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A Farm of My Own:  Clearing Land  |
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justpassnthru
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
North Carolina
11 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 24 2009 : 09:04:08 AM
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| So the 'for sale' sign has gone up. We are going to try and sale our urban farm and this time, we will purchase a home with land. I have a question. We have found a home on 10 acres at a good price. (I have not let myself get excited, b/c we must sell this home first and in this market, that could take a while) But back to the 10 acres, the owners just logged the 10 acres--obviously getting every penny they could out of it. The land now has what I call "slash" everywhere. Of course they did not remove stumps or anything. Any one know what it would cost to have it cleared and graded? I would even consider 1 acre at a time over several years. It is hard for me to believe we could find this much land for the price they are asking. But the current condition of the land certainly dosen't lend itself to an immediate organic garden : ) BTW it's coastal NC, so no mountains or hard ground to contend with. Any advice would be appreciated! |
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2009 : 09:11:50 AM
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Wow it took alot to remove stumps from when we had about 20 trees taken down just around the house for fire danger. We own are own back hoe and it still took 8 weeks of solid digging. They do have stump grinders that you can hire. I have no idea about cost. They will go away over time too. I hope you get your land and farm. PS with the slash limbs and such a good shredder for wood chips is great we had so many we burned them. The pile of them was bigger than my house.
good luck
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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southerncrossgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
631 Posts
Gena
Harmony
NC
USA
631 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2009 : 3:03:36 PM
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I just know that when we had timber cut years ago, we thought we had hit the big time until it took almost all we made off the timber to have it cleaned up!!!
BE HAPPY!!! |
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palmettogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
571 Posts
sue
camden
south carolina
USA
571 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2009 : 06:05:07 AM
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| the only thing i ever heard about having tree stumps removed is that it is VERY expensive. (Can't give you a dollar amount cause i don't exactly remember....but a couple years ago in florida, a few of our palm trees died. i do remember talking to a guy about removing the stumps and I thought the price was astronomical!---and i'm not a cheap person, or even that careful with a dollar!) also, if the property looks crummy, maybe see about re-negotiating the price using the stump removal/clean-up as an excuse! |
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justpassnthru
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
North Carolina
11 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2009 : 10:03:22 AM
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| Yipes! So I keep telling myself "you are no stranger to hard work" and "don't sell yourself short, it'll just take time" But I hear what yall are saying and maybe we need to think long and hard before we decide to clean up someone elses mess! |
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KD Earthwork
True Blue Farmgirl
210 Posts
Katie
Gualala
Calif.
USA
210 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2009 : 05:34:08 AM
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| The stump grinder is a good idea,it's the least invasive on the land,compaction.They usually charge an hourly fee out here it's $95.00hr. I ve had them grind anywhere from 35 stumps-100 in a day.Depending on the guy.Same w/backhoe,the hardest part is also burning those stumps they take alot of brush and a large hot fire to burn,plus usually a piece of equipment to move them around.My husband is like a ballerina on a backhoe and just cleared 5-7 acres in about three weeks.Still alot of pieces,sticks ,scrub to pick up.Then grade out smooth and seed.My husband can remove at least twenty medium large stumps a day(20-24"diameter tree).I think it's worth paying the best backhoe operator in the area.You could inquire arount and even get a quote before you buy. |
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Farmers Daughter
True Blue Farmgirl
90 Posts
DiAnn
90 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2009 : 07:13:01 AM
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You know if your loggers are anything like the ones around here they have left a big miss, but lots of good tree tops and branches for firewood. You could do the work yourself and sell the wood or have someone clean it up for the wood. Lot of people looking for wood to heat home. They seem to be willing to work for wood to heat their homes. Not a lot of money out the pocket for chainsaw expense, just
their time.
I don't know what stump grinding would cost in your neck of the woods, but around here some charge .40- .45 per inch on the widest part. I am a bigger fan of grinding then digging them out. We have done it both ways. When you dig it out you still have that darn thing to burn and then away bigger hole to fill in. If you grind it you still have a hole, but you then have wood chips to use or then again sell to someone who might want them.
