How do you mow waist high grass?

[N80]

When I built my log cabin in one of the poorest counties (Fairfield) in one of the poorest states (SC) the permits, building inspections etc were simply unreal. I had to schmooze the county guy to finally give me a septic permit. My log cabin had to meet what they call 'international building codes' even though it was a weekend/hunting cabin for my own private use. When I asked them for a copy of those codes they laughed and indicated that one man couldn't carry them all. I couldn't get the building permit unless I got an address and added it to the county EMS database and gave the inspector a note from them that I'd done so. I had to physically post a street number on a 6 mile long country road with 4 houses on it at the end of my driveway which is a narrow dirt road that winds into the woods with a rusty old farm gate.

Now, to put this in perspective, this cabin was built on the interior of my 250 acreas, some 500 yards from the country road this is on. And yet I still had to submit a site plan. There are families living on this road who do not have running water and yet I get hassled over the most minute little apsects of my DIY plumbing job (which was functioning flawlessly before the inspector ever set foot on the place.)

The only way I got through any of this was that my B-I-L and his wife knew most of these county officials (who were all basically nice folks and basically understood I was building a weekend/hunting cabin) and we were able to strike up a cordial relationship with them. Had I not had that inside help I may never have finished.

Sorry for the rant but that whole process very nearly caused me to want bag the whole deal. We like to pride ourselves that we are the "Land of the Free" when in fact we in the US are the most regulated people on earth. You can't dig a hole to take a dump in without the permission of the county around here.

This same poor county has been known to use airplanes to spot buildings and other structures on your property in order to collect taxes on them. You have to have a building permit to build even a smallish barn our outbuilding even if it has no power or plumbing.

It just burns me up every time I think about it.

On the upside, the electric co-op was a joy to deal with and ran close to 600 yards of line to the cabin for free!

 

[Soundguy]

That brings back memories.

I had a house built back in 1999/2000 in a little ag/horse community. Our county had some wide ROW.. 25'. The 'new' part of the community had ditch swales and everyone had culverts.. the 'old' section ( from back in the early 70's ).. just had an ever so slight embankment. to -0- slope .. flat.

My piece of land is right at the merger of the old and new section. The north side of my property actually has a little bit of swale when compaired tot he row/road. The south sid eof my property, where my driveway ties tot he road, is 100% flat... The water management area ( st johns district ). inspector gave my contractor a hard time.. wanted a culvert under my drive... When my contract told me that.. I reminded him that I was a CE.. and if he envisioned what my driveway would look like with a culvert under the concrete, with the floor of the culvert at natural swale elevation... yes that's right.. I'd have a flat drive with a huge hump in the middle that would prevent me from driving anything but a 4wd vehicle in.. and trailers were out of the question... or.. I'd have to make a huge mound a the driveway... yeahright. Unfortunately.. I ended up having to grease the inspector.. Funny how the first inspection said my driveway would impeded natural water flow.. but a few dead presidents later and it became a non issue...

Speaking of 'call before you dig'.. I just found out today, that with all new road contracts ( I work for a GC ), we have to keep the phone records of the 'calls' out on the job now, and not inthe office. Also.. it won't be code enforcement out county inspectors that come by to check them.. but rather 'game and fish' commission officers.

Now that's a weird one. Guess the G&F guys have nothing to do this summer????

Soundguy

When I built my log cabin in one of the poorest counties (Fairfield) in one of the poorest states (SC) the permits, building inspections etc were simply unreal. I had to schmooze the county guy to finally give me a septic permit. My log cabin had to meet what they call 'international building codes' even though it was a weekend/hunting cabin for my own private use. When I asked them for a copy of those codes they laughed and indicated that one man couldn't carry them all. I couldn't get the building permit unless I got an address and added it to the county EMS database and gave the inspector a note from them that I'd done so. I had to physically post a street number on a 6 mile long country road with 4 houses on it at the end of my driveway which is a narrow dirt road that winds into the woods with a rusty old farm gate.

Now, to put this in perspective, this cabin was built on the interior of my 250 acreas, some 500 yards from the country road this is on. And yet I still had to submit a site plan. There are families living on this road who do not have running water and yet I get hassled over the most minute little apsects of my DIY plumbing job (which was functioning flawlessly before the inspector ever set foot on the place.)

The only way I got through any of this was that my B-I-L and his wife knew most of these county officials (who were all basically nice folks and basically understood I was building a weekend/hunting cabin) and we were able to strike up a cordial relationship with them. Had I not had that inside help I may never have finished.

Sorry for the rant but that whole process very nearly caused me to want bag the whole deal. We like to pride ourselves that we are the "Land of the Free" when in fact we in the US are the most regulated people on earth. You can't dig a hole to take a dump in without the permission of the county around here.

This same poor county has been known to use airplanes to spot buildings and other structures on your property in order to collect taxes on them. You have to have a building permit to build even a smallish barn our outbuilding even if it has no power or plumbing.

It just burns me up every time I think about it.

On the upside, the electric co-op was a joy to deal with and ran close to 600 yards of line to the cabin for free!

 

[Turbys_1700]

The guy who paid (IMHO, too much) all the money for the 34 acres is a "homey". There's a slow influx of new faces, but for the most part, any new developement in this immediate area is being controlled by those who are already here. In due time, there won't be anyplace in the eastern half of the U.S. that isn't restricted in some shape or form. But for the forseeable future, this little corner of the county is standing pat.

There's a "faction" (that I'm not going to elaborate on) that's got a stronghold on zoning, local government, and developement in general in this area. I'm not part of their circle of power but what they do is in my benefit. Their agenda involves controlling the environment they raise families in. Their motives are noble. The end result is good for me personally. I just don't agree with their tactics sometimes.

