There are advantages and disadvantages to living anywhere, including in the mountains. Mountain homes come with plenty of advantages, but there are disadvantages of living in the mountains. Selecting the best place for you to live starts with evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of living in that place. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the mountains.
Advantage: You Can Become Self-Sufficient
If you have always dreamed of “living off the grid” and making your own way in life, then a mountain home, home addition builders should be in your sights. Living in the mountains provides plenty of opportunities to become independent of municipal systems. You can have your own water well, and septic system, grow your own food, and, most importantly enjoy plenty of privacy.
Living in the mountains requires that you hone your self-sufficiency skills. There is not a lot of municipal support. You are in charge of your lifestyle when you choose a mountain home. You don’t have to worry about HOAs telling you what to do, and you get to take control of your property and how you use it without having to worry about anyone’s opinion.
Mountain living is ideal for anyone who wants to be self-reliant and prefers to live as they see fit. Your neighbors will be far enough away to ensure you don’t have to deal with them if you don’t want to. It is a peaceful, independent lifestyle. Anyone that wants complete control over their home and property will love living in the mountains.
Disadvantage: It Can Be Isolating
On the flip side of the coin, all that peaceful living and self-sufficiency can be a bit isolating. For example, if you are big on home decor and a perfectly edited home, you may find that you don’t have a lot of people to share it with. Mountain homes are typically built far apart. Your nearest neighbor can be a great distance away.
You are far less likely to have people just dropping by to visit. Visits are typically scheduled way in advance. Fewer people live in the mountains, which means that there are fewer people to befriend. For some people, isolation is not ideal. Some people prefer to have a busy social life and a steady stream of friends and family popping over to visit.
If you love a lively social life and being surrounded by people, mountain living may not be the best setting for you. Mountain living takes a while to get used to because of the isolation, especially if you are coming from an urban setting. Peacefulness and self-sufficiency are not for everyone. One of the disadvantages of living in the mountains is isolation.
Advantage: You Don’t Need Permits for New Additions
We talked about self-sufficiency and the small amount of municipal involvement in mountain living. One of the key advantages of living in the mountains is that you don’t need anyone’s permission for custom home builders, deck restorations, additions, and to make other changes to your home. Instead of worrying about inspections to get building permits, you build.
You don’t need government agency permission to restore a deck or build an addition to your home, which is a big selling point for many people. Permits can take weeks, sometimes months, to be approved, which, of course, delays the process. Additionally, permits are not free. You must pay for permission from the local building authority to build on your property, but not in the mountains.
Making changes and customizing your mountain home is a lot easier than making changes and customizing an urban or suburban home. The process is quicker and less expensive. This is a huge advantage of living in the mountains. Why should you need anyone’s permission to build on your own property?
Disadvantage: Professional Services May Not Be Nearby
While home construction can be a lot easier in the mountains, you may have an issue with finding providers in the mountains. One of the key disadvantages of living in the mountains is finding service providers nearby. The population in the mountains is not as dense as it is in other areas, which means that there are fewer people offering construction and other services.
Finding the right service providers when you live in the mountains can be a challenge, but it is not one that you can’t overcome. You may have to work harder to find providers, but with a bit of commitment, you should be able to find service providers.
Some people may find the lack of convenient access to service providers a hassle. Other people find the process inconvenient but not a deal breaker. Remember, you must weigh the good and the bad to come to an informed decision. If you are willing to work a bit harder to find the service providers you need, you will get to enjoy the advantages.
Advantage: You Can Embrace Earth Tones
If you love the earth-tone color palette, you will love living in the mountains. You can fully embrace earth tones when your home is in the mountains. Home painting companies, home siding contractor, and other providers can ensure your home blends seamlessly with its surroundings by using earth-tone colors to decorate your home. Rich earth tones are encouraged in mountain homes.
Mountain homes are surrounded by nature, and using earth tones makes the most sense. You don’t have to worry about your home looking washed out or uninteresting when you use earth tones to decorate your mountain home. These tones blend perfectly with the surroundings. They can improve the style of your home.
Earth-tone colors are very popular in the mountains. Your home can seamlessly blend into nature with the right color palette. Living somewhere where your home can become a part of nature is an advantage. Mountain living can be great.
