Please help, Looking for info about Glenwood

[survivaljoe]

I wanted to say thanks for the useful information you all gave. I'm just really trying to get a good idea of what I might run into while clearing and building in that area. I was planning on using a chainsaw to rough out a small driveway and building area for a small house, and then bringing in a smaller dozer to clean it up a bit. If that sounds impractical please tell me.

[lquade]

it is very doable unless you have a huge guave grove. they have been fairly invasive last few years. if not you can clear alot yourself. there is a guy here that rents a little dozer with a blade or scoop for quite reasonable(200 day) and then i saw someone on craigslist that was only charging 60 an hour with him operating it. both pretty good options if you grub it first yourself...

[DanielP]

If you are young and strong and have way more time than money, then clearing by hand is doable, especially if you like to work in the rain. Otherwise a mini excavator is what I would use initially. Eventually a D-9 to rip and roll, if you are on the flow.

Dan

[YurtGirl]

Lots are either very small or 5+ acres up there from what we have seen. We are on the lower South Glenwood Rd in Fern Forest. It is a bit less rainy on North Glenwood, just a bit, great views, a LOT more dirt. Your biggest challenge in growing will be elevation and the potential for too much wet. Just do research to account for those elements and you should do well. It's pretty up there. Nice and cool, huge, old trees... watch that pull out onto the highway!! We have had way too many fatalities there

Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973

[survivaljoe]

Good info, thanks. My main concern is the ground itself. I don't have the funds or the want for a large dozer to come in and level everything. My thought is to chainsaw the guava sticks and save them for later use, keep the larger trees, and clear out a short driveway and small homesite. Hopefully I get this done with a mini-ex and some basic tools. I'm in my 20's so labor isn't my concern, it's the money. I'm a carpenter by trade also, and I figure if I can do this with my savings, I'll be a homeowner and debt free. At least, that's the plan.

My goal with survey, permits, material for a 400 sq. ft. house, and equipment rental is to keep this under 10k.

[bluesboy]

quote:

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Originally posted by survivaljoe

My goal with survey, permits, material for a 400 sq. ft. house, and equipment rental is to keep this under 10k.

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try double that.

[kalakoa]

More to the point: permits basically double the cost of the project. Side effect: value is also doubled.

[dwedeking]

quote:

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value is also doubled

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I can see if your planning on selling then value is doubled (no real added value per se other than ease to sale/biddable price because the buyer will more than likely have bought into the "permitted for safety" propaganda) but if your planning on holding and using then the permit scheme is just an added charge to pay for local bureaucracy and trade guilds (licensing scam and unions where applicable).

"Government is good at one thing: it knows how to break your legs, hand you a crutch, and say, 'See, if it weren’t for the government, you wouldn’t be able to walk." - Harry Browne

[kalakoa]

I should have been more clear: "apparent dollar value" is doubled, which is great if your idea of "wealth" involves chasing "money".

Permits can also be a useful hedge against "complaint-driven" enforcement.

[YurtGirl]

I don't see why permitting would add more than 5k on a simple efficiency unit. Drafting, permitting, septic or cesspool engineering, all inclusive, including walk through of permits... Permitting doesn't add a whole lot in materials needed if you are going efficiency so... double? Not in my business.

That said, you need to account for adequate infrastructure to your property, and that's where most of the cost of building is. You could hand clear a lot, but you'd better plan on bringing in basecoarse and a top aggregate of cinder or gravel for that drive or you will battle a mud pit for life. Building on dirt, it is not wise to do without a cleared and settled housepad or you will have to contend with settling later on. That type of work is where you will need the machine. Excavator can do it. And then digging a cesspool, or on lots smaller than an acre, that's a septic, and you are looking at about 6k average on that. You can't do that on your own, has to be a licensed contractor and signed by a plumber.

Then cost of Water catchment, good gate (always wise to install early), and cost of building. Add cost of permits, you will need them up there. 10k is a start, but it is enough to cover your basic infrastructure alone. If you jump ahead, you could build a shack with a muddy drive, but no waste water system, no clean water system, no electric system... Lots of people try it. Not many last long. A bit of planning and patience goes a reeeeaaalllly long way. Best of luck!

Melissa Fletcher
___________________________
"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973