Finally Bought Some Land

[j44ke]

One day as sort of a "well we have time so what the heck" we ended up looking at some land just outside Hillsdale NY. Not the sort of land we imagined buying - pine woodland with deciduous trees mix over rolling terrain on a small hill - but there was a small creek on the property, many tumbledown stone fences leftover from the 1800's farm it once was, and many of the pines were over 75 feet, allowing for a nice shaded breeze on even warm days. So it grew on us. 6 months later (easements, easements, easements) we've finally bought the land - 32 acres of firewood, turkeys, grouse, fox, bobcat and deer.













Now the headaches begin in earnest. I am sure there are plenty of others here who can tell stories. Please feel invited to do so. I am all ears. We meet with our architects (LevenBetts) Tuesday for the preliminary conversations. I figure we'll be happy if the foundation is in by winter. No designs yet - first had to get land, but we really like this house by a Canuckian architect. We'll see.

Most importantly, the riding rocks in that area. Right over the mountain from Great Barrington, 25 minutes to Hudson, lots of ups, gravel, history, etc. What a relief from the stinky city! Hooray.

[colker]

wonderfull! Congratulations.

[guido]

Congratulations! Looks like it is really special! Enjoy!

[Too Tall]

Congratulations. It will be a place of peace. True respite.

Dang, you did it :)

[christian]

Congratulations! Looks beautiful! Do you have an active deer lease on the property? If not, would you be interested in leasing for deer season?

[Matthew Strongin]

Congrats Jorn! I hope to follow in your footsteps one day.

[Saab2000]

My family owns a couple parcels in Wisconsin. I can easily imagine a dwelling on one of them one day.

[cny rider]

Congrats to you.
Come join us in Otsego County for a nice ride or two when you're settled in and have the chance.

[Corso]

Very Nice! Congrats!
I hope you have a mountain bike!

[caleb]

Very nice, and I'm glad to see the dream coming together.

The cabin design you linked would be smart, especially the covered outdoor seating. As you know, it rains a lot, and being able to enjoy the outdoors when it's raining would be a big design feature I'd consider if building from scratch.

Good luck!

[robin3mj]

Host a CX race!
Congrats!

[j44ke]

Thanks. I am particularly psyched about the creek, which after the semi-drought last year was barely a trickle and now is burbling away. It is also 1/2 of the start of the Roeliff Jansen Kill, which runs from just north of our property to the southern border of Columbia County and north again to Germantown where it enters the Hudson River. I like being at the start of things.

No hunting. Some sort of covenant in the title about it. Plus I think we are within the town boundary. Need to brush up on the local regulations.

Yeah, the porch with a large overhang is key. We came back from Japan having spent time sitting on temple porches out of the rain thinking, yep we need one of those.

I'm thinking a Zank Road32 or 44 Huntsmen would be about right. Then I'll start work on the Jorn Fondo.

[Dallas Tex]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[echelon_john]

1. Screened porch. Better yet, 2. One for entertaining, one for sleeping out when it's hot or you just feel like it.

2. Not all excavators are created equal. Some will minimize damage/unnecessary tree removal, some just want to clear a big route and nature be damned. Construction is disruptive regardless, but there are ways to keep the land around the house in a close to natural state if that's your thing.

3. Highly recommend living on site for a year before building. Yurt, camper...the more time you spend before you finalize the house site & break ground, the more you'll learn to inform those decisions.

4. No doors under eaves. Adds a whole other layer of snow issues.

5. Design the driveway with a place to put snow and a clear shot for the plow driver. No dead ends they'll have to back drag.

6. Foam insulation. Very tight air sealing.

7. Composite trim & decking. Unless you like yearly maintenance and biannual major service.

8. NY has great tax/rebate incentives for efficiency efforts; check em out.

9. Have fun!

[Matthew Strongin]

1. Screened porch. Better yet, 2. One for entertaining, one for sleeping out when it's hot or you just feel like it.

2. Not all excavators are created equal. Some will minimize damage/unnecessary tree removal, some just want to clear a big route and nature be damned. Construction is disruptive regardless, but there are ways to keep the land around the house in a close to natural state if that's your thing.

3. Highly recommend living on site for a year before building. Yurt, camper...the more time you spend before you finalize the house site & break ground, the more you'll learn to inform those decisions.

4. No doors under eaves. Adds a whole other layer of snow issues.

5. Design the driveway with a place to put snow and a clear shot for the plow driver. No dead ends they'll have to back drag.

6. Foam insulation. Very tight air sealing.

7. Composite trim & decking. Unless you like yearly maintenance and biannual major service.

8. NY has great tax/rebate incentives for efficiency efforts; check em out.

9. Have fun!

I've been telling my wife we need to do #3 ever since we started talking about buying some land. Not to steal Jorn's thread, but any tips on how to convince a city slicker with mountain tendencies to live in a yurt?

[echelon_john]

Make sure your electrical service is enough to power the hot tub and electric blanket?

I've been telling my wife we need to do #3 ever since we started talking about buying some land. Not to steal Jorn's thread, but any tips on how to convince a city slicker with mountain tendencies to live in a yurt?

[j44ke]

1. Screened porch. Better yet, 2. One for entertaining, one for sleeping out when it's hot or you just feel like it.

2. Not all excavators are created equal. Some will minimize damage/unnecessary tree removal, some just want to clear a big route and nature be damned. Construction is disruptive regardless, but there are ways to keep the land around the house in a close to natural state if that's your thing.

3. Highly recommend living on site for a year before building. Yurt, camper...the more time you spend before you finalize the house site & break ground, the more you'll learn to inform those decisions.

4. No doors under eaves. Adds a whole other layer of snow issues.

5. Design the driveway with a place to put snow and a clear shot for the plow driver. No dead ends they'll have to back drag.

6. Foam insulation. Very tight air sealing.

7. Composite trim & decking. Unless you like yearly maintenance and biannual major service.

8. NY has great tax/rebate incentives for efficiency efforts; check em out.

9. Have fun!

Good list. All are good points, but we are definitely doing #3. Maybe the aforementioned Airstream but more likely a platform with a tin roof and a tent.

There is going to be some vegetable damage regardless. Our approved septic design is full of trees right now, so those have to go I believe. But in about 70% of the land, cutting is verboten due to covenants & restrictions in the title meant to keep the town green and well treed. So we have an excuse for walling off sections from machines. But I know contractor-based destruction.

Matt - I think you have to show your wife (is she the yurt resistant one?) all the yurts on Cabin Porn. They aren't necessarily roughing it.

[Mabouya]

Since you have the creek, have you considered something like this? ;)

[Matthew Strongin]

Make sure your electrical service is enough to power the hot tub and electric blanket?

Hot tub might do it.

[MisterDangerPants]

Very nice! My wife and I are also looking at land in the Berkshires and recently checked out 10 acres in the shadow of Mount Williams. Looks very much like what you've purchased.