You may well have figured out by now that I’m a city girl at heart. I was born and raised in Southern California, and when I moved up more than a decade ago, the area, environment and lifestyle were completely new to me. Of course, we didn’t even consider any city type of properties, which would’ve been more of what I was used to. We focused exclusively on Eastside properties because well, heck, if we had to make the big move, we might as well get something here that we couldn’t have back “home.” In other words, big yard, big house and greenery, i.e. no tract housing!
A decade and several moves later, I’ve still been able to preserve my Northwest lifestyle goals of more-house-more-green-yard intact, but I’ve had to make allowances along the way.
Northwest Newbies, I want you to know that you can enjoy these same benefits too, but as you look, you should keep these caveats in mind:
- Big yard equals septic tank. If you’re looking to find a home with a large yard (meaning significantly more than 1/2 acre), this almost always means that you’re going to be on a septic system (a disposal system which eliminates household water by dispersing it over area of your yard, several feet underground). I mean think about it, if you were close enough in to city amenties to enjoy a sewer system, they would’ve sandwiched in more properties to make more money. After all, land is more valuable “closer in.” (More on the significance of life with a septic tank in a future blog–can’t wait, can you?!)
- Huge yard equals water well. Many of the same principles that I’ve mentioned above apply, only a well brings in underground water for daily usage. Wells are more particular to lots in the multiple-acre size range.
- Greenbelt equals trees. Trees equals falling trees. Coming from Southern California where the native flora consists of palm trees and silk houseplants, I fell immediately in love with the seemingly gigantic “Christmas” trees that hung over my head, creating a beautiful backdrop setting for my backyard. I mean WOW! Here you can have your own forest. Well, listen up Northwest Newbies–TREES FALL. Trees fall on houses, playsets, cars, and yes, they can even fall on people. I didn’t realize this until I experience my first windstorm.
- No tract housing equals more freedom of choice. I’m a heavy proponent for personal freedom and choice–most of the time. Away from completely-uniform-Southern-California-like tract housing, here, many homeowners have the right to choose the color and style of the exteriors of their home. Hey, that’s a good thing, right? Well maybe it is…but then again, maybe it isn’t. At least maybe it isn’t if you just aren’t open-minded and free-spirited enough to appreciate Rubbery-Ducky-Yellow or Barf-Orange for the exterior of your neighbor’s home.
But alas, it’s been over a decade now, and I’ve learned to adjust to these more rural northwest lifestyle changes. I do my laundry intermittently during the week to save my septic (which is a far cry from the 7-loads-per-day-laundry schedule that I was used to previously). I sleep on the other side of the house during windstorms so that I can enjoy beautiful trees in my backyard. Heck, this last power outage, I even figure out how to start the generator without electrocuting myself. (Though I’ll confess I felt more comfortable trying this after asking my neighbor to look out her window and make sure I wasn’t lying face down in my driveway afterward. Even though it may not be entirely rational, I’m just feel anxious about tinkering with whole-house electricity.)
In exchange for my efforts, I now am able to enjoy a bigger house and a bigger, greener yard than I ever would have in good old So Cal, and you can too-if you’re willing to make some allowances like these. However, even after all these years, I still can’t figure out why somebody would buy a house with a septic system (wastewater out) AND a well (drinking water in) on the same lot…
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