Getting Closer
While we still don't own the property, we do have a closing date set, May 2.At that point we hope to hit the ground running, both figuratively and literally. We have been making plans all along. Our imaginations started the first day we walked the land. (I even have a pretty well developed plan for a (my) dream house that Jan hasn't even seen.) Realistically, I know that making plans for property that we have seen only a few hours and from 800 miles away demands a major degree of flexibility.
Last week, we had an opening in our schedule that gave us the opportunity to re-visit the land and fine tune our plans. Our plan, at that point, (after a few months of evolution) was to build a 30'X60' pole barn shop building with a 20'X30' apartment in one end. We would live in the apartment and take our time designing, siting, and building a permanent home. The main thing we wanted to do on this trip, was to locate the site for the shop so we could get started as soon as we owned the property.
Let me take a step back and describe the lay of the land. There is 660 feet of frontage on the county road. There is a drive way at the only apparent place where the elevation of the property matches the street. It enters the property and ends immediately. This area is over grown with brush and small trees and has a fairly gradual slope down and away. The slope becomes steeper as you go further. The slope has a couple of nice outcrops of rocks as you go down. There is a total elevation change from highest to lowest of about 130 feet. A dry (except in rains) stream bed drops from the left to right in the bottom of the hollow. The property rises similarly up the other side to a nice ridge. The land continues on past that hill top. The entire property (except for the brushy top couple of acres) is deep, mature hardwood forest.
So, back to the plan. We needed to locate the site for the shop where we could have a pleasant view from the apartment, but not intrude too much on potential home sites. The first spot we laid out was part way down the hill, just out of the brush. After I set up my laser level and checked the difference of the corners, I realized that it might not be a good spot. The difference from one corner to another was over 7 feet. Not the best spot. So we went back to an old plan and found an easier site near the road and driveway in the brushy, leveler area. We met Jason (son-in-law and bobcat operator) at the site and struck a plan to start ripping brush, cutting trees, and leveling dirt.
We spent the rest of the afternoon further exploring and familiarizing ourselves with the land. I found this piece of treasure:
Just beyond the treasure, Jan had a major revelation. We had originally planned to sub-divide the South 5 acres (the ridge across the hollow), but cannot get easy access. But Jan realized that there is a 1 acre chunk that we could easily divide off right on the road. It had hidden from us in all the thick brush. Once through a short barrier of brush the woods opens up nicely with a manageable slope. So the next big change in our plan is to survey off one acre at the front of the land where there is already city water and power available and (probably) build a spec house.
When back in Southern Illinois, we stay with my daughter, Ellie, her husband, Jason, and my granddaughter, Zee. At the end of the day on the land, we were relaxing in Ellie's living room when we had another revelation. The entire planned barn apartment would fit in her living room and kitchen. Oh no, I don't think we can live in that space for long. Time for a plan B (C, D, etc.). The trip home (13 hour drive) gave us a good opportunity for brain storming. Options included multi-stories and walls to be re-set after we move out. None of these seemed satisfactory. As is often the case, the best answer came to Jan over night. Our new plan is to eliminate the apartment part of the shop (saving a bit of cost) and building a free standing cabin to live in. The cabin would still be very small, but a more comfortable configuration. It will be built at the site just down the hill from the shop, where we first considered for the shop. It is a more attractive spot with a peek at the hollow through the woods. It will be built into the hill side, taking advantage of the terrain rather than fighting it. Entry will be on the up hill end into the living room/kitchen space. The bedroom/bathroom will be in the walk out basement. This should be a very efficient use of space and a structure that I can build myself, with some help, of course. This will be a house that we can be comfortable in while we continue with other projects like designing, building, and selling a spec house and designing and building a dream house. This cabin will also give us a better future option as a rental.
Now the cabin planning continues. The floor plan is almost there and then the construction details and cost estimates need to be done. As soon as we close, Jason will be out prepping the building sites. Then the barn builders will get the shop up, we'll get utilities run, get the septic system designed and built, the driveway built, the house foundation poured, etc., etc.