Visiting a rural area often means enjoying the tranquility and natural beauty that city life seldom offers. However, rural homes can present unique challenges and opportunities that differ from their urban counterparts. This article explores how a rural home functions, from its infrastructure and energy sources to its self-sufficiency and lifestyle.
Please be aware that many rural systems are delicate and can be quickly damaged. Please read about these systems so that you can avoid these pitfalls and truly enjoy your vacation.
1. Infrastructure:
Rural homes may have different infrastructure compared to urban settings. Here are some key aspects:
Water Supply:
Unlike urban areas where water is supplied through extensive municipal systems, rural homes often rely on wells. This typically means a higher quality and taste than many urban water systems but it can also have some drawbacks that you may not be aware of.
Wells typically have a limited water flow and rely on collection tanks in the home to build up a (typically small) reserve of water. This means that you cannot expect an unlimited flow of water. It’s a good idea to conserve water by talking shorter showers and making sure to not leave faucets or toilets running. Otherwise it’s possible that you could run the well dry.
In the event that a well goes dry, it can result in days without water as the entire system may need to be cleaned and primed by a professional while the water slowly returns. This can put a serious crimp in a vacation.
Waste Management:
Most rural homes use septic systems rather than being connected to a municipal sewer system. This allows the home to dispose of waste far from a municipal system, allowing homes to be built in beautiful, peaceful scenic settings. Again, this benefit comes at a cost. A septic system requires periodic pumping and maintenance to function correctly. Often, this also includes a leach field. A leach field is a place where the septic wastes drain over a large area, usually near the surface and under a lawn. A leach field is usually fine to recreate on, but driving a vehicle over a leach field can damage or destroy it, causing thousands of dollars of damage and shutting down the waste disposal system, something the homeowner is likely to pursue for damages. Aside from the liability, if the septic system ceases to work you can quickly experience septic backups into the home. Do not drive on grass or lawn near a rural home unless it is clearly marked to do so.
Septic systems are also very sensitive. Disposing of anything other than toilet paper and human waste in a toilet can block a septic system and cause backups into the home, again something that you can possibly be liable for.
Heating and Cooling:
Rural homes may lack centralized heating and cooling systems common in cities. Instead, they often use wood stoves, pellet stoves, or baseboard heaters for warmth. Cooling may be managed through fans, natural ventilation, and window air conditioning units.
Unlike some urban apartments which rely on centralized control of heating and cooling for an entire building, individual homes and condos control their own environment. This allows for very customized temperature control. As a result, these homes typically use thermostats for setting heating and cooling modes and temperatures, something that may not be found in some apartment complexes. If you are not familiar with thermostats, it’s a good idea to Google this before leaving for your vacation so that you can make sure that you are comfortable in your destination.
Please also consider that buildings in this region are designed for an average temperature of between 30 and 80 degrees. In particular, setting the temperature higher than 75 degrees in the winter can cause problems, such as excessive icing and ice dams on the roof, not to mention possibly exhausting the fuel supply. Fuel is stored on-site, and using it up will mean no heat until it is refilled which can take a day or more. Also, running the system dry can result in the system needing to be re-primed, which can add an additional few days until it is repaired. In freezing winter conditions, this is not only an inconvenience to you but it can also cause extensive damage (and liability) to the home if the pipes freeze.
Electricity:
Rural areas do not have access to the same power grid reliability as urban settings. Downed trees, vehicle accidents, and severe storms can result in downed power lines and blown transformers. Do NOT go near a bare cable or line on the ground. If such a line is a power line you may also see arcing, smoke, and/or fire. Call 911 if you see any downed lines.
If all nearby homes are also dark you can generally assume it is an area outage, but even if some other homes have power, that could still be the case, as those homes may have backup generators.
Some rural homes use generators or solar panels as supplemental alternative energy sources, but don’t count on this unless you check with the owner.
Often there are switches in the home that control items that you may not be familiar with. Carefully check that a switch is NOT red. Red switches typically control things such as the hot water heater or the furnace. Turning such a switch off can result in loss of hot water or heating.
