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7 Things To Consider BEFORE You Buy A Homestead
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- čas přidán 14. 08. 2024
- The past 2 years have taught Kevin a lot about the ins and outs of owning an epic homestead, and in this video he shares the 7 most important things to consider when looking for a homestead that is right for you.
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TIMESTAMP
00:00 - Intro
00:46 - Tolerance Level (Rural To Urban)
01:56 - Zoning
03:33 - Lot Assessment
05:11 - Existing Structures, Trees & Advantages
06:48 - Quality Of Soil
08:05 - Noises & Neighbors
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HOA tips if you already have a home you want to convert into a homestead: you have every right to also be apart of HOA discussions, negotiations, or you even can become the leader of the HOA yourself. A lot of times unless you have particularly power hungry leadership, a lot of people don't like the hassle of dealing with actually running the HOA and holding meetings, or most people simply don't show up. You can have the rules changed to allow bigger gardens, front yard gardens, backyard chickens, etc if you show up. You can even vote to have the whole thing dissolved if you want to. HOA rules are easier to change than local ordinances or rezoning so if you already own a property and don't have the resources to just pack up and move, you can always try that route. HOAs are supposed to protect the interests of the local community and home owners, and if you want to homestead and your neighbors simply do not care but its "against the rules" you can in fact most likely get it changed.
I think you are overstating how easy it would be to change HOA covenants even if you were on the board or president. Most require a certain percentage of residents to cast a vote to change any aspects of the covenants. Getting that percentage of people to vote on anything is very difficult if not impossible. Also, in my experience, the main function of HOAs is to maintain the property values of the neighborhood houses. As such, converting your house to a homestead (such as keeping chickens or adding large our buildings) may be seen as having a negative impact to the rest of the neighborhood. I would like chickens myself but my HOA does not allow them.
@@michaelbroughton4104 it can be incredibly difficult yes but not entirely impossible in all cases. I’ve known people who have done it. Mostly I wanted to present it as a possibility in case it’s impossible for someone to pack up all their belongings and just buy a new house but still wants to get started homesteading. Different HOAs will be harder or easier to change depending on your residents. Sometimes it will be easier to simply approach it and do a vote to change the system than it will be to entirely move houses. Other times you’d have better luck just moving to a non HOA neighborhood. My point is you never know unless you try and for someone who has no other alternatives at the moment going to meetings and asking to vote on it may be more productive than doing nothing at all.
Yeah y’all don’t get into a HOA.
That is just a huge gamble... hoping you are able to change an HOA. You are just as likely to have the current leadership ban a lot of stuff you are trying to do. HOAs are for old people who want to control every possible thing they can see out their windows... Nobody creates an HOA with the idea of allowing raised beds or chickens.. they create an HOA to limit what everyone else can do.
@@PeterSedesse It is a huge gamble which is why I said if someone already has a home they might as well try, as it is more time consuming and expensive to back up everything you own and buy a new home in a non-HOA neighborhood. I'd never suggest someone who is looking to buy a home with an HOA and want's to make it a homestead to count on the ability to change the HOA when they would be better off finding a home without such a risk. If someone already wants to move to a new home this advice can basically be discarded, but for some HOA neighborhoods its worth it to just ask if you can change the rules or join the committee and discussions. The worst they can do is tell you "no", at which point you will have to move if you want to do any homesteading or work within their rules for gardening.
Something very important - your age. Some years ago I bought 350 acres and raised cattle in Missouri. I even designed the house and drew the blueprints for it and the barn and fencing. I thought it was going to be the last place I ever lived. Only 13 years later I had to sell it was getting much too hard to do all of the work by ourselves. Hiring help was not an option. It broke my heart. Knowing your limitations in all aspects is of most importance. You are blessed to have your property. Stay healthy and happy.
In life, time and ourselves are our only limitations. Where there is a willingness there is a way ....
Don’t forget: Sun!
This probably incorporates itself into lot assessment but take into consideration the orientation of the plot and think about how the sun hits the property.
Is the yard being shaded by any structures? How many hours of sunlight do your growing areas receive (summer and winter)?
You can get poor soil replaced and add soundproofing for noise but you can’t change the path of the sun!