Just a few thoughts~
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justpassnthru
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
North Carolina
11 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 08:36:10 AM
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| Well, believe it or not, our house sold!!!! So now We are really considering this land. It may take years to get it right....but we now have 50 days until closing and I think If we settle for less land, we will always wish we had more. (in this area land is very hard to come by and can be very expensive!!) Thanks for all the advice and wish us luck. If we go through with it...yall will be hearing from me ALOT! : ) |
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palmettogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
571 Posts
sue
camden
south carolina
USA
571 Posts |
Posted - Mar 04 2009 : 11:40:38 AM
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| hey congrats on selling your house!! where in north carolina are you? we live in camden, south carolina and are getting ready to put our home up for sale in a week or two. we found 35 acres and want to build a home.....we weren't real optimistic about selling this one, but seeing that you sold so fast in real encouraging!! you just made my day......here's hoping!!! sue |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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justpassnthru
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
North Carolina
11 Posts |
Posted - Mar 05 2009 : 12:50:28 PM
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Yall are the best!! I am working my way through it all..mentally and emotionally. We made an offer on the house with the timbered land...and now we are waiting...waiting..waiting...There are moments when I vision the dream, and moments when I'm totally overwhelmed..and we don't even own it yet(our current home is under contract and the inspectors came today, so we've not really SOLD anything until the check is in my hand..but remaining optimistic) I just keep telling myself...just a little at the time. The simple life is important to me and I love hard work. If it all works out, Im real excited to start chatting with you all about chickens, goats, and who knows maybe even some bees.
To Palmettogirl, I think we just found the right person. But we have also gutted and rebuilt every room (my husband and I), added all new appliences (which we are leaving behind). When we listed, I followed all the advice I had read and I removed all the clutter in the house (made a nice donation to good will)so it would show well. Then I realized how liberating it felt to simply let "things" go. |
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palmettogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
571 Posts
sue
camden
south carolina
USA
571 Posts |
Posted - Mar 06 2009 : 1:23:41 PM
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| that's what i've been doing.....de-cluttering! you're right about the less you have the better you feel, my only problem is that i worry about regretting getting rid of something after i've moved....i guess i'll have to get over that. really, congrats on your up-coming move...i'm sure everything will go well. and i'm serious when i say reading about you moving and getting more land to do what you want is sooooo encouraging!! the best of luck to you!! sue |
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NatureNymph
True Blue Farmgirl
73 Posts
Tracy
Barrie
Ontario
Canada
73 Posts |
Posted - Mar 06 2009 : 2:35:08 PM
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Let us know if your bid is successful...I'm excited for you. We won't be ready to buy for another year now.
I think when going for the larger parcel you can make improvements as you go. It may not be over night but it will happen. I recently read a book about an couple who built their garden by digging patches of earth 10 feet by 10 feet, and slowly chipped away at the pasture. Now their garden is huge!
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You can do it!
Tracy
"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
http://simplicitysampler.blogspot.com/
http://blessewefarm.blogspot.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Mar 06 2009 : 4:45:02 PM
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There may be an alternative to having the stumps removed by a stump chipper--I had a tree on my property cut down and since it was nearly on the neighbor's property line, he drilled some holes in the stump and put something in it that slowly rotted the stump away--took a couple years, byt now it's completely gone. I don't know what he used, but it was a lot cheaper than a stump grinder.
I hope everything works out for you. North Carolina is a beautiful state--someday I hope to visit it again.
Cindy
PS--It might be kind of hard to drill the type of holes needed in the stumps if they've been "slashed"--I've seen some road crews "slash" trees along the roads here and it looks terrible. The technique works best on a tree that's been cleanly cut. Hope this helps. |
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justpassnthru
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
North Carolina
11 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2009 : 07:30:00 AM
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| Well, after watching and dreaming about the possibilities of this property, I am sad to report they sellers did not take our offer. Apparently, they had another offer that did not have a contingency attached. (our current home is scheduled to close mid-April, so our offer had a closing contingency) I am devastated! I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and realize that it just was not ment to be. Well, back to the drawing board....... |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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A Farm of My Own: Clearing Land |
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Clearing Land
