Homestead Dream Step 1: We Bought Land!

We did it! We finally found a piece of land that met all of the criteria we set for it! Seriously, all of the criteria which was a pretty difficult thing to do. However, patience and perseverance paid off because God provided for us and what we wanted for our future homestead.  After several offers back and forth and several visits to the property to explore it we finally settled on a price and signed the documents. We are now the proud owners of 30 acres of  beautiful, prime Adirondack parkland! We couldn't be happier. Step 1 toward our future homestead is now checked off!

In my last post I talked about Things to Consider Before Purchasing Land (all things we learned as we were looking) but now I want to share with you a comparison of what we wanted verses what we purchased:

• State and Location: We knew we wanted to live in the Adirondack Park in New York. After looking around at the different counties, we chose Warren County because it is the closest county to Long Island where most of our friends and family still reside. It is also great because it is where my parents reside! We ended up purchasing our land in a small town about 20 minutes outside of Lake George in Warren County, NY. That is approximately 4.5 hours from Long Island and 40 minutes from my parents who live to the north. Perfect!
• Willing to Spend: After doing some research we discovered that land can vary between $700 and several thousand dollars per acre. We decided we wanted to stay between $1,000 and $2,000 with a maximum total of $50,000. Our final purchase was 30 acres for $40,000 which works out to about $1,333 per acre!
• Land Use:  We needed to have land that was in a rural location to allow for animals, farming, hunting, snowmobiles, ATV's, and the most difficult: sub-dividing so we could give some land to each of our children. In the Adirondack park there are many rules and regulations with respect to what you can and can't do and where you can and can't do it. The Citizens Guide was our most important resource. The land we purchased has 3.2 acre zoning which means that we can give a minimum of 3.2 acres to each of our children and still have plenty for us!
• How Much Land: We were looking for anything greater than 20 acres.  And you already know we purchased 30, but we looked at properties up to 70!
• Distance to Town: This was important to us since we plan on living out the rest of our lives on our homestead. Our land is 5 minutes from our small town that consists of a market, post office, library, restaurant, bar, fire department, and church.  We are 20 minutes from a larger town that actually has several gas stations, a medical center, many take out and sit down restaurants, a lumber yard, and more.  Even better, we are only about 30 minutes from a larger town with a  mall and major department stores and a large hospital. Perfect!
• Surface Water: This was negotiable as long as we could drill a well, so finding land with a small creek was a huge bonus! It was running decently in the fall and I am sure the spring will see it run even better. We just need to see what happens in late summer, when we have a feeling it is minimal based on the fact that it is listed on the property as a seasonal stream. Being seasonal is good for us because it is therefore not regulated by the DEC or the Adirondack  Park. 
• Drilling a Well: Yes this is possible. There are many wells around so there is a very high probability of finding groundwater.
• Septic: We did not do an official perk test, however we did our own perc test and did research with respect to septic systems in the town and county. Fortunately for us the county we are purchasing in is very thorough and up do date with all research and records. All the soil has been tested and there are maps and data describing everything. The soil on our land is a bouldery sandy loam (good permeability) and as long as we choose a homesite with a gentle gradient we should be fine. If not we have the option of bringing in soil to make it possible. Of course this will cost more, but I really don't think it will be necessary.
• Adirondack Park Rules:  We are fortunate that we found a piece of land in 3.2 acre zoning in a town that does not have it's own strict zoning laws and rules to follow. This makes it easier for us to be able to do what we mostly want as long as we meet the Adirondack Park Guidelines.
• Soil and Slope: The land was perfect for our needs because it has some steep areas, some gentle slopes, and some relatively flat areas.  There are some great building sites for our earth sheltered home on a gentle south facing slope and also plenty of other sites for our children to build should they choose to.  The soil is mostly a bouldery sandy loam which is pretty much what you get in the Adirondack Mountain region.  The soil can be made richer depending upon what we want to do with it, but after some research I found many plants that thrive in this planting zone in those soils. This type of soil, so long as it is a gentle or flat area, is also perfect for septic percolation.
• South Facing Slope: This was absolutely non-negotiable since we need to make use of passive solar heating and as much sunlight as possible for our earth sheltered home.  We visited many properties that had north facing slopes. The site we chose on this land is actually a little to the south west, but it will work perfectly for our plans as the house can still face due south. 
• Flooding: Spring runoff can be a big problem in the Adirondacks. Many properties we looked at were in valleys that could potentially flood. We wanted to avoid this if at all possible and we wanted to have a view as well so buying land at a higher elevation was important to us. In the Adirondacks any land over an elevation of 2500 feet is subject to additional regulations, but that was pretty easy to avoid. The land we purchased is approximately 700 feet in the South to a little more than 1,400 feet in the Southeast corner where we want to make our "Viewing Area."
• Local Building Codes and Rules: The town we purchased in requires a permit, but they follow the rules of the Adirondack park. To our knowledge they do not have plans to create their own codes and rules any time soon. 
• Road Frontage: We have 1,125 feet of road frontage. This allows for many potential roads into the land. 
• Electric at the Road: There is electric at the main road that can, and will, be brought in despite the fact that we plan on supplementing with solar (another reason for a south facing slope). 
• Cell Phone Service: There is currently no cell service anywhere on the land. We did try to see if there was any potential for boosting as we learned from Mother Earth News, but as of the time of purchase the answer to that was a resounding no. However, we did get a slight signal to retrieve messages and get text's 5 minutes away at the restaurant in town.  On our land there are other options such as using satellite, however we believe that there might be service in the area over the next 5 years or so anyway so this was not a huge concern. A regular phone line and walkie talkies will do for now.
• Internet and/or Cable: No, no, no. The only option as of now is satellite, however we did meet someone from the local town recently who said the town was beginning to provide their own cable service. Since we are not too far from our own town, this may be a future possibility.   
• Mineral and Water Rights: These are owned by the property owner, but it is important to make sure that there is not a lease signed by the previous owner. This is not much of an issue in the Adirondacks due to their regulations. The only concern would be timber, and to our knowledge no lease existed on our land.
• Property Minerals and Rocks:  The Adirondack are mostly metamorphosed Igneous and Sedimentary rocks. There is a lot of gneiss on our land.  There is also a concern regarding radon gas, especially since we will have an earth sheltered home (radon gas usually leaks into basements). This is easily and inexpensively remedied at the time of construction through ventilation pipes.  Other than that there is no fracking, little clay in the soil so minimal landslides, and no Karst topography.
• Other considerations: We can hunt on our own 30 acres, fish and canoe locally in the Hudson River, there are snowmobile trails on our land we can't wait to make use of, and so many more wonderful things we can't wait to enjoy! However, there is no garbage  pick up (we will need to go to the dump) and no postal delivery (will require a P.O.Box at the local post office). But, the road we are on is well maintained and plowed regularly. We are 5 minutes or less from the local fire department, there is a local ambulance, a small market is 5 minutes away and a grocery store is 20 minutes. There is a medical center, dentist, and more within a 20 minute drive, and a large hospital is only about 35 minutes.  What more could we want?

​Next Big Step?
​A road!
Next small step? An ATV!
ATV Accomplished! Read more here :-)

Thanks for visiting!
Read more about our Future Homesteading Dreams here!
​Sincerely,