Well water is healthier, tastes better, enhances property value, and above all, you don’t have to pay monthly charges to anyone. Yes, drilling a water well has unlimited benefits. But it’s not something like you can go to the market and make a purchase. Instead, you have to drill a water well, which has a cost. There is no harm in spending money when it comes to fulfilling the water’s needs. But, what’s the average cost of drilling a water well? We are going to find out.
Drilling a water well is taking one step forward towards self-sustainability. You don’t depend on the municipal source and can use as much water as you want. It becomes more important to be self-sustainable if you are living in urban areas. So, don’t think drilling a well is a thing in rural areas.
Anyway, the cost is a factor that cannot be ignored, no matter what. We are not talking about a few hundred dollars, but thousands. If we take per foot estimate, it costs $20 to $30 just for drilling, leaving aside the installation costs.
The typical range, considering the depth drilled, the diameter of the well, and the soil condition, drilling a well can cost you around $3000 to $16,000. Surely it varies on a number of factors.
Thus, before making a decision, it’s important to find out an average cost as per your conditions so that you can plan accordingly. Let’s get to know how average pricing can be determined.
The cost to drill a well
An accurate estimate helps you figure out the right plan, and as drilling a well is not a one-day job, you need to be fully prepared for it. As the cost of drilling a water well is subject to a number of factors, we are going to present you with a brief overview of how each factor affects the pricing and, in general, the average cost to drill a well.
What affects the average cost of drilling a water well?
One of the major elements that affect the pricing is how much the depth of a well is. Remember, you have to pay the contractor per foot even if no water is found. It’s a good idea to find out how a well should be for drinking water before you go for drilling.
As mentioned earlier, for the drilling process only, the cost range lies from $20 to $30. If you go for a complete installation, it goes up to $70 per foot. But wait a minute, well depth is not the only factor that decides the cost, but together with well type, you check the price.
Let’s break it down a little bit.
Residential well
Generally, the depth of the residential well lies from 120 feet to 150 feet. In rare cases, it goes beyond this limit. You can calculate the pricing considering per foot price, but we are going to see it with the well type.
For a 4” residential water well, the average cost per foot lies from $20– $40; for a 6” and 8” residential water well, the average cost is $40 – $65 and $65 – $110, respectively.
Not to forget, you have to add on the prices of well pump, casing, wiring, switch, control box, and other necessary items required to function well.
For shallow wells, the total cost will add up to $2,000-$3,000, and it will increase as you go deeper.
Irrigation well
Depending on your particular requirement for the agricultural purpose, the per-foot cost of drilling a water well can go from $30 to $100. The bigger borehole, the higher the price. Moreover, when budgeting, don’t forget to add permit price, wiring, storage tank, and other costs also.
Artesian well
Typically, you are about to go down to a maximum of 450 feet if it is an artesian well. The per-foot price for this type of well system lies from $30 to $90.
Ground conditions
Another important point that highly affects the drilling process and the costs is the ground condition. The cost will differ with different places you want to drill a water well. If the soil type or ground is rocky, it will be hard to drill, and the cost will increase. With this, the cost can increase as much as 50%.
Besides these points, you also have to take into account the permit costs, water volume requirement, electricity, pump, and costs of other necessary materials.
Conclusion
To reap the benefits of a water well, you have to invest as much as $3,000 to $15,000 at least, and the price can go up with the factors such as the well depth, the permit costs, etc. This gives you an average cost of drilling a water well but remember that it may vary for each case.
However, you now have an idea of how much it requires to drill a well. Bearing in mind the benefits, what do you think it’s worth or not?