Country living..20 minutes from 'anything'..

[PawPrint53]

Sudden death isn’t so much the problem as having a chronic condition that requires multiple doctor visits per week.

That was one of the reasons we moved from a smaller town in a state I love to a larger town in a state I'm just okay with. Driving 1.5 hours from the small town to the big city for my quarterly doctor visit (also to the airport) got old. Driving will become an issue as you age and for some it occurs sooner rather than later. My DH developed cancer at 59 and traveling long distances for doctor visits would have been a burden because I can no longer drive in certain situations. It's always something to keep in the back of your mind and at least have a plan B.

 

[cliffn]

Deleted

 

[cliffn]

Deleted

 

[cliffn]

$1200 for a heart defibrillator might be the missing piece to the equation for some. Small expense relative to the cost of buying a dream hime. Might even be better than living a few minutes drive to the hospital. Definitely better to have if you are relying on waiting for a helicopter or have a lengthy drive to get medical help.

If my link isn’t working go on Google or Amazon and search for “defibrillator” to check it out.

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Med..._1_7_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1511813383&sr=1-7

 

[mountainsoft]

Sudden death isn’t so much the problem as having a chronic condition that requires multiple doctor visits per week.

I suppose it's a matter of weighing quality of life against convenience. I prefer to live in the country, among the trees and wildlife. It lifts my spirits, makes me happy, and calms my soul. I think I am healthier overall with the fresh air and relaxed living. When I lived in town I was constantly stressed from the noise, polution, and lack of privacy.

Yeah, I could certainly end up with a chronic condition, but there's also a fair chance I won't (no one in my family has ever had a condition like that). Even so, it's no different than driving 30-40 minutes to work and back every day. When I reach the point I am unable to drive, I'm still within reach of transportation services and in-home care. If it ever reaches a point that it is just too much to manage, I could always move to town. But I would rather live out here in the country until that day comes.

 

[kgtest]

Seems perfect on many levels, but it's 20 minutes from ANYTHING. And I do mean "anything". There is NOTHING nearby in terms of grocery, medical, parks, recreation, etc.

You mean 40minutes from anything...20minutes out, 20 minutes back

 

[HFWR]

I suppose it's a matter of weighing quality of life against convenience. I prefer to live in the country, among the trees and wildlife. It lifts my spirits, makes me happy, and calms my soul. I think I am healthier overall with the fresh air and relaxed living. When I lived in town I was constantly stressed from the noise, polution, and lack of privacy.

Yeah, I could certainly end up with a chronic condition, but there's also a fair chance I won't (no one in my family has ever had a condition like that). Even so, it's no different than driving 30-40 minutes to work and back every day. When I reach the point I am unable to drive, I'm still within reach of transportation services and in-home care. If it ever reaches a point that it is just too much to manage, I could always move to town. But I would rather live out here in the country until that day comes.

I’m not trying to convince anyone to live anywhere. Glad you’re satisfied/content where you are...

 

[RunningBum]

Sudden death isn’t so much the problem as having a chronic condition that requires multiple doctor visits per week.

Well, I guess sudden death is only a problem once. Seriously, I wouldn't worry about it too much, except that I think OP's wife had a close call. I don't recall if he said it was a random condition that may never happen again, or if she's at higher risk, but in the latter case it's certainly a consideration.

 

[folivier]

You could check with the local sheriff or fire station to see if they have a defibrillator. I've even seen some churches that have them. Even some offices or industrial facilities have them. That would be good info to know.

 

[ownyourfuture]

There are downsides
Ronstar mentioned some of them.

Septic, well, and extra driveway expense
Snow plowing long driveway
Sometime roads are impassable due to snow
Sketchy cell phone coverage
We got lucky, but good Tv/internet may be hard to get
Have to clean leaves out of gutters a lot
Lots of animals eating plants/ flowers
Lots of bugs
Very few restaurants nearby
Tree maintenance - I'm alway sawing down trees or cleaning up branches
More grass to mow
Yard work is tougher on an older body

But not all of these necessarily apply to everyone.
Depending on your financial situation, you might be able to hire someone to do those physical tasks when you aren’t able.


I moved to a fairly peaceful neighborhood in 1994. In 2002, a new development of approximately 200 homes went up to the south.
They opened up my street to another one approximately 3 blocks to the south where one of the 3 high schools is located.
So much for the peaceful neighborhood.

