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smitty
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2011 03:15am
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Hi guys,
We purchased 4.5 acres of woods in upstate NY last month. Got a great price on it.
Planning on building a 16x16 with loft this summer, and moving from Indiana to the cabin full time by late summer. It's been my dream since I was a boy.
I have a lot of questions.
1st being, how much does it run to drill a well? Usually aprox..
2nd What do you full time "off gridders" do about an address, if it isn't considered a residence, how do you get your mail?
I'll have more questions as we go along I'm sure.. Those are just the questions that popped into my mind.
Thanks
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toddheyn
Member
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2011 05:17am
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Welcome to NYS. Where abouts are you? We are originally from Oneonta (Delaware and Otsego County area) and now have 20 acres in St. Lawrence County, about 30 miles south of Canton.
We had a well drilled last summer. The cost varies by the depth you have to drill, how much lining is required etc. It is really hard to give a rough price.
I would use a PO Box for mail delivery. For everything else, I would use a clear set of directions with attached maps for lumber, building supplies etc. etc.
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turkeyhunter
Member
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2011 07:53am
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PO Box is the way to go about 32 bucks or so a year, down south a drilled well and pump/ waterline ran to house runs about 4000 to 4500 . A regular home needs about 2 1/2 gallons of water per minute to supply a house. Good luck with new cabin and lifestyle.
And make sure the local 911 has good directions to your camp. Something most never think about. But if you needed it---it's important.
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2011 05:17pm
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Quoting: toddheyn about 30 miles south of Canton
toddheyn,
That could put you around Star or Cranberry Lake. Nice area, very remote up there! I like it!
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smitty
Member
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2011 11:43pm
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Thanks for the reply guys..
The deed is being recorded with the county as I type this. Just waiting on them to mail me my deed back. Pretty excited to get going. What's life without a little adventure right..
I'm learning how to shoot a shotgun, storing building materials, and gathering as much info as I can. This summer is going to be crazy..
My piece of dirt is around 30 mins to Ithica I think. Finger lakes region.
At the moment, I'm planning on hauling in our drinking water. But don't want to do that forever.
Will a PO box be acceptable for the DMV and things like that?. I know it might be a silly question, but I've never NOT had a physical street address before. I have no idea.
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turkeyhunter
Member
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# Posted: 26 Mar 2011 05:38am
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here in the south you get your physicall address, from building and zoning!!!!!!..............which is why i would get a PO Box..... ,-)
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hilltop
Member
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# Posted: 27 Mar 2011 12:41pm
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Smitty - hope it all works out for you, I have a cabin in the Finger Lakes area.
PO should work , In the few cases I have seen where it will not a for an official document a map is required.
In the Finger Lakes area a well can be anywhere form 40 ft to 250 ft depending on where your located, sometimes just a few miles apart can be that big of a differeance.
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smitty
Member
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2011 07:13am
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^^^ Thank you very much hilltop!.
Since you are in the area. Let me ask you, by chance do you know of a local saw mill where I can order rough cut lumber for my cabin?
Google is not giving me very much.
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hilltop
Member
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2011 07:41pm
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I do not know what they have but you might try :
Gutchess Lumber in Cortland NY (607-753-3393).
Woodcorner Saw Mill in Dundee NY (607-243-8803
4 years ago when I built my place I got my lumber from Campbell building supply (607 -527-4512) as at the time they had good prices but they are a ways from Ithaca.
Gutchess would be your closest I know of to Ithaca, Are you N , E ,S or W from there .
Check some of the building codes , some areas are very easy , others not . If you are in the drainage area to one of the Finger lakes they can be more restrictive.
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2011 09:00pm
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If u r near Waterloo/Seneca Falls I know of a place right on 5 & 20. Let me know.
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smitty
Member
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2011 12:01am
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I can't thank you enough fellers!.. So glad I found this forum. I was hoping I could find some guys in the area for some honest advice..
Without giving out too much info on the interwebs for safety. I think Campbell building supply is pretty close to where I'm building.
At the moment I am sitting in northern Indiana. But I am heading out there to get started building soon as the deed shows up, and the weather warms up a little.
Just want to add, we aren't rich folks, wife is collage educated professional, I'm just a maintenance man. Why she decided to go along with this I have no idea lol..
So anyway. We are on a shoestring budget, trying to do this with what cash we can gather up. No banks or loans.
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2011 07:27am
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You are rich. We are all rich. We all have (or soon will have) small-cabins. :-)
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nimrod
Member
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2014 07:28pm
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there is a sawmill in alpine between Ithaca and Watkins Glen. Collins sawmill I think
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turkeyhunter
Member
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2014 07:41pm
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this thread is from 2011,,,,,can you say VINTAGE!!!
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ChuckDynasty
Member
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2014 08:16pm
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Thanks TH I was going to comment now I don't have to!
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hueyjazz
Member
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2014 12:34pm
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Smitty
I'm a Upstate NYer that lives close to the Finger Lakes and visits it often. Although my cabin is really closer to the Southern tier in the mountain of there of. You will love the Finger Lakes. many nice wineries and visit Watkins Glen State Park.
As stated no easy answer on the well but don't expect sand. Clay and rock is pretty much standard and a mile can dramatically change the soil condition. In the finger lakes you can expect a lot of rock. But, there are a lot of springs.
One perk that we have is the Amish. They run a lot of saw mills and do very good rough work. I wouldn't have them do finish work, plumbing or electrical. They are a little difficult to deal with in that they don't use technology like we do. You can forget about calling or emailing them but many of them work through agents. You can save a lot of money and they do quality work.
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Malkme
Member
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# Posted: 7 Feb 2015 08:52pm
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Glad I found this site. I'm now looking into moving off the grid.
Found 3 acres that borders 360 acres of state land, with a pond and a lake.
I own two homes, one burned a while back, not a total loss, and the other I'm in now. I rent rooms out here, so planning on renting my room out as well once a find a place and get a small cabin erected.
A couple of friends and I have a cabin not far away that we use for weekends and such. More like a shack we threw up 20 years ago from scraps. Still standing!
Anyway; gonna browse around, looks like a great site
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TheWildMan
Member
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2015 12:55pm
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Toddhyne, are you over by the ranger school? great place to be, the chrismas lights they put up on the fire tower are off grid power (you can see it from route 3). I am an alumni myself, soo many times i walked those trails....
I am over in Franklin county myself, if your off grid i suggest you look into the sustainable living project, they do a lot of neat off grid stuff based out of canton.
Smitty, the finger lakes are only upstate of the city,95% of the state is upstate by their measure, your in the west central part, the central part is from the city to albany, and upstate is north of albany.
I don't know about well prices in your area, but the local drillers quoted me a price of $50 a foot. my hand dug well runs dry sometimes, and my soil is bad for auger boring or sand points. a 25 or 30 foot well is enough in many areas.
PO boxes cost about $70 a year,
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2015 12:48pm
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@rayyy - thanks for that sustainable living project mention. I've been looking for solar ppl who service the Adks. Here's a good bunch for me to look into.
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