land size

[andrew mason]

ok, im looking around at land plots, i found one that keeps jumping into my head, its only .34 acres, flat, has trees... but not allot.
i was reading a thread, (cant find it now) where it was expressed that 1 acre might not be enough.
the plot that im looking at has all utilites near by, and i would have to get them extended in, as far as the exact distance, im still trying to find out... but based on the disance to the nearest house.. i estimate 1000feet. it dose have public road access, and the road is maintained.
i am realy walking around in the dark here, and am looking for a bit of light.
as far as taking the class goes... next one that opens up in vegas, im jumping on it.

thank you.
-ANDREW MASON.

[panderson03]

this might be what you're looking for
<a href="http://www.loghomebuilders.org/choosing-right-land">http://www.loghomebuilders.org/choosing-right-land</a>

[edkemper]

I'd also recommend taking the class before choosing your property. Many things will become clear, things you haven't even thought of.

[rreidnauer]

I'd also recommend taking the class before choosing your property. Many things will become clear, things you haven't even thought of.
Absolutely!!! Don't jump into the fire unless it's a heckova deal.

[andrew mason]

its .34 acres for $3900. has all utilites near by, on a road, has an address. in an area that i would be interested in living in.

[loghousenut]

Around here that's what we pay for the hay that grows on .34 acres.

[jrdavis]

IF this is just too good a deal to pass up, then I'd:
1.) make sure the groud perks for well/sceptic
2.) Verify that you can build and/or size limitaitons
3.) They will allow YOU to build (codes, etc)
4.) all the things they will tell you in class.... :+
I just couldn't pass up #4.
JD

[rreidnauer]

At 0.34 acres, I'm must assume that utilities include water and sewer. A perk is not needed, nor could there be sufficient separation for a well and septic. If it's a fairly square lot, that comes to around 120 feet per side. I believe most septic codes call for minimum 100 ft separation from the well.
It's not a huge risk, and if you're comfortable living on (what I consider) such tight quarters, then by all means get it. I don't know whether you have established neighbors there or not, but I would expect complaints/tension during your build if there are, being in such close proximity to the noise. Remember, you got to live next to them once you're done. I've made it priority one to establish good relations with my neighbors. I know and value the importance of maintaining good relations.

[andrew mason]

yes, it dose include water and sewer.
according to the satalite photos i have been looking at.... my nearest neighbors are 1000ft away.

[Shark]

Be sure to check it out in person. Things can look better in pictures until you drive through the neighborhood.
The satellite images of our place don't show any neighbors, the images are at least 5 years old.

[andrew mason]

yea, seing it in person is the next big step.... but to fly to alaska is about $1000. i am an E-3 in the military.... 1000 for JUST the flight, that would kill me.
so, untill i can go there, all research im doing is all on internet, and telephone.

thank you.

[rreidnauer]

Oh! Alaska.
That changes things a bit. I can't imagine going to the extents of Alaska, biggest state in the Union, and only getting a third acre of it, and at nearly four grand to boot. I find it hard to believe land is that pricey up there, unless it's in a HOA or something, which includes amenities and such. (you'd never catch me in an HOA, especially in the personal freedom state of Alaska, but everyone is different)
I would never, never, NEVER buy a piece of land unless I saw it first hand . . . at least several times. They say photos never lie and a picture is worth a thousand words, but I can tell you that is a load of hogwash. Take it from someone who saw a lot of beautiful photos, only to be disappointed by reality time and time again. Example: Here is a photo I took when I checked out a piece of property. Looks like a nice drive in, right? WRONG! That was one steep mudder of a drive. Photos DO lie!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/titantornado/WVprop3.jpg

[Wilbert]

$3900 is nothing (so cheap if I'd see it passing through I'd buy it), but what you are building on it will be. Even if you get the materials for free it is alot of labour.A lot of times they say; when it is to good to be true, it usually is....( I would not sell a piece for that amount of money. it would only pay of if you have 100 pieces like that, so 100 new neighbors for the guy who buys it.
friend of my bought a 10 acre piece in Alaska for 10k, not a lot i thought first;but there was only acces through an ATV road !!! And in his case he had to come down from one of the lower 49 states. So the trip by car would take him several days, and by plane with all the family ain't cheap either, and you have to buy averything twice( a family atv collection does not fit in a plane)

[andrew mason]

well, i am looking at holding off on it.
i think instead il take the money that i would have spent on the land, and invest it... when it is that time, it should have grown by a healthy amount, so i will be able to buy a nice piece of land.
also, the realtor is not contacting me back... so that is a big turn off.

bty, where you yall look for cheap land? news paper? internet?

