quick preface for those not following my previous blatherings ... I am moving to land a friend of mine is making into a glampsite (30+ acres). There are a few structures but need to put up something for myself to live in and figure out storing my stuff. She really doesn't want any RVs, but most anything else goes, and regs in the area are quite lenient. It's still in early stages, only a yurt rentable at this point.
I was really thinking cabin... but then the other stuff I needed, like a garage, somewhere for my tool benches and tools, where to do my hobbies, how to store my fabric and leather? where does my other stuff go ...? cabins are small, I was only going to stay in it until renters started showing up, then get to work on another to stay in, over and over again, growing my fleet as they pay for themselves... but there is only so long I would stay sane with my belongings in a storage container (that will eventually be revamped to become a rental apartment). I started seeing all these extra buildings I needed - a garage to hold my car and mowers, maybe make that extra size for tool benches, a lot of pegboard, all my tools... would need a wall so I don't throw shards of anything at car from workbench .... where could I store my fabric and do my sewing? gees, would need a cedar building ... greenhouse isn't that hard but would have to double as potting shed ... every structure would need heat and light.
Well, duh, why not hire my friendly neighbor Amish man with his own sawmill?? Could not possibly get a better price on wood perfectly suited to the job, and the best craftsmen. And, best part, all my stuff, under one roof (well, eventually, as I get it out of storage container...).
I haven't gotten down to brass tacks, just visualizing the different sections and what is in them to figure out needed square footage, which is not ever the same as desired square footage.... the idea just hit the other night and land owner likes it and mill owner is excited about the project. There is already a spot picked out, a cleared area with a bit of elevation to it (yeah!) Near the street as I wanted a quick driveway of gravel, not a mile back. I haven't seen the spot, don't need to - all of her land is beautiful! We're going to be building it out until we die, so makes sense to me to start at street side and work our way back... I said I would be refreshing my gravel path every so often, so put me on a path so "my gravel" is also "our gravel" and parking lot can start taking shape, and the other planned structures, too. Will also help with big vehicles coming in, less stuck in the mud...
I need to think through what my new life needs and build enough barn to support that without over building. My dollars will go quite far in this scheme, and if I design it right, I'll have the right set up for the various money making ventures, be warm and toasty all winter (wood burning stove for heat), and can putter in the middle of the night and not disturb camp. Feels like the perfect solution to get started. It's already got my creativity short circuiting on idea after idea....
Eventually, I'll move farther back, farther uphill to my final home (which will definitely have running water and septic; barn won't unless I make out Really Good on home sale; I am otherwise trying to slim-budget my start there) and this will become the Party Barn, that we use for fun stuff, and more importantly, rent out (the rehab will likely have running water). I have always wanted a party barn, I didn't expect to have one. It's ok, there are lots of things in life I have wanted and will maybe never have. But this big building is going to solve a lot of problems, including, reliable storm shelter that should fit all homesteaders and guests during scary weather events.
While most people get rid of a lot of stuff when they move, I'm not doing that, because I expect to furnish many buildings over time; it's homesteading with a twist. I don't actually have a lot of stuff anymore, having done the paring down as I go. My brother hit a life skid a few years ago and I ended up with a lot of stuff from his home (he is full time over the road trucker, lays his head at Mom's). I plan to put all sleepable furniture in there as soon as I have floors. We will be 3 homesteaders to start, but we all have intensely curious friends, and I want to be ready for them. Or, the inevitable scary weather that often hits in the middle of the night.
Always wanted a cabin in the mountains, too, and I'll have more than one. I expect I'll have a pack of cabins renting before I can build my "home home", as the barn won't pay for itself until I move out of it, but will help me make money on other ventures. Doesn't matter, this isn't savings going into it, but a sliver of home equity earned over the decades. Aside from the place we moved when I was 4, I have never lived in a brand new home. Seems like time for that ... I've obviously never designed a building, either, so that'll be a fun process. Once I figure out the footprint, it shouldn't be hard to find a similar plan and get things going.
