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Old 07-16-2020, 01:19 PM
 
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We are retired and recently moved from Denver to a cabin we have owned for years in Park county.

But our long term plan is to move from Park county to either Ridgway, Delores or possibly Durango.

We are going to visit this area in few weeks and Ridgway is at the top of the list and Im looking for any feedback on areas that we should check out. Some things that are important..

At the moment we are snowbirds so will leave the house unoccupied all winter. The cabin we currently live in is perfect for this as its on a well and I completely drain the house and just shut everything down. No requirement to shovel side walks as there are none. Im hoping to find some property that can be shut down but with normal precautions, can be safely left unoccupied for up to six months. This might just mean its out of town a little..

Wild fire risk.. wooded areas are nice but Ive had to stress about wild fire in the past.. would rather avoid this.

Sort of close to the reservoir would be nice

I see so many houses in that area that have home owner associations. Some fees are inexpensive, some not. Im not a fan of home owners association at all, would rather not have this option

Heard that Log Hill has some sort of water issue in the past.. but I dont know what it was.

Being able to walk or ride a bike to the village area would be nice..

It is mostly Ridgway that I have been looking at this stuff.. but any local info regarding my issues for either Ridgway, Delores or even Durango...
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Old 07-16-2020, 01:47 PM
 
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If I understand correctly, the water district on Loghill is different than in-town Ridgway, and it's very expensive. I think electric might be, too. I live in-town Ridgway but have friends who rented in the Loghill area for years.

From in-town Ridgway, the bike trail/walking path to the reservoir goes right through town, past the library and along the river. Very accessible and close by most places. I think it's about 5 miles from where I am (near the Colorado Boy on Clinton) to the reservoir by the trail.

No info on the other areas but a font of support for in-town Ridgway! Best wishes and happy trails.
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Old 07-16-2020, 03:08 PM
 
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For less snow (left unattended) in Durango area, maybe look around Florida Mesa (southwest of town). Still fire danger but more grass fire there. Leave a clear buffer zone around house. Wind could still aid fire advance / jump, but hopefully firefighters intervene fast enough. Usually do.

Pay attention to roof design (current or to be built). Bad flow can lead to dams, excess snow / ice weight, seepage. Can hire someone to clear while away- always or just when critical but try to have someone verify it is being done. Knew a guy who took the advance money but probably did less than expected. Only cared about catastrophic failure that would catch him slacking. 2 winters ago was very heavy.

Unoccupied property break-ins do happen of course. Neighbors that care matter. Talking to Sheriff or hiring a security firm to check at some rate is probably worth doing to deal with possible burglary or squatting. Insurance. Lock up valuables in secure storage or take with.

For less snow build-up and fire danger near Dolores, probably stay 5 plus miles south of it. I'd worry a bit more about theft out there due to fewer neighbors. Near Durango, more higher end targets might make modest homes less appealing targets but maybe it is pretty random.

Last edited by NW Crow; 07-16-2020 at 03:26 PM..
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Old 07-17-2020, 08:50 AM
 
Location: Western Colorado
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Ridgway is paradise.
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Old 07-17-2020, 10:15 AM
 
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Unoccupied for up to six months...good luck with that one. Unless it is something in an HOA subdivision, which does not match the rest of the picture.

It’s Dolores, not Delores. Lady of Sorrows.
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Old 07-17-2020, 01:58 PM
 
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Quote:
Unoccupied for up to six months...good luck with that one. Unless it is something in an HOA subdivision
I have been doing the snowbird thing and leaving a house somewhere unoccupied for the last five years (no HOA) and know what I would look for and what to do based on my experience (and everyone has different ideas on this) but maybe you know something I dont about HOA's. Not real interested in speculation if no experience. So many things I dont like about HOA.. but if something they do helps over just having normal neighbors within sight of the house, I would like to know.

NW Crow, the snow load is something I have not considered and have never worried about living 30 years in Denver, 5 in Colorado Springs and 13 years near Elevenmile res.

