Building a new house and shop (2 Viewers)

[gunracer1]

I sure you will get called on for shooting from some of the new neighbors to the south. This rain the last couple months is definitely a pain.

 

[1911]

I sure you will get called on for shooting from some of the new neighbors to the south.

Yeah, they can call the sheriff all they want, but anyone in the county with 10 acres or more is legally entitled to shoot on their land. We're not assholes about it; we only shoot during reasonable hours and whatnot, but we're still going to shoot.

 

[scrapdaddy]

10 acres, in my county you can shoot anything on any amount of ground. I know of guys around our farm that hunt deer on 1 acre. We live on 80 acres and get nervous every deer season, really like the idea of your 10 acre law.

You've got a great place, something to feel blessed to have.

 

[1911]

10 acres, in my county you can shoot anything on any amount of ground. I know of guys around our farm that hunt deer on 1 acre. We live on 80 acres and get nervous every deer season, really like the idea of your 10 acre law.

You've got a great place, something to feel blessed to have.

Thanks Ron.

The law used to be minimum 5 acres to shoot, but they increased it to 10 a few years ago. But no matter how little acreage you have, you can still shoot varmints no matter what. That's just our county, I suppose every county in Texas could be different.

 

[LS1FJ40]

Thanks Ron.

The law used to be minimum 5 acres to shoot, but they increased it to 10 a few years ago. But no matter how little acreage you have, you can still shoot varmints no matter what. That's just our county, I suppose every county in Texas could be different.

We dove hunted across the street (1000 ft minimum) from a school in McKinney. The weirdest and most uncomfortable hunting experience of my life.

 

[gunracer1]

It is a Parker county law, not statewide. It was put through on a special session that was a back door deal.

 

[1911]

Here's what I spent my house money on recently - got our 3,200' southern boundary all fenced. Oil well production tubing and t-posts. The oil field tubulars are made from good steel alloy that is very corrosion resistant.

fence

• 1911
• Dec 18, 2018

 

[GeoRoss]

My sympathies, I spent way too many summer days in my youth repairing and building fences at my grandfather's ranch. Mine never did look this nice, good job!

 

[1911]

Another fence photo, where it crosses the smaller of the two creeks. They had to drill holes for the posts in the solid limestone ledges. I was down there clearing trees so that I can drive at least or four-wheeler (or in some cases just walk) to patrol the fence line every now and then.

more fence

• 1911
• Dec 22, 2018

 

[LS1FJ40]

Another fence photo, where it crosses the smaller of the two creeks. They had to drill holes for the posts in the solid limestone ledges. I was down there clearing trees so that I can drive at least or four-wheeler (or in some cases just walk) to patrol the fence line every now and then.

more fence

• 1911
• Dec 22, 2018

Don’t creeks have water in them?!

 

[1911]

Don’t creeks have water in them?!

Both of them do at present. The water is running about 2' down in that dark slash at the very bottom of the photo. If we have a long dry spell, they will dry up temporarily. We've had more than 25" of rain in the last 2-3 months, so no shortage of water now. There's so much that it's hard to drive around in some parts of our land, even with 4WD and lockers.

 

[waiting for time]

MUD

 

[Weedhopper]

My sympathies with the fence too. We re fenced my daughters pasture and paddock areas last summer. Even with a tractor auger it was a pain. About two months of weekends to get it done.

The fence itself is some sort of polymer line that stretches and stays stretched. Each lime has a 1200 lb breaking strength rating. Neat stuff.

 

[Weedhopper]

 

[1911]

I was cutting red cedar trees near the fence line again today; pretty nearly have it so that I can patrol the entire perimeter on a 4-wheeler ATV. I was down by the smaller of the two creeks again, so I climbed all the way down to take some photos to show @LS1FJ40 that there really is water in this small creek:

smaller creek

• 1911
• Dec 29, 2018

smaller creek 2

• 1911
• Dec 29, 2018

 

[LS1FJ40]

I was cutting red cedar trees near the fence line again today; pretty nearly have it so that I can patrol the entire perimeter on a 4-wheeler ATV. I was down by the smaller of the two creeks again, so I climbed all the way down to take some photos to show @LS1FJ40 that there really is water in this small creek:

smaller creek

• 1911
• Dec 29, 2018

smaller creek 2

• 1911
• Dec 29, 2018

I keep forgetting that “creek” means different things in Texas vs Iowa! Haha

 

[Mr Cimarron]

All the creeks I played in as a kid are now pretty much dried up or only flow after rain. I help my dad at the family ranch sometimes and never know what I will be doing till I get there. Lately it has been fence work in the water gaps. Hate it! Although I only need rain boots in our creeks.
My dad is the worst at having the correct tools or maintaining equipment. Most of his gifts now are related to tools I need to help him out.

 

[Jupiter Judy]

Thanks!





@Rugy , you should do a build thread too! That would be the ultimate in privacy, which is one of the big reasons we are building ours (on 92 acres, which surrounded on 2-1/2 sides by large 1,000's of acres family ranches).

We are open to all ideas for our place; the only things for sure (so far) are earth sheltering, passive solar, solar cells, and in-floor radiant heating. We will have grid electricity available (I had to pay to run the poles and wire in this far) but I don't anticipate using a geothermal heat pump - it will be so well insulated (and the climate is mild here) that it wouldn't be cost effective. Our insulation is going to be 9+ feet of soil behind and on top of the house. With all the thermal mass we will have (concrete, soil, and the big water cistern I mentioned above) the year-round temperature in the house should stay very close to 70 degrees, all by itself. Very little heating or cooling will be needed to keep it comfortable. There will be a lot of windows (mostly facing east). I haven't investigated the kinds of insulating and strong glass available yet. We will have a pellet stove or similar (that does not use air from the room) in our family room.

Latest update - the only permits we have to get for the entire project are for the water well and the septic system. Got to love Texas; no zoning, no building permits (in most rural counties), far less over-reaching government than almost anywhere else I can think of (except maybe Alaska). Anyway, the water well permit was a rubber-stamp deal I did myself at no cost, approved in less than two days. The septic system permit was a little more involved; you must have a licensed inspector, approved by the county, to dig a couple of 4-5' deep holes and say that the soil is permeable enough for a conventional leach field. If it's not permeable enough, then you have to go with an aerobic system, which is a much bigger PITA to use and maintain. A properly-designed, built, and used conventional leach-field septic system is maintenance-free. The one we have where we live now has not been touched in 13 years.

So, the inspector came out yesterday to dig his holes. We were a little worried, because there is a fair amount of clay and limestone in the soil, but out where we wanted the drain field, it was fine and he approved it right away. It just has to be 100' away from the water well and 75' away from the creek. Neither is any problem.

How close to Weatherford are you? That property is gorgeous.

 

[1911]

How close to Weatherford are you? That property is gorgeous.

Thank you!

We are 9.5 miles north of the FM 730 and Hwy 180 intersection, and 12 miles from the county courthouse. On Tucker Dr, off of FM 730.

 

[Jupiter Judy]

Thank you!

We are 9.5 miles north of the FM 730 and Hwy 180 intersection, and 12 miles from the county courthouse. On Tucker Dr, off of FM 730.

We are building outside of Justin on 20 acres next to our kids. We miss the trees and topography of our ranch but it will be good to be close to kids.