I have gotten to the point on my upcoming life chapter that it's hard to settle down and get things done, so much nervous excitement. Sometimes, I get to forget that there's a pandemic going on ....
But the only way I get to go live in my new barn is to sell this house!!! I'm making progress, the cool weather has kindly helped me shampoo bedroom carpet and slap on some strategic paint. I have scary estimates on moving costs, which has led me to the least scary option of storage container (at least I get to keep an asset after spending scary money....) I have some walls that are now packed tubs, have been bartering stuff away, still need to find home for snow blower and some weed trimmers, but those are easy when you say "free!"
A few leaves have fallen, I really REALLY want to be out of here before leaf season. Raking leaves ranks high on my detested chore list, I usually mow them but it dulls the blade fast.
Thanks for listening to my excited ramblings. My last few years have been the strangest stretch of my life, as I never before lived with such flux, I always knew what I was doing and what was next, and my contingency plans, blah blah blah.... that's all gone, and I made my peace with it and formed new plans to fit new reality! Ok, rolling again, replanned my life! Then pandemic crapped on that and amplified the need to Do Something Else. [[ Everyone's plans got jettisoned, I was impacted lightly; I do know how lucky I am]]. I had expected to pay this place off and live here until I couldn't. But it turns out, it's not fun here anymore. This isn't the place I want to take care of any more, and I need a shorter chore list. Cutting out grass mowing saves me a lot of time. Living among mostly pine and no gutters, leaves won't be bothering me again... part of a community of like-minded people helping each other and camp succeed. I dig it.
I haven't told my family yet, I'll do that when I have an offer on the house. They aren't going to like this, I'll need to be far enough along that their doomspeak can't touch me. Friends called an emergency Zoom meeting to determine just what the heck I'm doing with my life .... I'm not sure why it always surprises me that people that should actually know me best turn out to not actually know me. If they really knew me, they would understand what a perfect fit this building out a glampground is for me. Can't imagine what the reaction will be to my building a barn... but it's right for me and that's really the most important point, no matter what "you can't", "you should", "why would you" crap I hear.
The internet ... where I can be who I am and nobody gets too alarmed by weird stuff from me....
I was really thinking cabin... but then the other stuff I needed, like a garage, somewhere for my tool benches and tools, where to do my hobbies, how to store my fabric and leather? where does my other stuff go ...? cabins are small, I was only going to stay in it until renters started showing up, then get to work on another to stay in, over and over again, growing my fleet as they pay for themselves... but there is only so long I would stay sane with my belongings in a storage container (that will eventually be revamped to become a rental apartment). I started seeing all these extra buildings I needed - a garage to hold my car and mowers, maybe make that extra size for tool benches, a lot of pegboard, all my tools... would need a wall so I don't throw shards of anything at car from workbench .... where could I store my fabric and do my sewing? gees, would need a cedar building ... greenhouse isn't that hard but would have to double as potting shed ... every structure would need heat and light.
Well, duh, why not hire my friendly neighbor Amish man with his own sawmill?? Could not possibly get a better price on wood perfectly suited to the job, and the best craftsmen. And, best part, all my stuff, under one roof (well, eventually, as I get it out of storage container...).
I haven't gotten down to brass tacks, just visualizing the different sections and what is in them to figure out needed square footage, which is not ever the same as desired square footage.... the idea just hit the other night and land owner likes it and mill owner is excited about the project. There is already a spot picked out, a cleared area with a bit of elevation to it (yeah!) Near the street as I wanted a quick driveway of gravel, not a mile back. I haven't seen the spot, don't need to - all of her land is beautiful! We're going to be building it out until we die, so makes sense to me to start at street side and work our way back... I said I would be refreshing my gravel path every so often, so put me on a path so "my gravel" is also "our gravel" and parking lot can start taking shape, and the other planned structures, too. Will also help with big vehicles coming in, less stuck in the mud...