Ive been looking at the climate info on this site https://wrcc.dri.edu/summary/Climsmco.html

Total snowfall Denver 53.8, Lake George (Elevenmile) 57.7 Delores 65,2 Durango 68.7 Ridgway 84.9

Hmm.. especially Ridgway gets considerably more snow than Denver. I have friends in Silverton and who leave for the winter and it dawned on me that they do have to maintain the snow on the roof. Silverton gets 156 inch of snow.

Quote:
From in-town Ridgway, the bike trail/walking path to the reservoir goes right through town, past the library and along the river. Very accessible and close by most places. I think it's about 5 miles from where I am (near the Colorado Boy on Clinton) to the reservoir by the trail.
This sounds like just a great trail. We will have to check it out when we visit soon.

Great info and thanks to everyone!

Last edited by waltcolorado; 07-17-2020 at 02:07 PM..
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Old 07-18-2020, 09:12 AM
 
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Just a data point, I built my little house in-town Ridgway and the building requirements included a pitch for the snow load. I have a seamed metal roof and there is no issue with snow sticking around *at all*. After three winters here, I have yet to use my East Coast snow shovel on anything- so far, the daily sun blasts away the dry snow that might fall.
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Old 07-18-2020, 09:42 AM
 
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HOAs, with their loudly-stated goal of protection of home values, would be less likely to tolerate squatters in their realm. Yes, there are squatters outside of the city tenements, in homes of absentee owners. Maybe not right in town limits, but out of sight and out of mind elsewhere.

Feel free to disagree, but I know of at least two examples (not hearsay) in rural SW CO. NOT in HOA subdivision and not in town.
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Old 07-18-2020, 09:58 AM
 
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Where I am at, winter can be heavy (almost 200 inches winter before last) and the snow sometimes wet or turning wet and not fully leaving. In my circumstances, the work required on interior roads, parking areas / vehicles, walks and shaded / freezing / imperfectly working roof sections can be heavy. Hours typically on a moderate snow (on tractor and with shovels and roof rakes) and sometimes all day (especially when other snow / cold issues arise). But this is associated with multiple houses I look after.

2 years ago when a neighbor a bit away returned from Arizona, he spent at least half a week freeing ice dams from his roof. Tons of ice and snow to break free, sitting up there and dripping occasionally for months. A consequence of built the way I want to do it decades ago.

Most places / situation are easier but I said what I said from my experience fwiw to alert about the potential for an issue in some places. Perhaps for other readers not as familiar as the OP and some others.

Last edited by NW Crow; 07-18-2020 at 11:17 AM..
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Old 07-18-2020, 10:17 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NW Crow View Post
Where I am at, winter can be heavy (almost 200 inches winter before last) and the snow sometimes wet or turning wet and not fully leaving. In my circumstances the work required on interior roads, walks and shaded and freezing imperfectly working roof sections can be heavy. Hours typically on a moderate snow (on tractor and with shovels and roof rakes) and sometimes all day (especially when other snow / cold issues arise). But this is associated with multiple houses I look after.

2 years ago when a neighbor returned from Arizona, he spent at least half a week freeing ice dams from his roof.

Most places are easier but I said what I said from my experience.
Exposure, elevation, and presence of trees cause big differences even in the same small area.

We live where heavy snowfall is unusual, we have metal roofs set at the required pitch (or steeper) for snow load, AND we are longtime pros at shoveling our own snow. Still, the snow is enough that we can’t just let it be unless it is a mere dusting. The sun melts the stuff not shaded by trees during the high-sun time of day...and then after it sets the rapidly-dropping temperatures in this arid area turn moisture to glaze ice. When we’re lucky, the snow sublimates instead, which usually does not happen.

Shoveling a driveway to a town or suburban lot is nothing. But if you have a long driveway/private road, or a large area to park big vehicles and trailers (both common in rural places), there’ll be a lot of square foootage to clear.

Precipitation tends to be a feast-or-starve rollercoaster, and it may be getting worse.
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