Finding your Place in the Country:
A How-To of Country Living
Paradise Found?
It's been a long search. Months of
driving back roads, talking with real estate agents, scanning the
papers and flyers, but you think you've finally found it: The Perfect
Piece of Land. It has everything you want - great views, privacy,
running water, room for a good garden and great sun exposure. Mind you,
it also has some swampy sections and some enormous old Cottonwood
trees, and you're not sure about road access to the best building site.
Also, as yet there's no proven freshwater source so a well will need to
be drilled. The price seems in the right ballpark though. After buying
the land you should be left with enough to build that retreat you have
been dreaming of. Or will you? Should you make an offer?
Or picture this: You are standing on
the edge of the county road looking into what seems like impenetrable
brush, of which you have recently become the proud owner. Somewhere in
its midst is the special place you saw last winter, where the forest
canopy opens up, a slight rise affords a possibility of a view of the
lake to the south and passing traffic is barely a murmur.
Unfortunately, its now July and amid the leafy confusion you haven't
the first idea how to even find that place, let alone put a cabin there
and get the services to it. It will mean hiring professional help; who
do you call? How do you begin to make sense of this wild tangle and
begin to find the underlying sense and order and possibilities of the
site?
Or this: It's now the third summer
that you have owned your land. You have camped on it, had parties on
it, walked every corner and know most of its unique features. Next year
you plan to break ground for the home you've dreamed of for many years.
The trouble is, there are at least 3 possible sites, each with its own
special qualities, but also with certain challenges too - distance from
the road, steep access, exposure to winter winds and so forth. How do
you weigh the myriad complex pros and cons of each option to arrive at
a choice which will best suit your goals for now and for the future?
If any of these scenarios sound
familiar, you are in good company, for unless you have done it once or
twice before, developing an untouched and un-serviced site calls on a
whole new array of specialized skills and knowledge that few people
have cause to develop. To help take some of the mystery out of the
process, Real Living magazine has invited me to write this column on
the "nuts and bolts" of rural living. Finding your place in the country
can mean a number of things. It is finding the right type of property
in the right location. It's understanding what needs to be done to make
it habitable. And it's about feeling comfortable and at home there when
the work is finished because good decisions have been made all along. I
hope that this column will shed light on all of these aspects.
As a building designer specializing in
new homes and cottages, working in a semi-rural setting for 10 years, I
have been personally involved with the development of dozens of
building sites, varying in size from large urban lots to plots of 160
acres or more. Ideally, I am brought into the project early on,
sometimes even before the land has been purchased. In that way I am
able to help my clients ask the important questions that will define
and refine their vision, not just for a new home, but a change in
lifestyle too. Then we work together to choose the property, making
sure it has all the features they want and that it is within their
means to buy and develop.
Next comes the planning process. In
some instances the decision of where to locate a dwelling and how to
provide access and services to it is straightforward - essentially
determined by setback requirements, topography, access conditions and
so forth. In most cases though, the process is more nuanced and
subjective. Larger sites and bigger budgets allow for a greater range
of possibilities. When there are many possible solutions how do we
determine which is the "best" one? It is, I believe, partly a matter of
"listening to the site" and taking cues from, for example, the lay of
the land, and its relation to views, sun, water and prevailing winds.
Ultimately though, developing country land - whether for a permanent
home or vacation retreat - is the act of balancing all three factors:
your goals and dreams, your budget, and the unique opportunities and
constraints of your chosen parcel. Whether this will be a stressful and
expensive process or fun and enjoyable, depends largely on how well you
understand all three.
In subsequent articles I am going to
look at some of the more interesting and challenging aspects of rural
land development. Next time we will examine how to figure out which
type of rural property is right for you. Other topics for future
discussion include hiring contractors and subs, dealing with zoning and
building regulations, finding the best source of plans for your new
dwelling, and planning your site to account for climatic conditions. Of
course I welcome reader's comments and suggestions and will try to
address them in future pieces. Please e-mail
your suggestions.
By way of introducing the subject,
here are some thoughts gleaned from my personal experience. The
following tips are offered to help prospective rural dwellers avoid
some of the pitfalls that may await them should they decide to buy land
and develop their home or weekend getaway from scratch. In future
articles I will be addressing the issues they raise in more depth.
Ten Suggestions for a Satisfying
Development Experience
- Get to know your own dreams for the
land and the new life you will create there. How are you going to live
there? What does this new dwelling represent in your life? Is it a
retreat? a hermitage? a place of tranquil reflection? a focus for a
productive home economy? or perhaps a dynamic place full of action and
activity and the comings and goings of friends. Inventory these dreams.
- Know your budget well and
realistically, as well as the time frame which is comfortable for you.
Consider also the limits of your own energy and abilities when it comes
to doing some of the work yourself.
- Have a good look at your
relationship with your spouse and family. Do you share a commitment to
the same vision? Do you make decisions well together? Many marriages
founder on ambitious construction projects where there are control
issues or a lack of agreement on the goals. Think about the future too.
Will your vision fit your family circumstances in 5 or 10 years?
- Develop a list of land search
criteria, an indispensable guide for Realtors and friends acting on
your behalf and a powerful tool to help you visualize and make your
dreams come to fruition.
- Understand the basic aspects of the
practical side of land development - before beginning your land search.
Having even a general sense of what is possible and how much it costs
will empower you as you assess the attractiveness of different
properties and negotiate with vendors.
- Once you have purchased land, take
the time to get to know it in all seasons and at all times of day. Walk
it, picnic on it, camp out, have parties there. Learn the lay of the
land, where the sun travels at different times of year. Get to know the
plants and animals, know the insects of summer, the swampy areas as
well as the overlook. If you listen in this way, the land will begin to
assert itself in the considered choices you make and your development
will be more likely in "harmony" with its surroundings. As part of this
process, prepare a list of the most special and valuable
characteristics which you want to ensure are preserved and enhanced by
subsequent development. As you develop your plans and select your home
design, keep these in mind.
- Develop a master plan before doing
anything more concrete on the ground than preliminary brush clearing.
Put it down on paper so that your day-to-day decisions will make sense
in relation to your larger objectives and so that you won't do anything
that will have to be undone or done over at a later date.
- Hire the right people for the job.
Of course they should have good references, be careful in the execution
of their work and give good value for what they charge, but also they
should appreciate your intentions and have positive energy and the
ability to work well with you.
- Find a house plan that fits your
needs, your site and your budget. Generally, a custom design by a
skilled architect or home designer has the highest likelihood of
achieving this, although a stock plan may be a good choice too. Be open
to modifying the plan; changes are drastically easier and cheaper on
paper than once the home has been built.
- Be flexible and able to respond
creatively when unforeseen obstacles or opportunities come up. (As they
will.)
Go
on to next article—Choosing the Property that's Right for You, Part I
Click
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Copyright 2004
John Gower and BC Mountain Homes
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Toll-free:1-877-366-2502
First Published:
February 2001 Real
Living Magazine
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