Agree with Russell: pix are all great. Some real creativity in making the structures a part of the surrounding habitat, instead of “fighting” it.
I totally relate to your dream, Bubblesitter. I’m on the east coast, but my husband and I found a great place in the central Virginia Blue Ridge, and bought some acreage about 4 years ago, with the idea of retiring there. But we loved the area so much that we immediately built a small house, and we visit at least 1 to 3 times a month.
However, second homes are a different kettle of fish. For most people, it’s a luxury, and unless you have a recession-proof career or business, you may have to sell it – quickly – one day. So I believe that it is prudent to choose land and build a place that will appeal to a range of potential buyers. Typically when people are investing in a “dream”, it’s a situation where they’d really like to express their creativity, so you have to keep a grip on the realities of the situation if you’re not independently wealthy.
Keep a few things in mind when shopping:
LOCATION
— should be close enough that getting there will not present a major hardship, but far away enough that you feel like you’re really getting out of town.
— shouldn’t be too isolated. Not only does that leave you vulnerable in a natural disaster, but it leaves you more open to criminal activity, can create communication difficulties, and leads to a waste of a lot of your leisure time running basic errands (food, drug store, gas station, hardware store, etc.)
— try to have at least 2 or 3 (law-abiding and financially solvent) neighbors within a one-mile radius.
— should be reasonable close to emergency services. Make sure that there is some fire-fighting capability within reasonable proximity, and an emergency healthcare facility within 30 minutes (preferably 15) driving distance. It’s best if there is a hospital/trauma center an hour away (or closer) with rural/mountain airlift services. This is *essential* if you plan on retiring there, and also helps with resale.
— should have at least one alternate route out of the region, in case of natural disaster.
–if you plan on retiring there, I recommend that you make sure you’re reasonably close to a small city that provides recreational, social, and possibly cultural opportunities (45 min to an hour driving time). Cabin fever can set in, and it ain’t pretty! Even the most independent among us can be afflicted occasionally.
— check to be sure that there is somewhat a range of contractors with a variety of skills: plumbers, electricians, carpenters, landscapers, etc. Either that, or find said contractors in your current area who would like to trade labor for fishing, hiking, and skiing weekends.
— try to find out if there are large corporate land owners in the region. The last thing you need is to buy a stunning parcel by a big lake in a mountain region, and find out that some chemical or mining or logging entity owns the land across the road, or two miles down the highway.
BUILDING/ CONSTRUCTION & SITE
— don’t cheap out on the aesthetics. Buy a pretty piece of land, preferably with a killer view. If you prefer being surrounded by woods, that’s okay, but keep in mind that you are reducing your resale market.
— you’re better off buying a smaller parcel that’s prettier over a large ugly lot.
— check out the local building restrictions and construction laws in the area before you make an offer. See if there are agricultural or environmental exemptions that could supersede your landowner rights.
— research the availability of water in the area. It’s a drag having your well run dry when the daytime temps are well into the 100s. Worse is your well driller having to try several sites.
— topography can cost! Consider the cost of clearing and grading the land when choosing a home design. That 2000 sf cabin on a thickly wooded hillside might have to be reduced to a 600 sf model following a post-groundbreaking consultation with a grading engineer. My recommendation is that you get an engineer’s grading and soil reports prior to making an offer, and hiring an architect and a builder who specialize in mountain site construction.
–energy savings can be arbitrary. If you want to live off, or almost-off the grid, hire an architect and a builder who do this exclusively. Also, talk to people in your chosen area who have accomplished this, and consult with university faculty who study this type of design and construction. You can get names from blogs, discussion boards, etc., or from university departmental websites.
— you’ll be shocked at how fast square footage (and the associated cost) can stack up. If this is something you really want to do, I’d recommend starting your “schooling” now.
*** Look at house designs, and see the differences in how space is utilized (a real eye-opener, that one!). There’s no shortage of design sites on the web
*** Check out what it costs to be “off the grid”, and compare those with the alternative, both short- and long-term.
*** Start doing some research into construction materials, both utility and cost. There’s nothing worse than making last-minute choices of materials because the subs showed up early, and then have an experienced friend or acquaintance question your choice. Trust me, you’ll have enough other stuff that will keep you awake during construction.
So now that I’ve scared the shit outa you, I think you should go for it. I don’t know about the market in CA, but here in the east, it’s a highly beneficial environment for buyers of second homes, especially in rural/mountain areas. Lots of these places were sold/built during the late 90s and early aughts when banks weren’t making enough money in the principal residence market. For many buyers, it was a real rush when they could respond to the appearance of a new Hummer in their neighbor’s driveway with an offhand question like, “I wonder if that thing has the cojones to get up the road to my new mountain house.” There’s a lot of choices in our area: there’s a limited number of out-of-town buyers, and not nearly enough local buyers to take up the inventory. In addition, the income level of the locals restricts their ability to purchase many of the available homes, or they’re located in spots that aren’t practical. So I can’t believe that some of the same conditions don’t exist in SoCal.
BTW, we looked at prefab log homes, and were very close to buying one. I’m very glad now that we didn’t, but that was the right decision for us. There’s been a lot of innovation in this industry, in design utility and aesthetics. Just make sure that you hire a contractor that is experienced with this sort of thing to prepare your building site.
We ended up building a traditional “wood” house from the ground up. However, we used SIPS (structural insulated panels), which was an excellent choice. Much faster construction than stick-built, plus the insulation factor is excellent, summer and winter. Also, we live on the crest of a hill in a valley between two mountain ranges, and the wind can be unbelievably strong. The SIPs have worked out well combating that issue. We use propane for heat and cooking, and are on an electricity coop. Once we’re there full-time, we want to erect a windmill for energy-generation, and install solar panels. Since the frustrations of the building process stopped, we’ve been loving our visits down there, and do not regret our decision at all. Sometimes the time constraints can be an issue, but we can always hire local contractors to take care of things in our absence if we decide that we want to limit our visits there. It’s a magical place, and works better on stress than any pharmaceutical manufactured.
