Surprise! No, it's not Monday, but Sarge's post from yesterday triggered the idea for this post. So, I gave him a break.
Evidently Sarge thinks this is a lot of trees.
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| OAFS Photo |
Well, as the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas!
| Source |
We have (to quote Laugh-In) "Signed Ze Papers" as well as, "Ze Cheque" and this property is now ours.
Construction Loan paperwork has been signed, and we've talked with the builder to discuss what we're looking for him to build.
This is what we discussed.
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| Akashi Designs |
Mrs J and I discussed with him what we wanted to change about that house plan. He had several additional considerations we hadn't thought about, but worked through with him and gave him the go ahead.
Demolition of the old run down house is the first step. A septic system is the next one. Then it's construction time.
Beans, yes there's electric connectivity. The property is close enough that the County provides it.
We also discussed living quarters for the Horses along with a fenced Paddock. In addition, another fenced in area for the Dogs and a cottage for my Brother.
So...a lot of balls in the air, causing no reliable estimate of the completion time. C'est la Vie!
Oh yeah! One more consideration, he's got equipment to take down trees, so that will also be an early phase of the project.
No, Beans, not all the trees, just some close to the house, so we've got a bit more space.
Lots of hurdles still to jump and modifications to the plan will, no doubt, be needed and will cause delays.
But...
We've started the process. Finger's Crossed.
It's dogged as does it. Keep buggering on. "Say not the struggle nought availeth".
ReplyDeleteI shall endeavor to persevere!
Deletejuvat
Trees, firewood or lumber?
ReplyDeleteRob,
DeleteSome firewood. Wish I had the tools to turn them into lumbe. So, we’ll have someone haul them off or dispose of them somehow. TBD
juvat
There are people around who cut lumber with portable bandsaws (think Woodmizer), hire someone maybe someone will do it on shares? All you need a place to stack, sticker & dry (1 year/inch as a rule of thumb) the wood.
DeleteYou could buy a saw & DIY (new or used, https://www.sawmilltrader.com/), at the very least you could find a sawer who wants & will take the trees. There has to be a someone who would take (buy?) the wood for firewood or just running a bbq. There HAS to be oak fired bbq joints everywhere in Texas!
Hard to think about it with your neck in a brace but you have time... get a bunch cut, stacked & out of the way for when you want to build something out of your own wood!
Sounds like the beginning of a plan Rob! AlthoughI think I’ll start with someone who knows how and what needs to be done. These trees are VERY tall. Paying a professional is a good idea to start and after learning how it’s done, it might be a good idea to let him finish.
Deletejuvat
Rob got there ahead of me, any consideration for wood burning in the house, garage, workshop? Interested in hearing about how you'll secure the driveway entrance off the main road juvat.....gate, cameras, possible power sources. Enquiring minds want to know....:) OBTW, prayers still out on the brace sir.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely an electric gate at the entrance possibly (probably) with a camera.
DeleteRe: the brace. Under a week! Praying there are no complications.
juvat
From your description of "living quarters for the Horses along with a fenced Paddock. In addition, another fenced in area for the Dogs and a cottage for my Brother." I'm guessing that about a third of those trees are going to come down. What kind of trees are those?
ReplyDeleteGood luck, I hope that there are minimal changes and everything proceeds smoothly and quickly.
I’m not a degreed arboriculturist, but I believe they are oaks. You’re probably correct on the number to bring down. It’ll be more of a widening the area in the middle where the old house will be demolished and room for the new one will happen. After that it’ll be more of a thinning, so grass will grow and the horses will have some roaming room while still having some shade. That’s the plan anyhow.
Deletejuvat
If it's like most of the areas near College Station I worked Bonfire on lo these many decades ago, live oak is the predominate species. The term "Stately" brooks no relationship with live oaks. Due to their habit of having large low hanging branches, old growth live oaks were prized for use in knees and other curved sections of sailing ship frames. A real challenge to get dimensional lumber out of.
ReplyDeleteL.J.
LJ, These trees are fairly straight and quite tall. We're going out there later today. If I remember I'll take a picture of some and update
Deletetodays post.
juvat
Everything is bigger in Texas?
ReplyDeleteThe place ain't exactly known for its forests.
Well, it's not Canada or Alaska forests, but the SouthEast part has some pretty big ones. As I'm about to learn.
Deletejuvat
Texas is about 37% forested, New England around 80%. Yes, Texas is bigger so the actual acreage covered by forest is roughly 20 million more acres than New England (~60 million to ~40 million).
DeleteOoh, the exciting part! The house design looks great!
ReplyDeleteThe fact you can get power pretty easily must be a relief (as is a new septic system).
Yeah, it surprised me when the builder said we were on the grid and all we'd have to do was set up an account with the County. Makes things easier...by a lot. As to the septic, the old house had an old septic (as in 1960's era septic). Mrs J, the Builder and I came to a conclusion that we'd be pushing our luck not to replace it. So....
Deletejuvat
Spectacular house
ReplyDeleteMay you enjoy it for many years to come
Thanks Boron!
Deletejuvat
Any tree tall enough to hit the house if the tree were to fall should be removed before building. Just sayin......
ReplyDeleteGrrrrr, I hate being anonymous.
DeleteMy thoughts exactly! Just got to do the geometry (or have the tree guy and the builder do it).
Deletejuvat
I've been anonymous accidently quite a few times on Sarge's blog
DeleteYeah, I try to sign my callsign at the end of my comment. I forget occasionally ( one is a couple of comments above this one as an example of forgetting).
Deletejuvat
Trees are nice, until they fall on your house. So, yes, encourage you to clear enough so that nothing falls on you or yours. Helps during fire season, too.
ReplyDeleteTall and straight are most likely not live oaks but some other oaks or hickorys. Looking forward to getting a species list.
Getting a fair amount of rain forecast for the next couple of days. So…I guess I have a subject for Monday’s post. So…I’ve got that going for me! ;-)
Deletejuvat
Remember to allow for future growth when deciding which trees to clear around the buildings. We have a swamp maple between the house & the street that Patze is stubbornly refusing to let me have cut. As I am over 4 score years I am not allowed to climb and am limited to a 12" chainsaw.
ReplyDeleteWill do. More pictures to follow on Monday
Deletejuvat
More plans, and they all sound good. And, in addition to plans, you got action underway which is even better. Glad to see all this progress, and even more so when that silly looking neck wrap goes away. (But, thankful that it will have accomplished its mission.)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely go for max security for gate down at the road. Lots of folks wandering around out there who like to knock on doors, and not just Jehova's Witnesses or missionaries of other flavors, but some actual bad guys. Remotely operated gate and motion sensors and cameras at a minimum. Claymores highly desirable, but probably not permissible.
Oh, lesson learned from a friend- with one of those powered gates, you really need to make sure it has some way to automatically halt motion if there is something in the way. His gate worked great... until one day he tried to get through while pulling a trailer with his boat on it, and had to take it real slow.... too slow, and the gate shoved itself right into the side of his truck. OUCH!
JB
JB, good info on gates and such. Thanks.
Deletejuvat