Undeveloped land

[AMERICAN MADE]

New owners of 30 acres of "I have no ideal where to start".
Any one out there ever started from scratch?
Do you make a driveway, clear an area to be, put in water, electric, sewer?????
Fence it, kill the ants or just throw up your hands and say "what was I thinking"
Any ideals would be lovely.

[MississippiSlim]

I feel your pain! My wife and I built our place in the middle of about 80 acres six years ago and well its still not "Done". We built a thing that might be called a driveway (1600 ft off a dead end road). Had power run to where we planned to build. Started clearing pine trees. Dug and put in a water line (Yech) We then started building our house. A year later we moved in...still not finished! We then built a chicken coop and got chicks. We built a pig pen and raised a pig. Currently I have a barn started. Fencing started, etc etc,. I would highly recommend if possible building a good size barn with a small living area that you could live in until you got the house built then you have a barn and a place to live. Wish I had done that. Carving out a place of your own is the hardest most frustrating thing you will ever do and worth every drop of sweat! Good luck! Keep us updated!

[hillsidedigger]

Details: location, topography, your goals, etc.?

[Old Vet]

Every thing you listed and more. What you need to do is to work on the things that must be done first. Make a list and see what has to be done first so that other things can be done. Then threw up your hands and ask why am I doing this.

[Windy in Kansas]

Welcome to the forums AMERICAN MADE, glad you decided to join in the fun.

Feel free to query, answer, give thoughts and opinions.

What do you have in mind for the land? Is it just a place for a home, a small farm, pasture for livestock, a market garden site, a source for firewood, etc.? In other words, why did you buy it, and why that particular property?

Before buying did you do research to see if it probably had water under it for a well? Is the soil all clay, or will it perk and allow sewer drainage?

I think you already have most of your answers in mind from what you've already posted.

Sorry that you hit the time period of a bump in the road for Countryside Families.
Again, welcome. Windy in Kansas

[ErinP]

Originally Posted by AMERICAN MADE

New owners of 30 acres of "I have no ideal where to start".
Any one out there ever started from scratch?
Do you make a driveway, clear an area to be, put in water, electric, sewer?????
Fence it, kill the ants or just throw up your hands and say "what was I thinking"
Any ideals would be lovely.

We just closed on 40 acres of pasture a week and a half ago.
First thing we did was finish the fencing. (The quarter mile next to the county road had long-ago disappeared). A couple days of work and there's now a nice, four-strand barbed wire fence. Instant gratification. We can see that we've accomplished something.

Project number two is getting water in. No point putting in a house if there's no water source.
Number three will be getting the power co. to string in some lines.

Then construction can begin. A hole first for the basement. Laying the blocks for the wall. Etc, etc.
The driveway will be a natural as we keep making and re-making a path over to the build site.... And so on.

[Chuck R.]

As the others pointed out, the first step is to develop a realist feasible plan.

"Not planning, is planning to fail"

We bought 40 acres in 2005, made a list of improvements with a corresponding timeline, it's been adjusted and modified many times, but the basic milestones are still intact. We’ve been making steady improvements since buying it. A couple things you might want to look at are what can be done soonest to show some return now, to help offset the costs of improvements.

We were originally stuck with ours in CRP which was OK because it provided $1000 a year towards equipment rentals etc. to do pond work. I just paid off the front 40 and bought the back 40 acres, so we're up to 80 acres now. We’ve negotiated a deal with the farmer north of us to lease some for hay and put in a corn field. He's doing some of the field work, correcting drainage issues and getting rocks out as part of our agreement. This will generate more income and some deductions which will help pay for fencing and more improvements.

It’s a pretty daunting thing at first, but by sitting down and making a plan you can get it done.

Chuck

[Jan Doling]

Check with neighbors that have been there, done that....you may find local codes require things be done in a certasin order.

