Calling all experienced homesteaders - input needed!

The chicken predators we deal with here are snakes and skunks! It is a constant battle. We have a fenced acre yard with two dogs in it and that combination has deterred the neighboring canine visitors.

MaypopLaurel ~ your garden photos make me wish I could step into them and admire your plantings. Particularly the hillside garden. It is very pretty.

We initially bought 5 acres, acquired an adjoining 9 and tried for 3 more on the other side. That three was not to be. I wanted it for a buffer, both privacy and security. A friend that is an independent timber consultant appraised it so we would have a grasp of the timber value. The land owner considered it far more valuable. Timber is his business. He said he would clear cut it and sell the land far cheaper. That would defeat the purpose. DH decided to let it pass. Quite a few years later, the timber hasn't been cut and the land hasn't been sold. I still lust after it... lol and I still have nightmares of rental cabins or trailer parks or.... worse.

Wow Laurel, you have done SO much with that place, it is just beautiful. You should enter it on the Brag Board :) How did the chimney restoration go after the storms? I take long absences from the forums, but now I'm working nights and have time to read and post during the loooooooong overnight 12 hour shifts.

I still have the 6 acre property on my secondary list, but....I just have to admit I'm a wuss. I'm scared to live out there alone, even with dogs and firearms. My thoughts run more along getting hurt and being a mile from the nearest neighbor and dying in my field under a lawn tractor...more so than two-legged varmint problems although I have to consider those as well. Plus, should I lose my current job, how close would I be to a place large enough to find employment? So many things to consider....

I found out the basement leaks in heavy rains on the property that I posted above...not sure if that will be a deal killer or not. I still have the purchase offer here on my desk and I'm stepping back for a day or two to think before working on the write up with the attorney. And then there is still the issue with the shared wall barn thingy. Nothing worth having ever seems simple eh? :D

Thanks again everyone for the feedback!

"My thoughts run more along getting hurt and being a mile from the nearest neighbor and dying in my field under a lawn tractor..."

Probably the more likely, and a very reasonable concern. I was helping friends buck firewood yesterday, and I noticed I'm the only one with all the helmet, chaps, boots and gloves rec'd for operating a chainsaw safely. I just shake my head sometimes at what folks will do... one of the other chainsaw operators was wearing shorts, tennies, and no hearing protection. {{sigh}} So they think I'm a wuss... at least I'll still have two legs to dance with and hearing to hear the birds.

And the job angle is important too...

Depending on why the basement is leaking, it might be fixable... a french drain or guttering to channel the roof rain away from the house. Do you have time to consult with someone about that? Figure out why and what it would take to fix the problem?

I understand the apprehension of working alone but I have a different perspective. I feel that when my time is up, I can not change it. That is not to say I will tempt fate by becoming complacent. When working with equipment, the possibilty is as great in the kitchen with a sharp knife as it is with a chainsaw in hand.

I guess my perspective comes from being closer to 60 than 59. LOL I have seen folks in the best of hospitals that should have walked out but didn't. Conversely, some who weren't expected to survive that walked out on their own power. Following that logic, I don't even feel the need to have a major hospital nearby. Seems I can't get rural enough these days...

Hineni i was thinking of the basement and you the other day
i know when we built i was told about sump pumps . make sure there is a good one ! and it works :) in the new house.
looks like things are coming along for you
I learn alot from my FIL who is an old farm kid, he teaches me everything about safety .
we are 18-25 miles from any Hosp and the closest childrens is even farther sooo with that said ..... i still don't worry cuz if i do i will drive myself crazy of worry.
Amazing what home remedies will work
stock up and get lots of raw honey use it for cuts ,scraps, poison ivy and other nasty stuff and maybe plant a comfrey plant or two. Those help with wound wrappings.
carry a good size stick when walking around the yards or gardens .(whack it if it moves ) LOL
hope it helps :)

If it's your husband and it doesn't move.... whack it.
=0)

If it has black and white stripes and you whack it... don't come running to me.
LOL

LOL @ Jay -the dogs got skunked again last night, I think this is the fourth time since we've been out here in the boonies that they've tangled with skunks. Doesn't really bother me much. It might make them less adoptable though...shuckey darns.

