How much to drill a well?

[Tony in SD]

I have a used well I’d be more than happy to sell or rent to you.

 

[bc]

I have a used well I’d be more than happy to sell or rent to you.

I could use one one if you pay the shipping. USPS would have it end up in the dead letter office so skip them.

Edit. I could also use a couple dozen fence post holes if you could throw them in cheap. Save me some manual labor digging them.

 

[NY 986]

prices are crazy high here now. last year was $125 a ft. Talked to a neighbor who just paid $150 a ft.

I need to go 400 ft!

I'm in the Finger Lakes region of NY and in 2008 I had a 50 ft well drilled and it cost 1,800 dollars. With the lack of competition and inflation it would not surprise me that it would cost double that or more today.

 

[Tony in SD]

I could use one one if you pay the shipping. USPS would have it end up in the dead letter office so skip them.

Edit. I could also use a couple dozen fence post holes if you could throw them in cheap. Save me some manual labor digging them.

I worked my way through college buying old basements and sawing them up into 10x10 square post holes. The were just the right size for RR ties.

 

[ss55]

What neighbor?lol. im out in the boonies. No neighbors, no sirens etc

Do you have electricity, internet and other utilities? It might be worth talking to an appraiser or realtor to get an idea of the demand for and the potential value of the property before investing any more money. Every market is different. In the Midwest an older home or obsolete farmstead not on a paved road is a liability rather than an asset.

Realtors often know a number of active buyers who are looking for certain properties. Many people looking for remote properties can easily afford to build a brand new house with a well, septic system and utility connections.

 

[chris142]

Do you have electricity, internet and other utilities? It might be worth talking to an appraiser or realtor to get an idea of the demand for and the potential value of the property before investing any more money. Every market is different. In the Midwest an older home or obsolete farmstead not on a paved road is a liability rather than an asset.

Realtors often know a number of active buyers who are looking for certain properties. Many people looking for remote properties can easily afford to build a brand new house with a well, septic system and utility connections.

Yes. The internet is iffy. Its provided by a small podunk company and is always dropping. The only tower we can hit is 20+ miles away so the signal is weak. Add in that every time a train passes it blocks the signal and the internet drops.

putting the reciever antenna on a pole didnt help as it needs to be higher than I can do.

Power was brought in 1960.

House appraised @$170k 5 years ago.

I really like the place and dont want to have to move but I cant afford the new well.

 

[chris142]

Here is a short video showing driving to the first sign of a paved street. As you can see I am the last house on the dirt road.
Driving a dirt road every day really tears up cars!

I have become a professional ball joint installer.

 

[Richard Nixon]

prices are crazy high here now. last year was $125 a ft. Talked to a neighbor who just paid $150 a ft.

I need to go 400 ft!

I sit on a granite shelf that, under me, is about 80 feet down. They used a diamond bit drill and the total cost of pipe, drilling, digging, hydro fracing, A O Smith 240v pump installed was $46 per foot. They said they could drill through 30 feet of granite per hour with that diamond drill. This particular well driller is known for being pricey but they are the best around. Nice fancy bright red trucks, too.

 

[used red MN]

My parents bought it in 1974. I inhearated it in 2017 when they passed. We had to pull $60k in equidy out to do repairs and dispose of the asbestos siding. Well quit 01-01-23. Since then the water table came up some so we put another pump down to the dirt,pulled it up 2ft and its been working but the water table is slowly dropping again and I expect it to quit pumping in a few weeks.

I cant afford a mortgage and a well payment of the same amount. Without a well here it’s not worth much more than vacant land. Maybe $50 k but thats what I owe.

Was it purchased by your parents as their primary residence? If so you grew up there? What was your father’s occupation being this is such a remote area, what is your occupation? You have to travel that road 4/5 times a week x2 directions just for work? Who provides the funding to maintain the road, roughly how many residents utilize it?
Sounds to me like you need to get into a PM with “Check Break” and explore his options. Also not sure what JAN is talking about when he says “3m liner” he mentions in reply 56. I found a website that had what looks correct, it is a casing, they had them for sale but you had to log in and create an account to get more info. Did you get a video from the previous “rescue” attempt? Wow sorry, this turned into a 1000 questions.

 

[chris142]

Was it purchased by your parents as their primary residence? If so you grew up there? What was your father’s occupation being this is such a remote area, what is your occupation? You have to travel that road 4/5 times a week x2 directions just for work? Who provides the funding to maintain the road, roughly how many residents utilize it?
Sounds to me like you need to get into a PM with “Check Break” and explore his options. Also not sure what JAN is talking about when he says “3m liner” he mentions in reply 56. I found a website that had what looks correct, it is a casing, they had them for sale but you had to log in and create an account to get more info. Did you get a video from the previous “rescue” attempt? Wow sorry, this turned into a 1000 questions.

yes our only house. Dad worked in los angelas at a radio station and commuted. Yes that is the only road in and out. Im currantly working at a shop that specializes in euro cars. I also have a class A cdl. The road is private property and maintained by the residents. There are side roads so many people use the road but only I use the last 1/4 mile or so

 

[teddy52food]

Here is a short video showing driving to the first sign of a paved street. As you can see I am the last house on the dirt road.
Driving a dirt road every day really tears up cars!

