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Re: http://flemco.dreamwidth.org/3950489.html
We already have the land.
We will inherit 5 acres (that we can occupy whenever we want), and will have access to a second parcel of 5 acres of riverfront farm. The second five acres contains a veritable compound of structures where my in-laws live every summer. They currently own the whole ten acres and produce enough produce to feed two households for most of the winter, and still lease out six acres to a local commercial farmer for hay. We use a part of the land for preparing and seasoning our firewood which we currently buy as tree-length logs. Father-in-law is also talking about chickens, a pig, and goats.
The lot faces south by southwest and slopes down to the river. It already contains three good wells and two septic systems. It has an apple orchard, raspberry canes, wild strawberries, cherries, and wild blueberries.
Over time I hope to buy some of the mature forest nearby and on the other side of the river for woodlot. It's seriously PRIME salmon and trout fishing with forests loaded with deer, moose, bear, partridge, rabbits, etc.
Our house will be three bedrooms with one and a half or two baths. The master bedroom will be on the upper, main floor (as I have mobility issues). Most of our in-door time will be spent in a great-room with a large kitchen at one end, an entertainment area on the other, and a wood stove in between.
Of course there will be covered verandahs on at least three sides of the house. Some areas will be screened too, because the mosquitoes and black flies over there are vicious.
The lower level with be a walk-out basement with two cold rooms nestled against the north wall, and another larger space for workshop and tool and firewood storage. One cold room for canned and bottled goods, and the other for long-term storage of vegetables. There will also be a large freezer. This level will probably also have a space to hang out in hot weather.
Outside the lower door there will be a sort of working patio, sheltered by a balcony above - a place for initial cleaning of vegetable harvests, splitting firewood, maintaining tractors, etc.
Heat is the biggest issue. Our temperatures range between -40c and 40c during the year, but it's the cold that lasts longest and kills the most.
I'd like to heat the house almost exclusively with passive solar and wood, but we may end up with a heat pump as well. I really want to do solar and wind generation, but my spouse feels it's not cost-effective yet. There is already a solar powered electric fence around the garden so there is movement in that direction.
There will continue to be a rough compost pile, but not a composter because bears tear them apart.
We're looking at house plans now, and taking the financial steps to be ready to start construction within ten years, and will probably be living there full time within 15 years.
We already have the land.
We will inherit 5 acres (that we can occupy whenever we want), and will have access to a second parcel of 5 acres of riverfront farm. The second five acres contains a veritable compound of structures where my in-laws live every summer. They currently own the whole ten acres and produce enough produce to feed two households for most of the winter, and still lease out six acres to a local commercial farmer for hay. We use a part of the land for preparing and seasoning our firewood which we currently buy as tree-length logs. Father-in-law is also talking about chickens, a pig, and goats.
The lot faces south by southwest and slopes down to the river. It already contains three good wells and two septic systems. It has an apple orchard, raspberry canes, wild strawberries, cherries, and wild blueberries.
Over time I hope to buy some of the mature forest nearby and on the other side of the river for woodlot. It's seriously PRIME salmon and trout fishing with forests loaded with deer, moose, bear, partridge, rabbits, etc.
Our house will be three bedrooms with one and a half or two baths. The master bedroom will be on the upper, main floor (as I have mobility issues). Most of our in-door time will be spent in a great-room with a large kitchen at one end, an entertainment area on the other, and a wood stove in between.
Of course there will be covered verandahs on at least three sides of the house. Some areas will be screened too, because the mosquitoes and black flies over there are vicious.
The lower level with be a walk-out basement with two cold rooms nestled against the north wall, and another larger space for workshop and tool and firewood storage. One cold room for canned and bottled goods, and the other for long-term storage of vegetables. There will also be a large freezer. This level will probably also have a space to hang out in hot weather.
Outside the lower door there will be a sort of working patio, sheltered by a balcony above - a place for initial cleaning of vegetable harvests, splitting firewood, maintaining tractors, etc.
Heat is the biggest issue. Our temperatures range between -40c and 40c during the year, but it's the cold that lasts longest and kills the most.
I'd like to heat the house almost exclusively with passive solar and wood, but we may end up with a heat pump as well. I really want to do solar and wind generation, but my spouse feels it's not cost-effective yet. There is already a solar powered electric fence around the garden so there is movement in that direction.
There will continue to be a rough compost pile, but not a composter because bears tear them apart.
We're looking at house plans now, and taking the financial steps to be ready to start construction within ten years, and will probably be living there full time within 15 years.