Pod: I feel that way regarding being rural, but I also have to admit that I need to work through my capabilities. I'm real brave here when I'm on my own for a week or two, and don't feel like there is a problem at all. But I know the differences in a week or two and the rest of my life alone. It's possible that I underestimate myself, but I also don't want to get somewhere and find I overestimated and then be a whining, crying, cowering mess. I guess I'm trying to be realistic rather than idealistic (which has gotten me into problems historically...haha). My work hours are also an issue, leaving me far less time to upkeep property than what I have had in the past. Seems like it all involves trade-offs of some sort :)

Sue- I don't think that there is a sump pump in the basement, but since the house has been standing since '49 and there isn't standing water or mold there, I feel the basement is really a non-issue and could be repaired if needed. I'll work on the wording with the attorney about the barn issue, and I will ask that the barn be torn down prior to possession to eliminate any future issues. I figure I'll offer all the wood and the existing chicken coop to the neighbor that will lose his lean-to in that activity to try to soothe over any ruffled feathers. I don't want to start off on the wrong foot in the neighboorhood. All they can do is say no, ya know?

Hineni, I'm here too. :>) The chimney and roof took many months of last summer until November. Lost the flue for the Pilgrim woodstove and had to rebuild that as well. Maypop is an A-frame cottage, on a south-facing mountainside, with a boathouse-type basement. The house and gardens are all stepped while there is some level pasture area below. Water is all spring fed via a Diviner's gifts. The pond is the spillway from the house springs.

I'm firm about land ownership. It's not necessary to micromanage all of a property with lawns and gardens, only what you need to be sustainable. Be a custodial keeper and use what what is needed. I asked DH's opinion on this and he agrees. We should have bought everyone around us out. Extra land is a future investment. We have over fifteen acres in hardwood and way more comes down each year than we can burn to heat. I'm building a solar tub/shower. The solar part is in, but I'm needing to address realities like yellow jackets that like to share my outdoor moment.

Podster, thanks. The garden is all on hillside steps. I must be part goat. lol. I've been known to go over the edge with the tiller on more than one occasion. I now realize it's safer, though more time consuming to hand dig the edges. The hillside, up to the woods, has perennials and herbs. The main kitchen garden is the flat space. More perennials and herbs on the next embankment. The next level has fruit trees...pears, apples, figs and iris and the part merging into the woods has blueberries and ramps. I really wanted a flatland farm with ten acres and some water. There were other plans for me though.

I've lived out here for months over the past twenty years with (and without three kids) before the advent of cell phones and the internet. Often with no car. Our roads, in and off the property, are over a third of a mile. Hauled water from the cistern, fired the stove all day and every night at 4 a.m. and cooked with cast iron for days in the fireplace when there were outages. Took care of animals (horses, dogs, cats, rabbits and ducks). I was often without power as I'm at the end of a line and it took a call in to let the power company know. There was not the technology to inform them unless we called in...but how? The phones would be dead too. DH would go back to the city while I was busy with my homesteading experiment. I'm not so complacent as to say my end time is predetermined. I'm just determined to have a meaningful experience. How sixties is that? So here's a pic from last year when cabbages and zinnias were accommodating.
Laurel

Present … with Houses of the Holy playing as we speak.

Not looking for the end either but don’t want to tempt fate either. I try to take it one day at a time and enjoy the moment.

I've added two more places to the investigate 'list' in case the offer isn't accepted on this place next week. They may or may not pass underwriting, as they are both ten acres, but that is a common property size out in the areas they are located which may help. I was cautioned to stay under ten actually, more around 5-6 acres. The RD underwriters don't like farmettes or ranches is the LO consensus, so since these two both have outbuildings and livestock areas that might kick 'em out too, I don't know yet. The difference in these two as opposed to the 6 acres is that a) they have neighbors and b) neither home appears to need any major work like the 6 acre property does. Both are more wooded than open and as such would require less upkeep.

Laurel: If I didn't have to work and require dependable electric and high-speed internet to do so, many many more options might open up for me. But alas, since I'm the one that will be paying the bills, I have to set my sights on affordability, required amenities for work, and relative safety. Coupling that with the loan restrictions and 12 hour work days and no one else to help out, I have had to scale back my 'wants' and focus on what I need. Then add 'must close by 12/01/09 to get tax credit' to that list...LOL!