I need to think through what my new life needs and build enough barn to support that without over building. My dollars will go quite far in this scheme, and if I design it right, I'll have the right set up for the various money making ventures, be warm and toasty all winter (wood burning stove for heat), and can putter in the middle of the night and not disturb camp. Feels like the perfect solution to get started. It's already got my creativity short circuiting on idea after idea....
Eventually, I'll move farther back, farther uphill to my final home (which will definitely have running water and septic; barn won't unless I make out Really Good on home sale; I am otherwise trying to slim-budget my start there) and this will become the Party Barn, that we use for fun stuff, and more importantly, rent out (the rehab will likely have running water). I have always wanted a party barn, I didn't expect to have one. It's ok, there are lots of things in life I have wanted and will maybe never have. But this big building is going to solve a lot of problems, including, reliable storm shelter that should fit all homesteaders and guests during scary weather events.
While most people get rid of a lot of stuff when they move, I'm not doing that, because I expect to furnish many buildings over time; it's homesteading with a twist. I don't actually have a lot of stuff anymore, having done the paring down as I go. My brother hit a life skid a few years ago and I ended up with a lot of stuff from his home (he is full time over the road trucker, lays his head at Mom's). I plan to put all sleepable furniture in there as soon as I have floors. We will be 3 homesteaders to start, but we all have intensely curious friends, and I want to be ready for them. Or, the inevitable scary weather that often hits in the middle of the night.
Always wanted a cabin in the mountains, too, and I'll have more than one. I expect I'll have a pack of cabins renting before I can build my "home home", as the barn won't pay for itself until I move out of it, but will help me make money on other ventures. Doesn't matter, this isn't savings going into it, but a sliver of home equity earned over the decades. Aside from the place we moved when I was 4, I have never lived in a brand new home. Seems like time for that ... I've obviously never designed a building, either, so that'll be a fun process. Once I figure out the footprint, it shouldn't be hard to find a similar plan and get things going.
I have gotten to the point on my upcoming life chapter that it's hard to settle down and get things done, so much nervous excitement. Sometimes, I get to forget that there's a pandemic going on ....
But the only way I get to go live in my new barn is to sell this house!!! I'm making progress, the cool weather has kindly helped me shampoo bedroom carpet and slap on some strategic paint. I have scary estimates on moving costs, which has led me to the least scary option of storage container (at least I get to keep an asset after spending scary money....) I have some walls that are now packed tubs, have been bartering stuff away, still need to find home for snow blower and some weed trimmers, but those are easy when you say "free!"
A few leaves have fallen, I really REALLY want to be out of here before leaf season. Raking leaves ranks high on my detested chore list, I usually mow them but it dulls the blade fast.
Thanks for listening to my excited ramblings. My last few years have been the strangest stretch of my life, as I never before lived with such flux, I always knew what I was doing and what was next, and my contingency plans, blah blah blah.... that's all gone, and I made my peace with it and formed new plans to fit new reality! Ok, rolling again, replanned my life! Then pandemic crapped on that and amplified the need to Do Something Else. [[ Everyone's plans got jettisoned, I was impacted lightly; I do know how lucky I am]]. I had expected to pay this place off and live here until I couldn't. But it turns out, it's not fun here anymore. This isn't the place I want to take care of any more, and I need a shorter chore list. Cutting out grass mowing saves me a lot of time. Living among mostly pine and no gutters, leaves won't be bothering me again... part of a community of like-minded people helping each other and camp succeed. I dig it.
I haven't told my family yet, I'll do that when I have an offer on the house. They aren't going to like this, I'll need to be far enough along that their doomspeak can't touch me. Friends called an emergency Zoom meeting to determine just what the heck I'm doing with my life .... I'm not sure why it always surprises me that people that should actually know me best turn out to not actually know me. If they really knew me, they would understand what a perfect fit this building out a glampground is for me. Can't imagine what the reaction will be to my building a barn... but it's right for me and that's really the most important point, no matter what "you can't", "you should", "why would you" crap I hear.
The internet ... where I can be who I am and nobody gets too alarmed by weird stuff from me....
