What was the First Thing You Did on Your New Homestead?

[1wannabefarmer]

I've mentioned that I've just bought my first house, that, while urban, will technically be my first homestead when I rip out all the lawn and putting it to food production and make a home for some quail and rabbits. However, while I get ready for the move, I thought it would be interesting to find out what the VERY first thing you did on your homestead was?

Since I'm moving in Mid-December in Canada, it'll be a god-awful amount of draft proofing.

[weedlady]

I transplanted my rhubarb from Ohio house to Michigan homestead.
my way of marking my territory.
M

[Rustaholic]

I built this house.
We moved in during September.
Read that as almost winter.
The next spring I planted 175 trees.

[ad in wnc]

I decided to plant ginseng in the woods behind my new house and got such a bad case of poison oak that I was on steroids for a month after it got in my blood stream.

[OH Boy]

First thing we did was cleaned up (seems like) about 5 tons of scrap metal, fence wire, pieces of half rotten lumber and big blocks of concrete that whoever used to farm this place left laying all over the place. And then bush hogged the weeds and brush down to get it to a state that we could keep it mowed.

[unregistered353870]

Went skinny dipping with my wife in our new pond! Then planted trees, lots and lots of trees.

[sustainabilly]

Cut down trees. Lots of trees. It was solid woods. Then learned all about chiggers. Did I mention cut down trees?

[moonwolf]

First thing was breaking ground with a tiller to plant a large garden.

[MNBobcat]

I wish I could say, "had sex in every room of the house" but unfortunately that wouldn't be true. I spent about 3 months stripping wallpaper off the walls in the house before we moved in.

[Rectifier]

Fencing! Lots of fencing. Land is not much use without fence.

[Shrek]

My first step was to set up my home workshop related to my previous career job skills so that I had a familiar source of income to finance my initial home place endeavors.

[Tricky Grama]

Very first was begin to pull vines out of trees, just explore all the wooded sections. 1st structure was a 24 x 16 shed w/porch.

[Old John]

The deck that goes around 3 sides of the upper floor of our Home was all Rotted out, and totally unsafe to walk on or even set foot on.
So, the first thing that needed repaired was that deck, sitting 10 feet off the ground in the front, and 1 foot of the ground on the back of the house.
Luckily we had budgeted money for it, 8 Grand. I did not have the time or the expertise for the job. It sits on 6x6 and 4x6 posts. It took a crew of 4 over a week to finish it.
It is a wonderful deck to sit out on in the evenings. It has great views across our valley

[Trainwrek]

Cut all my winter wood.

[Use Less]

I do hope you have checked that you can pull up the entire lawn for a garden, and raise critters where you are. Many cities have all kinds of regulations.

[nobrabbit]

Built a garage/workshop!

[geo in mi]

Cleaned up the effects of the previous owner's 9 (nine) kitty kats--three for each floor. Had to use a gallon of Chlorox and a belt sander in some places before laying down new carpeting. Tore up the kitchen lineoleum and replaced it. Had to, that's the only way we could buy this place--nobody else wanted it, even though it's a lakefront homestead. Went out into the woods and found fireplace wood. Called a furnace guy and had it checked and cleaned. Vacuumed all the cat hair out of the perimeter heating fins......(January, 1983)

geo

[simi-steading]

We closed on our house in a nearby own..

We drove to the new place... I unlocked the back door, then walked through the house to the front door... I walked out the front door and to the edge of the porch... I proceeded to unzip and water the front lawn..

Man did it feel good to get a place outside the city, where you can whizz off your front porch with no worries of being seen...




The first real thing we did was basically gut the house and start rebuilding, stating with the floor joists and floors... They were all rotted out.

[geo in mi]

Originally Posted by simi-steading

We closed on our house in a nearby own..

We drove to the new place... I unlocked the back door, then walked through the house to the front door... I walked out the front door and to the edge of the porch... I proceeded to unzip and water the front lawn..

Man did it feel good to get a place outside the city, where you can whizz off your front porch with no worries of being seen...

geo

[simi-steading]

Actually out here, helicopters are a nuisance.. Both oil and military.