Just Placed An Offer for Land

[cpaharley2008]

Good luck Robert,
I have fond memories of my house build back in the 80's on 2.5 acres in Hunt Valley, Md. It was farm land converted and had a well and septic, something new to a city boy, heat pump (cold heat) but fireplaces for auxiliary heat. Suburbia, every person's dream..enjoy

[Vicki A.]

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Daubsy

Two weeks ago we put an offer on a house in North Austin and it was accepted. The real estate market is crazy here and has been for years but seems to keep trending upward. The house we bought had 10 offers in 2 days. We're buying while it's still affordable for us. Closing in two weeks and we're pumped! Bonus is that it's a nice corner lot where we can park the RV.

Wow, that's nice Sean. Being able to have the trailer on the property is a huge plus. The Austin real estate market is crazy right now, way more than San Antonio. Congrats on your upcoming move!



Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Bill and Earline]

Robert,
My friendly recommendation would be to stretch that garage to 14 x24.
That would allow for a 10 foot wide door with about 18 inches on each side of the door and enough room to get around the trailer when parked inside. Rarely is a garage too big!
Bill

[dfandrews]

Congrats, Robert.
A couple of cents worth of thoughts:
I'd install a 100 Amp/240V subpanel in the outbuilding. The difference in cost vs. a smaller one is just conductor, conduit, and main breaker size; the labor is the same; the sub-panel buss size is usually 100-125 Amps already.
With that, you'll never have an "I shoulda' done it" moment, and you can have enough power for friends who visit.

Plumbing drain/sewer at the outbuilding (and maybe a bath/shower) is a possible. Check out whether the septic tank system (that I presume you'll have) will accept the treatment chemicals commonly used in RV black tanks.

Rural peace and quiet: Friends of ours recently moved from Austin to a rural area NW of there, and their inherent stress level has reduced tremendously; SO, Enjoy!

[Mike & Donna]

Good luck with your upcoming move. Texas Hill country is a great place to have a home. I'm a little jealous.

[bisonbill]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

All good points of view. We currently live in a 2500 sf house, so the new place won't be any bigger. But, getting out of San Antonio traffic and having the quiet and privacy is the main reason for the move. Another big factor is that we currently store our RV in the only covered RV storage area we could find in San Antonio - and it's almost an hour away if the traffic is bad. Because of the nature of my work schedule, having the trailer on our property so we can just hitch up and go is huge for us.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Robert,
I think this makes you the first person on this forum to buy a new piece of property just to park their Escape. Wonder if this will start a trend. Congrats and good luck.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by bisonbill

Robert,
I think this makes you the first person on this forum to buy a new piece of property just to park their Escape. Wonder if this will start a trend. Congrats and good luck.

Not the only reason, just a huge plus. Thanks.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

I'd install a 100 Amp/240V subpanel in the outbuilding. The difference in cost vs. a smaller one is just conductor, conduit, and main breaker size; the labor is the same; the sub-panel buss size is usually 100-125 Amps already.

That's the plan Don. 100 Amp panel for the detached building. If I ever want to insulate it and throw up some sheet rock, one of those Mitsubishi AC units would cool it just fine.



Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Zardoz]

Sounds like the fulfillment of a lifetime dream coming true, Robert; have you been thanking your lucky stars adequately? Since we'll be relocating to the Tucson area soon, we'll be looking for a lay-over place with hookups and a dump station as we follow you to the Blue Bonnett Rally in the future. So, you've got our vote! Go for it. This ain't no preview ya know.

[Jim Bennett]

Sounds fantastic, Robert. I am so looking forward to a serviced lot in Texas to stay at. I have now had offers in quite a few other states an provinces from good folk with places to park our trailer while we explore the area. I hope to oblige in the house we bought a year ago as our next house. This house is 1330 sf with a full basement and rear paved alley perfect for parking our trailer, and building a nice shop.

2,500 sf sounds huge. We have 2,600 sf, and with 5 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths find it WAY too much house now that it is just the two of us. While typing this, I realize that you guys likely do not have basements, which adds another 2,000 sf of living space.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Zardoz

Sounds like the fulfillment of a lifetime dream coming true, Robert; have you been thanking your lucky stars adequately? Since we'll be relocating to the Tucson area soon, we'll be looking for a lay-over place with hookups and a dump station as we follow you to the Blue Bonnett Rally in the future. So, you've got our vote! Go for it. This ain't no preview ya know.

Yes, a culmination of years of very hard work Rich. My Dad used to say that luck is when preparation meets opportunity.


Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Sounds fantastic, Robert. I am so looking forward to a serviced lot in Texas to stay at.

If I build it, he will come.... [emoji6]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

2,500 sf sounds huge. We have 2,600 sf, and with 5 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths find it WAY too much house now that it is just the two of us. While typing this, I realize that you guys likely do not have basements, which adds another 2,000 sf of living space.

That's true, no basement. There are a few places in Texas with basements, but not in the Hill Country unless you want to blast out over 10 feet of solid limestone to do it.

Most foundations here consist of a grid made up of stacks of sandbags which are set up in squares, with 6 to 12 inches between the stacks, with an outer form and rebar running through the gaps between stacks. Then the whole thing is filled with concrete. You wind up with what I guess would resemble a concrete waffle if turned upside down. The slab over the sandbags is only about 6 inches thick or so, but between the stacks it goes down 3 or 4 feet.

They call these "slab-on-grade" foundations and they've been around since the 40s or 50s. Prior to that, it was pretty much all pier and beam.

Texas has it's share of foundation problems because of this technique, because the slab tends to settle. Because of the unique make up of the ground in the Hill Country, I'm having them excavate to bedrock, (which luckily in that area is less than a foot down) and anchoring the grid to the bedrock. It will never settle.


Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Dave&Kathie]

Congrats,
As Mark Twain said "Buy land, they're not making it anymore"
Enjoy

[hughharden]

Sounds like a great setup. I love San Antonio, was at a conference there and stayed at the Emily Post? Across from the Alamo? Loved the walk along the river once you got past the tourist area.Good luck with the construction process. I hope you have a good contractor. I just finished building a place on a lake in BC it is a walkout with 1188 ft sq each floor, lower floor is two bedrooms for guests and I will be living in the 1188 sq ft main floor. Don't have the acreage you do so not sure I will be able to store the trailer there but will figure it out.

[rbryan4]

Maybe not the acreage, but on a lake in BC! Nice setup Hugh.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[rbryan4]

Not really a shot of the property, but the view. The property line ends at the dirt road in the foreground.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Sounds fantastic, Robert. I am so looking forward to a serviced lot in Texas to stay at. I have now had offers in quite a few other states an provinces from good folk with places to park our trailer while we explore the area.

But Jim, as far as I know, in spite of all the offers, only a single offer is for the exclusive and increasingly famous Campsite Number 1.

[C&G in FL]

Congratulation, Robert. I think an edit to your signature may be in order. That is, "you can buy an RV and a place in the country,......."

[rbryan4]

I like it Carl.