This usually applies to home sites far out in the sticks with no other houses nearby. But if the cost to bring electricity to the site is especially high, it may make sense to consider standalone (off-grid) solar power.

30-50K.

Not as much as Fenwey.

The answers are so all over the place that no one here (unless from the same region and utility companies) can give you an answer.

I will tell you that electricity usually has 2 prices - above ground or below. Often times the above ground is free up to a certain distance and the below is more than $10 a foot.

Are you on septic and have a quote on that?

I believe someone gave a number here in Tn - try a search

We recently got an estimate in our rural area for electrical run about twice the distance of yours. $8,000 with a $2,000 rebate if we build within 2 years. That was electric only.

Make sure water (and gas, if you want it) are actually available. You may have to drill a well and use propane if you want gas. Also, how about cable? When I built my house on my newly acquired property, I knew that "city water" and gas were unavailable, so I had to use my own well. In fact, I had the well drilled (600 feet for $8000) before I actually committed to the house build. The power company ran an overhead line from the street to a single pole on my property ($3000) and the builder ran underground lines from the pole to a meter stand and from there to the house.

DavidR I probably use too much power to go off the grid. Even if I went solar, I would only do so if I could sell back to the grid, so I would have to pay for elec anyways.

Below is a diagram of what we are trying to accomplish. The parcel is 18.27 acres of farmland adjacent to a subdivision. Residents in the subdivision are wanting to purchase the top ~8 acres to append to their properties, and myself and another fellow are wanting to purchase the bottom ~10 acres to build on, and share access from the cove.

The utility company said it would cost me $20k to $25k (per house) to run power to the cove, because they have to run primary wire from 700 ft down the street, install a new transformer just inside the property line at the cove, then loop primary back to where it came from (for each home). My builder said that 400 amp service from the end of the cove to the home site (approx 500 feet) would be roughly $5.50 per foot, so $2,750.

The utility company said "The gas main would need to be extended approximately 300' (2" main)to the end of the cove. Then the service to your house would be approximately 500'(1" service) from there. I would estimate this cost around $15,000 ". I then asked if that estimate included both lots and he replied " If you paid for the gas main, his gas service would be the only other cost. If it is around 500', I would guess it will cost somewhere around $6000-$8000 depending on his load. ". Therefore, if I take his original total estimate of $15000 and subtract $7000 for around what he quoted for service, then I think the cost to run the gas main to the cove is probably around $8000. I would be splitting that with the other buyer so it would be around $4000.

He said that the water main is already at the cove, so I just need to pay for 500 ft of service to the home, and possibly a fire hydrant depending on the distance from the cove.

There are utilities “available” in that area, but there is a large surcharge for developing there. Akin to an “environmental impact” fee. There were more houses being developed than the ShelCo infrastructure could keep up with, so the additional charges were created to have the new homes bear the full burden of creating the new infrastructure needed rather than being subsidized by the government.

It’s not a good area to expect values to hold long term. 385 being finished is going to mean what it meant to much of Shelby County. That isn’t in the Collierville annexation reserve. It’s Memphis all the way, inside 385. You’d have to move out of Shelby for assured retained values. Fayette or Desoto would be better. Or Marshall if you want fewer restrictions and lower costs as a priority. Or Benton even for that. Or buy somewhere around Walnut Grove and Yates if you want gold values.

Sophie, I am wanting acreage, but also not far from my wifes school in germantown. I am very picky about the land. I want private acreage, but in a cove in a subdivision as I have 3 and 4 year old girls that I would like to be able to get outside and play.

We currently live in dickens place in southaven. There are subdivisions popping up left and right, and with the addition of the outlet malls, its just getting "too busy", so I would rather get out of desoto county.

Collierville is out of the question due to land cost, as well as taxes. The taxes alone would reduce our budget by 10's of thousands of dollars.

Fayette is a possibility but I just havent found any land that appeals to me as much as this property, AND is closer to my wifes work than we are now (20 miles).

We plan on staying there 15 years minimum which I believe is plenty of time for the market to cycle down and then back up. My builder can build what we want for $90 a sq ft and I think we can get the land (with utilities) for under 15k an acre which would put us somewhere around $365k (home is around 3100 to 3400 sq ft depending on whether I get them to add an office in the garage for me). I feel like on the next cycle, I should be able to at least get that back out of it.

Your builder is blowing smoke unless that is a tract build in a tract builder subdivision where they control all of the choices and give the illusion of quality materials. In a one off build, giving you any options at all, that’s not gonna happen. Ever. Not even in Marshall County are costs that low. Double that price for custom. I’ve only been doing work in this larger geographical mid south area for going on 50 years. I know what things cost. And $90 custom one off is fiction.

