Building a Homestead in 100 Days - Day 1

We have spent the last 15 years building a thriving homestead that feeds our family here in Western North Carolina. Now we are expanding across the creek and going to build an entirely new homestead from scratch. Over the next 100 days, you're going to see us lay the foundations for a homestead.

Access.

We're going to locate water. We are going to find and clear potential forest for pasture. And lastly but not leastly, we are going to identify potential house sites. Hey, you guys want to see what we're going to do? Here is our current homestead divided by a public road. Basically using this right here.

Hey, Papa.

10-ish acres.

Yes, remember we did clear this property right here?

Yes, that's right. This, this is an old map. We've since cleared all this. That's over where the pigs are. We just cleared that one more recently.

We need to breathe harder to put green here.

Yep. With this new homestead We're setting our eyes across the creek over into this 18-acre parcel where we think we can clear 8 to 10 acres. This has lines showing how steep it is. It's a GIS map from the county, very helpful. So we can see this is too steep. We can see we have some potential pasture right here. We have some potential pasture way at the top. Potential right here. So we got some nook and crannies, and we've just surveyed. So we want to walk this perimeter. I'm excited about this. You excited about this, Lily?

Yeah.

You excited? Yeah. This is y'all's future. We're building this legacy together. It's one thing to gift you guys this, an inheritance, but it'd be a completely other if we build this together. We're building a homestead from scratch. Hey, where's your socks? I had them on you. As much as I just want to jump into the expansion and build that homestead, we still got chores to do on this homestead. Kicking off this 100 days, we want to get a visionary shot of us as a family looking over this project. How's that persimmon? Is it okay?

Yeah, this is the new property.

I'm thinking A picture right here looking that way. All that's going to be cleared silvopasture. All this, it's going to be open silvopasture. We're just going to transform this up that way. We've got pasture possibilities everywhere, all the way to here. This is just a crazy ravined area that either we just graze as is or grade to a more gradual.

That's what I was thinking, take out this side of the bank and push it down.

Yeah, we were standing right there. There's also this spot. Can you see it? I can see it. I can see it clearly. Bring in the cows, sheep, clear this. We're gonna pull up bramble like this, pull up saplings like this. In some ways it's kind of cool to have this natural across there.

Oh yeah, kind of need filler.

Well, you might have to do a road. I think there's this— well, we're gonna have to have a road going across to get us up to Big Daddy's and Grandma's. Yeah, this is kind of cool. I kind of like the natural— I mean, we'll see. We got to get it cleared so we can see. Well, we got our work— we got our work cut out for us. Do we pull these up by the roots? I think we do, as opposed to mow them. Starting to climb, but not too much. We're looking for 30% grade or less, ideally. But can you guys see it? Can you see? This must not— this must not too long ago that this was pasture, because you see the age of those trees? Not very old at all. Because of our recent survey I kind of assumed we owned right along this road or even that barbed wire fence, but we don't. We shoot on up through there, which gives us even more than I originally thought. It's absolutely crucial to get a survey. Yes, expensive, but totally worth it. I'm thinking another shot up here where we're looking over this view. I don't know, somehow Ben's looking down over this view because this is going to be a view. This is going to be an incredible view. Maybe not that way. Look how steep it gets. It gets 45 degrees right there, but right here, a nice gradual 25 or 30. I don't know if you stand above us on the bank or we go down lower. I think both. Rebecca's eyeing this for a possible house site. Yeah, that way you don't go. That was too— that's so steep.

Oh no, I mean, it's steep. Like, yeah, this may not be terrible off of it because I think this is—

it definitely has south exposure because you don't have any ridges that way or anything. For house site, we're looking for slope south. South is right there, so that could happen. We're also eyeing— there's one low here, and then there's one even further up. I don't think we'd see the road from here, but might still be able to hear it. We want to get away from that road. One more visionary shot. He's gonna be before and after, you know, we're kind of looking over the wooded area. And then maybe this time next year, same spots cleared and green grass growing and fall leaves in the background. Rebecca, you gonna try to milk somebody today? Honey, maybe. Hey, when's your mineral letters coming, babe?

They're here.

You can finish this. Oh, that would have been good. What's the verdict?

Um, we need to refill.

You're out of a lot sulfur.

Are you really gonna do this?

I'm gonna try. I don't want to get dirty, that's the thing.

Oh my gosh, I'm not wearing my dirty clothes.

I'm wearing my photo clothes. The couple that milks together stays together.

Yep, let's do this.

