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A Farm of My Own:  Is this insane?  |
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JoyIowa
True Blue Farmgirl
273 Posts
Joy
273 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 17 2010 : 04:49:16 AM
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Consider building a yurt (a Mongolian sheep herders dwelling) if you run into building code issues. They are considered portable "tents". I think last month's Mother Earth News had an article about them. I helped build one, and then ended up living there for a good long while. I'd go back in a heartbeat if opportunity knocked.
Joy
If it's not illegal, unsafe, or immoral, why not try anything once? Who knows? You may come back for a second helping! |
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jclambert
True Blue Farmgirl
149 Posts
Judy
Stringtown
Oklahoma
USA
149 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2010 : 07:17:05 AM
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Majal,
When my mother-in-law was needing more care, we bought a used pre-fab building for $2500 and moved it behind our house (she was very independent and didn't want to stay in our house). We were able to fix it up as a really cute 2 room apartment for her and only had about $5000. in the whole project. Don't know if you would be interested in something like that, but it might work while you saved for a bigger place.
Good luck. I'm sure you'll figure out a way to have your dream come true.
Judy
*Love one another* |
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KD Earthwork
True Blue Farmgirl
210 Posts
Katie
Gualala
Calif.
USA
210 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2010 : 10:03:15 PM
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We're working hard on it. If I'd realized what it would cost us etc. I never would have thought we could have done it. But we got the land first, then a cabin ( I love the TINYHOUSEBLOG ),then a barn, then a chicken coop, gardens, more fruit trees etc. etc.It's been a glorious ride and only a small amount of debt from when we bought our land partners out.
Good luck, talk about the lifestyle and make sure you both agree if you have or get a partner.Sometimes one is believing the other wants something much more grand. I had to sell one hand built house because of that reason and because we had too much debt before we were finished. Pay as you go or don't go. |
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alterationsbyemily
True Blue Farmgirl
690 Posts
Emily
Chambersburg
PA
USA
690 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 2:14:13 PM
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me and my dh want a nice farm with a bit of land. Two things I don't understand... how does a half acre with nothing on it cost 99g's honestly! Well, we talked to some builders over the weekend and they were talking turn key prices of 350 to 450 plus the land for little 3 bedroom places! I hope that we will be able to buy a plot of land someday...
But thats a pretty far off dream... one pc of unsolicidated advice girls, find out how much the man is in debt before you marry him. Because if you get married on a saturday, when you get the 80,000 +, bill on monday, you know that your dreams will forever be on hold
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See my custom costumes, download free patterns, and hear some spook EVPs from Gettysburg, PA on my site, www.alterationsbyemily.com |
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Donna Jo
Farmgirl at Heart
5 Posts
Donna Jo
New Castle
IN
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2010 : 7:07:33 PM
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You can do it! About 12 years ago I took a few months off work. My sister and I had been kicking around the idea of remodeling my kitchen. Now we were not completely without skills because while we were growing up Dad and Mother had remodeled several of our houses and built 2 from scratch. My Dad is an electrician and since we farmed 40 acres we could do lots of things. One time we had an all girl hay crew, it was great we stopped traffic! Anyway my sister and I gutted my kitchen and remodeled it moving plumbing and all, dear hubby is good in that department. We even built the cabinets. By the time it was finished about 3 months later we were known as Boom and Blast, or aka the router babes(we made our own woodwork). There are still days we sit at the very bar we built drinking coffee laughing not even believing we had the guts to try it. So I believe in you, where there's a will there's a way!
Donna Jo |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2010 : 9:13:55 PM
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You might want to consider working for habitat for humanity. It would give you a lot of building experience for free! You should also think about the pole building or barn first and turning it into a house. I have friends who have done both and they turned out lovely. One of my friends has a pole barn with the roll up door on the right side of the front. He built his house in the left side and added a roll up door in the back on the right side. Now he has a fully covered porch that is huge and with both doors up the breeze makes it very nice during the summer. He even does cookouts in there with room for six tables. It's great!
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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AndreaPaige
Farmgirl in Training
18 Posts
Andrea
TN
18 Posts |
Posted - Apr 21 2010 : 10:39:15 AM
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| My fiance and I wanted to do the same thing, but quickly realized how much work and money it would entail. We had the land, but needed shelter (and had very little money to work with). What we ended up doing is buying one of those little stickbuilt cabins that you see on the roadsides around here(they look like big sheds, but some have home-like doors and windows). Ours was about $7,000, actually quite a bargain when you consider how much a "real" house costs! We did the ventilation, insulation, drywall, and floor ourselves, which tacked on another few thousand dollars, but we did it a little at a time as we could afford it. Also hired an electrician to install the wires. No money yet for a well or plumbing, so we have an outhouse and get water from his grandparents who live next door. We are also thinking about setting up a cistern, and right now we have rain barrels. We call it the "mini house" and I am so happy it all worked out. Its certainly not your run-of-the-mill abode, but its what we call home. Good luck to you! Sometimes looking ahead is the hardest part. |
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A Farm of My Own: Is this insane? |
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Is this insane?
