What was the first thing you did to your land

[jenn_dun_80]

A couple weeks ago I bought 8 acres in Oklahoma. I'm excited but feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I'm ready to start getting it ready to build on. I've been reading and looking at the steps I should take but there's so much conflicting information. Where do I start. Some say you have to get an address to the property first. Some say you much get a septic first. Which I'm not sure I want to do I was thinking composting toilets and grey water system. Some say just clear a  spot for building. Some say clear a put in a drive way first. With all the information out there it's hard to know where to start. I want to eventually be off grid. To start with I'm thinking I'm going to have to hook up to county electric and water for a few years. It'll be easier. Advice would be great. Also are there any great books I can get that talk about the steps to getting land ready to build. I've done so much research and reading on the building process over the years but never thought about the process of getting the land ready.

[MushCreek]

The first step is to really get to know your land before you do anything. I don't know if you have mature trees, but if you do, the ones you take down are irreplaceable, at least in the practical sense. Think about what you want in the way your future home relates to the land. Do you want morning sun in certain rooms? Do you want to maximize solar heat gain? Does the topography create challenges or opportunities? Are there any views you want to accentuate or minimize? The more days you can spend there, watching the changes in the seasons, the better.

Our 7 acres slopes, so a walk-out basement is ideal. Our view is to the north, so we have a lot of windows facing that way, but SC is a mild climate. I rotated the house to the east about 30 degrees so the 'north' side of the house gets some sun. A large porch on the south side blocks the hot summer sun, as does the attached garage on the west. Since our lot has a narrow entrance, I had no options on the driveway. There was only one good-sized flat area for my barn, and even that required a lot of fill.

To answer your question, we visited our land for about 2 years before doing anything. We then cut in the driveway. We got a septic permit at the time of purchase (I would never buy land without a perc test). The permit was good for 5 years, and we got the septic system in with only a few months to spare. We built the barn first, and I live in the barn while building the house.

Take your time. Even a gravel driveway cost money to do right. You don't want to change your mind and have to re-do things if you can avoid it.

[flyingvan]

  I agree, get to know the land.

   Find the property corners, learn about any and all setbacks and string them off.  If you decide where things like parking, septic, power poles, out buildings (YES---Put in a septic.  In the long run the valuation and convenience are well worth the effort) string those off as well.  Get a good feel for the place and keep asking 'What really belongs here? Realistically, who will use this, and for what?'  There is plenty of work to get done before settling on a plan.  Here's a list of things to consider:

1) What are the prevailing winds?  Does the house need to be situated to avoid them, or take advantage of them?
2) How does the sun move?  AM I taking advantage of the natural light?
3) What viewsheds are best?  Are there annoyances (light pollution, roadways) to point away from?
4) What setup makes the most sense for parking, outbuildings, future expansion?
5) How does water drain across the lot?  Where will your rain gutters flow?
6) Are there terrain challenges to work around---low spots, boulders, weak trees?
7) Where will things go while building--materials, waste, temporary living spots?
8 ) Your design should allow for at least a peak out in all directions from inside.  It's unnerving to hear a noise outside and not be able to see what made it
9) Make friends with ALL the neighbors, even the cranky ones---if you're clearing brush, offer to take theirs too.  Compliment them on their home, animals, kids, speak highly of the area.  Remember it's stressful to have someone build next door, especially where they're accustomed to seeing open space
10) (I can't stress this enough.  It will pay dividends)  Do a ride-along with the local building inspector.  Get to know them and their likes, dislikes, and peeves. 

   On both my builds, there were major issues with the driveways.  The months spent working on that gave me plenty of time to spend there and really consider what to build and where.  No one minded that I completed the concrete driveway before pulling any permits.

  My approach is--work on access while deciding on design.  Be sure of your design---sketch everything and stand at the site imagining it from all angles.  While the drafting, engineering, and permit process is progressing, get to work clearing and doing some minor grading.  Get your materials list together and get bids from every single supplier in the area---there will be substantial differences in the bids.  Do your research for the things you're hiring out.  Who's the most reliable concrete guy?  Who installed that roof on that house you admire?

[Danfish]

Flyingvan covered it well, especially lot corners and number 9...neighbors.  Get a survey up front and avoid problems later.

[hpinson]

First thing? Set up a temporary latrine of some sort.

[poppy]

I agree with the others on getting to know the land.  You don't say what you are building, cabin or more permanent home, but if you have the time, it's good to observe all four seasons before building.  It's a good idea to camp out on your land.

Since you have 8 acres, I assume you have multiple options on siting the build.  I have 10 wooded acres and I spent the first year building a couple of gates to the two driveways that were already there and scouting cabin sites.  I already had an address, culverts, and electric, so didn't have to worry about those things.  I bought a small travel trailer to stay in while building.

I actually selected 2 build sites, rejected them, selected a third and started the foundation.  After a major rain storm, I didn't like the way the third site drained, plus the driveway would have been very long and the electric run long as well.  I ended up at a fourth site that drained better and cut the driveway and electric run in half while still maintaining a somewhat isolated feel.

Others have mentioned the sun path, which is very important, as well as views.  A classic debate on cabin siting is Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in PA.  The family used to camp out below a set of water falls, but Wright build the cabin over the falls, so to enjoy the same views they remembered, they had to hike down the river in stead of having them from the cabin.

If you want to be off grid, then to me that means conserving resources, so why do septic at all?  My land doesn't have easy public water access and septic is very expensive in Ohio, so I will be doing rain water and composing, but then I'm just building a one room retreat cabin.  Again, it depends on what you are building and what the associated costs are.

