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Thread: Purchased my Land! Tug Hill Region New York

  1. #1
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    Purchased my Land! Tug Hill Region New York

    Hello Everyone,

    We just recently closed on 8.6 acres of awesome land in the Tug Hill region of upstate NY, about 10 minutes from Camden. Since we were financially able to pretty much pull down most of the purchase with cash, (we only had to finance about 30% of it) I'll be planning on attending the class within the next year, or as soon as I'm able...The plan is to build a small one room butt & pass cabin with small loft..The land is in a remote area (the whole area is pretty much remote) but the beauty is we are off of a county road with access to electric/phone!! We have a spring fed brook on the property..the water runs fast in areas over stones, etc...it's really cool! There are probably around 1,000 feet or more of old stone walls inside of the property...I would imagine old land boundries likely from the mid 19th century...lots of timber..mature maple, spruce, cherry, etc....just beautiful.

    So does anyone have any experience in this area as far as building goes? A lot of folks are actually in the logging business up there, and there is actually a timber company just a mile or so up the road from our land..I saw what looked like log home logs on a big flat bed truck in the lumber yard recently when we drove by, and the town is full of machinery for sale/hire for logging, digging, excavation, etc...

    Do I happen to have any neighbors on this message board? Thanks as always, and our first step is done! Now on to planning the butt & pass dream!

  2. #2
    congrats on the purchase! big step
    I'm not building you your neck of the woods though.
    perhaps someone who is will post here
    welcome to the forums!

  3. #3
    Wow! It sounds wonderful!

    Blondie

  4. #4
    LHBA Member WNYcabinplannin's Avatar
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    I'm about 3 hours away to your west. I'm sure you know tug hill area gets a LOT OF SNOW, 2-300' a year to the others on here. I'd consider a 12/12 pitch roof with steel, and you'll likely be oversizing the rafters or decreasing the spacing. Sourcing logs will be easier than for most people. Only problem is international paper owns a majority if it and they don't often sell to the public.
    After you take the class, send me a PM. My forester likely has connections with other foresters around your area.
    Great that you're starting small. Enjoy the class!

  5. #5
    LHBA Member spiralsands's Avatar
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    I'm south of you in Syracuse but my land is in Fulton County at the southwest corner of the Adirondacks. Congratulations on the land purchase. Welcome to "Lake Effect Land"!

  6. #6
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    Thanks all for the responses!

    Thanks WNYcabinplannin, Yes I understand the snow is epic up there....fortunately, there is an abundance of hard and soft wood on the property for fuel..not to mention we have access to electric. I'll pay close attention to the roof as you've mentioned. I appreciate the forester connection idea, I'm pretty certain I'll be able to find a really good affordable solution up there by hook or by crook. The reasons why we jumped on this land are numerous the main 3 things about this land: resources, resources, resources....lots of trees, close proximity to the community of Camden which has an abundance of any and all farming/outdoor resources you could imagine, not to mention grocery stores, Tractor Supply store, etc...year round water supply, listed as one of the top salmon fishing areas worldwide, numerous deer and other wildlife, spring fed brook on property that flows year round, access to electric from the nicely paved county road...My taxes are $700 per year at present which is perfectly fine with me...We have an antique wood powerboat, and The salmon river res is close by and Lake Oneida is about 20 minutes away, so this property/area has more available than I would have ever dreamed I would find...Also, I'm simply in love with the antique stone walls throughout the property...it is straight out of a story book!

  7. #7
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    Hello Spiralsands, I was planning on sending you a message as I've seen a few of your past posts talking about the area of NY you're in...Thanks for reaching out! I'm sure we will be in communication as time goes on..

  8. #8
    LHBA Member spiralsands's Avatar
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    All the reasons you listed for your choice of location I remember using as criteria for my land too. Water was number one. I'm on a beautiful state road that has a history that goes back before the Revolutionary War. I too have rock walls on my property but they are buried deep in the woods and covered with growth. My daughter and I discovered them on a walk around the perimeter when we were gathering GPS points for the boundary.

    Unfortunately for me, my daughter has dropped out of my home building plans (It happens.) and I am on my own. So I had been stalled as I tried to re-imagine the work done alone. I had just come up with a plan and now, as a result of a set-back with my little house foundation, I've been questioning the entire meaning of life. I'll figure it out I guess but I'm nervous about how things will look over another winter.

    Oh, P.S.: If you need logs, I gots 'em. More than 2/3 of my property is old forest.
    Last edited by spiralsands; 10-19-2014 at 01:26 PM.

  9. #9
    Congratulations on your new property! If you are planning on building a one-room butt and pass log cabin w/loft, it would benefit you a lot to get in on the upcoming class Feb 14th & 15th. Currently, my Len is currently building one. He has a thread on the Member's Forum.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYcabinplannin View Post
    I'm about 3 hours away to your west. I'm sure you know tug hill area gets a LOT OF SNOW, 2-300' a year to the others on here. I'd consider a 12/12 pitch roof with steel, and you'll likely be oversizing the rafters or decreasing the spacing. Sourcing logs will be easier than for most people. Only problem is international paper owns a majority if it and they don't often sell to the public.
    After you take the class, send me a PM. My forester likely has connections with other foresters around your area.
    Great that you're starting small. Enjoy the class!
    Sorry for the late response WNYcabinplannin, but I've been researching the Tug Hill region and not only is most of the land owned by the state and private individuals as recreational, The Nature Conservancy (just to name one entity vested in the region) has a great amount of skin in the game in The Tug Hill region...below is a bit from their website.

    The Nature Conservancy began focusing on Tug Hill in 1998. Four years later the Conservancy purchased a 45,000-acre property that comprises fully one-third of Tug Hill’s core forest; at the time, this was the Conservancy’s largest-ever acquisition in New York. The acquisition of this tract also was groundbreaking in that it was supported by the local community. The Conservancy, the Tug Hill Commission and the East Branch of Fish Creek Working Group, a local group of stakeholders, worked together to ensure that conservation priorities were integrated with local desires.

    Our 45,000-acre acquisition permanently protected important natural areas, provided new public access opportunities while continuing traditional recreational activities, and required sustainable forestry practices that safeguard Tug Hill’s natural resources and guarantee a steady flow of timber products off the majority of the property.

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