My journey begins

mikec4193 · #1 10/23/13, 12:27 PM

Hi Everyone

I dont post much on here but I wanted to share a little bit of our path we are one. It was I believe Oct. 9 2013 and we closed on 20 acres (+/-) in a small town in the very southern tip of the Adirondack Park in upstate NY....We had been on and off (looking at this property) with this property since early June of this year...It had been lived in or on by the same guy for about 30 years....it is a cool little place. There is a cellar where the guy lived, an outhouse (yucky for me), a small garage/shop, another junk shed and two open type Adirondack type open pole barns (no floors, just large wooden poles and a tin roof)...
The basement is about 22'x34' in size so our future house is going to be small...but who really needs a large house anyways????....I have 4 years left at my govt job...so I hope to have a small modular type house on the basement, a large addition on the shop so I can get my boy toys in it before I leave this position....
It is a time in my life full of all kinds of possiblities...my life wife is on board with most of it too...
Oh yeah we payed cash for the property so I am hoping to pay cash for all the other stuff we will need to make it feel more homey....

I hope I can fit into the smaller town it sits in. The local hunting community has already broke into the sheds...not sure why country folk need to wreck stuff that isnt theirs but hopefully I will be able to fit in once I get there in 4 years...

Oh yeah first thing we did was plant 2 apple trees 3 days after we closed on it....we also found some grape vines and some asparigus too.

Kinda scared about all this but....GOD is good....here we go..

MikeC

sisterpine · #2 10/23/13, 12:36 PM

Wishing you a most wonderful journey! sis

Pig in a poke · #3 10/23/13, 12:47 PM

Great that you could pay in cash, good for you! I like the apple-tree planting. Hope it was a ceremonial event to christen your new place. And asparagus to boot!

You should post here (with pictures) as you develop your house and land. Any immediate plans for animals?

Tad · #4 10/23/13, 01:25 PM

We hunt in the Speculator, Wells area of the state park. Beautiful area of the state, enjoy!

Sent from my iPad using Homesteading Today

BlueRose · #5 10/23/13, 06:06 PM

Enjoy your 'trip' and I second Pig in a poke. We need pics

Tricky Grama · #6 10/24/13, 06:58 AM

Congratulatons, welcome, prayers & good thoughts for success, sorry about the break in, hope there's no more.

Patty

mikec4193 · #7 10/24/13, 09:52 AM

Hi Everyone

Right now animals are planned. I have listened to the Back to Eden Garden movie several times and I have followed Paul on Youtube also. Chickens are a neccescity for sure. Another dog that barks and isnt afraid to bite to ward off the folks that want to wander where they dont belong. I was thinking about goats too but not sure if I can handle little kids at this point in my life.
First plan is get the water pump up and running so at least we can wash up in the basement.

I am really looking forward to getting a quote on the modular house. I really wanted to do a stick built with rough cut locally grown lumber but I work 6 1/2 days a week so that plan I dont think that is gonna happen. I just dont have the time to get a house build alone. My wife can help I am sure but.....I am ADD or AHDH or whatever they call it....I would focus way too hard on trying to get this thing built and not enjoy the journey at all...
So hopefully this plan might work better for us...

Anybody wanna shoot me any opinions or insight I am open to any and all at this point...

Thanks
MikeC

ronbre · #8 10/24/13, 10:51 AM

you may want to put up some no trespassing/hunting signs and also make the property LOOK lived in..if you can.

Maybe some motion sensor and timer lights...and make sure there are always tracks going in when there is snow on the ground

we have a lot of seasonal people around here..best to make it appear lived in

Homesteader · #9 10/24/13, 11:49 AM

Way to go! Many good wishes for success!

karenp · #10 10/25/13, 05:42 AM

If you meet someone you get a good feeling about and give them permission to hunt during the week when you aren't there it might help keep the riff-raff out. Modular homes have come a long way, if you want more space on the same foot print go up. You can get a cape cod or even a full 2 story. If you are remote, double check the access, we almost couldn't get ours down the driveway. Sound beautiful, goo luck.

Darren · #11 10/25/13, 05:56 AM

If the previous resident is available ask them about the locals. Find out who is trust worthy and give them permission to hunt and keep an eye on the property. You need something to keep local meth heads off the property.

Sparticle · #12 10/25/13, 08:06 AM

Funny, after you get used to it, I'll bet you like the outhouse better. We do. We keep a little metal bucket in there with leaves (the best) or wood shavings (if we're out of leaves) and throw a handful in after every use. No smell. Really easy to clean.