So true. In a suburban neighborhood and I struggle to find spots to grow vegetables since there are lots of tall trees around my property.
I’m so glad we don’t have HOAs in my country, when I learned about them through watching American CZcamsrs it blew my mind. The whole point of saving up for years to buy your own home is so that you no longer have a landlord telling you what you can and can’t do. I would be furious if I finally bought my dream home and discovered some committee of neighbours had the right to tell me what I could grow in my garden! Also, whether you call it homesteading or not, surely growing veg is something people have been doing forever. Why would it be seen as so odd that anyone would try to prevent it?
I appreciate this video because I’ve been seduced by all the homesteading youtubers into thinking I need acreage for all the food I’d like to grow for my family. My urban lot is, like yours, on the edge of town with a little more space, about 10,000 sq ft. And a 1200sq ft footprint on our 2-story home. I think I just need to watch more urban/suburban homesteaders and focus on what I can grow with the space I have right now.
I personally recommend before you put money down on anything, you visit multiple times, especially on a weekend night. If partying is something that bothers you, best to know what the neighbors are like in the wild before committing.
Well said
Totally agree. I actually go at night, including weekend nights and daytime as well. I also walk the neighborhood, see what it's like on foot. Check after school, where the kids are, do people walk their dogs. Say hi to whoever you see and ask them about the area - local markets, etc. - but you are really trying to find out if you like them and you like the area haha.
Absolutely, I'm only in an apartment which I needed at the time but I regret not seeing it in rush hour on a weekday. This means being on the balcony at certain times of day requires headphones, and the neighbors smoke which is harder to deal with.
These are all such important considerations! I am one of those with a nightmare HOA situation, and it makes gardening extremely difficult. We were actually here BEFORE the HOA, but that hasn't stopped them from sending us constant letters about how only lawn should be visible from the road. I never want to live in an HOA again!
Why would anyone even want lawn only 😢
Always look at the floodplain maps too, to get an idea of the dangers and drainage. My dad was a geologist and did that everytime we moved even to normal suburban houses and it really saved us a lot of headaches, so my husband and I have been doing that too and it's really been very helpful
I couldn’t agree more with that. My childhood zone sat on low land with a swamp back yard. We flooded more than once. When I became a home buying adult, I ALWAYS paid attention to the land and surrounding area. I’ve stayed high and dry ever since.
My son looked at topography maps before he bought his home.
So smart!
The noise thing was why I moved in 2020. I lived on the outskirts of town, and back then it was nice and quiet. Once the town started expanding, so did road traffic (especially motorcycles). When searching for a new place, visit the location during multiple times of the day (such as rush hour) and see if the noise level is good for you.
Funny how I was thinking about this just yesterday. It would be great if our society would become more open or accepting of homestead life as a normal thing to do with property rather than huge chemically treated lawns for no purpose than esthetics. Thanks for reading our minds🙂
I was pleasantly surprised that the lot is "only" 13,00sqf. It seems closer to a half acre.
I have a small suburban lot in Illinois of 10,000sqf. While I don't aspire to be a homesteader, I'm definitely inspired to add a few more fruit trees and vegetable beds to the space.
I'm glad most things worked out well for you with the property. It is extremely difficult to do all due diligence when there are multiple offers. Negotiations need to move quickly if you don't want to loose the property and issues are often discovered only after the purchase. I would say your space is worth putting up with the helicopters 😉!
really good video. im 17 from london been growing stuff for a while and even at my age ive been thinking of this sort of stuff and this was super informative. all your videos are good.
This was a very unexpected but welcome take. Many points that I wouldn't have thought about like soil testing for heavy metals. The honesty of some of the issues you faced. The humility to realize that things that applied to you might not apply to someone else. Well done, and I really enjoyed watching this.