I'm really trying to walk a fine line; locate a sustainable property that fits my budget, the realities of one person management, meets loan guidelines and will close by 12/01/09. Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to accomplish the impossible on such short turn time. Heck, up until a few weeks ago I didn't even dream that owning another home was a possibility for me and I was scrambling to figure out where I could rent!

I dunno if I fall into the sixties category - although my favorite music is from that time period. I'm at the end of the boomer range (born in '62). I'm pretty free spirited and anti-establishment in many cases though, although I think it's a family trait...haha! I find a lot of us here in the Homesteading forum have the same outlook and are relatively close in age, so maybe it is a sixties bleed over :D

Pod: I'll for sure be keeping the older house dog. It depends on the property as to whether I'll get to keep the Great Pyrs or not. They require wandering room and neighbors who don't mind the booming barks that they love to express around 3 a.m. :D :D

I really appreciate everyone weighing in and helping out with ideas and suggestions!

You probably don't want to get rid of your friends ~ the Pyrs but they should be easy to place and easier not to have to provide feed for?

I admire your inspiration. Too many would find a comfortable rut and stay in it. They would live with pipe dreams from now on. You are on the right track and I will encourage you to pursue your dreams. You go girl!

A leftover friend from the early 70s says we are the only one he knows that has done what we said we would do and fulfilled our dreams. Probably because we were only on the hippie fringe, everyone else has burned out. LOL

There is no substitute for land. I suggest more land and less house, if required to fit the budget. It is not necessary to maintain land at all if you don't need it for anything. It will be there waiting when you do.

Our houses tend to be waaay too big these days. It's really something to visit old homesteads and see the size of house that whole families used to live in. Way too much paper accumulation in our paperless age... if you took all the paper out of my house, there'd be a lot more room in here. Dang, but I've got to get rid of some books... =0)

I'm in the same column as porkpal. There's no substitute for land ownership. Manage what you can sustain. In reality, it's a small slice. You know how you always need a few more drawers, wish you had that walk in closet, weren't so close to the road? That's what the extra land will do for you. We have seventeen acres and manage less than two. The rest has provided us with firewood from downed trees, riding and hiking trails, great photo ops of wild flowers and peace from knowing we are custodial caretakers of land that will not be commercially ravaged. Granted there are our neighboring poachers (folks nearby need to eat), our ramps and ginseng are taken and we have to bust up an occasional entrepreneurial still making use of our hydro sources.

I need to, and work too. Did live in a tent, on a farm and a commune in the sixties. Don't know what "a leftover from the seventies" or a "fringe hippie" is. I feel like a failed parent here and sometimes wonder whether you younger folks get it. Less is definitely better.
Laurel

ok hineni good to know on the sump pump. i guess some areas don't need them ? OH we sure do but ours is a elevated basement.
Well it sounds like you have alot to work out . I think your doing a great job so keep up the good work. :) something will come along soon and will just inspire you. Keep them dogs out of skunk juice ok LOL
We built a log home and did a small one. More land less house. I still wish it was a ranch style and a bit smaller but ..... can't complain. I guess the stairs will keep my tushy strong ?

simple is better too :)
i agree with less is more theory
less to worry about
less to pay for
less to manage
less to loss
but more in so many ways

Let me try to define "hippie fringe". We lived in those times with many friends that were hippies. We would give them rides, DH would give them a job if they wanted, carried a few to the hospital, dried some out, put some up and fed many. Every holiday, I would cook for a houseful. We enjoyed their music, appreciated their ideals and had many a thought provoking discussion but we never dropped out. We always both worked, never lived on the road, always had goals. I guess that is why I considered us on the fringe. Our goal was ~ a small piece of land (14 acres ) with a small home (1,200 sq ft ) in wooded country and all paid for. That is what we worked toward and why that friend of ours said we are the only ones he knew that attained our dream.

As far as quantity of land, I feel a buffer is imperative. We have a 3 acre plot cleared in the middle of our 14. The balance of our woods is for the wildlife. That said, I feel the young lady that started this thread needs to look for a suitable property for herself that she (working alone) can realistically pay for in her lifetime without being a slave to her work forever. I really have an aversion to paying interest. When we pay interest, we are supporting lending institutions far better that we are living as well as paying for their bad debtors and losses. If one didn't have to pay interest, one could purchase more land.