Trash Disposal:
Trash disposal at a rural home is typically up to you. While some homes have trash services where you will need to haul the trash cans to a pick-up location on a certain day, there can be issues even if this is the case. Leaving trash outside in cans or bins invites bears and raccoons to spread the trash everywhere. It also invites possible head-to-head conflicts between humans (you) and the bears. Keep your trash inside until the morning you need to wheel it out.
Another issue with this is when your reservation occurs between trash days you may check in to find that the trash cans are already full from the last renters. Check with the owner about what happens in this case.
Often homes do not have trash services and you are expected to haul the trash to the nearest transfer station. This not free; there is typically a fee, and it can be significant. Further, transfer stations are only open at certain days and times, so find out how to contact them and do so before you are very far into your rental. It usually does not work out if you’re ready to check out and you find the transfer station is closed. Failure to remove your trash can result in a loss of deposit or even legal action.
Please remember that most vacation rentals are located in tight-knit communities, and that most of these homes are located in the Adirondack Park. Locals and authorities will often take action if they see littering or people throwing trash where it doesn’t belong.
Food Storage:
While this isn’t unique to rural homes, entering a home new to you with coolers full of food is not something that many people have to do on a daily basis. If you fill a refrigerator and freezer with cool or warm food, it will NOT be able to cool it, even if the appliance is brand new. Instead it will take hours and possibly a day or more to reach a cool temperature.
In the case of frozen foods, this can mean they are almost guaranteed to thaw and melt.
It’s a better idea to put the most sensitive items in the refrigerator and freezer first and keep the rest on ice until the refrigerator catches up. Then add another batch and keep doing so until all of your food is cold. This can result in everything being up to speed in a few hours instead of ruined or still warm a day later.
2. Lifestyle Considerations
Living in a rural area comes with its own set of lifestyle considerations:
Quiet Time:
It’s easy to get caught up in the fact that this is your vacation and you should be able to have fun, but renting a home is a special situation. This is not a cruise ship or a resort, and the house next to you may have people that have small children and/or the homeowners may have to work in the morning. Please be considerate of them and keep your noise down in the evenings.
Many of the neighbors are very nice people but they may have had several experiences with loud rude guests. This may mean that their first response to loud noise or offensive neighbors is to call the police. This also means that they will very likely pressure the town authorities to tightly restrict or ban short-term rentals, something that is a growing occurrence throughout the county.
Noise is particularly problematic on lakefront properties. The noise from a loud party on a lake can carry for miles across the lake. In the past, loud parties on a quiet lake in this area have resulted in calls to the police from people as far as two miles away.
Technology:
While many rural areas are increasingly adopting high-speed internet and modern technology, reliable connectivity will frequently still be an issue in more remote locations. Bandwidth may still be an issue even when “high speed” internet is available because some providers over-sell their services resulting in too many connections for the available bandwidth.
Cell phone coverage is also spotty. Check before you book to see what cell phone services provide coverage for the home. Even if get service at the home, it’s very likely that a few miles down the road you won’t, and service varies widely depending on the provider. This means that a review saying the cell phone service was great may be completely different for the next guest using a different service.
Often you can get cell service by using the home’s wi-fi, but in the event of a power loss or emergency this means that when the power goes, so does your cell service.
Healthcare and Services:
Access to healthcare and other services will be limited. You will very likely need to travel longer distances for medical care and other essential services. Telemedicine and online services can help bridge some gaps but may not fully replace in-person interactions. Check with your insurance providers before your vacation begins to see what offerings may be covered by your insurance.
Dining:
If you like to have those great cookouts on the deck using a grill, you may want to check the propane grill tanks when you arrive. Grills here are not connected to a gas line, but instead use a portable propane tank. The property owner should provide full refill tanks, but if they do not you may want to check the Fuel listings for the local area to see if any provide propane tank refills. This way you are prepared and won’t run out of fuel halfway through cooking your dinner.
Conclusion:
Vacations in rural areas have a great many benefits. Knowing how the home and the environment works can help you know how to get the most out of your vacation and have a great time without complications. Enjoy your vacation!