Homestead mailing list

[Rob <becidawa AT hctc.com>]

On another list a guy was talking about starting a place this spring, I 
thought there could be someone with the same idea on this list. Come'on, 
it's possible!
Anyway here is a post on 'starting out'. I should have included a list of 
tools that I used ....


When we started with raw land in Minnesota I had a 'plan'.
I was going to start with some type of road off the township road, the next 
step was a shop then some place to live while we built a real house.
Like a lot of plans (for me) it didn't work out like that...

I did get the road in, I had 2 truck loads of class 5 gravel spread before 
we did anything. That turned out to be a great idea, that first spring 
everything else turned into mud.
The next step was a shop... I should have had a pole barn put up and built 
living quarters into that instead I bought an old mobile home.
I should have put up a shop... that mistake came to haunt us for a long time.

http://www.smithbrothersbuilders.com/Gambrel_Barns/gambrel_barns.html . 
With one of these buildings you could have a shop on the ground floor and 
an apartment up stairs.

The other thing I'd do if I was to find myself on raw land again is cut and 
stack a pile of firewood first thing.... You never know when you are going 
to need some seasoned firewood.

From our time starting out two (well three) "rules" became clear.

1) Everything takes longer and costs more than I budgeted for. EVERYTHING.
2) 'Temporary' can be a LONG time.
3) The trip to town for something forgotten is one of the longest trips in 
the world. If I need it I should get extras the first time...





Rob

becidawa AT hctc.com
Now in western Washington, USA