I loved this video. I have to say. Thank you for sharing this and your honesty about what it really is like to look for a homestead. There are so many factors to consider and for that reason I searched high and low living in a camper converted RAV4 for about three years all over the US. I finally bought my first home although it was not out west where I really imagined but since then I’ve been slowly but surely turning this into a beautiful homestead with an orchard, a 16 raised bed garden,Tropical greenhouse, duck pen and eventually what will be a retreat. Acreage/tons of acreage wasn’t really super important to me as long as I had enough space to do a garden and I didn’t have any close neighbors. However God definitely answered my prayers because my house is now situated at the end of a long private driveway at the end of a dead end in the country on 15 acres with nothing around me but a wildlife management area. However I do hear you on the air noise. Being where I am I sometimes and often on certain days get these annoying small planes that usually fly lower and can really be a Nuisance. There are pros and cons but it’s good to know that I’m not the only one that notices all the details :-) I know this is not my forever home but I’m gonna be diligent with where I am and do the best I can until I find where I am supposed to be long-term. Love your channel love your content and really enjoy your videos especially the goofy one with Jaques in a cactus Costume. 👒🌵Lol😂
Congratulations on owning property. Spare a thought for those who will never be able to, through no fault of their own. That'll probably be the first time you thought about anyone but yourself.
Don’t pay attention to the jealous trolls. Your comment was great.
Definitely a good tip to check out the neighbours… we didn’t and they are difficult to live near to lol
I just subscribed to you! You have a great channel! BTW I also have a gardening channel! 🌱🌱
Very good! I hate HOA’s, I love being in a small town. Never thought that would happen. How much you like where you live depends so much on the neighborhood and neighbors! It’s such a blessing to have great neighbors! Have you ever had a neighborhood garden party?
That's a great idea! I bet all the neighbors love him. I would love to look at that garden every day.
Glad you have a good neighbor to have worked with on trees and the fence. I also have one and it benefits us both! My East Tennessee problem is barking dogs. Many, many dog owners just put up a fence and let the dogs bark all day. Animal control is worthless in my community. I feel bad for the dogs but the noise will drive me out sooner than planned.
so many poorly trained (and prob also mistreated) dogs everywhere :
Barking dogs messes up my Zen when I am trying to do gardening in my own backyard.
YES! Quality soil is very important! Because if you have heavy metals in your soil, then you the plants you eat won't be healthy.
We were working with our neighbor to clean up her back few acres so she would have a path to walk her horses that wasn't threw our yard, because we wanted it fenced in for our current and future animals. As soon as we finished the largest sections and you could get a horses threw there, she sold her back 3 acres. She didn't even tell us. We were actually back there finishing some clean up and stump removal when the new owner came to ask us what we were doing. We are really not happy that we did all this free work for her just for her to not even consider us. We actually would have bought the property if she had asked.
Man, houses with that much land around a house in the Netherlands is super rare or super expensive. Love your vids. Can’t wait for my growing season to start again in April
We started out on a corner lot in the burbs, we slowly transitioned to a 25 acre homestead in East Texas because our family grew and we became interested in more homestead activities. It took some work to get our grass ready for livestock, but we are holding off on that commitment. Living in a city/town and homesteading is very doable and wish more people would do it. Preparedness starts with you and is not the responsibility of someone else.
25 isn't a homestead anymore that's a whole farm
I definitely agree with neighbor issues. live in 4 unit multiplex and my upstairs neighbor is from HELL. Grandson running a marathon till 12 pm, grandmother who is always vacuuming and moving objects at early as 4am, and full grown boy/man chatting and outburst shouts all day till 3 am. I really need to buy a house :( at least it will be some distance.
I found your channel when you first bought the homestead and moved from residential to semi rural and now we've just done the same! Love your work
This is some really great advice! As someone who is on their second, and planning for their third (and hopefully last) home purchase, I have learned sooo much about what's really important and what's not! I also had a neighbor at my first home with like ten little yappy dogs, and they thought it was a good idea to leave them in an upstairs enclosed porch to bark out of the windows all day long! 😵💫 Needless to say, the right neighbors can make ALLLL the difference in the world! Only NOW, after watching your channel though, would I even think to also test the soil first, and not just the neighborhood! 😂Thanks for the tips!
It’s amazing how the videos make the property look bigger than it actually is. It’s honestly refreshing to see what can be done with a lot of average size for the majority of us. My home is about the size of yours and my back yard is as big as your entire lot. I have a front yard I can utilize and haven’t done so yet. You give me hope that I can actually achieve what I’m setting out to accomplish.
