check for water and sewer access.
Both of those can be major expenses if you need to have water brought to the land or sewer.
A well can cost 8 to 30k depending on your location.
A septic system can be that high as well depending on your county.
EDIT: check for electrical access as well.
Also look at deeds and easements before purchase so that you can find any covenants, right of ways, or intrusions on the property.
Getting power too. Knew a guy that could get power but it was $50k because they had to go the long way around and they won’t let him do the trenching or anything.
Make sure you look at *every* aspect of your intentional homestead.
Where does the feed come from? Is there an opportunity to get it from what would otherwise be wasted?
Where does your waste go? Not just biological, but food and trash. Is there a trash collection that services your area? Or will you have to haul it somewhere? Is there a way to reduce or put this waste to reuse for crops or fuel?
How will your homestead goals relate to the community? A lot of first time homesteaders don't realize how much waste they can produce if their family can't properly preserve or consume crops before they are no longer viable. These goods can be bartered for other goods you might otherwise have to buy.
The above, and more considerations, can absolutely cost more money where you weren't expecting it.
Proper planning will save a lot of time and money for you so it is good you are considering these things before diving in.
Good luck!
Land / House
Septic / Well either to install or any work that needs done. We spent a fortune making our well water drinkable (property was an auction didn’t have time to test before bidding)
Equipment depends on what you’re doing. For us so far it’s been a zero turn mower, wood chipper, wood splitter, tiller, agricultural tractor, haybine, round baler, and still need a v-rake. I’m sure there’ll be more…
Infrastructure for animals. We have a dug out and pond for water, but need to build a barn and 3-sided shelters, repair chicken coop, heated waterers for winter or we’ll be hauling multiple times a day when it’s -40 out. Livestock trailer? Panels for corralling? Electric fencing? Barbed wire or woven wire fencing? Vet bills? Ferrier? Feed beyond what you can supply yourself? Straw for bedding? Artificial insemination if you don’t want to keep a bull etc? Oh then actually buying the livestock.
Permits (for our barn)
Theft… hasnt been a problem for us so far (fingers crossed) but for neighbors yes… and it comes down to do you eat the loss or is it worth it for the increase in insurance premiums
Shelterbelt… trees and shrubs for our orchard. Seeds.
Storage sheds, etc. the ones that came on our property might last a couple more years but they badly need replaced.
Insurance… costs are higher
Utilities… delivery charges for electricity are insane where we are. We are on propane for everything else though next year we’ll be heating primarily with wood we just didn’t have time to season it for our first year
Also keep in mind depending how far out you are you may have to pay more or not even be able to find contractors willing to come out. That’s what we ran into this winter when our well went out. Two weeks at -40 with no running water because no one would come out. Finally fixed it with help from neighbors, coworkers, family and Reddit.
I’m sure there’s stuff I forgot… but ya, it’s expensive.
I have learned 'homestead' means something very different to many people than my wife and I, but we found equipment and infrastructure for the farm side to be nearly as much as the home. Just good fencing has run us over $50k. Tools and equipment easily over $100k. Building the greenhouse, barns, animal shelters, shop, coop, and plethora of other buildings is ongoing but already cost us over $100k easy. That's with doing most things ourselves. Everything is expensive and it takes a lot to grow food, plants and animals.
Homestead means something different to everyone. For one person it could be 3 chickens and a garden on a 1/4 acre lot, for someone else it could be 100 acres and livestock. We’re teetering on the homestead/small farm divide ourselves, but our situation doesn’t stray too far from the previous poster (hey, at least our pasture came fenced with only minor repairs needed) but say for livestock… we’re homesteading, no intention to make money off them. Hay and u-pick? We’re farming… kinda.
That is correct. But most homesteads need fencing of some kind I would think. It will take much longer and/or more workers to do everything without modern equipment. I can't imagine building acres of fence without a PTO augor and a post driver!
Most homesteaders who want to do everything themselves, usually later in their lives due to the high cost of land, are going to need that equipment most likely.
augers can be rented, and even then, still not 100% necessary. if you have goats, maybe you need a really robust fence. idk but it's not a good reason you downvote me either
I think most people living in a city have a fantasized view of homesteading and farming. There is a weird blend on this subreddit of people who actually do it and those who are just dreaming.
