Basic questions about life in/around Austin (Spring, Lawn: transplants, HOA)

[GottaMoveOuttaMichigan]

My wife and I + 2 kids are planning on moving next year sometime. I was in town for NIWeek the first week of August and loved it. I've read a lot of good information on this forum but here are a few questions:

- Do most single family homes use electric heat or gas heat?

- Same for your stove. Usually gas or electric?

- If you have a lawn, do you keep it green during the summer months, or let it burn?

- If you have a pool, does it run year round (with heat?) or does it have to be closed for a few months?

- We have a yellow lab. Do they get asjusted to the heat eventually?

Thanks

[FalconheadWest]

Electric verse gas/propane is about 50/50. You would think it had to do with price range, but it doesn't. It's per neighborhood and what the developer decided to do for the properties.

As for cooktop, even if there's gas/propane at the house, most homes have electric as they're less expensive. Many homes have a gas line in the kitchen waiting for you to switch out the electric if you want, but not all. People have to think about the future when building to think about something like this as it's usually about a $500 upgrade.

Dogs can adjust very quickly.

Why would people want to burn their grass? Of course you want green grass. Some people don't take care of their yards and/or they mow to short which burns the yard, but overall, people want green grass. Heck, I put down the Rye grass in the Fall so I can have green grass in the winter.

Pools aren't as common as you would think because Austin is mostly rock and it's expensive to dig out the rock. If they put in a hot tub, more than likely the pool is also heated. If there's nohot tub, it's probably not heated. Most community pools are not heated and not "allowed" to be used in the fall/winter months.

[Trainwreck20]

Heat and stoves: There is a pretty good number of houses that use gas and a good number that use electric. I suppose it is not 50/50, but both are generally available. In remote areas, you may be stuck with electric or propane, and there are neighborhoods that never hooked up to the gas system and others that just opted for electric but gas may be available for a (significant) hook-up fee. I suspect that most houses that have gas use it for cooking and water heating, too, and probably have it piped for dryers, as well.

Lawn: if you live in an HOA area, you will probably have to water it and keep it green (with a limited list of grasses). In non-HOA areas, you can generally grow 'native' grasses that can survive on minimal water, but will not be anywhere as vibrant or lush as the St. Augustine (and similar water intensive) grasses.

Pools: Most people I know do not heat their pools, but one co-worker does....it is expensive!

Dogs: The neighbors have two black labs that are hunting dogs and he keeps them kenneled in the back yard and they are fine. If they have shade and water, they will adjust easily (unless, possibly, they are very old).

[Trainwreck20]

Of course you want green grass.

Personally, I preferred my non-HOA house with the native grass, which stayed just barely green in the worst of the summer. I watered it about once a year, maybe twice, in the worst years, and several years never had to water it at all .

[TexasHorseLady]

Xeriscaping is big in Austin - "green" can sometimes be "brown" here as some of the grasses go dormant in the winter and parts of the summer.

We had a Great Pyrenees that did fine in Austin summers. Our current lab/GP cross and heeler do great. There are lots of dogs in town, many of whom are transplants from other climes.

Agreed that electric/gas is about 50/50, based on what I see while showing homes. I'm an adamant gas person myself as far as cooking is concerned (I'm a foodie and a control freak and I can control gas burners better than electric).

I know of people who have pools that can be heated, but, as said, it's expensive, so mostly they don't do it. If you want to swim in a heated pool in the winter, just go to Barton Springs - it's naturally 67 degrees year round.

[atlanta hope]

Most of the houses I looked at $300-400K range had electric ranges. I prefer gas myself but we ended up getting an electric stove in our house. Also our house came equipped with an automated sprinkler system and extensive drip irrigation -- along with some of the rain barrels attached to gutters (score!).