HawthorneVillager.com

Hawthorne Village (Milton) Discussion Board
It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 9:35 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 10:01 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:07 pm
Posts: 204
We're slowly thinking that in next 2 years we might change our house, but we don't want to live in the city but rather on the outskirts of Milton in any direction.
Looking at a country home, big land, smaller house, have to shout really hard so the next door neighbor can hear you, or no neighbours in sight at all :)
What are the differences between the two, like services, property taxes, sump pumps, etc.... ?
Basically need a #101 on country living :)


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 5:54 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:14 am
Posts: 4834
Location: Milton
Thank goodness that Milton is still a town and not a city. Anyways, sump pumps are only required when the water table is high so rural properties may or may not need one. The biggest differences are that many rural properties have wells for water and septic for waste. Both of these things will need to be maintained. For heating rural properties people use wood, propane, electricity, and natural gas if it is available. IMO natural gas is the best option.

_________________
For Home Inspection services call Andy Shaw at Halton Home Inspection Service. 905 876 4761


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 8:53 am 
Offline

Joined: Sun May 07, 2006 12:23 pm
Posts: 526
Location: Hawthorne Village
We've moved from Milton to Puslinch (out near Campbellville) about 5 years ago and it was the best decision we ever made...We are still close enough to town to come in and do our regular shopping but we get the benefit of being out in the country...

A few tips on services...

Water - As Andy mentioned, you'll probably be on Well water...This has the advantage of being "Free" as there is no monthly bill, but you'll need a water softener for sure and possibly some other filters depending on your particular area (iron, etc)...It's safe to drink and the systems are generally fairly low maintenance but get a good inspection done of the equipment before you move in by someone that actually knows well/pump systems...One note - Your well pump won't work in a power outage unless you have a backup generator of some sort...

Septic - Another "Free" service compared to having to pay a monthly bill for waste water...but it may require some changes to the way that you dispose of things (which we should all probably be doing on a standard sewer system anyway)...Don't flush things that you shouldn't, avoid harsh chemicals that could impact your septic, be aware of heavy water usage depending on the size of your system, etc. In general, these systems tend to be fairly low maintenance other than needing to be checked/pumped out every couple of years...

Heating - We're in an area that has Natural Gas service so it's exactly the same as being in town...This was one of our absolute requirements when looking for a place but going with a propane system is another reasonable alternative...It works pretty much the same way as NG but you'll have a large storage tank somewhere on your property and need to coordinate with a supplier to get it filled periodically...

TV - Cable is limited in the country so you'll probably end up with satellite in most areas...Pricing and channel selection is comparable with cable...There are also the other usual options like HD antennas, streaming services, etc...

Internet - This one can be tricky in some areas...and it was one of our other absolute requirements as we both work from home at times and need to have a solid connection...Without cable service, it means that you'll probably end up with DSL or some sort of wireless solution...Depending on where you are, that could mean much slower speeds compared to what you are getting today (or expensive services and dealing with low bandwidth caps if you go with a cellular/wireless option)...In our case, our area is maxed out at 6 Mb service through Bell but were able to get two lines and bridge them together through TekSavvy to bring us up to 12 Mb...It's not fancy and I hate paying a double bill each month but it does the job and meets our needs until Bell gets more fiber installed out our way (eventually coming as part of the SWIFT project but I'm not holding my breath for that one)...

Hydro - We've had 2 multi-day power outages in the last 5 years...Both of these were the result of the big ice storms that took out power across huge areas of the province...While we don't necessarily have more frequent outages compared to being in town, restoring service can potentially take longer as HydroOne tends to prioritize based on higher density areas first...As noted above, the biggest impact of this can be on water supply so having a backup generator would definitely come in handy...We don't have one (yet) and were able to manage just fine through these outages but some of our neighbours have smaller units that they fire up when needed to feed critical systems (well pump, fridge, a few lights, tv, etc)...There are also options for whole home standby generators as well but those can be pricey...

General - Everything is bigger in the country so you need to plan accordingly and make sure you have the right tools...We have a couple of fitness friendly neighbours that still use a standard push mower but one of our first purchases was a riding mower...Cutting a one acre lot only takes about 30-45 minutes depending on how fancy I want to get cutting patterns...The same goes for snow...Shoveling a 12+ car driveway by hand is doable but a decent sized snowblower is a good investment, especially since our area tends to get a lot more blowing/drifting snow compared to places in town...

