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Jeff Sartell heats his country home with an outdoor woodburner that also heats his water.
Jeff Sartell heats his country home with an outdoor woodburner that also heats his water.
The Sartell home on Lima Center Road east of Janesville.
The view out of Jeff Sartell's sunroom window is of a thick woods that surrounds the home on Lima Center Road east of Janesville.
It sounds idyllic. Move to the country, escape the hustle and bustle, get in touch with nature.
Now add in the smells, noises and dust of the country. Don’t forget the water and septic issues, long emergency response times and the gas it takes to get to town for groceries.
Still sound like paradise?
A lot of city-dwellers want to move to the country but don’t realize what the move will entail, said Sharon Hargarten, a farmer and former Bradford town board member.
“They’re used to their roads being filled right away, and they’re used to potholes being filled, and they’re used to the fire district being there faster,” she said. “It’s just little things you don’t think of.”
Jeff Sartell thought he’d taken care of the little things when he built his dream house in Johnstown Township in 2006. He knew it would be a lot of work to clear the lot, dig a well and create a septic system.
Then he found out his land didn’t have the right kind of soil for a normal septic system. He had to install a “mound” septic system, which looks exactly the way it sounds. The total cost: $13,000 and a lot of extra work. A normal septic system costs about $6,000, Sartell said.
Water and septic systems are two of the biggest differences between city and country living, said Randy Thompson, head of the agriculture department at the Rock County UW Extension.
City homes are hooked up to public water and sewer lines. But in the country, residents need private wells and septic systems.
Even if new township residents realize they need wells and septic systems, they often don’t realize the maintenance required, Thompson said.
Septic systems must be emptied and inspected every three years. Health officials recommend testing water quality every two to three years, a recommendation even long-time township residents often ignore, Thompson said.
Jefferson County created a pamphlet for city folk looking to move to the country.
“If you are tempted to romanticize rural living, think twice about realities of what it means to live in the country in southeastern Wisconsin,” it states.
The pamphlet describes those realities, such as machinery operating late at night, manure application, and the presence of wildlife, pesticides, dust and insects.
The pamphlet comes complete with manure and hay scratch-and-sniff samples.
Hargarten also encourages potential country dwellers to educate themselves. As a town board member, she didn’t mind people who called to ask about life in the country; it was the people who moved to the country and expected certain services to be there who bothered her, she said.
“If people just realize or educate themselves so they know, it’s slower, and things are dusty,” she said.
Despite some inconveniences, Sartell is happy in his new home, he said.
His family spends a lot of time commuting back and forth to Janesville for work, shopping, sports and dining, he said. And the mosquitoes were terrible the first summer.
But it’s all worth it when he sees his 5-year-old son playing in his 14-acre woods or a 12-point buck walk by the window.
“I’ve had 30 cranes out here; I had 200 wood ducks,” he said. “It’s the peace and the unexpectedness.”
Country living is “a lot more work,” he said, but he wouldn’t trade it.
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Here are some other issues to keep in mind when thinking about moving to the country, experts say:
-- Road maintenance. Towns often have smaller budgets and less equipment to clear snow or fill potholes.
-- Emergency response. It might take longer for police, medical and fire officials to reach a home in the country.
-- Smell. Animals and fertilizer sometimes give off unpleasant odors.
-- Pesticide applications. Farmers try to contain pesticides to their own properties, but the chemicals can drift in the wind, said Randy Thompson, head of the agriculture department at the Rock County UW Extension.
-- Expense. You might have to pay top dollar for a country lot.
-- Noise. Farmers work when conditions are good, so they sometimes use noisy machinery into the wee hours of the morning, especially during planting and harvest times.
-- Convenience. You often can’t order a pizza delivered in the country. It takes a long time to get to town for shopping and other activities. You might not be able to get the cable, cell phone or Internet coverage to which you are accustomed.
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Moving from the country to the city is no picnic either, said Jesse McKnight.
The 26-year-old grew up in rural Milton but bought a house in Janesville near Mercy Hospital last year because housing is cheaper in the city.
She can’t wait to move back to the country, she said.
“I hear all the ambulances; it drives me insane,” she said. “I stare out the window at my neighbor’s house … We literally can look right through each other’s houses. It just drives me nuts.”
McKnight hopes to work her way back to the country, first by buying a house in Milton, then saving until she can afford one in a rural area.
Her boyfriend lives in Milton Township and refuses to live in the city, she said.
“We’re both into hunting and nature, and you don’t get that in Janesville,” she said. “You can’t even see the stars.”