I would be pretty careful about that purchase. I’d have to be dead sure of what and where I can build, that I am certain I’m not being told a load of bull by the seller and his or her agent. You can really get in a world of hurt with the wetlands protected areas and the town not allowing you to build, or changing their minds about what you can do. Around here there are horror stories about people being fined and told to demolish their expensive work.
And ponds can be pretty nasty, depending upon where you are. My sister has a massive pond that looks lovely, and then we hear stories about huge wasps nests, mosquitoes, snakes, and then some unknown creature has been eating all her catfish. I would be curious to see what the neighbors have to say, someone who doesn’t have a stake in the lot being sold.
In some ways, I wish we would have built on the lake where we could have built - we were concerned about mosquitos (should not have been), but we were young and now that we are ‘older’, the peaceful views from the house would have been grand. A friend bought a house on that lake and so now I see what we missed. But our home is 20 minutes closer to everything, and the value of time is also something to consider in our life now. Can always think about getting the ‘views’ on vacation or summer rentals.
@shawbridge - that sounds really nice! Is the property on town sewers or does it have a septic system? Dealing with septic systems, especially on the water, is a huge issue in MA - if you need one, hopefully the lot is big enough that if necessary you can put a system in far enough back from the water that the environmental stuff is not an issue.
Looks like DW and I are going to need to work a little longer and save a bit more… we are buying a house on the water with direct ocean access on Cape Cod. It has a dock, which is a huge deal, as it is enormously expensive and time-consuming to be able to put in a new dock (like, 6 figures expensive). So now I am going to need a boat! More money…
The sellers are putting in a new septic system because the old one failed the state’s Title V septic inspection, so septic issues are very much on my mind these days.
Exciting news shaw! It sounds lovely. We love our lake home.
@busdriver11 Yes, we do have mosquitoes but we have them at our city home, too. We also have wasp nests, bears, snakes, beavers, deer, fox, and eagles. We love the diversity of the flora and the fauna. “Waterfront” property, whether it is on a large pond or lake , is very desirable around here and yes, there are strict regulations when building or landscaping but well worth it for those who love being surrounded by natural beauty. On the other hand, H and I grumbled when our 20 year old pontoon died last weekend and we just plunked down a sizeable amount of cash for a new one.
Thanks @busdriver11. We are not getting any info from the seller or the seller’s agent. We have had people from the town Conservation Department and Building Department on the site telling us what is possible, though it will have to go before the town’s Conservation Commission. We also have had environmental engineers and sewer folks out there. We know about some of the horror stories and will be hiring people who have worked successfully with the town to get things to happen.
We do know the pond – it is a 20 minute walk from our house and we know people who grew up on it or in the neighborhood. ShawWife has kayaked there.
@notrichenough, there is a failed septic on the site and the town was giving the owners a hard time. One of the things we would be doing is connecting to town sewer – at our expense – if we get it. That will be something the town wants and we can trade that and some other improvements for the right to do certain other things – we have to make a net improvement in the lot.
@SOSConcern, I have found that the expansive views in California really make me happy. So, we’re looking to do that here in the town in which we live.
But, we have to get the house and there are two other bidders. Not clear how aggressive they will be. It is in the less affluent (upper middle class and middle class) part of an affluent town (lots of biotech CEOs and finance types). So, lots of money floating around.
@shawbridge - here, houses like that are sold “pending feasibility.” They can be pending a looong time before closing. Make sure you are not buying a cat in a sack!
I was really worried about mosquitoes at our swamp house, but we realized that (a) the buggers do not fly that high to reach our deck with the sliver of the lake view and (b) the bats that live in the area clean them up quite well!
It’s great that you have that option. That’s probably cheaper in the short term than putting in a new septic. Long term… sewage rates in eastern MA are crazy, I’d have to analyze the costs if I had to make that decision. Although there is some value in not having to worry about babying a septic system.
One property we made an offer on, which is direct waterfront on Shoestring Bay in Mashpee, had a failing septic system for years and the owners, who haven’t made a payment of any sort (mortgage, taxes, whatever) in years, could not afford a new one. So finally the town got fed up and put one in at the town’s expense, and put a lien on the house. This house is essentially a tear-down as it hasn’t been maintained, but the bank won’t foreclose or accept a reasonable amount for a short sale. It is just languishing… whoever buys it is going to have to evict the old lady that lives there, and that will be a huge hassle as well.
That is very good. When I hear the wetlands stories around here, it amazes me how the wetland status holds far more priority than the people who own the property do. Seems like they should have the right to build on their land, but wetlands and salmon rule the city of Seattle. I am glad you have done the research yourself, as many people don’t. Someone owned the lot next to us, and was advertising it as having detailed plans for two houses (on a steep slope, landslide area). With plans for a dock (that would never be approved, it’s impossible to get a dock built, you can only repair). It’s always best not to trust the person who is getting the benefit of your money, I fear!
Wetlands and salmon - @busdriver11, amen! Someone is building a house on the street below us… The story is that the construction has been going on for 2 years, and judging by what I saw going on in there, it will be a few more months until the place is finished. NRE is smart! Buying pre-built and fixing it up is a good way to go. Life is too short to wait 3-4 years for a new house. Rebuilding is messy but requires much less hassle. In my locality, most minor “repairs” to existing structures do not need a permit. There is a lot that needs to be repaired in our new place!
Good thing for that, Bunsen. Permits can take forever, if you get them at all. Then again, someone told me as far as permits go, it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission…as long as you get along with your neighbors.
Fortunately we haven’t needed to do anything that required a permit, but you never know when that will happen.