Bottom line is, this is a great place to live. Clean, very little crime, nice people, and not much "urban developement". I'm 25 minutes from work and 25 YEARS from the big city.

Enjoy it while you can. I live in a county located 35 miles west / north west of Charlotte here in NC. Used to be completely rural. Changing very fast.

The Hickory Metro area that I work in has over 1.25 M folk. The county I live in was zoned back in 64 to control growth due to the construction of Lake Norman. About 5 years ago the county commissioners passed 2 acre minimums on all home building lots. Current parcels already on the books were left alone.

As a property owner I don't like the rules and regulations but see that we have to have some. The problem is that they go overboard. Biggest issues around here now is the explosive population growth and how to build schools.
How do you pay for it?

I'm 46 years old. When I was a youngster, the biggest thrill in my life was traveling to Cahrlotte (35 miles), going to Shoney's to get a hamburger steak, and then going to Kmart. Now, 35 years later, their will be 5 Wal Mart Super Centers within 15 miles of my house.

I guess it's progress but I still yearn for a more simpler time. I thank the good Lord everyday that I was raised on a farm and still live on it.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Enjoy it while you can. I live in a county located 35 miles west / north west of Charlotte here in NC. Used to be completely rural. Changing very fast.

The Hickory Metro area that I work in has over 1.25 M folk. The county I live in was zoned back in 64 to control growth due to the construction of Lake Norman. About 5 years ago the county commissioners passed 2 acre minimums on all home building lots. Current parcels already on the books were left alone.

As a property owner I don't like the rules and regulations but see that we have to have some. The problem is that they go overboard. Biggest issues around here now is the explosive population growth and how to build schools.
How do you pay for it?

I'm 46 years old. When I was a youngster, the biggest thrill in my life was traveling to Cahrlotte (35 miles), going to Shoney's to get a hamburger steak, and then going to Kmart. Now, 35 years later, their will be 5 Wal Mart Super Centers within 15 miles of my house.

I guess it's progress but I still yearn for a more simpler time. I thank the good Lord everyday that I was raised on a farm and still live on it.

I'm sure in time our little corner of the planet will start to develope. That's happening just a few miles away already. Being involved in the construction industry takes me to the developing areas. From what I'm seeing, an UNdeveloped area is a magnet for future developement. It's a lot cheaper to build up an unimproved area than to buy out existing developement and start over.

There is a rumor circulating regarding Kroger wanting to build here, but that's been flying around for 20 years. Fortunately, we're still too small for Walmart to be interested. There's one 30 minutes drive south and 20 minutes drive north, That's no lock we won't get one some day, but I just don't see it in the next 10 years.

The "faction" I was referring to in the earlier post is buying up parcels of land to prevent big business from locating too close to town. So long as they don't run out of wealthy benifactors, that plan is working.

At present, we are an island of "old fashioned" in the middle of a sea of modernization.

My place still has AG status and I'll do what I need to in order to keep it that way. What concerns me most is the ever increasing property values here. Sooner or later, the prices get high enough that someone feels the urge to cash in. Seeing Ag land selling at $55,000 an acre will make some people change their personal values real quick. It won't stay ag for long at those prices.

 

[slowrev]

Some people here are trying to get me to sign a petition to get a new exit put in near me off the local parkway. Their argument, it will make your property more valuable. My argument. Why would I want to pay more property taxes ? I don't plan on selling. And would not enjoy the increased traffic and probable suburbs springing up.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Their argument, it will make your property more valuable.

More valueable to WHO? Maybe someone else, but not to you.

Just say no!

 

[slowrev]

I did, but it will probably happen anyway in 5 years or so. sigh..

Well perhaps I will be dead or old timered enough not to care by then.

I don't want my property to be worth more money. Don't plan on borrowing against it or selling it so it will just cost me more money in taxes. Many/most cannot understand that though it seems. They just like the idea of their property being worth more money I guess, or plan on selling out to developers (aka demons). Too many people that are short of vision now-a-days.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I did, but it will probably happen anyway in 5 years or so. sigh..

Well perhaps I will be dead or old timered enough not to care by then.

I don't want my property to be worth more money. Don't plan on borrowing against it or selling it so it will just cost me more money in taxes. Many/most cannot understand that though it seems. They just like the idea of their property being worth more money I guess, or plan on selling out to developers (aka demons). Too many people that are short of vision now-a-days.

The way I look at things, what my place is worth to me personally has nothing to do with the developement potential. I'm past that stage. Property value now means no "Quickie Mart" within sight. No row after row of new homes just up the road, and the same neighbors until they pack me into a pine box. At the current rate, there may not be much land like that in another 10 years.

 

[slowrev]

Farmwithjunk,
Well one somewhat good thing about the increasing gas prices. It might slow the urban sprawl a bit. Less city types buying out in the country ? Perhaps some even retreating to the city when it gets too expensive for the wife to drive to the mall every few days

 

[Maine_Polack]

From what I've seen here, in my small town, in the woods, it is somewhat of a connundrum, (guess I can't spell it!), that many people who move to the country, want things to be like it was in the city.

There is a yearly fight about whether zoning should be adopted, and many other "rules", etc., enacted because a lot of people like the idea of living "out there", but get up in arms when seeing people being independent.

Should a person be able to build a house over 10+- years, and pay for it as they go? NO MORTAGE! YES!

However some will say "no, of course not! Why that house needs siding, and a lawn, and a .......and all this should be done immediately. Why where I came from this would never be allowed......."

Just my observation over the last 30 years.