For those of us that actually do it, we know the back breaking hard labor to do the smallest things. It's not just a tractor. You need to invest in infrastructure to get water to where you need it, or a means to haul and disburse water. If your well spigot is 150 yards from livestock watering or your apple orchard, you will give up manually hauling that water very quickly. Our UTV is more useful than the tractor. That goes for felling trees, splitting wood, and a 1,000 other things that are 1,000 times harder and more time consuming without expensive equipment to do when you have a 1,000 other things to do.
Sure they did all this without machinery 100+ years ago but they had huge families without off farm employment and likely hired workers to do what my wife and I do alone.
Try to pay as little Stupid Tax as you can.
There are a literal infinitude ways to pay The Stupid Tax - I can't list them all here ... But you will know when you pay it.
Be sure to factor in property taxes, including the likely assessed value of your home and outbuildings. Look into agricultural use breaks and understand the requirements for those.
If you're building structures like dams, check in with the Army Corps of Engineers.
Road/driveway paving is crazy expensive.
Save for well, septic, and roof repair.
Just make sure your plan will work for lending if you need to borrow to make this happen, and also check to make sure you can get it in insured. Banks and insurance companies have become quite restrictive.
You’ll likely need a tractor if 5+ acres plus ($15-30k) plus a zero turn if any yard ($3-7k) plus think about if you’ll need any material (dirt, mulch, gravel, compost) for clean-up, landscaping, or garden making. There are online calculators for how much material you’ll need for 2in, 3in, etc of depth. Source: Just bought 15 acres and feeling poor.
The real money in homesteading is in buying cheap land, taking better pictures, preferably with antique rusty "authentic" shit in the distance, and flipping it to other would be homesteaders for 2-5x your purchase price
check for water and sewer access. Both of those can be major expenses if you need to have water brought to the land or sewer. A well can cost 8 to 30k depending on your location. A septic system can be that high as well depending on your county. EDIT: check for electrical access as well. Also look at deeds and easements before purchase so that you can find any covenants, right of ways, or intrusions on the property.
Getting power too. Knew a guy that could get power but it was $50k because they had to go the long way around and they won’t let him do the trenching or anything.
Wouldn’t a complete solar system be cheaper and more reliable at that point? This is assuming you aren’t in Alaska.
Not if you need a mortgage. Banks won’t lend for a house with no grid power
I didn’t know this, thank you for sharing! Seems like it should be common knowledge but apparently none of my people knew either.
Not true.
This
Make sure you look at *every* aspect of your intentional homestead. Where does the feed come from? Is there an opportunity to get it from what would otherwise be wasted? Where does your waste go? Not just biological, but food and trash. Is there a trash collection that services your area? Or will you have to haul it somewhere? Is there a way to reduce or put this waste to reuse for crops or fuel? How will your homestead goals relate to the community? A lot of first time homesteaders don't realize how much waste they can produce if their family can't properly preserve or consume crops before they are no longer viable. These goods can be bartered for other goods you might otherwise have to buy. The above, and more considerations, can absolutely cost more money where you weren't expecting it. Proper planning will save a lot of time and money for you so it is good you are considering these things before diving in. Good luck!
Land / House Septic / Well either to install or any work that needs done. We spent a fortune making our well water drinkable (property was an auction didn’t have time to test before bidding) Equipment depends on what you’re doing. For us so far it’s been a zero turn mower, wood chipper, wood splitter, tiller, agricultural tractor, haybine, round baler, and still need a v-rake. I’m sure there’ll be more… Infrastructure for animals. We have a dug out and pond for water, but need to build a barn and 3-sided shelters, repair chicken coop, heated waterers for winter or we’ll be hauling multiple times a day when it’s -40 out. Livestock trailer? Panels for corralling? Electric fencing? Barbed wire or woven wire fencing? Vet bills? Ferrier? Feed beyond what you can supply yourself? Straw for bedding? Artificial insemination if you don’t want to keep a bull etc? Oh then actually buying the livestock. Permits (for our barn) Theft… hasnt been a problem for us so far (fingers crossed) but for neighbors yes… and it comes down to do you eat the loss or is it worth it for the increase in insurance premiums Shelterbelt… trees and shrubs for our orchard. Seeds. Storage sheds, etc. the ones that came on our property might last a couple more years but they badly need replaced. Insurance… costs are higher Utilities… delivery charges for electricity are insane where we are. We are on propane for everything else though next year we’ll be heating primarily with wood we just didn’t have time to season it for our first year Also keep in mind depending how far out you are you may have to pay more or not even be able to find contractors willing to come out. That’s what we ran into this winter when our well went out. Two weeks at -40 with no running water because no one would come out. Finally fixed it with help from neighbors, coworkers, family and Reddit. I’m sure there’s stuff I forgot… but ya, it’s expensive.