[jrdavis]

One of my favorite places to look for cheap land is <a href="http://www.unitedcountry.com">www.unitedcountry.com</a> You can search by state, by price, by size, etc.
Like the search for Nationwide, 40 acres or more, under $50,000 brings back over 100.
Have fun. find timber, enjoy dreaming..... **I have NO CONNECTION to anyone on that site.**
James.
PS. thanks for serving OUR great country.

[Wilbert]

It all depends where you want to buy. If you live in the area where you want to build too you 'll see the for sale signs that are not listed by a realtor too. So the market for that would be significantly smaller (out of town buyers do not know about them)
find out how big a budget you need for land that you want, get the budget or be sure you can acquire the budget pretty soon(mortgage), and then start searching everything and be on top of the new listings. Otherwise you get sick when you see something and do not have the bucks to get it. I had a great deal through a realtor/mls listing which I found on the internet in Canada, while living in Europe.( had to take the plane offcourse to check it out)

[rreidnauer]

also, the realtor is not contacting me back... so that is a big turn off.
bty, where you yall look for cheap land? news paper? internet?
Also searching for low dollar properties, I experienced the same problem. Many no call-backs. I base it on that realtors are just not interested in selling low commission properties. In the end, I bought my property privately, through a Craigslist ad of all places. Some of my favorite search sites were www.unitedcountry.com www.oodle.com and www.landandfarm.com

[Bjorn]

Andrew,
I definitely advise you to hold off on your Alaska land purchase until you can see it for yourself. I bought my Alaska acre in 2007, after going there every summer for 17 years and checking out literally hundreds of properties in the area where I wanted to build. I found a wooded acre located about 200 yards from the Kenai river, along a prime stretch of King Salmon fishing holes, right off a paved highway, and with no building permits required (between two towns, outside of both). I paid $7500, and I feel that this was a very fair price. Not dirt cheap, but I learnt a long time ago that you get what you pay for. My well will run about $3000 and my septic about the same. I will be able to build a 30x30 with spruce logs growing on my own property.
While looking for land I saw many cheap properties along the lines you describe. Some would have worked just fine for loghome building purposes; others would have been the proverbial pig in a poke. Look before you buy. My $.02.

[andrew mason]

Andrew,
I definitely advise you to hold off on your Alaska land purchase until you can see it for yourself. I bought my Alaska acre in 2007, after going there every summer for 17 years and checking out literally hundreds of properties in the area where I wanted to build. I found a wooded acre located about 200 yards from the Kenai river, along a prime stretch of King Salmon fishing holes, right off a paved highway, and with no building permits required (between two towns, outside of both). I paid $7500, and I feel that this was a very fair price. Not dirt cheap, but I learnt a long time ago that you get what you pay for. My well will run about $3000 and my septic about the same. I will be able to build a 30x30 with spruce logs growing on my own property.
While looking for land I saw many cheap properties along the lines you describe. Some would have worked just fine for loghome building purposes; others would have been the proverbial pig in a poke. Look before you buy. My $.02.


thank you.
this plot i was looking at is in kenai, i like the looks of the area... when i go to alaska on vacation, i will be stoping in kenai.

[chadfortman]

I got my land cheep for Va 11.5k for small plot that cost 30k in the city.
I chose it becuse its in the mountains and the roads are like off roading.
But with the cheep price tag you have pay allot for altertive septic and deal with break work about ever year half i do my self on my trucks.
I chose my location becuse wild life bears, deer, wild turky cant see all that the city.
The nats are bad and spiders bites me so much i think i can give spider man run for his money.
I spray some for spider but dont want posion the cats so i got be carfull pullets the best.
See the land a few times and drive from the nearest city then decide.
Ow got travel far for a job also that down fall also.
Dont rush into a lot becuse you could be stuck try sell for years like my first one.
Good luck INTO THE WILD

[chadfortman]

miss hap

[panderson03]

you know, its been a really long time since I've read anything about your progress. how is the land clearing coming? I think I remember reading you had a lot of oak trees. were you going to build with them or sell them for $$ to build? where are you at on your build? I suppose given your location you have to contend with A LOT of rock when ever you have to dig (like for footers or piers). can you give us an update on your progress? and post a picture or 2 (of the cats if nothing else:)) thanks!