How cute. Rebecca has gone to get minerals. Josiah has come to get me because the piglets have gotten out. The piglets are way down there. They should be right there. We've got the skim to hopefully distract mom and the cousins. Okay, Gideon, herd them down this way. We have the big pigs distracted. We have the fence open right here. Hopefully we're gonna bring them around and down. Okay, now keep going down the woods to keep them from going in the woods. Well, they're fast little boogers. Okay, just— hi, you stay down there to keep them from going out in the field. Good, good, good, good, good. You got it. Wow, man, we nailed that. Well, we got the pigs in.

Good. What happened?

Felt like a super pro, man, the way we got the pigs in. Good. Either that or lucky, or a combination of both. We distracted the big ones and then herded the little piglets around the fence. Look at this, so good.

Yeah, yeah, we're almost done. Okay, um, Salt over there.

You're gonna be done today?

Yeah, this— we're done.

This is great. Get your ice packs. See what it looks like once you put everything in there. Look at all this milk. Rebecca's going shelf shopping. Gideon, you and I, and hopefully Josiah and Lily going exploring on this homestead property. Better than Lowe's? No.

What about Harbor Freight?

Pier 1?

No, because I want like heavy-duty shelves.

Yeah, no, I don't think Harbor Freight. I think they're specialized in like cheap crap. That's true. It's 10:17, almost 3 hours. I think certainly I can circle the perimeter, Rebecca, get lots of pictures, and maybe explore the water even.

Yeah, I like it.

Here's some burgers for me falling out if you're back And then you guys have spaghetti. We got sick chickens in the high tunnel.

Maybe they are eating rind tomatoes or corn ones or something.

Yeah, and I heard, you know, tomato leaves aren't good for them. In the past they just haven't eaten them, but they are in a tomato jungle. Okay, you put them in there. Yeah, or are they in there?

I put them in here.

Oh, this is disgusting. They're just pooping like crazy in these nest boxes.

These are the two cleanest. This is the sicker one. Okay, I can't even move her head.

Were they in there?

No, I put them in there to get away from the other chickens.

Okay, let's put them out because they're gonna just poop this up like crazy. We should get our rack out of here before they start perching on that.

She can't even barely move.

Oh yeah. Disoriented, isn't she? How are these guys doing? They're clearing a lot. We're gonna watch it, okay? If people keep dropping dead, we'll have to do something. It could just be that these guys— it could be just the transition, just something else going on. That one could have gotten— maybe gotten by the goose. See, everybody else looks all right. This is weird. I've never seen them get it this nasty. Maybe we need to come shut this off at night. Yeah, you see this swivels up, you can swivel and block them from getting in there. Although that doesn't look like that'll block them. I think the biggest challenge to developing this new land is the current land we're on. We have a thriving homestead which needs a lot of attention. All right, you two, let's go. We're going to start by going counterclockwise around the perimeter. We had the surveyors mark it off so you can stand at one ribbon and see the next. What you want to look for on new land— you want to explore the perimeter. We want to look for water. We want to look for slope 30 degrees or less, which is about right there. That's not too steep. It's the neighbors. This is too steep. It's us. Well, they miked this corner piece to bits. Neighbor's there, we're here, so anything from here over is, is fair game. Come on, boys, girls. Like that. There you go. Nook and cranny pasture right there. Well, Grandma's house is really close to this property line.

How do the surveys know?

Great question. I have no idea. We need to ask them when they get back, or ask Mr. Google Pants. I am going to have to ask the surveyor about this because OnX and the GIS map shows our line quite a bit more that way, but the new survey is showing it more up this way. Huge pine trees. Kids, have you ever been back here though?

Yeah.

Oh yeah, I've not been back here very much at all.

This is a cave down here, right?

Is there? Oh cool. 3 things of interest right here to sum up what we're looking for. 1, looks like there's an old logging road. 2, looks like there's signs of water. There certainly is water down in that ditch. Is there water in that ditch?

No.

3, it's pasture over here. And 4, they have a cave, so that's just something of interest.

Oh my word, there's a creek under there.

Definitely signs of water over here.

You want to get in?

Wow, no, I don't want to get in.

I can, I can stick the camera phone for light.

You guys actually going in?

Yeah, wait, there's no light on though.

There is. It's not bright. Okay, well, you got a creek.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can't really see it, but there's a little— there used to be a little bit of water down there. And then, and then there's up here, it's like a little like home or something, like an animal. Okay, I'm coming up, Papa.

Let's keep moving. Let's go find something exciting on our land. I'm in a ravine right now. We should follow this up and see if we can't find a spring. Somewhere along our property. We are officially entering land I've never walked on because I didn't know where the line was. And really, I've been busy cultivating our 10 acres over there, just now looking to expand. So we're going to be in a pretty sharp ravine right here, not very usable.

Whoa, look down there, Papa!

