[cristecs]

I bought a house and found a well in my yard. It is just a hole in the ground covered with a cement block. I dropped a string with a weight on the end into the well and heard water. There is no electricity running to the well so I know I will have to have that done. I only am interested in using the water well for my yard if it is possible. What is the best and cost friendly way to get this working? Where do I start? Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[Blondesense]

I would start with a visit to my local building department. Are you in the city limits? There are so many rules and regs nowadays I would find out if it is legal to use it in your area. You may be required to fill it in.
If you are allowed to use it the next step most likely is to figure out how deep it is.

We had a similar situation when we lived in Oklahoma. We were connected to rural water but had an old well and well pump next to the house. We were going to do the same thing, use it for watering the lawn etc. We never did get it working (low on our priority list) which is just as well. It was less than 100 feet from the septic system.

 

[AllanJ]

In order to show that the well is useful you have to try to pump water out of it, in other words invest in a pump first. You can wire up the pump to a plug and use an extension cord while testing the well.

You can test by letting the pumped water gush out onto the ground but when you decide to install the pump for good, you will need an expansion tank perhaps ten to twnety gallons in size.

Sometimes you won't get enough of a water flow to keep an ordinary lawn sprinkler going.

 

[GulfCoastRick]

If you have a well that is functional and can be utilized, it certainly makes sense to avoid expensive, metered city water.
As 'Alan' alluded, you must first find if your well is functional for your purpose.
I wouldn't invest any money into this till you know if you have a natural flow from the water table or if it is going to suck dry. I would borrow or rent a sump pump and attach it to a garden hose and lower it for a test.
If it gives you a continuous flow for an hour, then you are probably good to procede with your idea.
To keep things low maintenance and efficient, I would definately go with a submersible pump, which will require underground conduit and 12-3 service cable. For this you would need to seek the advice and services of a qualified electrician for correct application and safeties sake.
Fllexible well pipe will get you to your garage and the pressure tank.
Good luck!