Homeowners: Well needs replacing

[DougK62]

So I made an offer on a house and we just got done with all of my inspections. They all came back fine except for the well inspection. It has some serious issues. It's very shallow, has waterlogged tank, corroded mechanicals, not far enough from septic system, etc. It's basically just really old, and a new well needs to be put in. So I have two questions for the experienced folk (I'm new to septic/well):

1. What does a new well cost? I'm located in the midwest. I was thinking a couple thousands dollars but really have no clue.

2. Is it fair to request that the seller pay for the new well completely? My feelings are that they should replace it at their expense, since had I known the well was bad I would have offered a lower price on the home to recover this expense.

Thanks for the input.

 

[CPA]

When I was pricing a house I ended up not building, the well was going to run around $3K without installation.

You should be able to get some kind of seller concession out of this. Either reduce the price of the house by the cost of the well or have them throw in an allowance.

 

[Linflas]

Hopefully the offer contract stipulates that it had to pass all the inspections. It is not at all unreasonable to ask for an allowance for that as part of the final selling price. I have no idea how much it would cost though.

 

[DougK62]

Originally posted by: Linflas
Hopefully the offer contract stipulates that it had to pass all the inspections. It is not at all unreasonable to ask for an allowance for that as part of the final selling price. I have no idea how much it would cost though.

Yes - my contract stipulates that I can back out if I'm not satisfied with the results of any of the inspections.

 

[Fiveohhh]

I think alot depends on how deep you have to go for the well. My parents house is on an 80 foot hill and they had to go real deep while my house is on a lake ane was fairly shallow. I'm sure it makes quite a differance if your going 60 feet or 160 feet. That being said I'd have them pay for it, and make sure its written up in the purchase agreement.

edit: it probably also matters what they gotta drill through.

 

[DeadByDawn]

I just built a house and had a well drilled. 550 ft deep, with the pump tanks and installation cost $5500. As the others said, depends on how deep you need it drilled for your location.

 

[Viper GTS]

My parents well is 700+ feet, cost them ~$10K to re-drill from ~400 to that 700+ figure & replace the burned out submersible pump (pumped dry at the original depth, burned up the pump).

Viper GTS

 

[Kelemvor]

You can basically reduce your offer based on the outcome of the inspection and the future expense you will have to pay to get a safe, working well.

I'd just call some local well person (use the phone book) to get a reliable price estimate. I'm sure it's different all over the country so asking here probably won't do you much good.

 

[Bryophyte]

Some of my neighbors have had wells drilled in the last couple of years. One ran around 10k, another was about 18k. We'll be waiting until we build our new house so we can just finance it all at once.

 

[ragazzo]

what are the pros and cons of a well?

one of the cons is cost, of course.

 

[Fiveohhh]

Originally posted by: ragazzo
what are the pros and cons of a well?

one of the cons is cost, of course.

It gets water to your house......Thats a big plus

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: ragazzo
what are the pros and cons of a well?

one of the cons is cost, of course.

It's not a matter of pros and cons, it's a matter of necessity. Same thing with drain fields.

City water & sewer is just that - City. You don't have to go very far to find areas where it's not available.

There's some DAMN good well water out there (my grandparents have an artesian well, best water ever).

Viper GTS

 

[DougK62]

Thanks for the input. It looks like depth plays a big part in cost. Here in northern Indiana we generally don't have to go too far down.

I'm going to request that they front money to replace the well. Hopefully they won't make a big fuss...

 

[Kenazo]

had they already accepted your offer? B/c there is no contract before that anyway, you can always recant your offer, and make a new one, based on the inspection.

 

[DougK62]

Originally posted by: Kenazo
had they already accepted your offer? B/c there is no contract before that anyway, you can always recant your offer, and make a new one, based on the inspection.

They have already accepted my offer contingent on financing and inspection results. Inspections are done after an offer is accepted - this is standard practice. I doubt they'd want me to make a new offer because then I'd have to start my mortgage paperwork over again and it'd delay the closing. The house is vacant and they won't do anything to delay things. So my hope is that they'll just put up some cash based on an estimate...

 

[Dedpuhl]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
My parents well is 700+ feet, cost them ~$10K to re-drill from ~400 to that 700+ figure & replace the burned out submersible pump (pumped dry at the original depth, burned up the pump).

Viper GTS

Where do they live to have to drill that deep for potable water? In Louisiana, most domestic wells are 120-300 feet. There are a few areas where clean water isn't found until 500 feet. Public Supply, Industrial, and Irrigation wells are generally the deep wells. Louisiana is fortunate to have some of the best/cleanest aquifers in the US (South of New Orleans is mostly saline).

As far as cost, it's generally $5/foot just for the well. I'm not sure the pricing for the pumps and other equipment.

 

[ragazzo]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
There's some DAMN good well water out there (my grandparents have an artesian well, best water ever).

Viper GTS

you mean one like this? Pump

 

[Thump553]

Get a local estimate or two from a reputable firm. These costs vary drastically from area to area. Here in the New England home wells are typically 300-600 feet deep and drilled almost entirely through hard rock. Our wells cost a fortune.

The estimates/information you get here is essentially worthless to you, or worse.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Dedpuhl

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
My parents well is 700+ feet, cost them ~$10K to re-drill from ~400 to that 700+ figure & replace the burned out submersible pump (pumped dry at the original depth, burned up the pump).

Viper GTS

Where do they live to have to drill that deep for potable water? In Louisiana, most domestic wells are 120-300 feet. There are a few areas where clean water isn't found until 500 feet. Public Supply, Industrial, and Irrigation wells are generally the deep wells. Louisiana is fortunate to have some of the best/cleanest aquifers in the US (South of New Orleans is mostly saline).

As far as cost, it's generally $5/foot just for the well. I'm not sure the pricing for the pumps and other equipment.

The issue was quantity - They live on the peak of a hill (~800 foot elevation), & are surrounded by farmers who irrigate with wells. They ran dry at their original depth, & had to go deep to find enough water.

They still didn't get as much as they had hoped, but decided to quit at that depth.

So far it's been OK.

At their previous house in the valley (on city water/sewer, they just wanted a well for irrigation) they got all the water they wanted at 40 feet. Dug it by hand in an afternoon.

Viper GTS

 

[Dedpuhl]

Originally posted by: Thump553
Get a local estimate or two from a reputable firm. These costs vary drastically from area to area. Here in the New England home wells are typically 300-600 feet deep and drilled almost entirely through hard rock. Our wells cost a fortune.

The estimates/information you get here is essentially worthless to you, or worse.

Also, make sure whether licensing is required for water well drillers. I work for the LA DOTD office that regulates the drilling and plugging of water wells and the licensing of drillers in the state of Louisiana. In this state, we do not license pump installers.