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  1. #1
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    Dec 2010
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    Vancouver Island
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    Rural living - the reality check

    Wife and I are moving and considering making the change from city life to a piece of property. The move to a more rural property is an option where we’re moving - not a necessity. Urban life, in a community of ~40,000 is also an option. I’m going to check out a ~15 acre lot tomorrow with a 2 bed 1 bath house, two wells (1 drilled and 1 shallow) and septic approximately 10min out of town. The idea would be to eventually rebuild. Kids are expected in the future. I grew up in cities and towns - not always the biggest places but they all had municipal water and sewer. I know that a few of you live on rural properties. What is a reality check that might prove useful to consider when looking at making this sort of move? Obviously I’ll have to start wearing plaid and grow a beard. What additional wisdom do you have to share?
    "...if you're not doing a double flip cork something, skiing spines in Haines, or doing double flip cork somethings off spines in Haines, you're pretty much just gaping."

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    Looking down
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    50,491
    py internet.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    Greater Drictor Wydaho
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    5,380
    Quote Originally Posted by shafty85 View Post
    Wife and I are moving and considering making the change from city life to a piece of property. The move to a more rural property is an option where we’re moving - not a necessity. Urban life, in a community of ~40,000 is also an option. I’m going to check out a ~15 acre lot tomorrow with a 2 bed 1 bath house, two wells (1 drilled and 1 shallow) and septic approximately 10min out of town. The idea would be to eventually rebuild. Kids are expected in the future. I grew up in cities and towns - not always the biggest places but they all had municipal water and sewer. I know that a few of you live on rural properties. What is a reality check that might prove useful to consider when looking at making this sort of move? Obviously I’ll have to start wearing plaid and grow a beard. What additional wisdom do you have to share?
    I dunno if living "approximately 10min out of town" really qualifies as rural living. IMO, rural living is when you got to drive an hour or more just to get to a fucking Walmart or a halfway decent doctor.

    That said, if you are going to have little kids playing in the backyard, then you should know that children under 4ft make tempting targets for predators, especially lions. Bears can be really, really bold. I had a black bear try to climb in a window once. I nearly slammed the window on his head. Swear to God, nothing between my hand and that bear's mouth but a flimsy screen. I had grizzlies throw my garbage can around the driveway twice. You can chase them away but they usually just come back once you turn off the lights. High windows and really solid doors are a good idea if the house is actually up in the woods.

    Speaking of the woods... then there's that little problem with forest fires. Building in the woods is kind of like having a house on a sandbar island. It's paradise but you are extremely vulnerable to the whims of nature. A hot fire can get up and flat out run for miles on a windy afternoon.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/video/colora...ck-68318789778
    Last edited by neckdeep; 11-04-2019 at 11:33 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2002
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    Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
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    3,807
    Rural living is fucking great. It's a lot of work though if you decide to do anything other than live. Chickens? Gotta build a coop. Gotta build 2 coops, one for layers one for meat birds. Pigs? They need almost nothing. Turkey's? Fuck that, they just like to die. Cows? Mmm mmm, delicious. Horses? Fuck no!

    Make sure your well is solid. Produces lots. Is potable. Doesn't taste like shit. Septic, get it's history.

    Internet? Depending on where you are it can be slow as fuck.

    Driving? Ya, lots of that.

    I lived 15 minutes put of small town BC for 18 years. Wouldn't trade that time for anything. Now that I'm older though I like living in a small city with no property maintenance to speak of, lots more time ride my mountain bike.

  5. #5
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    May 2002
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    Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
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    3,807
    Where you moving to?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    2 hours from anything
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    10,734
    I'm on 5 acres now. It's a lot of work. There's always something to do or take care of. Make sure you look at the cost of all the equipment you are going to need and understand the benefits and negatives of being rural.

    Make sure you complain / call the cops the first time you hear gunshots. The neighbors will love you!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
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    Maple Syrup and Lumberjacks, eigh.
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    4,285
    You have to be a bit more resourceful and self sufficient than your average slicker. But many real city slickers would consider anywhere on Vancouver Island to be rural living.
    ::.:..::::.::.:.::..::.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    Vancouver Island
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    Quote Originally Posted by Beaver View Post
    Where you moving to?
    Comox Valley. Or, as our friend likes to say - it’s not a facking valley and should be called the Comox Plains.
    "...if you're not doing a double flip cork something, skiing spines in Haines, or doing double flip cork somethings off spines in Haines, you're pretty much just gaping."

