Update on our Property Work!
It's been almost a year since I announced here on Steemit our plans for fixing up our mountain property and moving my parents out here to be closer to us.
A lot can happen in a year. We've lost my dad to yon twelve winded sky. My husband has quit his stressful job and is now striking out on his own path with a new audio consulting business. Our daughter recently became a teenager. In all the comings and goings of the year, we've not gotten as much done as we expected on our original plan. And some facets of the plan have changed.
I updated you all about seven months ago after we had torn down our barn and graded the small field in which it sat in order to create a place for my mom to put in her singlewide home. As a reminder, here are before and after pictures of that two-week job:
Before
And After:
There is some small progress to report on the same field. We seeded the spot with rye grass in the early spring and waited for it to go to seed before cutting it. A few months ago, we moved a new shed onto it to store all of my mom's things that she used to keep in a rented storage unit. And just last week, we went out and purchased a used riding lawnmower, so that now the cutting of the grass doesn't have to take three days! (It's not just this spot that needs to be cut--we've got a hilly two-and-a-half acres or so that could use regular mowing and weedeating, but with just a push mower it was out of the question, and so we let it go wild. Now we don't have to!)
Check out our sweet little John Deere!
And here is a progress pic, after the first mowing:
So it's getting closer to the time when my mom will actually be able to move out here. First we just have to get a septic permit, have a septic tank put in, find a mover to transport the singlewide, apply for a building permit...and a few other bureaucratic boondoggles.
And once that's done, we can focus on changing our own living accommodations. There are a few ideas floating around, but we haven't decided on one yet.
I'll keep you updated on the slow and gradual progress as it happens!
Hi, I'm Starr!
I believe all human interactions should be consensual
All that red tape just for a septic tank. I'm sure they have regulations on composting toilets as well.
Actually, I don't think there are any regulations on composting toilets in my county. But my mom would not be happy with a composting toilet!
So what will be the complications if these warrants and formalities are omitted in procuring the septic tank?
Where I live, you won't be able to find a mover to transport your mobile home unless you already have the building permit. (The movers can get fined or worse for moving a dwelling without the permits in place.) In order to get the building permit, you have to have a septic tank. The septic tank guys won't install your septic tank (because of risk of fine or loss of license) if you don't already have a septic permit. You could install your own, but you'd still be screwed when it came time to find someone to move your trailer, because you'd be without a building permit.
If I were building a tiny house or converting one out of a shed or something farther back on my property away from the road, I would totally skip the building permits and use composting toilets to avoid the septic issue, because to be honest, the county's pretty lax when it comes to checking up on residential stuff. What they're not lax about is keeping the local tradesmen in line. So since I am moving the home rather than building it, and it will be close to the road, I'll have to go the "official" route.
Wow I understand now it's very difficult not to get this permit especially because you're close to the road and it seems law enforcement takes these septic issues very seriously.
Thank you for taking time to explain this.
The yard looks great. Aren't those riding lawn mowers a life-saver?
How well does it handle the hill?
Man, that thing cut the time required to mow just that one section of our property from half a day to an hour and a half. We're very pleased!
It handled the slopes fine in that area, but we're a little nervous about trying it on anything steeper. My husband and our wonderful neighbor are going to be fashioning some chains for the rear tires tomorrow--that should give it more traction on slopes and in wet grass. There's one area that really needs to be mowed that has a steeper incline to get into than what we've tried it out on so far, but that section needs a good weed-eating before we even attempt to mow. There's a lot of thick brush and woody stalks that would destroy the blade on the mower. Unfortunately, our weedeater is currently not working. But I have decided to try to learn small engine repair! So you can probably expect a Steemit post on that pursuit. :)