# Found the land, now what?



## digdan (Jul 1, 2009)

I'm new to this forum, so I hope I'm posting this in the right spot.

I've been very self sufficient most my city living life, and now that I'm getting older I'm planning on how to finish the greater part of my life via homesteading. 

I'm not going to purchase this land, but this is a "for-instance". This amount of land and location that I will purchase in the future will be near identical to this :

http://www.landsalelistings.com/usa/idaho/land-grazing-recreation/


My question is this. Where do I start when it comes to homesteading this land? Power/Sewer/Dwelling/Farm/Garden/Water/Communication/Roads/Apiary(I'm an avid beekeep), etc.

Is there a guide to homesteading "fresh" land? Its high mountain desert, so water is a giant concern.


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## TripletDad (Apr 21, 2009)

We live in the Missouri Ozarks. Things are bit different here where the landowner has sufficient rights to protect his claim.

With that comes some things that our real estate broker (owner finance) just so happened to "forget".

For instance, we did not know that in order to get power, our neighbors had to sign off a right of way on their land. We were naive being city folk and thinking that just because we had land we had it made and the utilities would just be a piece of cake. Thankfully, we had a good neighbor who signed over an easement for us mainly because he wanted the power company to clean up his road frontage. However, the neighbor immediately next to us, said "No in the **** way, are you getting power through my land!" And, you know, he was fully within his rights to do that. Fate could have had it that we paid a lump sum of down payment to a title holder only to acquire land that was locked away from traditional utility access.

There are other things to be wary of which comes to the utility companies themselves. for instance, unless we had a drilled well, we could not qualify for utilities. In another county, it was unless we had an enclosed cistern as well as at least a 1,500 poured footer and foundation, we could not get power. Now these are all cooperative electric companies that I am mentioning. I am in between two local towns where one has 4,000 people and the other had 2,000 people.

State and county laws and permits. Be aware of what your state and county require before going gun hoe on your building plans. In our area, since we have over 3 acres we were allowed to build a lagoon to catch our sewer and waste water. If we had less than 3 acres, then we were required to build a traditional septic system, which preferably, if we could, we would have done that instead. However, we were unsure at the time where we actually wanted to build on our land, so the lagoon is working great until we decide what to do next.

Neighbors. We have some very crafty neighbors who have great equipment. Older neighbors are helpful if they feel they aren't going to be hired out to do all of your landscaping. Just be careful not to ask too much help too soon else they may be wary of you. On another note though, don't be surprised if your neighbors don't even know each other as was the case recently when a tornado when through our neighborhood and I overheard two neighbors talking who were backyard neighbors. One had 12 acres and the other had 80 acres. The one wife said to the other, "Now, who are you?". They had been neighbors for over 15 years.

Consider the lay of the land and the mindset. Here in the Ozarks, it is rough living. The animal mortality rate can be high depending on your personal experience, your location, and well, fate. People who have been in our area for a long time are here because they have figured out how to not hold on to things that are losses and they have learned to go with the winning card. Remember this as you meet people and as you start out on your fun homestead. Remember that the locals might find you as a novice if you are gaily tracking down a path that is widely known to be not prosperous.

Consider that the mindset of your area may be keenly acute towards things that are successful, so when you meet people be careful to not expose all of your personal and private joyous pursuits as like what you are gardening or raising. For instance, we had horses for three years in full view, and we got the local chuckle for it too. And, they were correct, we just sold our last horse this summer because we couldn't reasonably keep supporting something that was not giving back as much as we put into it.

There is nothing wrong with being inventive, but try not to get your hopes up that your neighbors will pitch right in and help you on your plans. Just be happy to have what you have and keep on trucking and experimenting with your new found freedom. After time, the neighbors do settle down and begin to accept you after they figure out that no matter how they treat you or ignore you and no matter what hardships have come your way that you are just as stubborn as they are. Folks have a way of silently respecting that.

Good luck!


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## digdan (Jul 1, 2009)

That was a great response! I will truly head your words.


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## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

I'm in an area that doesn't require permits for building, and I started the same way as you.....bare ground. 

The FIRST thing I did was put in a septic system, but that's only because the kind I wanted to put in was going to be outlawed in another month. I needed to get it in before the deadline. (It was a leach-field system). 

The NEXT thing I did was put in a culvert and driveway so I could get back to the property...just a stoned drive. 

Then I cleared my orchard and planted trees. I bought the property in August, and had all of this done by winter.

Then it sat all winter.

The next spring, I cleared (cleared meaning I pulled and burned 3 acres of corn stubble!) land for the garden, built a chicken coop (to see if I'd be able to build a house!), and had the well drilled and electricity brought to the property. I had a box with several outlets mounted right on the pole and that was enough to power the electric fence for the chicken coop and to run the well pump to water the orchard. Cleared and mowed the rest of the property and planted an acre of wildflowers over the front and septic field. Raised chickens and a garden. That was about it for that year.

The next year I put up a 30X50 barn and I think that was about it. (I work full-time, and I was doing all this as I could afford it.) I'm glad I built the barn first because that gave me somewhere to store all the equipment and stuff I had accumulated, plus all the building materials for the house. If that stuff had been left in the open -- and I don't live there -- it would have been gone in no time!

This past year, I started building the house. It is all dried in, but I need to finish the exterior siding, fascia, etc., and then the entire inside needs done. I still have to hook it to the septic and electric yet, too. But that will be my next steps.

After that will just be landscaping.

Hope this rough sequence helps you a bit! Basically, I just did things as I needed them -- but get your orchard in early!


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