We are still waiting for the city folks to get back to us with the water heater permit… It was replaced a month ago or so. The procedure is that you call a contractor, they replace, and then send a piece of paper to the city for a permit/inspection post-install. Makes sense, because otherwise it would take 6 weeks for the permit approval. Can you imagine pioneering it out for so long without hot water?!
So the projects… The kitchen got new countertops that I am absolutely ecstatic about! The new appliances are being installed one by one. The carpets are in! New windows and a slider to the deck are in, too, and the siders are done with replacing icky 40 yr old cedar with Hardi. The team fixed some dry rot, and we decided to tear out the ugly drywall on that wall. Painted it very nice cream color instead of disgusting “taupe” the prior owners had (that color looked like cat crap!). Other than the big stuff, we did everything ourselves.
Oh, and Mr. bought a firechat set for the deck. Priorities, priorities!!!
Man, you guys are getting a lot done. It takes us forever to get anything done (probably because my husband does all the work, but it’s definitely cheaper). I can only dream about new appliances, they are breaking one by one, but they all still function.
We need a water heater in a rental condo, and I was wondering how they could advertise same day installation.
That’s how they replace WH! Replace then permit and inspect! $120 or so for that freakin’ privilege, and to add insult to injury, we were charged sales tax on that!!!. I was mad as hell. Apparently, unincorporated areas do not need this ritual dance but cities love this cash cow.
The appliances that came with the place were 20 years old. I decided to rip them out and replace all at once than wait for them to croak. We kept the micro and the fridge which is the largest side by side fridge I have ever seen! It is wide and shallow, so no need to dig behind the items. Love that. Hope it lasts a little longer because a replacement is only made by a couple of chichi makers.
That’s probably best to replace all at once, then they match and you get what you want. That’s what we’re planning on doing, replacing it all with a big remodel. Those refrigerators can be crazy expensive. The cheapest built in I saw was 8K. But first we have to save the money for the big remodel
Typical with the permit, I guess. Anything to get more money, there’s never enough.
We are getting a new dishwasher today (had ASCO first and pump went out after 13 years - decided to replace; had Bosch 12 years and it seems electronics have died; buying Bosch again).
Since high end refrigerator was mentioned, I asked about SubZero (from Madison WI) - my sister has one, her H designs kitchens in that market and was able to obtain at a nice professional discount. Appliance guy here in AL said SubZero is the best of the best on refrigeration.
July 2017 Consumer Reports has ‘reviews and ratings’ - and included “standout, stylish refrigerators” - but IDK why some didn’t make the list and what reasons those that made the list.
The Bosch model I got is above the $630 model listed in CR (Ascenta). My model (cost of $799) is SHS863WD5N - has scoop handle, 5/5 cycles, 44dBA, 3rd rack… The next model up was $200 more but I didn’t see $200 more of value for me.
I really dislike our current refrigerator but won’t replace until it ‘dies’.
Our built in Jenn-Air is still going strong at 25 years (smooth cook top) - we have left side with griddle and have rarely used the left side for the two cooking elements (keep that in the box in the cabinet below). We have down draft - so it would be a major cabinet rework for something that doesn’t work in that custom set up. Appliance guy inherited parents’ home and put in convection cook top when their Jenn-Air died.
“July 2017 Consumer Reports has ‘reviews and ratings’ - and included “standout, stylish refrigerators” - but IDK why some didn’t make the list and what reasons those that made the list.”
CR is extremely biased. I do not trust their “ratings.”
We axed the downdraft and installed over the island hood. It was quite easy because we found an existing circuit for that, and only minimal opening of the drywall on the ceiling was needed. The hole from the downdraft was gone when the countertops were replaced.
As you can see, we are doing a lot now so when we do retire in the place, it will be less work.
When we built our home, the cook top is in the island at the center of the kitchen, so downdraft is it due to 2nd story above (our master BR). A cook top along a wall often can have easier island hood - so very cost effective installation.
Yes, agree CR has its limitations but at least tells SOME of what is out there. Talking to people and getting their product experiences, as well as learning what is available on the market is helpful.
We have a fabulous contractor. He was working on the apartment I was living in as a post-doc. ShawWife and I then bought the house across the street and he worked on that. Pre-kids. When Hurricane Sandy poked a hole in our roof, he (and our developer/RE agent) were immensely helpful and he did all of the work. Honest, reliable, very good judgment. A bit of a strong and silent type so not a great communicator. The architect is also a friend – pretty well-known and has done some lovely houses and buildings in the style we like. She says she is willing to learn from the contractor about how to do construction less expensively than she has been able to get.
Both the developer/RE agent and the contractor said that if it weren’t that they learned about the house through us, they would have strongly considered making an offer themselves.
We’re apprehensive but mostly eager on the new build as we can get a) non-allergenic materials (a big problem for ShawWife) and b) high energy efficiency. I think it will be a house with steel frame and lots of glass facing the water. We’ll wait and see.
"When we built our home, the cook top is in the island at the center of the kitchen, so downdraft is it due to 2nd story above (our master BR). "
Don’t you have enough space between the floor joists to run a pipe to the side of the house? Most homes do, and MB above the kitchen is pretty standard. If you think running the blower will disturb the sleep… Who sleeps and cooks at the same time? besides, you can put the motor of the blower outside of the house.
@shawbridge - that sounds lovely! Glass walls, unfortunately, are not very energy efficient, but the views are so worth it!
“Waterfront” property, whether it is on a large pond or lake , is very desirable around here and yes, there are strict regulations when building or landscaping but well worth it for those who love being surrounded by natural beauty. On the other hand, H and I grumbled when our 20 year old pontoon died last weekend and we just plunked down a sizeable amount of cash for a new one. 