Well, just when you think it is all in the bag.........something else comes along :)

I found a 10 acre farmette in Indiana for sale by owner. 3 acres to maintain, 7 in 10 year old woods with a 1/2 mile established path throughout. Still going to try to look at RD funding where I have my approval, but at least I know there is an optional funding opportunity that isn't extortive rates.

Comes fully furnished with:
Lawn tractor
(2) Freezers
Permanent electric fencing on 1 acre
All the fencing and charger for 6 moveable sections of electric fence
All appliances (including a wine/cheese fridge) Never had one of those...LOL! (reg. fridge, washer, dryer, stove, etc.)
Two barns, one finished as a work shop that will take a woodstove and all kinds of tools (including some I have no idea what they are)
The other set up for chickens, goats and hay storage.
Garden area, fully fenced and amended (plus barn cleanings to use for this fall)

House needs no work; they are having a brand new roof put on this weekend, and all new wood flooring put down.
It has a basement that isn't leaking.
It is smaller than the other house, bedroom and bath wise, but same on the square footage.
Neighbors are close, but not right on top of me, so I'm not desolate out there.

It's like someone took everything I needed, and everything I wanted (okay, so there's no spring, but it is well water, in the animal barn and out by the garden, as well as for the house) and wrapped it neatly in an affordable package for me. Best part is, they have a room for me to stay so I can drive out and look, work my shift, and return home. And oh yeah, high speed DSL plus back up wireless internet.
And a Mennonite dairy down the road...

What are the negatives you ask?
Well, -25 degrees for a low this past winter (coldest they've had in six years)
Close to absolutely no one I know on this planet...LOL! (must check DG and see who might be close by)
Shorter growing season and less fertile dirt than I have here currently; but they've done a great garden every year doing amendments (organic ones too!)

So...now I have more than one option. I can hardly work!!! LOL! So, you land proponents must have been praying for me, and if so, THANK YOU!

I'll send photos when I can.

(dancing off to run over the figures again and waiting impatiently to hear from the LO)

Overhead photo as provided by the current homeowner. I'm on the road tomorrow...woohoo! I hope I don't wear out my truck before I'm finished paying for it :/

Good luck on this adventure. Cold country would not suit me but with your type of work at least you don't have to fight the winter weather. Just remember all those tools, bldgs, fences, etc. require much more maintenance effort. Do report back...

that property is beautiful. Good luck!

Hineni, best of luck. I hope it's everything you are looking for. -25 is a tad of a chill. I'd not recommend a milking barn. 5 a.m. forays could test limits. Honestly, this property sounds like it has a lot, thus will require more in the way of maintenance. Woods logged ten years ago, especially in that climate, will be important to evaluate. It means you probably won't have hardwood to burn.

Podster, I'm bent 'twixt sappy nostalgia and 'tween pomposity. Good for you that you have always had a direction. Not so with me. I had lots of questions. I went to work at a younger age than many and had goals too. I had the chance to explore other possibilities, while still pretty young, and carpe diemed. I'll be forthcoming here. I was not at Woodstock! BTW, this exchange is a bit tongue in cheek. Yes? I don't lol that readily.
L

Well, an exhausted road trip later, it turned out to be for naught as far as for buying. But it was a good, if tiring, exercise.

The farmhouse has been badly chopped up in renovation by the previous owners and there is a ton of lost and unusable space. The caliber of the work is, well, very sketchy (done by previous owners). It is all sub-flooring currently, and although they are planning on re-flooring before the sale, after seeing some of the other work they have done, I'd prefer a more experienced and thorough person do the work. They are replacing the roof (contracted work), but they aren't planning on removing the old roofing and putting down new vapor barrier and whatnot; again, something I'd prefer to be done professionally and correctly. One barn is in excellent shape, the one that functions as a workshop. The animal barn has been neglected even whilst being used, needs a lot of upper level structural work to be safely usable, and needs an intense and thorough cleaning along with a new half-roof. The cellar/basement doesn't get cool enough to use for vegetable and canning storage, and it's not very user-friendly even for storage type purpose. The porch close in project is still all plywood and needs to be finished properly.

