Little History:
I relocated from Georgia to Alabama 3 years ago when I got married. We purchased a brand-new 4 BDRM Manufactured home when we got married and the wife's grandparents let us put it next to theirs on their land up by the road. This summer we are getting roughly 4 acres from them after we get the survey done and the property split off. (They have 15 acres).
I work from home full time as an IT Help Desk Manger and have had my office in one of our bedrooms since we moved in. For multiple reasons I need an office outside the house. Also I need shop space for projects, home improvement, and my sanity.
When we moved here the first thing I noticed was that access to the back of the property was mostly cut off due to the lowlands being completely covered in a dense thicket of old-growth privet, some of the trunks on the oldest ones I have found are 24” in diameter and 40-50’ in height. I have spent the last 3 years clearing the land in my off-time. There are quite a few patches of the privet left and I will likely spend the next 3 years clearing as well. I’ve become extremely efficient at removing it. I typically cut it down at 4-5’ high and burn the tops. Then have about a 75% success rate at removing the trunk / root balls by hand, as privet typically has shallow and lateral roots it’s easy to determine the root direction and break it. The remaining stumps are going to be removed with a skidsteer or backhoe this summer.
There is a pretty big valley between where our house is now and where I want to build my Shop. The first step will be to buy another pipe, get some loads of chert brought in, and form up a decent drive-way / bridge. The water is seasonal however when it rains it easily fills the current stream bed and often causes the low lying area to flood as well.
We initially were considering a 30x50x(12x16?) metal building but with access for dump trucks being a potential problem I thought building a 32’x32’ monoslope roof pole-barn with a wood floor would be a more economical option as I can haul the wood in myself with my truck / trailer.
I can ALWAYS build a 20x30 addition onto it later on after I save up to reinforce the road and pour a pad.
Getting Power is not a problem as further back on the property (on the adjoining 15 acres that is owned by the other side of the family) there is a house with power. There is a road back but in my conversations with them I’ve got the impression that I need to have my own road. (I don’t want to get messed up with old family drama.)
I will install a small septic tank and have city water ran back as well but for now I want to focus on getting a solid plan for the building in place so I can begin to estimate costs.
What are your thoughts?
I relocated from Georgia to Alabama 3 years ago when I got married. We purchased a brand-new 4 BDRM Manufactured home when we got married and the wife's grandparents let us put it next to theirs on their land up by the road. This summer we are getting roughly 4 acres from them after we get the survey done and the property split off. (They have 15 acres).
I work from home full time as an IT Help Desk Manger and have had my office in one of our bedrooms since we moved in. For multiple reasons I need an office outside the house. Also I need shop space for projects, home improvement, and my sanity.
When we moved here the first thing I noticed was that access to the back of the property was mostly cut off due to the lowlands being completely covered in a dense thicket of old-growth privet, some of the trunks on the oldest ones I have found are 24” in diameter and 40-50’ in height. I have spent the last 3 years clearing the land in my off-time. There are quite a few patches of the privet left and I will likely spend the next 3 years clearing as well. I’ve become extremely efficient at removing it. I typically cut it down at 4-5’ high and burn the tops. Then have about a 75% success rate at removing the trunk / root balls by hand, as privet typically has shallow and lateral roots it’s easy to determine the root direction and break it. The remaining stumps are going to be removed with a skidsteer or backhoe this summer.
There is a pretty big valley between where our house is now and where I want to build my Shop. The first step will be to buy another pipe, get some loads of chert brought in, and form up a decent drive-way / bridge. The water is seasonal however when it rains it easily fills the current stream bed and often causes the low lying area to flood as well.
We initially were considering a 30x50x(12x16?) metal building but with access for dump trucks being a potential problem I thought building a 32’x32’ monoslope roof pole-barn with a wood floor would be a more economical option as I can haul the wood in myself with my truck / trailer.
I can ALWAYS build a 20x30 addition onto it later on after I save up to reinforce the road and pour a pad.
Getting Power is not a problem as further back on the property (on the adjoining 15 acres that is owned by the other side of the family) there is a house with power. There is a road back but in my conversations with them I’ve got the impression that I need to have my own road. (I don’t want to get messed up with old family drama.)
I will install a small septic tank and have city water ran back as well but for now I want to focus on getting a solid plan for the building in place so I can begin to estimate costs.
What are your thoughts?