And So It Begins ..... Do You Remember?

A year and a half ago we started looking for property - tired of being packed into a subdivision. Several months ago we started to realize our dream when we bought 12 acres of prime cow pasture. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Today I came home and reflected a bit on the miles, time, hard work, and money that it took to get us to this point:
Temporary electric power is in.
Well and septic are in.
Fencing and gates are done.
Pad for pole barn is done.
House area is scraped down.

Within the next 2 weeks the pole barn should be up and our house builder will start putting the foundation forms in place.
LIFE IS GOOD and I feel very blessed to be able to share it with a great wife and good friends.

Of course we will have our trials and difficulties, but there is a good thing about feeling like you are accomplishing something worthwhile.

That's it - just wanted to ramble a bit about all this. I knew that you folks here would understand and remember when you first started on your own property. We'll be in the subdivision until the new house is done and my neighbors think we are NUTS to move so far away from "civilization" [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] !!!

The folks who only know about life in subdivisions are the ones who are nuts... just don't have a clue what they are missing. Living in subdivisions for the past 26 years has made me nuts and I can't wait until we get moved onto our three acres. That is a far cry from 19 acres with only four neighbors within a mile, which is how I grew up, but my three acres is looking pretty dad gum good after more than half a lifetime in and near the city.

What I cannot figure out is the people who out of town to a little subdivison where the lots are a half acre or an acre. They are almost as crowded in as in the city. Of course, if everyone had 5, 10 or 20 acres, there would be no country left. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

You are right about that, DD. I always thought that when the day came to own a few acres and build a house that I would have nice sized spread with huge, spreading oaks all over it. Instead I have a three acre pasture with a few trash (tallow) trees on it. Buuuut, I am in a good location and am as pleased as punch to have the three acres and I look forward to getting electrics, septic and well and a driveway in because then I know it won't be long before I will be living in my new house.

<font color="blue">Temporary electric power is in</font color>

My electric company won't put in temporary power until there is a structure in place -- this is why I am starting to building my pole barn.

I live in the still rural part of Massachusetts (i.e. the valley/berkshires area), and about 6 years ago I owned a house with a 2 acre lot. A house about 1 mile away was coming on the market because the owners died and I jumped on it (176 acres! [img]/forums/images/icons/ooo.gif[/img] )....but the funny thing is when I was telling some of my clients about the fact that I was selling my house and moving to something with more land, one guy in particular said " You already have TWO acres and you are buying something with MORE land!???).

I was suprised, but remember most of these guys, who all live in and around boston, have 1/4 acre lots at best....pretty funny isn't it...its all a matter of perspective. 2 acres to them was already a HUGE tract of land what could you possibly do with more than 2 acres of land??? [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Now I have 176 acres and I keep eyeing the 100 acre lot next to mine..... [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

I have 50 acres, and would be interested in the 48 acres next to me as well. As you are well aware, they just aren't "making" anymore land. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

What could you do with more than two acres of land? Hmmm, let me think on that one for about 1/10th of a second! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

My shift partner at work (a city slicker by all definitions of the term) dropped his jaw when I told him that my uncle in Ark. had given me 19 acres last year. To him I may as well have been given a million acres. On the other hand, you having 176 acres, now THAT is more like it! [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img] That's almost enough room to spread your elbows a little.

I would have bought some adjacent property too, but the budget wasn't there for it.

Thanks for your comments. There are a lot of intangible things that go along with all this that are hard to describe - for example this weekend I got the area where the house will sit all scraped down and ready for forms. I really got a kick out of getting the site ready myself and having some say-so about where and what we build on the property.

Another thing I like are the small-town companies we've started dealing with. They actually remember you and really make you feel that they appreciate your business. They also know what an ag exemption is too.

My wife and I are are building a house on 5 acres in a rural area in Ohio. I have noticed how nice all the people in the area are. We are only 30 miles from the big city, but it seems alot further. i hope to post pictures soon. the house is 65% complete. we hope to move in by the middle of Oct. . I can't wait to live in the Mayberry atmosphere . [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] <font color="yellow"> </font color>

<font color="green"> I keep eyeing the 100 acre lot next to mine.....
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had a great uncle that all he ever wanted was the land adjoining ... and then the land adjoining ... and then ... he did it about 3 - 4 times too.

Nice '57 Chev.

You are right on the money. We had nothing but trouble starting our home. Had to fire the first engineer after he could not turn out plans in seven months. Lost our start date in the spring and then hooked up with a great architect and were ready to start last October. The house is up and done except for the lower level. That is to be completed this winter while to snow flies out side.

After we started things went very well. You are right that things will go wrong. That is when you find out if you have hired the right people. We were very lucky to have picked the best people available in our area as subs. It took a lot of homework but it was well worth it.

Learned to drive on my Dad's '57 Chevy - it was blue and a really sweet car.

Rural vs Urban - NO CONTEST!!

The urban folks I work with to "pay for my habit of living on the farm" start to get some sense of it when I tell them on most days it takes me 12 minutes to get to work (or 15 if both stop lights are red) [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] .

Freedom, space to roam, like minded neighbours. I'm living less than a mile from the house I was born in.

Life is amazing. http://www3.sympatico.ca/resonance/images/Septsky1.jpg

Bob

Glad you like the car [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
What a magnificent picture - funny that you posted it because we were just talking about how much better the sunsets looked on our new Ponderosa. Another thing is being able to see the star-filled sky at night thanks to no city lights. It's like being at a campsite that you happen to live at [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
We know this all brings a new set of challenges, but it's a good way to go.