Love a retrospective! I waited decades to buy a house with a yard and a dog. ❤ I bought the ppty - the house was incidental. I got my trees, privacy and a “buffer zone” behind my ppty. I appreciate your advice about checking everything possible. I am just outside town limits and can have up to 10 hens and “an agricultural animal” (on a 1/2 acre). No HOA 👍🏻 Forgot to ck ‘nuclear power plants’….oops. Well, electricity is cheap 🤷🏻♀. Another great Epic video!
Love the idea of introducing yourself to future neighbors to get the vibe before purchasing land to embark on a food forest or a homestead! Seems like a great community-building move, and a great way to get off on the right foot.
Great video. Not only is it applicable to urban and suburban homesteads, but there are a lot of great things to think about for rural homesteads, and also for anyone who is thinking of buying property where they want to have a garden.
We get a lot of rain here in Central Florida. So it's important to buy property that is high and dry. Another good idea is to house hunt when it is raining so you can see where the water pools outside. I think I mentioned this before and was reminded by other commenters that you all don't get a lot of rain in San Diego.
Love your videos and Happy New Year
One more thing, your local County Agriculture Center should be able to help you out testing your soils. It may be free through them.
Was going to look at a house when it was raining and the owner rescheduled suggesting a different day to see the outside better. Yep, I fell for it.
@@Lisa-zp4pc Were there draining issues in the yard?
@@nancywells5626 water in basement
@@Lisa-zp4pc Yikes! Awww, Sigh!
I live in Riverside near San Diego. I am here to tell you, just because it doesn’t rain as much doesn’t mean it can’t flood. So glad my house is high and dry!!
Congrats Kevin on Botanical Interests! Wishing nothing but the best to you my friend.
Thank you!!
Just moved this past fall. Left beautiful soil that I had been building up for over 5 years to now having to start over. I've already planted two apple trees, and a fig & just started my compost bin. I have lots more space to utilize and more area that gets all day sun. At the old house, due to huge neighboring evergreen trees I had only about a 10 foot square that got at least 8 hours of summer sun & I think 4-6 winter. I can't wait for Spring! I'm going be so busy!
I got 6 acres in Maine, half field and half forest... just saying Kevin. The cold North is where it's at.
Share this with all the people moving to Texas! We moved further east to avoid HOA's and favorable ADU (Auxillary dwelling units). Too many people buying sight unseen cash offers to end up 🔩
We live in East Texas on 25 acres, wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Homestead life is the best.
I also am in an area the helicopters fly over in Blossom Valley. I would feel a little annoyed every time I heard them especially at 11:00 at night! It is so peaceful and quiet here all the rest of the time. One day I was talking to an older gentleman who was a vet about the sound and he told me to look up in the sky and say thank you for your service every time they flew by. He passed away a few years ago, and I have to admit I still say thank you every time I see a military plane and a feel a warmth in my heart!
We live on a rural lot but our neighbours are quite close. Excellent advice to check out the neighbours. We fortunately have great neighbours but I have heard horror stories from other people who moved to new properties - creepy people who drink too much, aggressive dogs, noisy parties. Also very good advice to check the soil for contaminants. Bylaws can be surprising - we need 6 acres to have chickens.
I feel you on the helicopters flying overhead. I live in Okinawa, Japan, and there are constantly marine helicopters and Osprey flying overhead. even in the areas not close to the U.S. bases.
The HOA in one neighborhood I looked at had a rule allowing no more than 150 square feet of vegetable gardens. That was a deal breaker.
I grew up with a loquat tree in Chula Vista, CA more than 60 years ago. I still miss it, the apricot and fig trees. Oh, and a banana tree.
Hope to plant a cherry tree here in Vermont soon for me and the birds.
Carolyn/Vermont Cat Lady
I have neighbors at one end of my backyard that have a couple small dogs who come out barking as soon as they see me, so I am also thinking of putting up a privacy fence.
Oh no! Heaven forbid a couple of dogs seeing you and then saying hello.
@@looksirdroids9134 Ha! It would be great if they were only saying hello, but they bark the entire time I am outside working in the yard. 😉
I have a privacy fence but it does not stop the barking. I am so over it. If I could find a neighborhood that bans dogs I'd move!
@@cynthiak2955 CZcams has some dog whistle audios. Maybe try that on your neighbor's dog. I do, sometimes it helps and sometimes not so much.
