Living Off-Grid Affordably: Breaking Ground (Kind-of)

Reader Contribution by Jeff Chaney
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After almost thinking this thing to death in the last article, Before Breaking Ground, we are ready to get to work. What next?

There are two nice building sites to choose from, one on each side of the road. Problem is, all these trees are in the way. Most landowners view this as an expense. I have seen lots of people just bulldoze the area, pile up and burn the debris, then prepare a home site. It seemed like such a waste of resources! I had to find a better way. Certain areas needed cleared, but contrary to conventional thinking, I saw this as an asset instead of a liability.

After much research, I contacted timber buyers in the area. With several bids in hand, we struck a deal with the company willing to do just what we wanted. I had previously decided to log less than half the acreage, marking to cut trees fifteen inches diameter or larger. This action would leave plenty of younger shade trees for the future, also helping to control erosion. In the end, we agreed to cut some of the largest trees. For compensation, the logger agreed to completely clear three home sites, plus two circle driveways totaling over a mile in length, and dig a basement at one home site. Additionally, we would receive one third of what the land had cost originally. Outstanding!

 When the logging operation was finished, I was astonished at how good the property looked. Utter devastation had been expected, but did not result. Invariably, the solution to one problem creates another problem. What to do with the brush that was left behind? A lot of these limbs were of good size, but less than fifteen inches. In-depth thought revealed the only logical course of action.

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