The more info you give us, the more help we can give you.  Good luck.

[Abbey]

Be ready to change your mind, it will happen more often than you think.

[UK4X4]

All of the above !- then repeat !

[JRR]

I agree with just about all that has been written.  Knowing the land is extemely important.  Once on a well forested property, because of the trees, it was difficult to get a sense of the "lay of the land".  I did not want to just start clearing trees ... only to later realize that some should have remained.  So my son and I took the time to make a topography of the property.  It was not exact ... but close enough to realize where the high and low spots were, and how ground water would flow.  This was done without cutting a single tree.  And it was a real discovery ... the property had features we could never have seen with the trees in place!  Of course, with Google Maps ... this is all now much easier.

I would refrain from paving/finalizing the driveway until the very last.  The driveway is one of those things you may want to adjust a bit after the buildings are in place.  Doing it last will give you a chance to better locate fence gates, pole lamps, mail boxes, etc, etc....to suit the dwellers.

[Tome]

First, second and third priority:

Have it surveyed
Find or establish the property corners (concrete markers are best)
Have it mapped and recorded

Just my recommendation.

Tom

[Alan Gage]

First thing you do with your land?

Pee on it. 

Alan

[Dave Sparks]

First thing ?   Communication!  Cell, possible landline for DSL, TV line of site, Rock and Jazz station music, and the big one for me. Make sure that if I scream for help, probably no one will hear me! 

[Rob_O]

First thing I did was pay someone to bush hog a clearing and buy a cheap travel trailer so I could enjoy the property.

If you want city power and city water you gotta start at city hall. In my county you need a driveway permit, zoning permit, building permit, electrical permit, septic permit and a plumbing permit... Find out what permits you need and how to get them

Getting an address for the place and cutting an entrance off the road is a good place to start. Having a passable driveway and a power pole makes the process of building easier, septic and city water are typically done towards the end of the build after all the heavy trucks that can crush underground pipes have been on site

Let's see some pics of your place!

[MountainDon]

Determine the rules you will need to work/live within. You stated you want to skip the septic and use a composter and gray water system. Find out if you can do that. If gray water systems are allowed determine their definition of gray water. Some places gray does not include the kitchen sink; that could be called black water. Don't guess; find out.

When checking into these things the internet can be handy. Live people in the various departments are useful. By all means also get your hands on the applicable rules and read them as well. At times you find a discrepancy between the words from the live person and what is written.

All the stuff about surveys, markers, knowing the land and things like the predominant winds are important. But IMO the rules of the game are the most important. Planning details can be a waste of time and effort if the rules state "No". Also ask if there are any revisions in rules that are in the works. Something that is okay today may not be okay come some future date.

G/L

[GSPDOG]

I have to agree with a lot that has been said here, each place is going to be different.

Here is where I started.

1.  Get to know the land.
2.  Get to know the neighbors.
3.  Get to know who all your local utility people are (in person).
4.  Get to know your local government.
                a.  Assessor.
                b.  County Clerk.
                c.  Health Department.
                d.  Local Sherriff.
                e.  Local Fire Department.
                f.  Local Conservation Officer.
5.  Then get to know your land a little better knowing what you learned from everything above.

With information and the right questions you will know what you can and cant do.  So in my case a learned a few things.

Assessor plat books and deeds.  Useful.
County Clerk, building codes and led me to the health department who actually controls the building permits and inspects any self contained sewage system.  Gave me all the rules and guides I needed.  They do not do any other building inspections in my case.  I also learned the building permit was $60 and the sewage certification was $150.  I could do it myself or have a contractor do it.  I also learned that without a permit it is a $10,000 fine.
Local Sheriff just good to know and they stop by and check on my place for me when they are out that way and they know I am not there.
Local Fire Department learned they will come out at no charge if I need to do a controlled burn, they would rather be there when I do it than have to respond to it.
Local conservation department.  Provided a forestry survey and conservation plan at no charge.  They actually did a great deal of work to put it together and suggested ways to improve Quail and Pheasant populations. 

Neighbors provided good insight to local contractors for work you may need done.

In my case and this was unexpected there was a city water line running by my 52 acres that I could connect to  just happen to be a city system shared as part of a coop.  Also found out from the electric company that they would put a meter on the pole out front at a cost of $100's with a box that I could connect, and that once I had water and sewer on the property they would move it up to 900 feet at no charge!

All great things to know before you make any other decisions.

[kbaum]

I agree to all, In my case, I had to fence out the cropland on one side and pull the fences out of grass on 3 sides to graze my horse and some calves.  They cleaned up the mess of 4 years of no grazing.  I picked the lot that had a small dugout on it so I could wait awhile before I would add reliable piped water. 

[Erin]

1.  Fenced it.

2.  Installed the privy



(We've lived on our place for three years now, and still don't have an actual driveway! lol)

[ScottA]

Lots of good ideas here. I got a lawn chair, made a camp fire and spent some serious time on my property before I built anything.  You'll want to go out after heavy rain and see if you have any drainage issues. Get to know it and then decide the best spot to build after that a driveway is a good place to start.

Scott

[Barry Broome]

I just bought land myself.

1. Determine exactly where the markers and boundaries of the property are. Turns out the guy that sold us the property had about 3 acres that he didn't even know was his. With a careful review of the deed and walking the property/talking with neighbors we at least know where the corners are.

2. Clear the fence row/property line and put up some type of fence. In my case this is important.

3. Build a campsite. Not a permanent structure necessarily, but you need somewhere for a base camp while you are on the property. Somewhere you can eat/sleep/pee

Barry