# We bought the farm! (Southeastern WI)



## Donsdatter

We have been wanting to be able to have a small hobby farm for some time. Right now, even though we live in a relatively small village in Illinois, we cannot own even 1 chicken due to local ordinances. So, an opportunity came to purchase a foreclosed, run down home on 5 acres with a dairy barn (needs refurbishment), several outbuildings in varying states of decay, and TONS of potential. We bought the potential.

So, it is likely going to take us a while to be able to fix it up enough to move in, so we are going to be working on it for a couple of years, remodel the house somewhat, and then move in and start raising a small amount of livestock. I would like to start a garden this year and I have been told there are some fruit trees and I have seen the raspberries and blackberries growing there.

I am looking forward to sharing my experience and gleaning a lot of information from others on this board. My experience is limited to the garden we have kept at our home for the last 5 years.

Thanks, and nice to meet you!


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## MoonShadows

Welcome and congratulations! This is going to be such a happy time for you.


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## simi-steading

Welcome to HT, and congrats on your new place. My wife and I are doing basically the same thing in WV. Moving this summer... We bought the potential, and it's been a lot of work, but it's so enjoyable for us to get away and do the work..

One question... ever seen The Money Pit? Remember when Tom Hanks poured the water in the tub? You WILL eventually find yourself standing there laughing like that one day.... We don't do the t-shirts we got the whole suit..


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## Donsdatter

simi-steading said:


> One question... ever seen The Money Pit? Remember when Tom Hanks poured the water in the tub? You WILL eventually find yourself standing there laughing like that one day.... We don't do the t-shirts we got the whole suit..


I know! It's a good thing that my husband and I have such a strong marriage. The good news is that we got the property for a song (around here anyway) $12000/acre. For comparison, land in the nearby town, Burlington, goes for about $60K/acre. Plus the buildings if we can salvage them. 

But man, it is going to be a money pit. My father has a lot of good connections, so I think we can get fair prices for the work we have to sub out. 


And we homeschool our 5 youngest with one on the way in July. Our older two are away at school. We have 7 boys and a girl, so we should have plenty of help  I'm really excited about sharing this experience with the kids. Then there will be a place for the grandkids to come back and visit.


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## simi-steading

Ouch.. to me, that's expensive for land.. We paid a grand an acre, and even then, that was on the high side. Our place was sold as a land deal since the house was unlivable at the time.

We're doing all our own work. I had kind of figured out what materials were going to cost, but as always, once you dive in, you find all kinds of other problems you didn't expect.. 

So far wee're at about 3 times the cost we had figured for the work we've got done. Some of that is also for buying some equipment we needed. Funny what you think you won't need, and what you eventually do... 

In the long run, when you look back and see what you've gotten accomplished, it sure is a good feeling.. plus I think all that work is good for the soul. My wife and I may come back home beat up bruised and tired after a week at the farm, but we feel so much better than had we of stuck around this that week.


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## Donsdatter

simi-steading said:


> Ouch.. to me, that's expensive for land.. We paid a grand an acre, and even then, that was on the high side. Our place was sold as a land deal since the house was unlivable at the time.


Yes, this is pretty much a land deal, because it has an unlivable house as well, auction terms/as is/ cash only.

But, my husband works in Chicago, we wanted to move to WI to get away from the even crazier taxes and land prices in IL, so this is the best we could do. The property is assessed at 195K, so we are going to have to get that reassessed, and go from there. 

I am just excited to live somewhere that has topsoil. Trying to garden in our subdivision with its clay, rocks, and grubs has been quite a challenge.


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## simi-steading

We moved to DC from Illinois. When I moved to IL I said it was temporary.. stayed there almost 20 years.. man was that a mistake.. You'll be a WHOLE lot happier after getting out of Thugcago..


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## Donsdatter

simi-steading said:


> You'll be a WHOLE lot happier after getting out of Thugcago..