My neighbors dogs bark when I walk outside too and don't stop luckily they aren't outside all day. I don't understand dog owners and not training their dogs. Mine will bark once and they know to stop when I tell them. Can't wait for my 20 plus acres with far away neighbors lol :)
Very useful tips. Thanks, Kevin :)
Very thoughtful of you to let others know what matters in questions are very important to consider when purchasing a home ir a homestead. Hard to believe that you have been at your house/homestead for almost three years! It looks nothing at all to what you moved in to 😊 All of your hard work has paid off many times over 👏🏼🙌🏻❤
I can definitely agree on the checking in with the neighbors. Mine are curious as to what I’m doing but I do make a point to make my project pretty since everything I am doing is visible from their properties. I don’t want to be “that” neighbor.
Good fences do make good neighbors. I love the murals on your back wall. Is there a video about that?
yep! It’s back earlier last year
This is definitely "city" homesteading advice. Also absolutely dying at 4:07 of that being extreme lol I had ridiculously big dreams during the times of low mortgages ~2 years ago. I ended up with 19 acres, an ok house, and the costs are less than the rent prices around here (~30 minutes from the state's biggest cities). I was incredibly lucky, but this land is a bit extreme. I have no idea what to do with so much of it, and the upkeep is so much more. But, there is potential and I'm not really limited by anything.
More rural advice is completely different - water/well testing, septic condition, other necessary utilities, road clearings/seasonality, internet access, flood levels, etc. It's so much to think about, and so many city people just don't really think about these since they're mostly a given in big cities.
Fabulous content! I had to add a 6' privacy fence in the backyard but just inside my property line due to a super low fence (36") and my neighbor on the north side of the yard with a 120lb dog that kept jumping the short fence to get at my Lab. Anytime I was in my yard, that dog was racing to the fence, up and over. Plus that is where I have the best sun for what was my future garden site. He refused to chip in for the fence so I pulled it inside my property line, by 3", so no need to get approvals, just the permit.
Made all the difference and a safe place to enjoy and garden!
I'm in a townhome community so you can imagine the insane HOA rules. Can't even plant in the ground. HOA dude literally told me today that I have to get rid of my 10th pot on my back patio as the limit is 9 pots. You can't make it up. So furious. Time to move.
I live in a mobile home community where we own the land, my lot is 99 x 55 and fenced with chain link. My problem is the little yappers across the street. The owner is home all of the time and lets them bark all day and on the weekend her husband sits in his carport to listen to music loud enough that even with earbuds I can still hear it. This has such an impact on my quality of life that I would love to move but I have my mother next door in her house and we have a rental next door to the obnoxious neighbors.
I’m open to buying a small homestead anywhere. Where in KY and it’s the pits. November through March, nothing to do. I’d love to see a video on if you could pick anywhere, where would that be? Not too expensive, not too cold, just enough chill ours for some fruit trees. No snow, so I can grow a great winter garden. Not near hurricanes. I keep thinking about northern Florida, Tallahassee and to the right a bit, but no too close to the coast. Elevation is important too with all the rain.
Regarding neighbor noise - I owned the house next door for 8 years. During that period, I installed an attic fan that automatically flips on at a certain attic temperature. I then moved next door and started my .5 acre garden food forest. That fan is driving me nuts. It is loud! The sound bounces off my house and settles in the garden. The new homeowners can not hear it and don't even know it exists. I sold that place 18 years ago. So I get to experience a self made, constant annoyance, out in my garden.
It really narrows down search criteria when considering some of these challenges ahead of time. I'm always looking for southern exposure and water access with acreage. Good luck to us all
Lot size was definitely a major consideration for us, and we were only able to get slightly over half your lot size despite being even further towards the edge of town (literally a few blocks from actual farms in two directions). House would have a smaller footprint (2 story) but we have a huge (1000+ square foot) patio that wraps all around the house and connects with the 3 lane driveway on the front, but it was still the largest lot of everything we looked at (and the second least expensive property which definitely helped the decision). We make do with 150 square feet of raised beds and a lot of containers, as well as using fruit bearing species for landscaping when possible, and somehow managed to accommodate a garden area, chicken coop area, small (ok, tiny, 4'x6') greenhouse, and still have enough room left for a place for dogs and kids to run around in.
