A simple-life spending list

Before you leave Times Square for fresh air, here are some things to budget for:

Wells

In many rural areas without water service, the only options for running water are hauling it in or drilling a well, said Tom Anderson, owner of North American Drilling Co. in San Bernardino County’s Pioneertown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that well water be tested annually for coliform bacteria and every other year for harmful substances such as nitrates, benzene, arsenic, uranium and mercury. Testing should be more frequent if there is a known problem in the area. Marketing Director Cyndi Moore of E.S. Babcock & Sons Inc., a Riverside testing laboratory, suggests that homeowners test twice a year for bacteria and known hazards. Local health or environmental departments will often test samples or refer homeowners to appropriate laboratories.

Cost of drilling: $35 a foot

Cost of a new well: $15,000 or more

Cost of annual testing: $10 (coliform bacteria) to $2,750 (full test)

Septic systems

Septic tanks are expected to last 20 to 30 years, said Karen Watson of Alpha Omega Septic Pumping in Lucerne Valley. When it’s time to replace a tank, the old one is collapsed and buried and a new area is selected for the replacement tank and leach field. Owners should also find out where their septic tank is, if it’s large enough to accommodate their family and leave an opening so it can be pumped out every three or four years for maintenance, she said. Seepage pits or leach fields must be moved every 15 years to prevent saturating the soil, Watson said. Tanks must be at least five feet from any structure and 100 feet from any well, she added. The area should also not be paved over or driven over as it can cave in or break. Although sewage back-up or slow-draining toilets can mean you need to have the system pumped out, they can also be a sign of system failure.

Cost: About $3,000 to $14,000, depending on the home

Pumping: $220 to $420 for a 1,000-gallon tank

Private roads

There are about 2,500 miles of unpaved roads within San Bernardino County, for example, that aren’t part of the county’s maintained system. Instead, they are privately maintained by individual homeowners or groups of homeowners that either do the maintenance themselves or create a road maintenance district with help from the County Special Districts Department. Deputy Chief Jeff Rigney said that most road districts appear after homeowners tire of doing maintenance themselves or trying to collect money from nonpaying neighbors. Any group of registered voters can organize a road district, Rigney said. About 40 districts now exist in San Bernardino County.

Cost: $500 a mile for new, unpaved road grading to $300,000 a mile for paved roads. Maintenance expenses vary.

Propane

In areas without natural gas, propane or wood stoves are the preferred methods for cooking or heating homes and water. Propane tanks are generally bought or leased for an annual or monthly fee and propane is delivered by truck. Amber Shultz, customer service specialist for Ferrellgas in Beaumont, serves the Idyllwild area with a few plans that may include monitoring and leasing tanks as well as filling them. A propane tank and system should be inspected for leaks or other problems regularly. Propane has an unpleasant, strong-smelling odor added so people can detect leaks.

Cost: $2.80 a gallon (as of June 2006) or $135.98 a month, for example, for Ferrellgas’ Premier Plan, in which the company checks for leaks, monitors usage and fills tanks as needed.

Cost of a tank: $60 to set the tank, $75-a-year lease (first year free)

Cost of seismic-proofing: $375 to prevent rupture during earthquakes

Fire safety

State law requires 100 feet of clearance around homes and other structures to create “defensible space” in case of wildfire. People must thin brush or trees, remove low brush that could create a fuel ladder to trees and get rid of dead or dying trees, said Tracey Martinez, public information officer for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. If not, the department will cite owners and clear the brush themselves, charging the homeowners in the process. The cost usually is a few hundred dollars but can be much higher to remove large trees or in remote locations requiring helicopter service, Martinez said. Brush, trees and litter such as pine needles or leaves should be cleared, especially around structures and propane tanks. Keep vegetation watered. Replace wood shake roofs with metal, asphalt or tile.

Cost: $150 to $10,000 per tree for removal

-- Barbara Hernandez