The land lays well, is fast draining and the fencing is all good. Bush hogging would need to be done once just to hold back the encroaching baby forest. Not enough shrub/baby trees to use for firewood in any foreseeable future. Garden areas need a lot of amending due to high sand content, but that was a workable issue.

Overall,after talking to the LO and knowing that the owner thinks it's worth a lot more than I do as a buyer, and as the LO from a lending perspective he wasn't willing to even look at it with rehab funds anywhere near that price, so I'll have to take a pass.

I press onward!

Well, the offer is in on the smaller property ....we'll see how it goes! Time to crash and get some sleep.

good luck hineni
we are sending good vibes your way. I sure hope you can find a place soon. I m sure your anxouis to get in a home and start moving in.
best of luck to you

Thanks Sue :) The current owners don't want to tear the shared wall barn down, so....unless we overcome that impasse, I may have to keep on looking. Ah well, you appreciate things you work hard for, right? (grin) I know it will all work out eventually.

yea that shared barn wall is a kinda strange i have never heard of that ?
but when we were looking we had a house and 80 acres that we loved ! but he had a front area that he sold to the farmer next door . Well that was the front yard ! ? then he seperated the back woods with a barn and sold the front acres of it, so how would i get to the acres behind the barn i would have to cross someone elses land ??? yeah it was to weird for us so we passed on it :(
how are them dogs of yours ?

Pity about the second place...
Couldn't you tear down the shared wall barn after you bought? Or at least your half?

Well, as you say "The adventure continues!"
Muddle on!
=0)

Yeah, it's pretty weird. They rejected my initial offer, which required them to remove the barn before closing. They countered, but would not remove the barn. So I let it go. It seems to be a legal sticky wicket that I don't choose to have to wrestle with immediately upon possession.

I'll let you know if I find something else, but right now I'm out of state with my youngest daughter who is due to present me with my first grandchild on Wednesday. I'll be out of pocket from Tuesday night when they admit her, until probably late Thursday. House-hunting has to fall by the wayside temporarily :)

Well, imagine that! You, a G'ma... how wonderful. =0)
It's a little hard to believe we've lived that long, isn't it? Can't wait to hear about the new G'baby... enjoy!

How fun ~ a new baby. Congratulations are in order! All the more reason to find your special place in the country for the little one to enjoy and make good memories.

have a great time Hineni T&P for you and new the arrival.

Thanks all. Braedon Alexander arrived yesterday at 13:07 P.M. - he and mommy are doing wonderfully. It was an amazingly good birth and I feel so blessed to have been by her side to assist.

It has been a tough week; right after I left for my trip down here, my husband died at home. He was 40 and it was completely unexpected. I am told it will be months before the autopsy results are available as to cause of death.

Dealing with life and death in two short days has been incredibly surreal and exceptionally draining. I may be absent a while from the forums; or, I may need to talk a LOT. I don't know yet. My oldest daughter will accompany me on my return home to handle the arrangements and such once my daughter is released to go home after the birth.

I appreciate everyone's input so far.

~H

So sorry for your loss.. Reading your post, which I have really enjoyed, I just assumed you were single... Shouldn't assume, huh.. Well, prayers for you and your family ..I love reading about others experiences.

Larkie

Hineni i m sorry to hear of your DH .Many T&P for you and your DD.

Sincere condolences, Hineni. =0( Such a roller coaster of feelings you must be on right now. Our hearts are with you during this time... what a blessing Braedon will be in these next months.

Hugs and prayers for you and yours...
Blessings...
Jay

Thanks all, your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

Larkie, we were pursuing different paths for a while - he was returning to the city, and I was going to push forward in the countryside. I was going into it based on an unknown length of time there alone before we might be there together.

Heading back home today, with some stops to visit family along the way. My oldest daughter is going with me to help with the harder parts of the return home.

I've attached a photo of my little ray of sunshine that has illuminated the darkness of the last few days.

Hineni I lurked thru your other thread and found it fascinating and was hoping for the same thing this time.

So sorry to read about your husband. Sending prayers for you and the rest of the family. Thank goodness for that little ray of sunshine!

And a beautiful ray of sunshine he is.. Prayers are with you today..

Larkie