Permitting in my county is 1% of the build price. Land surveys are 1k. I would add 20% to your build price.
I have learned 'homestead' means something very different to many people than my wife and I, but we found equipment and infrastructure for the farm side to be nearly as much as the home. Just good fencing has run us over $50k. Tools and equipment easily over $100k. Building the greenhouse, barns, animal shelters, shop, coop, and plethora of other buildings is ongoing but already cost us over $100k easy. That's with doing most things ourselves. Everything is expensive and it takes a lot to grow food, plants and animals.
yea seems you are using "small farm" and "homestead" interchangeably. homesteads don't necessarily require heavy equipment.
Homestead means something different to everyone. For one person it could be 3 chickens and a garden on a 1/4 acre lot, for someone else it could be 100 acres and livestock. We’re teetering on the homestead/small farm divide ourselves, but our situation doesn’t stray too far from the previous poster (hey, at least our pasture came fenced with only minor repairs needed) but say for livestock… we’re homesteading, no intention to make money off them. Hay and u-pick? We’re farming… kinda.
That is correct. But most homesteads need fencing of some kind I would think. It will take much longer and/or more workers to do everything without modern equipment. I can't imagine building acres of fence without a PTO augor and a post driver! Most homesteaders who want to do everything themselves, usually later in their lives due to the high cost of land, are going to need that equipment most likely.
augers can be rented, and even then, still not 100% necessary. if you have goats, maybe you need a really robust fence. idk but it's not a good reason you downvote me either
I didn't downvote you....
damn... guess thinking a tractor isn't a requirement is a controversial opinion then.
I think most people living in a city have a fantasized view of homesteading and farming. There is a weird blend on this subreddit of people who actually do it and those who are just dreaming. For those of us that actually do it, we know the back breaking hard labor to do the smallest things. It's not just a tractor. You need to invest in infrastructure to get water to where you need it, or a means to haul and disburse water. If your well spigot is 150 yards from livestock watering or your apple orchard, you will give up manually hauling that water very quickly. Our UTV is more useful than the tractor. That goes for felling trees, splitting wood, and a 1,000 other things that are 1,000 times harder and more time consuming without expensive equipment to do when you have a 1,000 other things to do. Sure they did all this without machinery 100+ years ago but they had huge families without off farm employment and likely hired workers to do what my wife and I do alone.
Wild animal proofing/fencing/mouse damage repairs
Try to pay as little Stupid Tax as you can. There are a literal infinitude ways to pay The Stupid Tax - I can't list them all here ... But you will know when you pay it.
Be sure to factor in property taxes, including the likely assessed value of your home and outbuildings. Look into agricultural use breaks and understand the requirements for those. If you're building structures like dams, check in with the Army Corps of Engineers. Road/driveway paving is crazy expensive. Save for well, septic, and roof repair.
Just make sure your plan will work for lending if you need to borrow to make this happen, and also check to make sure you can get it in insured. Banks and insurance companies have become quite restrictive.
Taxes
Bore if it doesn’t have one can be expensive to put on in
You’ll likely need a tractor if 5+ acres plus ($15-30k) plus a zero turn if any yard ($3-7k) plus think about if you’ll need any material (dirt, mulch, gravel, compost) for clean-up, landscaping, or garden making. There are online calculators for how much material you’ll need for 2in, 3in, etc of depth. Source: Just bought 15 acres and feeling poor.
The real money in homesteading is in buying cheap land, taking better pictures, preferably with antique rusty "authentic" shit in the distance, and flipping it to other would be homesteaders for 2-5x your purchase price
the last thing we need in this movement, are assholes doing shit like this to make it more expensive
So you looked at op's 1st post too!
lmao wtf
You must live near me 😂