During the winter we stop using it and use a composting bucket toilet inside. By spring the outhouse has decomosed into a nice crumbly, non-smelly material and hubby digs out what he can and puts in the humanure pile. We haven't used it yet for planting flowers. We thought after 3 years would would have a mountain, but it keeps breaking down to almost nothing. We have a trail that goes near the pile and there really is no smell. Occasionally a tomato plant will grow out of it. :-)

Nancy · #13 10/26/13, 11:23 AM

Would love some pictures

bluetick · #14 10/26/13, 06:34 PM

My little homestead was in Galway, NY, and I had a camp on a small lake near Wells. Had to relocate to be nearer my adult children due to health and age reasons - and, yes, I miss NY - except in the winter!

My .02 - a one story home works better for old legs and backs. Chickens are on all predators' menus so a sturdy coop is required, and fencing will keep out some of them.

If you choose oil for heating, and put your boiler in the cellar, get an oil-fired water heater. Having the boiler come on all year round helps to keep the cellar from becoming too damp. Personally, I prefer hot water baseboard heat to hot air.

Make sure you have the well water tested for contaminents and bacteria. Septic systems aren't cheap, but highly recommended!

I hope you enjoy many wonderful years in your new home!

geo in mi · #15 10/27/13, 09:02 AM

Get your apple trees protected before winter sets in. You can use the plastic spiral wrap to keep the rabbits and voles from chewing on the lower bark, and you should encircle them with fence wire to back off the deer and keep them from nipping off the branches.

Good luck.

Hope you saved enough money to get a survey made, with plenty of irons and flags. This lets the neighbors (some of whom are already intruding) know there is a new owner who won't be cowered by the more aggressive ones.

Buy yourself a good pair of gloves....

geo

Cindy in NY · #16 10/28/13, 07:32 AM

Hi Mike - we exchanged PM's back when you started your search. Glad to see that you have found a homestead! Would love to see some pics!

Jennifer L. · #17 10/28/13, 08:05 AM

Doubt it's local hunters breaking in, more likely those coming up from Albany or another urban area who don't own their own hunting ground and trespass on others.

You may not keep your nice place if you have a dog that bites and you get sued. It's much better to have a dog that LOOKS like it will bite.

Good luck. It's a nice area over there.

mikec4193 · #18 10/28/13, 11:23 AM

HI Everyone

I went up or over to the property yesterday...talked to neighbor for a little bit...We put a new latch and lock on the garage building. Put a couple more posted signs up with our phone number on them. I also was in contact with the local state police barracks and they will start looking after my place.

My biggest issue right now is I work 6 1/2 days a week so my Sunday afternoons are my only time to get anything done on the place. I will be paying to get anything done I am sure....I wanna do stuff myself but with my schedules it isnt gonna happen. I do get 4 weeks off from desk job so I maybe able to break away to get some stuff done on it when I am off.

My wife has summers off so we (she)are hoping to get somestuff done then too...

I gotta post up some pictures...it isnt much yet but I do have 4 years to get my stuff together...my ducks in a row as they say...

Hey blutick...Galway NY...funny... I drive thru that town to get to this area....very nice area...kinda piricey as far as real estate goes tho...that is why (this place) we are about 20 minutes West of Galway...

Jennifer I agree it probably wasnt locals either...everybody seems friendly so far and they wave to us when we are out by the road...nothing like where I live now where they wanna run you over and not blink an eye...

MikeC

Annsni · #19 10/28/13, 01:29 PM

How wonderful!! I work at a camp in Corinth so I'm sure we're nearby.

littlejoe · #20 10/28/13, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikec4193

The local hunting community has already broke into the sheds...not sure why country folk need to wreck stuff that isnt theirs but hopefully I will be able to fit in once I get there in 4 years...

If you want to blame the local hunting community, you've already got strikes against you. You could've said vandals as easily as what you did? They are in every crowd.

I'm a part of my "hunting community". I take care and take part in it. I help my neighbors when they need help and when I'm available to help. Not as a hunter, but as a neighbor. I'm a hunter, and some of them are hunters.

As a landowner, I have welcomed others who have never offered any kind of help, but want to have the opportunity to hunt. Yes, I have had words with tresspassers. But, I won't lump them all into a category.

How would you feel if I lumped all govt workers into the same category?

That's a pretty shortsighted opinion you have of the "hunting community"