And so is getting any real value increase in the Memphis annexation reserve. There are pockets, sure. Fisherville ain’t one. Too close to the Cordova mess straight out Macon. If it was across 385 and the Fayette county line, sure. But not in Shelby.

If you want retained value, that is Collierville, Germantown, Piperton, Oakland, Williston, Olive Branch South, or Hernando. Nothing too far west. Yes those areas cost more. For a reason.

Or be a rural pioneer in west Holly Springs or Ashland or Snow Lake. The 72 project getting completed and the interstatization of 78 mean that’s the next hot area for development.

Sophie he has built this plan 6 or 7 times and the most he has spent was $287k. Here are some examples:

https://www.facebook.com/Pintailconstruction/posts/807316926125734

https://www.facebook.com/Pintailconstruction/posts/709431279247633

Even Dave Moore said he could build for for $90 to $100 per sq ft, so "double" sounds more like fiction.

Can we get back on topic? Anyone have a ball park cost per sq foot to run 6 wire parallel 4/0 wire 500 ft? 1" water? gas?

Ok...let's see...back on topic...ball park cost...no real details...we don't know you local materials and labor costs...OK...some "real" ball park costs...and you already have estimates from the local utility company...and you want more estimates...from folks on the Internet...hmmm?

Virgil, I guess I am more trying to confirm what the utility company says. They dont do the service to the house, only to the entrance of the property, and I have been told that some of their service ball park's sound extremely high. I figured that maybe some builders could chime in and give some kinda rough idea of whether the utility companies estimates were accurate.

Your $90 builder is the one to answer that.

Yea and he got back with me this afternoon and said that water is around $6 per foot, elec is $5.50 per foot for 400 amp service, and gas is $10 to $15 per foot depending on estimated load.

And thats why I wanted confirmation, because MLGW ballparked water service to the home to be $15000 to $20000, when in reality it should only be around $3000.

Have you asked the builder why his estimate is so far off of MLGW's?

These variables are pretty common. The estimated electric seems very low. I would consider skipping gas - I considered it for $1000. If you have to have cooking and fireplace then just get a propane tank. You won't use much so the extra cost of propane is minimal. The typical monthly gas line charge will far exceed the extra cost of propane.

You put the $10k you save on the gas line (my doubling of builder's budget) and build a really tight house. You will spend far less on electricity than you would have on gas. This is a reasonable strategy without the cost to run gas but when you have a high gas initial cost, it really pays off.

David yea I am debating skipping gas. It is going to cost $3500 each (myself and the other fellow that wants to build next door) just to run the gas main to the end of the cove, then service would be 5000 to 7500 each... I like the idea of having gas because I brew beer etc..

I have only received an actual quote from MLGW for water, and the rep said he would have me the actual gas and elec cost this week sometime.

David, also you asked about above ground or in ground. The subdivision has in ground utilities and the utility company said they usually wont go under ground to overhead.

I also have a concern because there is a ditch on the property (the blue line in the drawing above). The utility guy said that the builder should be able to bury the utilities under the ditch. We will either install a culvert to get over the ditch, or we have to extend the driveway to the far east side of the property, and then south to where I want to build.

MTVHIKE yes utilities are available. Water is at the cove, gas needs to be extended 300' to the end of the cove, and electric needs to be run 1400 feet from down the street.

I have not checked on cable but I do need to do that. I am a software developer and work from home, so internet is required.

And sewer or septic? What goes in has to come out. That’s the big cost right there.

Septic only and I was quoted 5000 to 7500.

Sophie, is there a way to find out if this land is impacted? My realtor mentioned something about this so I asked a couple of the residents in the subdivision and he said the entire neighborhood is septic and hes never had or heard of any problems.

Sophie, actually I looked it up and that is cotton creek and fox hollow farms, which is way south of where I am wanting to build. We actually looked at a lot on Fox Lair drive and wondered why it hadnt sold yet. Now I know. However, the lot I am wanting to build on is not impacted. In fact, part of it has already been perc'd and approved for an underground septic system for a 5 bedroom home.

You need more than a perc test. You need a soils map analysis also. The original developer of the subdivision might have something useful on record. Or know the engineer who did the studies that allowed the development to be approved. It could be a shortcut to the chase on that. Or not repeating some steps. It will still have to have a current date though.

I have an engineer and a soil scientist already lined up to have it tested and surveyed before we actually purchase the property.