  9. #9
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    Dec 2010
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    Vancouver Island
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    Quote Originally Posted by neckdeep View Post
    I dunno if living "approximately 10min out of town" really qualifies as rural living.
    You’re likely right, to an extent. Let’s split the difference and call it non-urban. Same/similar issues to rural living - just not as far to the store.
    "...if you're not doing a double flip cork something, skiing spines in Haines, or doing double flip cork somethings off spines in Haines, you're pretty much just gaping."

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    EWA
    Posts
    22,006
    Know your water rights
    Inspect your well and septic
    Consider getting well wired for a generator if not already
    Figure out what you're going to do with that acreage
    Know exactly what restrictions come with the land (i.e. I'm in an area that is zoned 10 ag/res with restrictions on where you're allowed to build on your parcel)
    Understand that emergency services will be slower than in the city and might be limited.
    When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something." Rep. John Lewis


    Kindness is a bridge between all people

    Dunkin’ Donuts Worker Dances With Customer Who Has Autism

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Central OR
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    5,963
    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Profane View Post
    py internet.
    This cannot be overstated; if your only option is satellite internet, walk away.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    Greater Drictor Wydaho
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    Quote Originally Posted by neufox47 View Post
    Make sure you complain / call the cops the first time you hear gunshots. The neighbors will love you!
    Yeah, that's a really good point. Be sure to scout out the people who would be living around you. Not just the guns, drunks and weird stuff. Simple things like dogs and livestock have a way of amplifying neighbor issues. One of my friends had a dog killed by a neighbor when it wandered onto his horse pasture. The guy had a zero tolerance, no exceptions policy. Sadistic fucker gut shot the poor dog in the belly with a .22 cal.

    And I can tell you from experience, some "rural" folks aren't happy unless they have a very, very large and loud guard dog breed chained to the front porch when they are not home. Needless to say, this dog will bark at 100 decibels for 10 straight minutes whenever it hears a leaf rustle. If it sees a deer it will howl all day. You are the new guy, you can't complain; thems the country rules. If you don't like it, then you shouldn't have moved here. That can take the charm right out of country life.
    Last edited by neckdeep; 11-05-2019 at 12:33 AM.

  13. #13
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    Feb 2009
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    On Vacation for the Duration
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    14,373
    Like they said, check the well, heat, septic and figure one of them will need fixing within the first few years.

    Advice I got from the old farmer's wife across the road. "Never argue with your neighbors about kids or dogs. Dogs will die, kids grow up and move but your neighbors will always be there."
    A few people feel the rain. Most people just get wet.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    At the beach
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    19,069
    Well, you guys talked me out of it. Someone shoots my dog, we are going to war.
    Quote Originally Posted by leroy jenkins View Post
    I think you'd have an easier time understanding people if you remembered that 80% of them are fucking morons.
    That is why I like dogs, more than most people.

  15. #15
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    Dec 2005
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    STL
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    13,294

    Rural living - the reality check

    I would never live rurally unless I had enough acerage to protect myself from the ex cons, registered sex offenders and people that seem to migrate out there to live off disability. There are exceptions of course, but you really have to choose your spot wisely.


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    1,866
    I grew up in a rural house. I grew up doing chores, dragging brush, etc. I also got the benefit of being able to roam and do cool kid stuff.

    As an adult:

    How much time and energy do you want to spend maintaining your property? If you don't want to spend much time, how much money do you want to spend paying someone else?

    It can be alot of work, which is rewarding for some of us.

    Are you one of those people that currently pops down to the store when you forget a grocery item? That just turned into a bigger trip. Same for anything else.

    Your neighbors are likely to much certain noises you may not appreciate on a Sunday morning, firearms, motorcycles, etc.

  17. #17
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    Sep 2001
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    Before
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    27,919
    Get a good generator.
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  18. #18
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    Jan 2019
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    59715
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    7,450
    The dog thing - you can't let them chase deer or livestock. They'll get shot. That's how it goes. Fence them if they like to go running.

    Besides well and septic, make sure you check for easements on your property, it's amazing how many previously unused easements start getting used as soon as a property changes hands.

    Neighbors will be the greatest people in the world and the biggest pains in the ass, often at the same time, and you will always be the new folks in the 'hood. I've found that rural people will generally mind their own business once they know all about you and get all up in your shit. That might take years.

    Range wars last forever.

    Kids sports and organized school activities is a major undertaking. You'll probably wear out a couple of cars by the time the kids are out of school.

