FarmerJamie - A new beginning

If too much house, let wife decorate a couple of bedrooms. Then close the doors, can always go dust the furniture when company comes. The rest of the house y’all can decorate and arrange together.

Drapes or blinds? I have blinds. I live on a farm. Drapes would harbor dust.

Wood floors, ceramic tile or carpet? I have laminate floors throughout the house. Hate ‘em. If they get wet, the laminate peels up. I take good care of them, replacing the flooring is way down the list-like in neverland. Barn, fence, soil improvement, the IMPORTANT things take precedence.

Patio? Deck? Porch? Covered or open?

Yard. Flower beds? They need care, do you have the time? Flowers are cheerful and uplifting. Choose perennials, they require less care. Put in some zinnias and marigolds, easy care annuals.

Garden. I know you are itching to get your hands in the dirt. Go for it.

Tractor. I love my 23 HP Kubota. It was a package of 18’ flatbed trailer, box blade, disc, front end bucket, bush hog and clamp on forks. I only wish it were bigger. But I do a LOT with my Marigold! Depending on your needs and wants, you might look at a package deal with trailer. Then go a size bigger. We got ours second hand with less than 200 hours on it. You will use that trailer for everything! Building something? Need 20’ 2x6’s? Trailer!

Plan on wheelchair access. We are in our Prime of Life! Sometimes we just get tired of walking and need to sit down!
 
Such a blank slate.

Split level with 5 levels, 3/4 steps between levels.

Minor flower bed in front on one side. Nothing else. My cousin (our realtor) and I agree that the dirt around the foundation has settled a little and needs some backfill to slope the water away from the house. Foundation does look dry. I want to plant butterfly and humming bird enticing plants

Wood floors and carpet. Cheap curtains, I will want to eventually replace with blinds. The cats are terrors on curtains, or at least Paisley the Brave is.

No patio or deck, imagination is open!

A freight train did come through while we were touring the house, could barely hear it. The bank in front screened a lot of vehicle traffic noise too.

Going to have to noodle out mitigating potential predator and deer issues. (I was browsing the St Lawrence Nursery website last night for fruit bearing stuff. I bought from them before, they specialize in cold weather hardy plants/trees/etc)
 
it's very simple math. write down the list of changes and give an estimate of how long it will take and how much it will cost for each. write down current age and abilities and determine if you will live long enough to get the list accomplished. use appropriate wiggle room for each person's contribution to the TEAM EFFORT (ahem)... <-- make sure it is understood that all on the team must contribute as appropriate. where TEAM EFFORT is not possible then include much larger estimates for both time and money to get things done by contractors. see the eyes roll on the floor. pick up eyes off floor, rinse off, reinsert carefully.

have some tea and a cookie and see what else can be negotiated. :) good luck and many hugs to both of you.
 
flowerbug said:
it's very simple math. write down the list of changes and give an estimate of how long it will take and how much it will cost for each. write down current age and abilities and determine if you will live long enough to get the list accomplished. use appropriate wiggle room for each person's contribution to the TEAM EFFORT (ahem)... <-- make sure it is understood that all on the team must contribute as appropriate. where TEAM EFFORT is not possible then include much larger estimates for both time and money to get things done by contractors. see the eyes roll on the floor. pick up eyes off floor, rinse off, reinsert carefully.

have some tea and a cookie and see what else can be negotiated. :) good luck and many hugs to both of you.
Click to expand...
My project manager brain is already engaged and sketching things out time and cost-wise, including the possibility of bringing in outside help. Like.... what's the effect of paying someone to plow the driveway during the first winter and delaying the tractor purchase until Spring.

This is my "thing". Lol
 
i'm not a fan of multi-level and see how older people can have issues all the time with them. i'm not there yet myself but even our single level with the steps up from the garage to come in the door is a problem at times for Mom. i've redone the steps to make them smaller but there may be a time when we need another arrangement like a ramp or small lift. thank goodness the inside is all one level.

as for exterior work, as i found out here, it is never a good idea to do a bunch of hardscape work before you figure out that you need to bring in fill or other large shipments. i've had to haul hundreds of wheelbarrows full of materials due to not having access any longer. always an issue.

yes, plan on good fences if you are going to have any gardens or trees. groundhogs, deer and rabbits are the three primary herbivore predators here and they get a fair amount of anything we plant. :(
 
if you want to go for a more permaculture oriented plan you put your primary day food gardens that must be paid the most attention to as close to the house as possible. called Zone 0 or Zone 1. :) means you see it a lot and can keep an eye on things a lot. better chances for things getting done and cared for.

observing a property for a year or two before making major changes is always a good idea so you can see what the water and air flows are like, where the sun hits, etc.

of course, immediate fixes need to get done no matter what thoughts of zones and observations might be.

just my first thoughts. discard or use as needed. no charge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Sister Sites

BackYardChickens.com
BackYardHerds.com
TheEasyGarden.com
Back
Top