After some consideration, I created the attached plan for developing our land over the course of the next four years. I hope to complete the projects in order but may change things up some as opportunity presents itself.
1) Garden Fence: The garden fencing and fence posts all need to be removed from the property. The garden fence is quite old and is an eyesore, which blocks the view of the valley area just below the cabin. This project includes handling the remains of the fence by recycling the fence wire and burning the fence posts. This is best done first as the garden soil will need to be leveled when the skid steer is available.
2) Front Gate: We need to finish the new front gate area by adding field fencing which matches the rest of the fencing. This needs to be in place by November 2019 to reduce the likelihood of trespassing hunters. This will require a generator and my welder to fasten a mounting rod for the field wire which matches those on the rest of the fencing.
3) Identify Home Site Area: We then need to determine what exactly is the perimeter of the home site area. This will require that I clear a narrow lane over to the north property line. The purpose of the cleared lane is not to be wide enough for the addition of a fence but to locate a straight line for a future fence and to delineate the area we will focus on improving.
4) Removal of Wood Pile: A small pile of wood is valuable for when I plan to cook my meals or for when we are staying out at the property. We have accumulated much more wood than we need and it will ultimately be in the way. We need to move what we plan to use and give the rest away so that it is no longer taking up space. I plan to give a fair amount to our former Boy Scout Troop as they use wood quite regularly on campouts.
5) Brush Burning: We will need to spend time burning the brush which has accumulated from previous projects. This is needed as our next phase will add a considerable amount to the burn piles. We need what currently exists burned so the entire area is not essentially a large burn pile. As a part of this process, we need to determine the best location for future burn piles and that should not be in the home site area or visible from the home site area.
6) Yaupon Clearing: The big project would then be clearing all the yaupon and brush from the home site area. This project will begin with manual work to clear paths of entry for the skid steer. Once the area is accessible by skid steer, the skid steer would be used to finish the project. The earlier this is done the better as the land will look like a war zone for some time afterwards.
7) Fence Clearing: While the skid steer is available, the garden area should be leveled and the fence lane should be cleared to a reasonable width. If time allows, the skid steer can be used to make holes for the metal fence posts.
8) Grass: The spring following the removal of the yaupon would be the best time to work the land and add grass under the trees. This would obviously need to be a shade tolerant form of grass.
9) Home Site Fencing: The home site area should be fenced with the remainder of the field fencing. As part of this process, I will need to align the existing fence with the property line as it currently runs over on to my property. This will take some work and discussion with the neighbor as the fence is now grown over and into a tree so it would have to be cut in order to be moved.
10) Shed Removal: The shed is an eye sore and does not add value to the property. The shed and the yaupon which blocks the view of it should be removed. This will likely require the skid steer in order to remove the telephone corner posts. As part of this process, we would need to decide if we would want to buy a pre-made shed or if we want to use my dad’s trusses to build a larger barn.
11) Water Line: I’d save this until the end as it will be the most expensive. I’m not sure if we will recoup our money during the sale of the property. It is hard to arrange due to the price. While we have a water meter, we need to run a line 2000 feet up a easement road.
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