Heck, yeah... so disgusting to see all the waste and the taxes just keep going up. Up north of the border, taxes are going down. I definitely see more future in the land of the cheeseheads. Then, later, who knows - we might sell this place and buy a homestead in Kentucky - when DH retires. But, with 8 kids, we have a while before we are going to have to worry about that


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## simi-steading

8 kids is just built in farm hands


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## myheaven

I gotta know where yah at in wisconsin.


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## Donsdatter

Near Burlington, Walworth County.


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## solsikkefarms

Welcome and grats!


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## PNP Katahdins

Welcome to the Badger State from Peg and Paul west of you, near Shullsburg. He grew up in Shabonna IL and I grew up in Appleton WI.


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## myheaven

As a mom of soon to be 9 congrats! It's going to be great. We have been looking for a rough farmstead to redo. We have already completed one. Now I'm borde as I have nothing to swing my sledge hammer at! Sob!!!


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## mikec4193

Congrats

We are doing the same thing....We closed on our 20 acres in mid October...waiting to get some trees harvested.....our toughest problem is the lack of time for me...been working 2 jobs for over 30 years...still trying how to do this thing called life without that second income...

Sounds like a great plan from here...

Hope your place becomes a home quickly and may the bills be small and the smiles really big...

Congrats from upstate NY

MikeC


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## krausen

We are not far from you in Waterford but we are looking to head a few hours north. To many people from Illinois around these parts. lol. That was a joke.


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## Donsdatter

krausen said:


> To many people from Illinois around these parts. lol. That was a joke.


Does it make it better that the only reason our family settled here was my father's military service?  

Wisconsin or downstate Illinois is definitely more my speed than metro Chicago.


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## krausen

I am a veteran myself and veterans always get a free pass with me.


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## arnie

Hi n glad your leaveing the sidewalks behind .I lived and worked in Chicago for many years luckily we kept the family farm here as well connections with frends and relitives so I had little trouble fitting into the community .as soon as I said a few words wit dis chaga accent I was reconized as a yankee but mentioning my native ansesters and trying to attend local commuity functions and farmers market I soon was adsepeted . try to get your gardening equipment and canners and knoldge of how to use them I found that raiseing a garden canning my milk cow chickens raiseing my own beef pork has been a great saver for me -But buying a tiller n tractor building housing and fenceing was costly yet by acuireing these things over the years and getting lots of things second hand = doable , good luck in your new adventure and this is a great plae to get questions ansered .


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## Donsdatter

arnie said:


> . try to get your gardening equipment and canners and knoldge of how to use them I found that raiseing a garden canning my milk cow chickens raiseing my own beef pork has been a great saver for me -But buying a tiller n tractor building housing and fenceing was costly yet by acuireing these things over the years and getting lots of things second hand = doable , good luck in your new adventure and this is a great plae to get questions ansered .


We'll have to work on fixing up the property for a little while before we can move there, but I have been doing more and more gardening and canning over the last few years. I have a seed starting setup (growlights on a shelf) in our basement, and I can salsa, tomatoes, jelly, and apple butter.

I would have tried to can some green beans this year, but those rabbits got ahold of them before I could.

Patience is going to be the hard part. I'm having a hard enough time waiting for spring, let alone til I can move into our new place in the country.


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## arnie

I purchased additional tending land in the 1980s after what I thought was a secure job was ended by the whim of a politition (regan nomics) made me realize nothing can be gaurenteed and the city rat race of grocery stores and land lords have no room for you without a pay check comeing in to one hand and out the other.leaving you with a pile of empty tin cans and parking tickets from the city . after retireing and with the raiseing of my own gardens,honey,milk, and meat . the seasonal colds and flu that were a part o city life have disapered weather from less contact with so many others or by the food not being shipped in from forien places with unknown ingredents or just the fresh air and less stress .but it can be agreat reward health wise


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## WIWinterman

Welcome to Walworth County!
You picked a good area - local to Burlington gives you beautiful land and easy access to jobs, even in K/R counties.


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