Yeah, that's some, but it's just too steep to get to that. I know, and it's not quite enough. All right, come on. Look at this old barbed wire. Grandpa probably put that in. That makes sense, that's on our line. I'm at the corner. What I'm observing though, neighbor's flat that way and this way, but then we're like 45 degrees. But you're not supposed to covet your neighbor, right? We're already too steep right here. There's definitely water runoff. There's water.

You getting tired?

Yes. Okay, now we're looking at something. This is doable right here.

Okay. Oh, there's your dirt bike.

Yep, there's the trail up top. All right, possible pasture and access road. I feel pretty tired, no surprises there. Any surprises for you? I'm looking for pleasant surprises. Coming off the line a little bit. To explore this. I see pasture. What's that? Is that an access road? We do have old logging roads. That is, it's an old logging road. Oh yeah, too steep, not too steep. We've gone about halfway on this side of the 18 acres. Wow, that's almost straight down. Good thing about the survey is We know exactly where it is. Bringing machines— one thing to get an estimate with OnX, whole other before you start putting in access roads and cutting trees. This is so steep, you guys could slide on your back. I'm wondering if we should veer off right here just to look at the edge. And I look at OnX and it does look like it mellows out, so why don't we hug it and walk it down there? We might find a surprise. Okay, do we have a nook pasture here? Wow, we have a hideaway pasture, that's for sure. Steep bank there, steep bank right over there. Holy— I like it. Levels off nicely into some mature forest here. There's a road here. What in the To come down where we were taking pictures. Yeah, amazing. Okay, so we could come explore this on Sally.

No, because there's a few logs in the way.

Oh, is there?

And there's a big ditch.

Let's go down to where we have logs in the way. Don't have logs in the way. Now see, this would work, but it's so, I don't know, rocky from like water. Certainly couldn't mow it. Nice. I think once you get on top of this bank, it's mellow enough. And here's where we took pictures this morning.

Boom!

Let's go back to the perimeter and keep going. Well, I just wanted to see if there was anything along the way, which I see stuff possibility there. We might be getting close to having something here. I can't believe how much work we had ahead of ourselves. This is the moment of overwhelm. Usable, not us. Unusable, us. That is a surprise. You know what that is? What? Bear poop. We're just on the outskirts of the property. There's more exploring to be done in the middle. So, and I think I can see our other side of this. We're basically doing an arrowhead, and it's looking a lot more mellow for a good bit of size over there. Cool thing about the surveyor is he clears trail around the perimeter too, so you have access. Wow, look at this! Any of this would be another possible house site.

Look through those branches.

Oh boy, another possible site quite a bit lower down, south-facing. I'm wondering if we're getting a little too close to that ridge over there. I hear the generator. Generator runs at noon at our house. Oh, look where we are! It's where we took pictures this morning. Well, yeah, okay, so this area Another possible house site. What are the chances Jonah's still in Sally? We've been about an hour, 12:15, maybe an hour and 20 minutes.

There's only one chance Jonah's on Sally.

Hey, what are you doing? He's walked down the road. We're back. Mom's back. Are we out of power?

Nope.

Oh, there it goes.

No, it's just a cycle.

I didn't realize it was a 20-30 minute cycle. All right, what you got? Okay, well, you went bin crazy.

No, I just got these because I think we're gonna have to split our sleeping bags up into two bins. Okay, because they don't quite fit into one. Yeah, and then the kids, when they get them out and play with them and then put them back Yeah, you got wicker bins, big bins, you got contractor bags.

Yeah, you got a gigantic stepladder. Nice. Mucho shelves. We just did the webinar and people asked what you read now, and I guess you got the idea that maybe you gotta get some books.

Frederick Bachmann, he has a new one out. Oh, I got an old one from Chris.

He wrote The Man Called Ove or something like that.

That's the Man Called Ove.

That's his famous one. But we like the Beartown series from him.

Yeah. Hey, I got Kristen Hannah. She has a bunch of books. I, I've been slowly working through her older books, so I got one of those.

Okay, he's feeding himself ice cream. He's not a reluctant eater when it comes to ice cream, huh?

He likes them.

Any surprises today exploring? You feel like we found any surprises?

Yeah, road.

Yeah, yeah, I would say, I would say the fact that there are two logging roads that go across our property back. There's several dry spring, dry beds. There's some wet ones. I don't think I found any more pasture than I thought we had, or maybe even a hair less, but I go over But this impression— there's a lot of work to do. Tomorrow, day 2. You want to join us? We're going to put those sheep to work on helping us clear pasture, and hopefully, Lord willing, and the creek don't rise, we will start clearing behind them. Let's do it! See you guys tomorrow.