Shopping/Amenities - This one is obviously very location dependent but as a general rule, everything will be further away than it is today...With that said, there's generally going to be less traffic so some things may not actually take that much longer (i.e. We're near the 401 so it's a longer distance but comparable drive time to get over to Walmart at JSP vs. our old location in the south end of Milton where we had to fight through traffic/lights to get there). The biggest adjustment is learning to group your trips together so you can make a single trip into town and hit multiple places all at once...

Hope this helps...


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 9:28 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2014 1:57 pm
Posts: 1717
YOu can easily grow marijuana in the country. You should do that.

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 1:21 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 4:23 pm
Posts: 2894
Location: New Milton
If you like snowplow to be able to go at work, cutting grass by sitting on the stinky and shaking lawn mower, drive on icy roads and don't like to walk at all - this is what living outside is.
I work in the office, which is old bungalow with long driveway, big pool and no sidewalk, but four acres with mosquito hatchery (creek). Shoveling snow and shoveling tree poop from the pool, walking to talk with neighbors on 80 km/h rural road... Watching cars in the ditch of rural roads, because salt doesn't melt ice after -15C. And helping to pull them out once in awhile from the snow and ditch, not because you are eager to help, but because this driver was turning on your driveway in the dark and wasn't checking where he was going and you don't want to leave this GTA moron in his all season tires korean sedan in the ditch while you have to leave for groceries...
Hydro goes off periodically, not only branches, but big old trees falling down once in a while and it needs to be cutted and burned.
And internet is soo rudimental, like in nineties....
I'm so happy to have home in Milton to be able to walk with family and bike everywhere without sharing road with south Ontario drivers.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 2:27 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2014 1:57 pm
Posts: 1717
kf095 wrote:
If you like snowplow to be able to go at work, cutting grass by sitting on the stinky and shaking lawn mower, drive on icy roads and don't like to walk at all - this is what living outside is.
I work in the office, which is old bungalow with long driveway, big pool and no sidewalk, but four acres with mosquito hatchery (creek). Shoveling snow and shoveling tree poop from the pool, walking to talk with neighbors on 80 km/h rural road... Watching cars in the ditch of rural roads, because salt doesn't melt ice after -15C. And helping to pull them out once in awhile from the snow and ditch, not because you are eager to help, but because this driver was turning on your driveway in the dark and wasn't checking where he was going and you don't want to leave this GTA moron in his all season tires korean sedan in the ditch while you have to leave for groceries...
Hydro goes off periodically, not only branches, but big old trees falling down once in a while and it needs to be cutted and burned.
And internet is soo rudimental, like in nineties....
I'm so happy to have home in Milton to be able to walk with family and bike everywhere without sharing road with south Ontario drivers.


Yeah but you don't have neighbors with bad lawns and poorly widened driveways!

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 12:26 pm 
Offline

Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:55 am
Posts: 5629
We moved to the outskirts and love it, sadly we are moving again. I find myself more settled laid back living in the country. When I lived in Milton I found I was always on the go, if I forgot milk I ran out to the store to get it right away and a trip to the store meant you were back out of the house so let's stop in for ice cream at Jays... 2 hours later I was back home. Now when we get home we stay home, we do without whatever we don't have till the next time we go to town. I love it, we have a hamack in the trees that we Use cause Country life is relaxing.
We have not lost power too much maybe an hour here and there but nothing major (except the icestorm) Country is the last to be fixed as it effects the least amount of people.

Don't be afraid of well and septic. As stated earlier well water is drinkable you just need to get it tested periodically. Water Test is a free service, septic is also nothing to worry about. The taps and toilets all run the same, you just need to be smart and not worry about watering your grass in a draught.

The major difference is most Country homes don't have natural gas. Some homes have propane furnace which you have to call and order propane or you will run out. We have an electric furnace which I like cause I never have to worry about running out. Our bill does get higher in the winter months but really we pay under $500 a month equal billing. This is our "Only Bill" as we have no sewer, water or gas bill. So even if the house has an electric furnace it's not a bad thing. Plus now they are coming in with energy saving furnaces.

When you have guest over there is parking and your neighbours can't here you. :)

Best thing ever sitting on my front porch, sipping my morning coffee and watching my little hummingbird buzz but my head. Its a curious little guy likes to hover in front of me. I think he likes coffee...lol

One more added bonus the school bus picks up and drops off your child right at the end of your driveway.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
[ Time : 0.013s | 15 Queries | GZIP : Off ]