I have become a professional ball joint installer.

Good road, no ditches!

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Good road, no ditches!

Don't need ditches when it doesn't rain...

 

[bc]

Nice country, nice road too. Road will keep the hot rodders out.

Chris, I've drilled a lot of oil wells back in the day and worked over a lot of wells with a drilling rig and also a cable tool rig. Collapsed casing can be fixed and a liner can be run in there like Jim said. And the liner wouldn't need a packer like we would use on an oil well. 300 feet is nothing. We'd start by building a short derrick around it.

First you would have to post pictures of everything, give the measurements for the well casing, pump size and type, water pipe size and type, and explain how you know you have water at 286' and a collapse at 288' and how deep the pump was before and is now.

Could run a grand or two to do it yourself with one or two helpers and the wife can help run the draw works, aka your jeep.

I'd start by pulling the pump and then run a camera in to check the casing, see if the casing ends above or below where the collapse is, and what kind of collapse we are dealing with, casing or open hole.

I've watched them drill deep water wells in Pakistan. 3 poles set up as a tripod with a sheave hanging from it. A few feet above the ground would be another long pole on the horizontal with a fulcrum. Connect one end of the pole to the rope going in the hole while a guy works the other end up and down pounding the bit on the bottom.

 

[wp6529]

I've watched them drill deep water wells in Pakistan. 3 poles set up as a tripod with a sheave hanging from it. A few feet above the ground would be another long pole on the horizontal with a fulcrum. Connect one end of the pole to the rope going in the hole while a guy works the other end up and down pounding the bit on the bottom.

It's good to watch Pakastani Truck and similar on youtube now and then. It reminds you of how we get spoiled/lazy here wanting climate controlled shops with every fancy tool while they just git 'er done outside in the dirt with what they have available. Perhaps they get 15% fewer hours before the next rebuild vs. our sterile clean room shops, but they're running their trucks and tractors while we're fussing and stalling over not having the perfect workspace.

 

[bc]

It's good to watch Pakastani Truck and similar on youtube now and then. It reminds you of how we get spoiled/lazy here wanting climate controlled shops with every fancy tool while they just git 'er done outside in the dirt with what they have available. Perhaps they get 15% fewer hours before the next rebuild vs. our sterile clean room shops, but they're running their trucks and tractors while we're fussing and stalling over not having the perfect workspace.

It's the paint jobs they put on their trucks that was always interesting with the designs and stuff. Most of the rural roads were just a little wider than one lane. Everyone always played chicken flashing their headlights at each other to pull over. The trucks usually won. We had a joke for when they stopped at a gas station. Fill it up with gas and check the headlights.

First flew into Karachi, what I called the armpit of the world, in 1980. They were building something next to the airport hotel and digging the basement. Guys in their robes using short handle adze's to dig and loaded the dirt onto the backs of donkeys to haul it out. They moved a lot of dirt very fast bent over on their knees swinging the adze with 2 hands. Watched one dig a drainage ditch very fast next to the rig camp. Probably 4 or 5 times faster than an expat like me with a shovel.

Came across a road repair over a canal culvert. Piles of various sized rocks. Guys were placing the big ones, 8 inch +, down by hand as the base. Then filling in by hand with the next couple sizes and packed it. Quite an operation and fast.

Plenty of hard working guys doing hard, manual labor and probably no unemployment. Don't know what it is like 44 years later but if we sent all of our high school graduates over there to survive on their own for a year then maybe they will learn a work ethic.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

It's the paint jobs they put on their trucks that was always interesting with the designs and stuff. Most of the rural roads were just a little wider than one lane. Everyone always played chicken flashing their headlights at each other to pull over. The trucks usually won. We had a joke for when they stopped at a gas station. Fill it up with gas and check the headlights.

First flew into Karachi, what I called the armpit of the world, in 1980. They were building something next to the airport hotel and digging the basement. Guys in their robes using short handle adze's to dig and loaded the dirt onto the backs of donkeys to haul it out. They moved a lot of dirt very fast bent over on their knees swinging the adze with 2 hands. Watched one dig a drainage ditch very fast next to the rig camp. Probably 4 or 5 times faster than an expat like me with a shovel.

Came across a road repair over a canal culvert. Piles of various sized rocks. Guys were placing the big ones, 8 inch +, down by hand as the base. Then filling in by hand with the next couple sizes and packed it. Quite an operation and fast.

Plenty of hard working guys doing hard, manual labor and probably no unemployment. Don't know what it is like 44 years later but if we sent all of our high school graduates over there to survive on their own for a year then maybe they will learn a work ethic.