    Enjoy it. I've lived in the sticks, the big city, and the 'burbs. I can do the city and the sticks, I'll die before I live the 'burbs again.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    San Juan Islands, WA.
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    1,189
    Make a good first impression on your neighbors.
    Had a couple from LA looking at property next to me and within 10 minutes their dogs were loose and up at my place, I walked over and told about the Highland cattle and calves next to me and that loose dogs could be shot (the first road sign you see on the island). A month later they buy the property and the dogs are running loose chasing my cats every chance they get, I talk to the owner several times and tell him I will shoot his dogs if they bother the cattle or cats again. He fenced off his 5 acres with gaps under the fence that did no good keeping the dogs in. After a summer of this once again the dogs are running free behind my house, I went out and yelled at them and they disappeared into the salal then threw a few sticks in their direction and they ran off. The owner came over and of course it wasn't his fault or the dogs and they spent the next few hours looking for the dogs. They were on there way to the ferry and missed the boat because they were looking for the dogs. Karma's a bitch sometimes. They bought the property to turn it into a rental by putting in a trailer pad, power and septic and calling it a private campsite (their business, they had several others). Two months later he was hiking in CO. and dropped dead. the property went into foreclosure and is unused again.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
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    EWA
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    22,006
    Quote Originally Posted by Flyoverland Captive View Post
    This cannot be overstated; if your only option is satellite internet, walk away.
    I have satelite. Isn't lacking for me. Good price with unlimited data. Fast too. I get it through tbre local power company.

    Had a neighbor down the way that worked from home for the government and he used microwave.

    What it seems to depend on is having a clear sightline to pick up a signal and if you're moving large amounts of data.
    When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something." Rep. John Lewis


    Kindness is a bridge between all people

    Dunkin’ Donuts Worker Dances With Customer Who Has Autism

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Salida, CO
    Posts
    1,976
    I recommend you get you a big ass pile o wood!
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  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    The Queen City North Carolina
    Posts
    1,436
    I see you are in Canada so I suppose it different regarding shooting dogs. We have a family compound that is very rural in SC, mostly managed pine. Will be close to 1000 acres with the latest addition and I've never run across dogs on the property or on game camera. So dogs aside,
    Trash disposal can be a problem. Burn barrels can still be needed.
    Internet is via satellite. Granted we recreate on this property so internet is ok, but you couldn't really do any heavy data stuff remotely. The LTE is pretty good for cellular game cameras though.
    Fuel. Feel like we are always transporting gasoline to the pole barn. With a bunch of UTV's, ATV's and diesel tractor, you will go through fuel, it's a pain.
    Fixing crap. Aside from the mentioned toys, stuff is always needing repairs.
    Drive times. The isolation is great until you are one washer short of completing a project.
    All in all stuff is manageable

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Salida, CO
    Posts
    1,976
    OK seriously you're gonna need supplies. Pick a resource community that meets your needs, shopping, schools, healthcare, vehicle maintenance. I love living on unincorporated county land almost no rules. Cities are a great place to visit but I'd rather be on an acreage in the country.

  24. #24
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    Nov 2002
    Location
    EWA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cono Este View Post
    I would never live rurally unless I had enough acerage to protect myself from the ex cons, registered sex offenders and people that seem to migrate out there to live off disability. There are exceptions of course, but you really have to choose your spot wisely.


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    LOL! You don't think cities have those in spades if not more so?

    My neighbors out here in rural Washington are far nicer and more considerate and always willing to jump in and lend a helping hand than any I had in the city.

    When I moved here and was setting up pastures working late neighbors saw and came to help without being asked.

    One night after working late in the cold a neighbor greeted me with a tray of homemade soup and biscuits as I walked up the drive.

    When one of my horses died unexpectedly shortly after I moved here another neighbor 2 miles down the road gave up their plan to go hunting and immediately came down with a backhoe to help bury him and offered to lend me another to keep my other horse company.

    When it snows out here neighbors routinely drive around in their big 4x4 tractors and plow drives without even being asked.

    Those are the kind of rural neighbors I have.
    When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something." Rep. John Lewis


    Kindness is a bridge between all people

    Dunkin’ Donuts Worker Dances With Customer Who Has Autism

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    San Juan Islands, WA.
    Posts
    1,189
    Quote Originally Posted by Cono Este View Post
    I would never live rurally unless I had enough acerage to protect myself from the ex cons, registered sex offenders and people that seem to migrate out there to live off disability. There are exceptions of course, but you really have to choose your spot wisely.

    The good thing about a small community is that you usually know who to stay away from. There's no secrets, that could be a good or bad thing.

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