For those struggling with an HOA, a tale of hope: it was already gone when we moved here, but there was an HOA that was dissolved, so it is possible to get rid of them. The only remnant of the HOA is that there is a covenant still attached to the houses in the area, but it's unenforceable without the HOA, and only covered things like fence styles, evaporative cooler placement, and RV parking anyway, and from the fences you can see it's clear that the covenant hasn't had any force behind it for decades.
I grew up in a bigger city and I bought a house in the middle of the smaller town I moved to. I’m turning most of my yard into garden and I love the traffic noise., the Diesel fumes not so much.
For me, Diesel fumes are the absolute worst .
I totally can sympathize with you on those Navy Helicopters. My husband and I (both Navy too) had an apartment in Virginia Beach many years ago... and the is an Air Base near where we lived, and the Navy did a lot of night time flying, even til 1am, you could hear jets doing fly overs. I hated it so much!
Great video Kevin! Can you please share your Weather Station? We are thinking about getting one ❤ Thanks
Just gotta say, your eyes look lovely man, lowkey jealous
Pathetic simp
Too kind
LOL!! rural living is not a guarantee for a tranquil living. I have a "neighbor" about 1/3mile away. He LOVES his BIG BIG assault rifle (AR-15). And other times he LOVES his other big rifle with bump stock. Doesn't matter the time of day or day of the week. When he feels like it, he is out there blasting away. I'm just waiting for him to blast a hole through my diesel storage tank filled with over 400 gallon. Then there is another neighbor doing "Ag burn" but its way over the size limit and burning other than ag waste such as sofa, mattresses etc. Police wont do anything nor the fire marshal. Hey its out in the country... So don't look for rural lifestyle to find tranquil pastoral lifestyle. If you a city person think long and hard before moving to a rural lifestyle.
But overall, great commentary Kevin. to the point and important points to consider. great PSA!!
Totally agree about the noise and neighbors point. Adding noisy and inquisitive neighbors who I discovered at my expense, are the worst. I’ll take any dog bark over very bad-mannered neighbors, which is not to say that dogs barking are not a pain in the neck. Very interesting video.
I always look out for Heavy Metal. In my music.................while I am gardening!
I just moved to bfe in the midwest. I have no regulations. Would recommend.
I just wanted to add onto the soil condition point: many municipalities have a list/map of brownfields in your area. Check to see if your potential purchase site is on the list. Remediation of one can be very expensive and time-consuming. Unless you're up to the task, I'd avoid them at all costs.
What is a brownfield?
@@jacksonfamily678 From the EPA: "A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant."
In other words, a brownfield is a property that likely has environmental contamination like lead, heavy metals, or other pollutants (ie, oil spills).
@@jacksonfamily678 A local example in my area is a housing development that was built on an old incinerator site. The city had to pay to clean up everyone's yard to remove the contaminants.
All great tips Kevin!
Another thing the check is the noise map from traffic and air pollution. I live next to a busy road and the noise levels (and air pollution) while under EU limits are bothering me. Visit in rush hour during a weekday!
You can get out of soil contamination issues with wicking beds. Especially when using halved IBC tanks. Propped off the ground, it's disconnected from the contaminated soil.
I’m so impressed. This is such great advice. I never checked the flight path before buying my home and we live right under the cities airport flight path now. Me and my kids get to wake up to the lovely sounds of airplanes flying over our house at as early as 5:00 am. Yay us.
I live in that same flight path, Kevin! You get used to it after a while. I only notice now when they fly really low! Love the channel, I've learned a lot and put in to use in my own garden. Do you guys ever do walk throughs with locals to help with planning?
Man i cant wait for coming growing season, all the creators vids as well as my own attempts of producing food (as amateur did quite alright ;) ... from mai to december no grocery bill at all ... and even now we still eat potatoes and vegetables from last season (yeah my wife is pleased ;) ) .. .and this year food garden is even more expanded.
I remember that live stream you did last year and Astrea heli. was chasing some guy in the neighborhood jumping fences and stuff, that was a fun video. I was raised in Santee and live Hawaii now, gardening is awesome here, all year long.
Flight and road noise is DEFINITELY on my list, sometimes it drives me crazy where I live currently.