About eight years later (I wish I hadn't waited that long) I moved out of the city for good.
I don't want to be overly dramatic, but it actually changed my life.
You simply cannot put a price on peace & quiet.

If at some point you reach an age where the concerns you mentioned come to fruition, you could sell, & purchase a town home, or something similar.

Go for it!

 

[24601NoMore]

OP I really find your statements confusing especially because of the thread you started about the very high cost of custom home building and now picking apart every single thing about your lots in the country. What do you really want, you don't seem to know. Or perhaps you are just a chronic venter, and nothing will really please you.

Now you're worried about some small single airplane noise? What next...I think you are looking for nirvana and aren't going to find it. You give ten reasons why you want to move and then ten reasons why you can't find the perfect place. If you want perfect you might as well save your money and stay where you are, rather then buy, build and move and find out "perfection" is unattainable.

If the airplanes are frequent and driving in circles (as these appear to do and quite frequently), I'm sure that many here would be bothered by that. It's not "chronic venting". If you're OK with that, fine - but I suspect you'd change your tune living with that the rest of your life every single day.

 

[ivinsfan]

If the airplanes are frequent and driving in circles (as these appear to do and quite frequently), I'm sure that many here would be bothered by that. It's not "chronic venting". If you're OK with that, fine - but I suspect you'd change your tune living with that the rest of your life every single day.

Could it be someone doing flight instruction? that's what it sound like it might be, that's a different thing then airplane traffic. Have you decided not to buy the lots? You have changed your original description of the airplane noise...

 

[meierlde]

If the airplanes are frequent and driving in circles (as these appear to do and quite frequently), I'm sure that many here would be bothered by that. It's not "chronic venting". If you're OK with that, fine - but I suspect you'd change your tune living with that the rest of your life every single day.

Going around in circles by a plane suggests that you are in an airport traffic pattern for general aviation and fairly close to the airport. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airfield_traffic_pattern which defines the parts of a traffic pattern. Recall that one wants to land into the wind so the ground speed is lower. So if landing a pilot tries to enter the downwind leg of the pattern, about in the middle of the field, then proceeds with the wind to a point where they turn 90 degrees to the runway for the base leg, and then 90 more to line up with the runway on the final approach. Note that as landing is one of the harder skills to learn in becoming a pilot, a lot of time is spent doing touch a goes where a pilot proceeds as if landing till they touch the runway and then take off go thru the pattern and do it again.
So being with a couple of miles of a small airport could mean lots of small planes overhead. (I had this when I lived in Houston about 1 mile from a small airport that is no longer there)

 

[Hermit]

I have large jets up high, small jets and props lower, C130s and helicopters on the deck. I wave at the pilots in the military planes. They are practicing low flying in mountainous conditions. Guns going off for hours with people in the national forest doing target practice. This goes on during all warm months. ATVs and off-road vehicles (no mufflers) going up and down the local off-road trails most every day. Life in the remote areas surrounded by national forest is not necessarily serene.

I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

 

[Katsmeow]

About eight years later (I wish I hadn't waited that long) I moved out of the city for good.
I don't want to be overly dramatic, but it actually changed my life.
You simply cannot put a price on peace & quiet.

I think this is a good reminder that we all value different things. Also, sometimes what causes the breaking point will be a little annoyance that just builds up.

When we bought our current house I knew how far it was from a grocery store. But, I thought I would be OK with it. After all I had had long commutes to and from work for over 20 years. Now, the occasional grocery store is a lot less than that.

But, I don't know why really but it really grates on me to feel I am so far from stores or civilization.

After we sold our last house, we rented a house for a year until we bought this house. That house was a small house in a standard subdivision. This was on a standard size (i.e. small) lot. I hadn't lived in that kind of environment in years. We had sold a house that was over 4500 SF and was on almost 3 acres. So going into a house about half the size on a small lot, might have seemed terrible.

And, yet, I loved that location. The house was...OKish (I didn't like the kitchen layout). But, the location of the house? It was great. I could get to a grocery store in less than 10 minutes. There was a mall less than 15 minutes away. Everything was easy to get to. The yard was easy to take care of.

I wouldn't have thought I would love it...but I did. Was there peace and quiet? Not really. But, it was fine (standard neighborhood - not super noisy or super quiet).

