Planning
We are looking to the future, here in the Day household. We are working with a realtor to find land, and scouring the internet for house plan ideas.
The realtor sent us several ideas for lots for sale. I think she sent about 7 that were right on the lake, but only about an acre. Some were in subdivisions, some weren't. The problem with those is less privacy (which means more noise) and less likely to see deer walk through the yard (I want that country feel). I don't care about being near the lake as much as Michael does, I really want a quiet, large, wooded lot. I want birds and deer, stars and a fire pit. I mostly want to feel safe in my own house and in my own yard again. So, our compromise is to be up on the "mountain" looking down on the lake. (I put mountain in quotes because it's a small one.) We would want our view to look something like this:
So far we have 3 lots we want to look at when we fly down there soon. Two are on the same street and have this view. The trees directly below us belong to the state park AND the trees across the water belong to the state park. This is wonderful because the view will always be trees, and not houses. Not to mention the deer in the park are very tame and could easily wander into our yard, which backs up to the park. They're on the east side of the lake, which means we would be able to see sunsets over the lake every night. The downside is the two lots are on the small side - one is 2 acres, one is 3 acres (with only 1.5 acres of buildable land.) That feels a little small compared to the 30 acres I thought we might buy. And, we are unsure about the land across the street. If that later sells to become a subdivision, we will be right back where we are here with too much going on around us. But, these 2 properties are on the inexpensive end, so they have that going for them. In fact, they are so inexpensive that we are considering buying them both, if they're adjoining.
The third property is much more expensive, but in a different location and NINE acres. It has the view Michael wants and the trees I want. This land has many level areas we could build on, which is really important to us. We know the least about this property - the views look to include several buildings, in with the tree view. Not sure how I feel about that. Also, one of the pictures had above ground power lines. It's on the west side of the lake, so we would see sunrises over the lake, not sunsets. We will definitely need to see that one in person.
We are looking to build a 3000 square foot home, no basement, no second floor. We will need a lot of space for that when you add on big porches and decks. Not to mention a fire pit. And Michael's boat needs it's own detached garage on the property. This is why I'm worried 1.5 of buildable land may not be enough. Especially when you see it's a rectangular shaped property, which is narrow. I wouldn't want the detached garage in front of the house and I wouldn't want it behind the house, blocking the view. So, we need enough width.
Anyway, this is where we are now. We are keeping our eyes open for more property, hopefully if we move further north on the lake we will find cheaper land. We are praying for guidance during this process. Not to mention, we will need to fly back and forth a lot over the next year, which may not be possible if the whole Ebola thing gets much worse. Our less than 2 hour flight may turn into an eleven hour drive. :-/ God is in control!!!
The realtor sent us several ideas for lots for sale. I think she sent about 7 that were right on the lake, but only about an acre. Some were in subdivisions, some weren't. The problem with those is less privacy (which means more noise) and less likely to see deer walk through the yard (I want that country feel). I don't care about being near the lake as much as Michael does, I really want a quiet, large, wooded lot. I want birds and deer, stars and a fire pit. I mostly want to feel safe in my own house and in my own yard again. So, our compromise is to be up on the "mountain" looking down on the lake. (I put mountain in quotes because it's a small one.) We would want our view to look something like this:
 |
| This picture was taken straight from the MLS we are most interested in |
So far we have 3 lots we want to look at when we fly down there soon. Two are on the same street and have this view. The trees directly below us belong to the state park AND the trees across the water belong to the state park. This is wonderful because the view will always be trees, and not houses. Not to mention the deer in the park are very tame and could easily wander into our yard, which backs up to the park. They're on the east side of the lake, which means we would be able to see sunsets over the lake every night. The downside is the two lots are on the small side - one is 2 acres, one is 3 acres (with only 1.5 acres of buildable land.) That feels a little small compared to the 30 acres I thought we might buy. And, we are unsure about the land across the street. If that later sells to become a subdivision, we will be right back where we are here with too much going on around us. But, these 2 properties are on the inexpensive end, so they have that going for them. In fact, they are so inexpensive that we are considering buying them both, if they're adjoining.
The third property is much more expensive, but in a different location and NINE acres. It has the view Michael wants and the trees I want. This land has many level areas we could build on, which is really important to us. We know the least about this property - the views look to include several buildings, in with the tree view. Not sure how I feel about that. Also, one of the pictures had above ground power lines. It's on the west side of the lake, so we would see sunrises over the lake, not sunsets. We will definitely need to see that one in person.
We are looking to build a 3000 square foot home, no basement, no second floor. We will need a lot of space for that when you add on big porches and decks. Not to mention a fire pit. And Michael's boat needs it's own detached garage on the property. This is why I'm worried 1.5 of buildable land may not be enough. Especially when you see it's a rectangular shaped property, which is narrow. I wouldn't want the detached garage in front of the house and I wouldn't want it behind the house, blocking the view. So, we need enough width.
Anyway, this is where we are now. We are keeping our eyes open for more property, hopefully if we move further north on the lake we will find cheaper land. We are praying for guidance during this process. Not to mention, we will need to fly back and forth a lot over the next year, which may not be possible if the whole Ebola thing gets much worse. Our less than 2 hour flight may turn into an eleven hour drive. :-/ God is in control!!!
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