We're not going to have to send the high school kids to third world countries to learn work ethics...the third world countries are coming here.

 

[flying belgian]

prices are crazy high here now. last year was $125 a ft. Talked to a neighbor who just paid $150 a ft.

I need to go 400 ft!

Last winter my well went bad. Well guy pulled it twice to determine it is shot.

He hooked a insulated water tank to my pressure system while waiting 3 weeks for him to come with the drilling rig.

New well 435 ft. Bored new line 100 ft from new well to old well pit. Pulled new well twice to sterel shock and take sample send in to state.

Total final bill....$43,700

Nicollet Co. Mn.

 

[ss55]

Yes. The internet is iffy. Its provided by a small podunk company and is always dropping. The only tower we can hit is 20+ miles away so the signal is weak. Add in that every time a train passes it blocks the signal and the internet drops.

putting the reciever antenna on a pole didnt help as it needs to be higher than I can do.

Power was brought in 1960.

House appraised @$170k 5 years ago.

I really like the place and dont want to have to move but I cant afford the new well.

I can see why you are attached to the place and want to stay. Hang in there, don't panic, and keep searching for a workable option. $60K will haul a lot of water for as long as you want to remain there.

Try talking with the county or whoever approves the permits in your area. They can provide you copies of the local laws on wells and tell you the approved repair options available to you better than you will get at the tavern, at church or here on the internet. The county also has access to who is actually drilling the new wells in your area, those drillers probably have the most reasonable prices too.

Everyone like to complain about laws we don't understand or agree with, but some laws are there to protect the neighbors and the taxpayers. A poorly constructed well can contaminate the water supply for a lot more people than just the well owner.

 

[Cheesehead Fred]

There's a lot of god advice already here. Permit me to discuss the best way to deal with the alternative that involves selling the property. I have sold a lot of residential real estate that had problems. During the 2008 recession, I sold a lot of bank-owned property that the owners walked away from because the property had serious problems, and they couldn't afford to fix the problem and continue to pay the mortgage. Walking away (foreclosure) was the owners way out.
I learned two important things. Every buyer noticed the problem and adjusted the price on their offer to purchase, or walked away deciding it was going to be too much hassle for them. If they took a guess at the cost and time of the repair, it was 2 to 4 times what it would actually cost. None of those offers actually closed.
The second thing I learned was none of the banks or credit unions would finance the property unless the repair were made before the mortgage loan was made. The reason is that if the new mortgage goes into default because the new owners couldn't (or wouldn't) make the repairs, the Bank would then end up with a "problem" house on their books as a result of another foreclosure, This made it nearly impossible to find a Buyer. I did find a very few cash Buyers, all of whom expected a greatly discounted price "because they were paying cash", and expected a bargain.
After struggling (and failing)to put a few of these deals together, I figured out a way and sold 23 troubled homes.
First, you need a firm quote in writing, from a local firm that's been in business a few years, and whose reputation will stand up when others check it out. You don't need a quote from the guy who bought his first truck and is giving you a great price because it's the first hole he will drill.
Second, you need a banker who will write a mortgage for the property plus the expense of the new well. he will need to see the quote and approve the company doing the work. And he will likely be the one to release the funds when the work is done. You don't want a rookie for this process either, and it will have to be included in the terms of the sale.
Third, you will need an experienced real estate agent to list the property who isn't afraid of doing a little extra work. They will need to explain to all the potential Buyers how this needs to be written into the offer, and who will meet with the bank, understand their terms, and will introduce the Buyer to the banker.
You need to seriously consider the other solutions for ways to stay living there. Sometimes a move is the best solution. Failure to get these requirements together means you can sell "As-Is" for a greatly reduced price, or you can stay living there and buy a second hand milk truck to haul water. I hope to see a post from you eventually that you solved this problem and are still living there and loving that location, or that you sold, got enough for it to get you some equity, in another place in the country. God Bless!

 

[chris142]

I can see why you are attached to the place and want to stay. Hang in there, don't panic, and keep searching for a workable option. $60K will haul a lot of water for as long as you want to remain there.

Try talking with the county or whoever approves the permits in your area. They can provide you copies of the local laws on wells and tell you the approved repair options available to you better than you will get at the tavern, at church or here on the internet. The county also has access to who is actually drilling the new wells in your area, those drillers probably have the most reasonable prices too.

Everyone like to complain about laws we don't understand or agree with, but some laws are there to protect the neighbors and the taxpayers. A poorly constructed well can contaminate the water supply for a lot more people than just the well owner.

Ya I have already talked with the county. My old well was built before they started to require a "seal" which is a cement slab at the top. I cant pull a permit to deepen it. I must drill new.

There are several well drillers in my area I have delt with in the last 50 years. Only 1 guy can deepen a well but he wont without a permit I cant get.

All the well drillers were very close in price except for 1 guy,he was $10k more.

These are the guys that will service my area.. I am the blue dot