 

[Ginny]

We live in an urban So Cal home and will be buying a home that is 20+ minutes away from the city on an acre or two, on a river in the South east. We are 63 and 67 and cannot wait for piece and quiet. We take no medicines, are healthy and will both live to 90. We may not die in this home, but we will have 25 years in the new home. That's good for me. In fact that is why we ER'd. Yes, I got it, I am a member of the cult.

 

[Meadbh]

This discussion has been so helpful for me. I was beginning to crave a change, looking for more space and convenience. I now realize how much the peace and quiet of my present location means to me. It will be much simpler to declutter than to move.

 

[Moemg]

Moving in your 50's or early 60's is an adventure . Moving in your 70's is super hard and harder each year .

 

[TNBigfoot]

DW and I did this 10 years ago and built our dream log home on 15 acres out of a 150 acre family farm. Closest house is 1/8 mile away (my brother). So this is my slice of heaven on earth. Closest mom and pop is 10 min away and closest chain store is Walmart (20 min away).
You can manage the remote aspect by planning ahead and combining trips. Sure it is a pain when you run out of milk at 8 pm but really a minor inconvenience.

Regarding the $200/sq ft, can you do any of the work yourselves? I was basically the GC on my home and my home came in at $93/sq ft. Of course this was 2006.

 

[Music Lover]

I bought my current house in 1997. It's 10 minutes from hospital, groceries, etc., and 2 minutes from a highway to exit the city. It's on 1.7 acres with an empty field behind me, and I built the garage, decks, and fence to completely shield me from the neighbors but still provide a view of wide open space. It's the perfect combination of convenience, space, and privacy.

When I bought it, I wasn't thinking of convenience or retirement, but I'm now in my retirement home and couldn't be happier. Sometimes dumb luck beats foresight...

 

[CountryGal]

I have seen living rooms (in the traditional homes with both a LR and FR), dens and garages turned into bedrooms to fix the "no bedrooms on first floor" problem. Is that a possibility?

It is. ..and something I think about often. There is still the yard maintenance, house maintenance and snow/ice removal to consider.

On the plus side. We only have two small steps coming in the front and back. The garage entry could easily be modified to have a ramp instead of one step or totally reworked with a garage remodel.

An elderly couple from our church just moved to a local CCRC due to similar issues. They got a cute little ranch cottage that is fully maintained for them.

 

[CountryGal]

Are the stairs straight or do they have a turn in the middle? If straight a chair elevator can be installed up the stairs to provide access. Although adds I have see suggest that even with a turn the right company can install a stair lift.
As to outside work there are yard services, and between handypersons and cleaning services the inside can be taken care of.

There is a bend with a landing before the final 2 steps at the top. They DO make stair lifts that would handle it, but they are pricey. A friend has an elderly mother and an old house with winding stairs. They got a stair lift.

 

[Hermit]

Friends just moved to the mountains. They are in their late 60s and he has heart and other medical problems. They moved because her mother has out-lived her money and has to move from the CCRC. The mother will turn 100 this summer. They have 2 bedrooms on the main floor and a very large lower floor that only the wife will be able to access with muitiple bedrooms and a lot of additional space for guests. They have more kids than I can count and the kids and their families will all gather at the new house to celebrate the mother's birthday. They will be about 40 to 45 minutes from the closest town and small hospital and are quite happy with their new place. - Different strokes for different folks...

 

[kcowan]

There are downsides
Ronstar mentioned some of them.

Septic, well, and extra driveway expense
Snow plowing long driveway
Sometime roads are impassable due to snow
Sketchy cell phone coverage
We got lucky, but good Tv/internet may be hard to get
Have to clean leaves out of gutters a lot
Lots of animals eating plants/ flowers
Lots of bugs
Very few restaurants nearby
Tree maintenance - I'm alway sawing down trees or cleaning up branches
More grass to mow
Yard work is tougher on an older body

Good list! We had all of those.
I would add:
Walking the dog is boring, OTOH not necessary
Slow moving half tons casing the joint
No block parties
Walk to get your mail
Every drive requires a list

and we also had the city move to us over 15 years.

 

[brett]

We recently thought long and hard about it. We decided agaisnt it for several reasons.

-we want to be close to an airport, easy taxi ride
-we need good internet
-proximity to medical and dental services
-proximity to social events, restaurants, etc.

So we made the decision to remain urban. It was the right decision for us.