You mentioned having toxins in the soil. Sunflowers can help take the toxins out of soil.
I love how your content is unique and not a repetition of what others say or I know. I always learn something here. Thank you!
I live in a rural neighborhood and despite it being rural it's not as quiet as one would like. The highway is about .4 miles away as the crow flies and despite it being basically all woods between it and my house you can always hear it, and sometimes it's ridiculously loud. And gas leaf blowers are incredibly annoying - I wish I lived in a world where they didn't exist. And then add to that the 4-wheelers and trucks with disturbingly loud exhausts. 90% of the time it's reasonably quiet, but it's the 10% that really stands out...
Glad you didn't get swept away in the rain. Would be interested in how your water storage system faired. Love your videos.
Have you done a native plants patch??it would be very cool!(and it's also good for the environment)
What a coincidence my lot is 10,000 square feet with an 800 square foot home. And likewise I sit below a helicopter flight path as well. It becomes a little bit of an irritation but I can't complain because in Phoenix I lived in the flight path of the Air Force and had many fighter jets flying above my house. These things are so loud it shakes the house and for a minute or more you can't hear nothing but that damn jet.
I laughed when you mentioned the helicopter flight path. I grew up in an area quite close to an Army air field with lots of flight traffic and still live near there. The only time I notice it is if the plates rattle in the cabinet. But if it's new to you it could be annoying. Thx for the tips. I'm sure it will be helpful to people checking out new properties. Also research the difference between incorporated and unincorporated areas in your county. Where I live the regulations can vary widely
Good information Kevin! Your honesty is helpful and appreciAted! Hubby and I just bought a homestead, 2 days before we closed escrow we went out to check things out after the storm! The whole property was under water. Completely FLOODED! Haha crazy! Enjoyed this video! 🧡❤️💜💙💚 -Liz from California
I'm in the flight path of a regional hospital that gets multiple helicopters a day, a very very tiny airport, and random jets/military aircraft. Thankfully there aren't any walls bouncing the sound around because I like to run outside and see who is flying around 😂 Seriously though, our HOA still refuses to allow chickens, despite the city allowing them, and that drives me crazier than anything.
Same here. We live near a small airport that the military uses for touch downs. Every time a couple of Ospreys or helicopters fly over we are running outside. Lived here 18 years and it hasn't gotten old. 😉
@What's Up My husband works beside an airstrip that does a lot of practicing and I'm always so jealous!
I am so jealous. We have 3 feet of snow in our garden here in zone 4b.
Ive been following you for maybe 4 years now and remember when you bought the new place. Its awesome seeing the flash backs to how it looked then. So barren! When I bought my house I assumed the whole yard was mine. Im on a corner and the first half of the street (about a half mile up) is boulevard. So my yard has about 15 up to 30 foot that is not mine. Also I did not check out the neighbors and the ones close to my back yard are a adult foster care. One of their charges is very mentally disabled and she screams. Quite often they let her out at 5 am. That is a bit of a rude awakening. Ive been working on building a evergreen barrier between us to muffle the noise. But yes, do the homework.
Leland cypress grow at least 4 feet a year!!!!! I’ve built a wind block with them before! Good luck.
This is all so true! Thankful to live in a town that ok with backyard chickens and great neighbors but would love a bit more space. It’s crazy how limited options are even going more rural sometimes. Towns and counties really can be restrictive. Very frustrating!
Dang-the morning light really brings out his eyes. Shoutout to the sun.
I want to live where I dont see any of my neighbors. On 1.68 acres now want at least 20. I also want goats and pigs so I need space for sure! Your garden is very beautiful though 😍
Great video!! 100% about the HOA's.
Where would you move to next?
Clay is such a problem!!! We have a TON of clay on our property too. Makes building a foundation more expensive, too. Somehow our plants have done fine in it.
I’ve been looking in the Pacific Northwest, but nothing committal!
Man the chihuahuas would have drive me INSANE!!!! Props to you for taking that step!