[chadfortman]

Well I been working on a used car to get better miles then my truck.
Steve Wolf has been on me he keeps me going chatting to him. Last week droped the fuel tank on my jeep to do the pump and filter so i can get moved out my way for building. I was reading ths past winter on Underground homes and Green house side tracked. I did read some funny good books how live on next to nothing and Posioum living a classic book. These book will not be on oprah top list sorry ladies hahahaha
I got just a few trees to go and i ready this year to clear. Did my research on heavy equipment when i went see Shark and KingLewie I found the equipemt i wanted to rent in Largo Md. The oaks arent gone be sold becuse i didnt have enought for the guy come up here sell to him. Then he only wanted give me 100 a tree i rather use for firewood ore try use them to build with. The Vietnam vet nebor i was gone get in the deal ended up passing from cancer cigeretts.
Loggers dont pay jack ore they cant make a profit for them selfs. I was try find way how peal these oaks i tried a drawknife that isent gone work. I think the only way peal these oaks is soon after you cut ore you not getting the bark off. This past winter we had about 4 feet snow up here i was traped a week. I been looking over the craiglist try get a good set used cabinets and looking for tile free. I got some knotty pine panels for walls and a sink and Oak flooring i was destapling. Craiglist dried up some becuse the economy. I need refigure out how use photo bucket again to add my pictures.
1 So far the plan to move the jeep soon its half way done i got order a part i broke.
2. Cut the few trees left in the way
3. Rent the equipment out for the weekend.
4. After that start collecting oaks and pines for building I need know what i got before i can go get some new plans draw up stamped becuse oaks go only 22 feet then they grow all directions
So i was looking doing a 22 by 22 with a 17 by 22 bump out T shaped kinda..
Progress is slow but its starting to show.
What Freinds and relatives dont understand when you do everthing on your own it takes time and there lack of motovation working alone.
Chan sawing oak tree that weight over 3 thousand pounds with 27 inch butts you got go slow and carfull ore Your dead ! Come along and chains do help.
Mountain man out.

[panderson03]

thanks very much for the update. I've been wondering for a while how you're doing.
you are right about a lot of things. you gotta get all the prep work done before you move ahead. getting your jeep fixed up is a priority, doing your homework on machines for lifting is also important. clearing your lot is important. so many things are IMPORTANT and need to happen before the actual building can start:) and another thing you're right about is that it all takes time and working alone makes it go a heck of a lot slower!!!
I don't envy you and your oak trees. they're beautiful and all and after they're cut and split they make great fire wood but their bark is SO thick, I can't imagine trying to peel them. and trying to split them after they've seasoned would really be a work out. time to rent a gas or electric splitter!!:)
thanks again for the update. keep up the good work!

[jaxsnyder]

I saw that some of you were talking about oak trees and I was wondering if they are any good to build with. The property that we have is pretty much just oak but I have been told that they are too heavy and hard to work with. Just wondering if anyone has actually built with oak or if they know if they are actually any good...pros or cons?

[rreidnauer]

Sure it's heavier, maybe harder to peel, might be not quite as rot resistant, and perhaps has a lower insulating value, BUT there are plenty of barns and houses here in the North-East made of oak that are 100 ~ 200+ years old. The stuff nearly turns to iron when it get's that old. (drilling holes in those old joists to run electrical wiring can sometimes be a challenge) The only thing that does them old houses/barns in is either long-term water leaks or crumbling foundations.

[jaxsnyder]

Thanks for your response I appreciate it. Where in the Northeast are you planning to build? We are in New Jersey, we haven't taken the class yet but look forward to it just trying to get as much info. ahead of time as possible. I was also wondering if you should wait til after the class to cut down trees that you are going to use to build if you are going to use them from your own property or if it doesn't matter?

[jaxsnyder]

Thanks for your response I appreciate it. Where in the Northeast are you planning to build? We are in New Jersey, we haven't taken the class yet but look forward to it just trying to get as much info. ahead of time as possible. I was also wondering if you should wait til after the class to cut down trees that you are going to use to build if you are going to use them from your own property or if it doesn't matter?

[rreidnauer]

I'm currently living in the SE corner of Pennsylvania, near Allentown, but I don't want to say where I'm building on the public side to the forums, (a few family members that I don't want to find out where that's happening) but I'll say it's somewhere in the Appalachia region.
Don't cut those logs yet. Definitely take the class before doing anything rash.