crookton Road. Unfortunately, after closure by the state, Dante's Descent cannot legally be visited by the public. Pictorial and historic documentation of the natural attraction may be found at the Ash Fork Library."