And one piece of noise advice, know your neighbors zoning regulation too! Even in rural, Ive got semi’s for neighbors, they run more than the neighbors lol so that’s a BIG noise pollutant
It’s torture watching gardening videos from Breckenridge, Colorado in January 😭 The standard rule here is not to put plants outside until after Father’s Day (JUNE 18 😳😢). We have 5 acres that we’re about to build our home on and a 20x20 greenhouse that we’ll put up once we move. I think I need to buy a grow tent just to keep myself sane 🪴
Funny that you mention the flight paths- we live in a mountain valley and get all sorts of crazy military aircrafts flying by at window level of our house because we’re higher up on the mountain. We can literally read the stickers on the sides of some of them. People get excited to watch the Blue Angels and we’re like “we see those guys fly right by our deck a few times a week!” I’m curious if those affect your chickens, or if they just get used to it?
Thank you for the tips Kevin! This video reminded me of when I bought my house. I was so excited about the Apple and Cherry Trees almost more than the house itself :))
But I do have some tasty cherries every year :D... and apples.... and now pears... plums and others :D
Hey perfect example, mine is literally going to be San Bernardino and I'm just getting started with everything. Basically starting from scratch and with pretty much no knowledge or anything yet. But I'm excited for the journey!
Maybe I missed this issue. Your water and sewer setup and supplier.
Also, in California if you go rural, where is the nearest CalFire air base? It’s a huge benefit to having them right here and getting on even small fires immediately.
I didn't know it was normal to ask your neighbors to pay for things. here in Massachusetts, we pay for our own fences! How interesting.
Never ever the HOA crap!
@Epic Homestead,maybe you should think of getting some miniature horses& cows to complete the theme?.
All very good advice. We don't have any HOA where I live, it can be very noisy, and not everyone considers the fact there is someone living 20-30 feet away from where they are having a rip roaring party or running what seems to be a day care. For the most part not too problematic but not always ideal. There is also a small plane airport and a helipad less than 2 miles away... and they fly over about 5-10 a day... the weird thing is after a while I don't notice it much. Soil is really an issue, here all Ive got is sand! great if you want to grow cactus or dragon fruit, some citrus but even that needs amendments. If I want to grow food it's gotta be in grow bags or above ground planters. But it is what it is.... not moving, at least for a while...
Yeah, we're in a flight path, too. At first it was super distracting, but now I don't notice it much. Only when guests are here from out of town yelling, "What??? WHAT????" do I think, "Oh, right, that is annoying. Oh well." ;'D
Great information!! 👍
Something I didn't know before I got my place was the flight path of helicopters coming into the local hospital from the east and south. By the time they hit my place they're quite low and come at all hours of the day and night. Still, it's hard to complain that people aren't going to die for lack of medical help.
I’ve lived in townships my whole life and typically they have more lax laws; but recently the one I moved from passed a law that forbids chickens unless you have at least five acres of land. Five acres!!! Among other ridiculous laws, it’s slowly turning into an annoying HOA situation. So even townships aren’t a free ticket to homesteading. Be sure to research those rules too.
What a drastic, drastic change in your property. It looks great! I'm a little jealous. If I could go back in time (I'm 75 ) I'd do exactly what you did. I have one question. Does your new neighbor vegetable garden? LOL LOL I'm sure you're a bad influence on him.
Looking forward to seeing some bee hives on the homestead soon. Hopefully you won't run into any problems with your neighborhood once you're a beekeeper
I feel your pain regarding helicopters. About 5 years after I moved in helicopters started flying over the neighbourhood a couple of times per day. Often at 2am ☹️
Also asking around to see if the HOA actually enforces anything. I sent my HOA an email one time on how many non relatives can live in the same house (So I wouldn't get busted for having like 6 cars in my driveway) and no one ever responded so basically I do whatever I want to my property now cause apparently no one cares about anything 🤣
This is why we went straight up rural because HOAs be damned. I moved from town onto 5 rural acres on a mountainside across the street from conservation lands. In Maine we drafted a state constitution that clearly states that WE THE PEOPLE reserve the right to produce our food in whatever way we see fit. I have neighbors at a respectable distance that have cows. Another has horses. The people must ban together and make it happen. I guess research needs to be done beforehand. The same type of rural areas in NH say you can't even build a tenting platform if your property is on a pretty scenic road. To hell with that noise. The mortgage and taxes are paid and i'll do what i please. No noise ordinance and constitutional firearm carry and permitless concealed carry. Know your prospective property first.