My wife and I bought 15 acres of pasture and pecan groves that had been used strictly for hay for over 25 years. No one really knows how long the homestead has been gone. This is our retirement home even though I will go back to work sometime next spring consulting part time to keep the toy money coming in. Or maybe I will have to perfect that infamous question, "would you like frys with that".
The pecan groves were severely overgrown, there was no water, sewage, electric, phone or internet on the property and only Water was available at the road. About 20 very large pecan trees, 2 small ponds and it seems like hundreds of mixed oak, cedar, pine, wild lemon and maple trees along with trees that I have no idea what they are. I also have 28 acres with an 18 acre pond of my BILs to manage. The cost in tools and useful toys has been amazing. Luckily a 1978 MF 175 with a 6" bush hog came with the property. I have bought a Yamaha Grizzly 700, A lifted Yamaha G29 Golf Cart, a garden tractor, a Husqvarna Zero Turn 54" mower, a large Chipper Shredder, a hand full of chainsaws, lopers, pitch forks, shovels and rakes and a 5X8 Utility Trailer. I also use regularly my BILs 6X18 Utility Trailer, his Kioti 4WD tractor with Front end loader and box blade and assorted tools I don't yet have. I have done some welding to pay him back for that. I also have had 6 loads of wash gravel dropped and I spread it for a drive way and parking pad. 6 Loads of dirt to build a pad for a new Manufactured home to sit on. Of course we bought the home, appliances, new living room, bedroom and dining room furniture plus all the toys (ATVs and Guns I didn't have in Illinois due to space and silly ass gun laws, yes I am a democrat AND a shooter, lol).
For the last 6 weeks we have been living in our RV and clearing the pecan groves, 2 done, 1 part way done and the biggest one just started. We also cut back the underbrush 12 to 18 feet all the way around the property. Removed 100 feet or so of pointless barbwire and fence poles, pulled about 1700 lbs of scrap metal out of the woods from where the previous owner tossed broken farm implements. In the process, I flat tore up the old 6 foot bush hog and am now looking for a 7 to 8 footer. Can't count the number of time I have sharpened all the chainsaws and probably will have to change a couple out soon.
Tomorrow finally the pad will be done and the first part of the house will be in place. Friday the other 2 parts will arrive and over the weekend and Monday and Tuesday it will get finished. We hope to see the sewage treatment plant go in on Wednesday along with the water lines run. The following Monday, the Power Company Engineer and our electrician will meet to determine where the service pole will go and soon after it will attached to the grid and the electrician will hook up the house. After that it is inspection time and then finally we can move in.
A heck of a lot more work and money that I expected but I will die right here so it is all good. The shop will be going in next, still finalizing what I am going to do. Still have a tractor shed to build and the carport roof and supports, but the end is in sight.
If you have never done this and plan to, triple the physical effort you think you will need and add 50% to the dollars you need to spend. But at least it is fun and beats the hell out of catching the 5:45AM train every day to go to Chicago and getting home about 6:30PM. And the hard works is helping me shed some weight, 2 pants sizes and 1 shirt size so far. So soon I will just be an obnoxious ass instead of an obnoxious fat ass. Hmmmm, doubt it.
The pecan groves were severely overgrown, there was no water, sewage, electric, phone or internet on the property and only Water was available at the road. About 20 very large pecan trees, 2 small ponds and it seems like hundreds of mixed oak, cedar, pine, wild lemon and maple trees along with trees that I have no idea what they are. I also have 28 acres with an 18 acre pond of my BILs to manage. The cost in tools and useful toys has been amazing. Luckily a 1978 MF 175 with a 6" bush hog came with the property. I have bought a Yamaha Grizzly 700, A lifted Yamaha G29 Golf Cart, a garden tractor, a Husqvarna Zero Turn 54" mower, a large Chipper Shredder, a hand full of chainsaws, lopers, pitch forks, shovels and rakes and a 5X8 Utility Trailer. I also use regularly my BILs 6X18 Utility Trailer, his Kioti 4WD tractor with Front end loader and box blade and assorted tools I don't yet have. I have done some welding to pay him back for that. I also have had 6 loads of wash gravel dropped and I spread it for a drive way and parking pad. 6 Loads of dirt to build a pad for a new Manufactured home to sit on. Of course we bought the home, appliances, new living room, bedroom and dining room furniture plus all the toys (ATVs and Guns I didn't have in Illinois due to space and silly ass gun laws, yes I am a democrat AND a shooter, lol).
For the last 6 weeks we have been living in our RV and clearing the pecan groves, 2 done, 1 part way done and the biggest one just started. We also cut back the underbrush 12 to 18 feet all the way around the property. Removed 100 feet or so of pointless barbwire and fence poles, pulled about 1700 lbs of scrap metal out of the woods from where the previous owner tossed broken farm implements. In the process, I flat tore up the old 6 foot bush hog and am now looking for a 7 to 8 footer. Can't count the number of time I have sharpened all the chainsaws and probably will have to change a couple out soon.
Tomorrow finally the pad will be done and the first part of the house will be in place. Friday the other 2 parts will arrive and over the weekend and Monday and Tuesday it will get finished. We hope to see the sewage treatment plant go in on Wednesday along with the water lines run. The following Monday, the Power Company Engineer and our electrician will meet to determine where the service pole will go and soon after it will attached to the grid and the electrician will hook up the house. After that it is inspection time and then finally we can move in.
A heck of a lot more work and money that I expected but I will die right here so it is all good. The shop will be going in next, still finalizing what I am going to do. Still have a tractor shed to build and the carport roof and supports, but the end is in sight.
If you have never done this and plan to, triple the physical effort you think you will need and add 50% to the dollars you need to spend. But at least it is fun and beats the hell out of catching the 5:45AM train every day to go to Chicago and getting home about 6:30PM. And the hard works is helping me shed some weight, 2 pants sizes and 1 shirt size so far. So soon I will just be an obnoxious ass instead of an obnoxious fat ass. Hmmmm, doubt it.
