20 Feb ’12
We are in the very early stages of looking at some land that will be our bug-out location first, but hopefully an eventual homestead as well. I figured this was a good time to get a discussion going on the specifics of the land such as size, location, distance, etc.
My first thoughts are that we would like to have in the neighborhood of 5-10 acres, mostly wooded and as far away from heavily populated areas as possible. We have 5 acres with our house now but it is all open.
I am thinking it should be at least 50 miles away, definitely in another county but no farther than 100 miles. Any farther than that and it would be a major pain to go there and work on the site. It would be best if we didn't have to cross any natural borders such as a lake or river since any issue with the bridge could prevent us from reaching the place.
Any other criteria I should keep in mind? Appreciate any input.
Cliffs:
BOL/ future homestead
1. 5-10 acres mostly wooded preferably just raw land
2. 50-100 miles away from current home
3. Away from major cities & Interstates
4. Get there without crossing river/lake (major bridge)
Any other suggestions?
20 Feb ’12
I would say 10 acres would be minimum, I would want southern exposure, I would want to be off major highways. I would look within 25 miles of your current home. Trust me, we built a cabin when we first moved to maine on some property we owned that was 45 minutes away from our house. 45 minutes doesn't sound bad, but if it is something you want to build yourself, that 45 minute drive constantly back and forth get's old quick, especially when you forgot to pick up a box of nails and you have to drive a half hour to the nearest hardware store.
I would look for property that has a existing food source, apple trees, blackberries, wild strawberries etc.
Obviously close to water.
I prefer to be around liked minded people. It's part of the reason I bought the new property due to it's proximity to pcso112. He was trying to talk me out of building our house and buying land out by him several years ago but we had already owned our current property so we went ahead and built our house. There are also several retired military right around us that are of like minds. You want people around you that you can rely on, like pcso said to me when we were waling the land, it takes a village.
make sure it percs for a septic system!
I appreciate the suggestions and agree with most of them. However, I would think you would want it farther away from the primary residence in case of a localized disaster. Of course closer would be better for during the construction period but I would hate to have a BOL that I can't use because it is flooded along with my main house.
Which would be the lesser evil; having to cross a river or an Interstate to get to my BOL?
20 Feb ’12
I am not sure on the type of house just yet. Best case scenario is to be on the electrical grid but liveable without it. I am figuring wood heat (hence the wooded land) and close to the water would be a definite plus. I figured the wooded land would give me wood to burn, concealment, and wild game to hunt. It would be awesome if it backed up to TVA land or a river.
After looking at the map it seems for me to get more than 50 miles from my house I will either have to cross an Interstate or a river. If I choose crossing a river I can always go north or south to the next bridge and cross. I doubt that anything will affect more than one bridge. However, if I cross an Interstate it could be deadlocked by cars trying to leave. Will a 4x4 truck be able to find a way across it?
I would say 10 acres would be minimum, I would want southern exposure, I would want to be off major highways. I would look within 25 miles of your current home. Trust me, we built a cabin when we first moved to maine on some property we owned that was 45 minutes away from our house. 45 minutes doesn't sound bad, but if it is something you want to build yourself, that 45 minute drive constantly back and forth get's old quick, especially when you forgot to pick up a box of nails and you have to drive a half hour to the nearest hardware store.
I would look for property that has a existing food source, apple trees, blackberries, wild strawberries etc.
Obviously close to water.
I prefer to be around liked minded people. It's part of the reason I bought the new property due to it's proximity to pcso112. He was trying to talk me out of building our house and buying land out by him several years ago but we had already owned our current property so we went ahead and built our house. There are also several retired military right around us that are of like minds. You want people around you that you can rely on, like pcso said to me when we were waling the land, it takes a village.
make sure it percs for a septic system!
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