[quadcam79]

I havent done it but I would think you would start with your basic needs first, you need shelter , a way to get into that shelter and depending on the codes you would have to have your well and septic in place at the same time. then expand out from there.

if it were me I would look for an area to put a home, higher ground then begin to clear that area and work my way out from there. then I would start a small garden with the basics and just keep expanding and building out from that point.

just write up your needs in order of importance and start tackling them one at a time, it's alot easier to set small goals and take them on one by one then to try and plan a 30 acre farm at one shot

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by AMERICAN MADE

New owners of 30 acres of "I have no ideal where to start".
Any one out there ever started from scratch?
Do you make a driveway, clear an area to be, put in water, electric, sewer?????
Fence it, kill the ants or just throw up your hands and say "what was I thinking"
Any ideals would be lovely.

First thing we did was cut down part of the fence so we would have a drive way. Then we brush hogged the 7 foot high weeds and other stuff to see where the best place to put the house would be.

Then we cut down a *very* few trees to make room, hauled the trailer in and then put in electicity. Next came the sewer and the well. Then we hauled in a portable building. Once we moved in and started living full time we put in some fruit trees and a garden.

We'll be putting in some more trees next year and enlarging the garden. We'll have to cut down a few more trees to make more room for some grapes. Eventually we're going add a small pond for some catfish.

It's a long process and you just have to muddle along bit by bit. But doing all this stuff and watching a field turn into a homestead is most of the fun. Enjoy it.

donsgal

[Scrounger]

I'll try this again, since the first time I posted it vanished......

We bought our farm in 2001, and the very first thing we did was build an outhouse. My brother - who lives nearby - HATED the fact that we had (have) and outhouse. It didn't make matters any better when I covered it with PINK Owens-Corning Housewrap, and left it that way for 3-4 years! It was on a hill and visible for MILES.....He was enbarassed by it, and told people it was a "Garden Shed". If people asked me, I told them it was an outhouse.....

Next, we built a driveway.

Next came a 30x16 two room cabin that we lived in while we were there working on stuff (it is now my woodshop).

Then came a 10x20 shed for storage (it is now a chicken coop.)

After that we built a bigger shed (13x 30) to house tractors and some equipment.

Next - a 13x26 goat barn.

We then found someone 6 miles from here that wanted an old farmhouse moved. We got the house for free, but paid to move it. We set the house long before we had water and electric. They didn't know where it would be coming from, so we had to dig under footings when it DID come, but it was easier then guessing.

Just last year, I was able to scrounge enough materials to build a 40x60 addition onto the goat barn.

Fence is an ongoing task...

[Wags]

1) figure out what your goals are for this land.
2) spend some time walking your land and getting a feel for it.
3) draw up a site plan - figure out the best location for houses, barns, garden etc... don't just do it in your head, get it down on paper!
4) depending on the topography/soil well or driveway will come next.
5) electric could be next, depending on your immediate needs, and long term goals.

[CarolynRenee]

As others have mentioned, plan, plan, plan! I've made hundreds....yes, that many, sketches of our proposed homesite & land years before we made the move. It definately helps to see things on paper.

I'm not sure of your financial situation, but as Scrounger wrote, make buildings that can be for your shelter, then converted over to something else.

Fencing (surveyed) around the entire property is another thing that I think is VERY important. You may not "need" it now, but eventually you will want it....usually when there are "questions" about property lines & such.

After basic shelter, I would think water supply, electricity & then the "other" stuff. There is always "other" stuff, no matter how many fences you've put up, no matter how many buildings you've built, no mater how many things you've dong, there is always something else to be done.

It is a very daunting task. But every time I look out my window, I can say "We did that!". (and then go back to the "TO DO" list).

Good luck!

[hotzcatz]

This land is where? And you want to do what with it? What constitutes "undeveloped"? How far away is the nearest roadway of any type, electric, phone, etc.?

Make a list or draw a plan of where you want to go and then figure out the steps to get there. It's the same process for baking a cake as for building a house and usually you do it one step at a time. Plan the end result, gather the materials, follow the recipe and hope it all turns out well.

[edcopp]

Welcome to the forum.

The first thing that I would do is to take a break. Just pitch a tent and camp out for a few days. You will get to know your land better that way.

Now that said there is no way any of us can answer your questions until we get more information. Land in the AZ desert is very different from land in a MS swamp. We don't know where you are of anything about the land.

You might want a nice garden spot when the land would be better suited for a "Holiday Inn". So take a break, ask lots of questions and give us a little more info.