Disadvantage: Electricity Can Be Unpredictable
We have mentioned the lack of municipal services and trouble finding service providers as two of the main disadvantages of living in the mountains. Unfortunately, stable electricity can also be added to the list of disadvantages of living in the mountains. Remote areas are often faced with long-term outages simply because it is difficult for repair crews to reach the problem during storms.
While not having reliable power can be a problem, there are solutions. Generators are often found in mountain homes. Generator installation service, home building service can solve the problem of unpredictable electrical power from the grid. A whole home generator will kick in when the power goes down.
Generators are a must-have for mountain homes. Many people that own mountain homes opt to have generators installed and find that they are the perfect solution. As long as you keep your generator fueled up you will never have to go without power. If you choose a whole home generator that is wired directly into your electrical system, you won’t even have to flip a switch, the generator comes on automatically.
Advantage: Peace and Quiet
If the sound of cars passing by or neighbors cutting their lawn is enough to keep you up at night, then mountain living is for you. One of the key advantages of living in the mountains is the quiet. You will rarely hear a sound that is not made by nature. The gentle rustling of the trees in the wind will take the place of car horns honking and vehicles zooming by.
You can put all the sounds of the suburbs and the city behind you. You can expect to be immersed in the sounds of nature, birds singing, brooks rushing, and birds sharing their song. If sound pollution is not for you, then the mountains are the place to be.
It is not just sound pollution that is non-existent in the mountains. Light pollution is also kept to a minimum. You will see the stars living in the mountains in a new light. The night sky dazzles in the mountains. When there are fewer people and fewer buildings, there are more of the good things in life.
Disadvantage: Lack of Conveniences
If you are a fast-food fan, you may find mountain living difficult. You won’t find a lot of fast food options around. You also won’t find a lot of the other conveniences of modern-day living. Food delivery services are very limited. The disadvantages of living in the mountains are mainly the lack of conveniences.
You won’t have access to the things that you do in the city or the suburbs, like fast food, and mega gas stations that sell a little bit of everything. You won’t find drug stores that are open 24 hours a day. You also won’t find certain specialty stores without traveling a considerable distance. There are no convenience stores on every corner, and there certainly is not a lot of fast-food places around.
However, while living in the mountains can be bit inconvenient, there is still a silver lining. For example, you may not be able to get takeout as much as you would living somewhere else, but is takeout good for you or your budget? You will have to cook more and perhaps give buying decisions more thought when you must travel to make a purchase. You will eat healthier and likely spend less money living in the mountains.
Advantage: A Simpler Life
We mentioned the lack of conveniences as one of the disadvantages of living in the mountains. While it is true life is less convenient living in the mountains, it is also true that life is simpler. You may believe that you depend too heavily on conveniences to live in the mountains, but conveniences sometimes complicate life. Yes, you will have to do more on your own, but it can be freeing.
Simplifying life is what living in the mountains is all about. You can take control of your life and how you live by living in the mountains because you don’t have all that competition for your attention in front of you. For example, living in the mountains comes with some basic joys like smelling a fresh pot of coffee brewing. You can’t run to your local coffee shop in the mountains, but you can enjoy the process of sipping a cup on your front porch with a beautiful view. You can slow down when you live in the mountains and enjoy life more.
The lack of conveniences is both a blessing and a curse. You will need to make that pot of coffee in the morning, but you are not forced to grab something on the run because you are in a rush. It is a simpler lifestyle that can reduce stress. You can enjoy life more in the mountains.
Weigh Your Options
Living in the mountains is not for everyone. Some people don’t want wide sweeping views of beautiful vistas; they like the noise of the city and the suburbs. A quiet, peaceful life is not for everyone. Not everyone loves nature and being a witness to what happens in nature. There are disadvantages of living in the mountains, like the lack of conveniences and the lack of people, but there are many advantages.
Ultimately, living in the mountains is a personal choice. You need to have a certain personality to enjoy the simpler things in life and make your home in the mountains. You must be willing to take responsibility for many things in life when you live in the mountains, but you also get a lot of freedom. It can be cheaper to build in the mountains and to run your household.
For many people, mountain living is their dream setting. If you can get past the disadvantages of living in the mountains and want more control over your property and lifestyle, then you need to take the first step. Connect with a local builder who can help you create the dream home you want in the mountains. Call today.