Little signifies independence as much as having your own water source. When you do not have to rely on a utility company to provide you with clean, affordable water, you’re one step closer to becoming your own person, owing to no one and relying on yourself and mother nature.
So if you’re interested in drilling your own well, you need to first consider the water well drilling cost. How much should you set aside for this venture?
Several factors play into your water well installation cost such as the type of well you want to be dug, the terrain your drillers will deal with, and the depth of your well.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about water well drilling cost and the factors involved with it.
Water Well Drilling Cost
The cost of water well drilling depends heavily on the type of water well you want to be dug. Not all wells are made the same. On average, you can expect a well to cost between $5,000 and $9,000 when you’re digging a 150-foot deep well.
Well-drilling companies will charge by the foot, averaging between $25 and $65 per foot to dig and install a well. So if you’re installing a shallow well, you can get away with a cost between $1,800 and $3,000.
Basic water well-digging averages between $10 and $25 per foot, but drilling will cost you more, to the tune of $15 to $30 a foot. The tougher the terrain and bigger the well, the more water well drilling will cost.
But these are all just general costs. The type of well you want to be dug determines the cost of the well. Here are a few examples.
Residential
Residential water wells cost the least to dig. Expect to pay between $15 and $25 a square foot in addition to the installation costs.
The drilling company will bore a hole in the ground and then connect it to the well to your water lines. If you require a deeper hole that goes through rocky soil, the company will have to drill and not just dig. Professional well diggers will increase their quote for connecting the water line and digging through rocky soil.
Irrigation or Agricultural
When you’re digging a line for irrigation or agricultural purposes, you will need a larger borehole than when you have a residential well. As a result, you will have to pay more for the digging. Usually, well diggers will charge between $35 and $55 a foot for the drilling job.
Well digging for irrigation and agriculture requires bigger tools and more precisions since states have different water quality regulations. Often well companies must take extra purification measures.
Artesian
An artesian well is a well that taps into a water source that has rock layers that confine the water under pressure. So when the well releases that pressure, the water rises naturally.
Thus, you will need an aquifer instead of an electric pump when you have an artesian well dug. This type of drilling costs between $25 and $45 a foot.
Artesian wells are ideal once you have them established because you do not need an electric pump to pump water from the well. Initially establishing the well will cost you more than a traditional well-digging job, but you will save money in the end with lower operation and maintenance expenses.
The company that drills an artesian well for you needs to have experience since this job requires precision.
Geothermal
Geothermal well-digging takes precision and the right tools. A well-digging company must use a specialized geothermal drill rig to drill a hole of at least 150 feet. Expect to pay between $20 and $40 a square foot for a geothermal well.
The geothermal well is different than typical wells in that instead of digging for water, you’re having the company dig a well to draw up geothermal energy.
Overall, if you’re interested in having a geothermal heating system installed, expect to pay between $3,500 and $12,500 for its installation, including the well. Each 200-foot well will heat approximately 500-square feet. So if you have a 1,000 square-foot home, you need two wells.
Redrilling a Deeper Well
Sometimes you need a well-drilling company to come in and dig a deeper well. This can increase your water volume or improve your heating if you’re using a geothermal well. The cost per foot remains the same as what you’ve read above.
Expect to pay between $300 and $600 to have your well extended.
Cost Factors To Dig A Well
As you can see, the type of well you want to be dug will determine the general water well cost. There are a handful of other factors that play into the cost of water well drilling. Here’s a general list of the things that can increase or decrease your drilling costs:
- Diameter of the well
- Depth of your well
- Drilling or digging
- Well casing material
- Permit costs
- Soil conditions
- Water volume requirements
- Equipment transportation
- Electricity availability
- Materials such as seals and screens
- Excavation
- Test pumping
- Pump and control panel
- Water treatment system
- Water testing laboratory analysis
Drilling a well consists of more than just digging a hole until you hit the water. If you want a well done right, call a professional well-digging company that understands all the aspects of well digging from well water pump cost to well water installation cost. They will give you a thorough estimate that includes all of these potential expenses.
To Dig or Not to Dig
Now that you understand basic well drilling cost and the factors that affect it, you can make that critical decision of digging or not digging. Consider your soil type and the type of well you want to be dug. Then look for the best well-digging company in your area.
If you want a well dug, contact us. We are a reliable company you can trust to do the right job the first time. With over 100 years of combined experience along with a proven track record of customer satisfaction, we can give you peace of mind with a job well done.
Give us a call today. We will evaluate the dig area and give you our expert opinion and a fair estimate.
