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optimistic
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2012 10:20pm
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I just came back from placing a bid on a piece of land (6+ acres).
There are several issues that I need to figure out....
when you look at the county's records, it will give you a link to google maps with coordinates of the land. In google maps it shows the lots. Now, according to this the lot is situated between two lots which are owned by ConEd. But when I looked at the satellite maps, and I saw those huge high power lines (two long parallel rows), it seemed as if one of the rows was actually going on the land I am bidding on. I do not mean passing over or just coming in an out but literally along the entire lot. They also cleared all the trees from that lot while the lot on the side, the one that they supposed to own is untouched.
Could it be that they placed these on land they do not own? (seems strange when they do own two lots right next to it.)
Obviously I still need to have a title search done and speak with town's zoning person to find out what is going on... But I was just wondering if anyone here has any experience with things like this.
More questions:
1. I do not think I'll be able to clear a road myself. The lot is narrow, long, on a slight slope, and it's a bit watery. I was thinking to hire a company to just make me an access road (the least expensive type- whatever it is). It will probably be about 1400ft in from the road but there are no trees and it can be in a straight line. Any idea of how much something like this could cost?
2. what are the methods of making a road and what types of roads are available?
Thanks!
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2012 11:07pm
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Internet maps don't always exactly line up with the real boundaries, but if the local utility has an easement on your property you may be buying land you can't use.
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dvgchef
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2012 09:37am
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I hope Rob_O is wrong, but he raises a very important point - be sure to check that out.
As to the access road - I had a company put in an access road much like the one you describe - straight shot, no trees. Bids varied wildly, even when I asked for the least expensive. $40K to $4K. The types vary widely too - do you need culverts? drainage? two lane? you will need to think about how much traffic will be on the lane, and you need to make sure that the zoning allows for it. Then you want to think about the material. I went for the least expensive, which was crushed shale. It is not uniform size and will break down over time, so I will have to regrade every 3 -5 years or so.
Good luck with the bid!
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optimistic
Member
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2012 09:47am
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Rob -
I'm starting to think you might be right. I checked the records again and people have bought the land, and foreclosed on it, for three time since 2002.... It is funny because ConEd really did a number on that town. They have these towers there but they do not pay any taxes on it while they have another land, which is underdeveloped, sitting right next to it - paying less tax.
I'll find out on monday.
dvgchef -
Thanks for the info. It is funny to see how bids vary ah? I once got quotes for some electrical work on my house - went from 50k to 2500k. I think there are many people who think that contractors charge some kind of going rate and that they shouldn't bother with more bids... What a mistake.
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steveqvs
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2012 10:10am
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Around here bulldozing runs around $100 to $150 an hour. A 700 hundred foot driveway cost $800 plus I had to pay for rock a few years ago. Just make sure they own a big buldozer. Too small of one will take them longer.
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2012 02:08pm
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My property has an easement for overhead transmission lines, plus another easement for the shared driveway. Between the two, that's 4 or 5 of my 27 acres I can't use as I want and I'm okay with that. I knew what I was buying and got 20+ acres of "good" land to play with at a price I could live with
If you lay the driveway 3" thick, one cubic yard of gravel will get you 12 linear feet of driveway 9 feet wide. You will need about 120 tons of gravel plus another $2K minimum for the dozer work. Call around for the local cost of gravel delivered and you will have a number to compare to the estimates you get
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2012 08:35pm
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Rob O is right. You can own the land under the power lines, but power company has an easement and you can not build anything under them. They must be so many feet away too. Most just buy it for pasture land. I think RF exposure can be an issue over time too. Is some of the land useable? This would make the land cheap, but if you want it for a cabin, it may not work out.
Did you know this bidding on it? Was it revealed in the auction? Are you the winning bidder?
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jgiffi
Member
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2012 12:50am
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Optimistic,
Is this a heavily wooded area you are trying to bring the road through?
How wet is wet? Can you walk in the areas or would you sink down to your knee?
Price is going to vary alot depending where they can get stone near you, any stone quarry or anything near you?
As far as the road a few things you may want to consider are:
-soil type(dirt, clay, rock) because although it may be wet if there is rock underneath then I wouldn't be too concerned
-are you going to access it year round
-what type of vehicle do you have (4x4, etc)
-drainage (10' section of 8" culvert is $100 near me plus installation)
- you may be able to utilize a dirt road in areas and may need to have stone in other more damp areas
I wouldn't necessarily go with the cheapest quote, get references and see if you can speak or see similar work that they have performed. A friend purchased a lot that had some standing water on it and had a contract with a local contractor to put in a 100' driveway for $1800 and the guy didn't even get half way and quit said that it was alot worse than he thought and said thats all he gets for the $1800. Unfortunately the guy didn't do a good job putting in what he did and my friend has water sitting on his road most of the year. All the contractors up near us make you pay first before they do anything!
I would guess without knowing exactly how the makeup of the land is that you couldn't have it done for less than $5-6k but that could vary depending on the part of the country and alot of other variables (size of the growth, dampness, grade, etc).
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2012 11:13am
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Quoting: jgiffi A friend purchased a lot that had some standing water on it and had a contract with a local contractor to put in a 100' driveway for $1800 and the guy didn't even get half way and quit said that it was alot worse than he thought and said thats all he gets for the $1800.
I used to know a contractor who would do stuff like that. 3 or 4 years ago they found his truck in a bad neighborhood, he hasn't been seen since. Guess what goes around comes around
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jgiffi
Member
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# Posted: 16 Apr 2012 12:35pm
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I hear ya Rob_O! I think alot of people take advantage of out of towners and all the contractors that I spoke to are all on the same page(paid in advance 100%) so you really don't have much of a choice unless you do it yourself. Thats why I decided to invest money into equipment and tools so that I could just do it myself, Plus there is a level of accomplishment and satisfaction from being able to tell people that we did it ourselves.
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Seto
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# Posted: 16 Apr 2012 12:56pm
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sounds like the power company has an easment, even if you own the lot they essentally have "mineral rights" that means they don't own it but bought the right to use it as they want years ago. you likely can't do anything with the place. i almost bought a place like that a few years ago, 25 acres for $9000, the real estate agent was really crooked, had no info, not even a basic map, in college i took surveying classes so knew how to get the info myself (title search etc), the whole place was either power compay easments or protected wetlands. i went to the real estate office and offered them and asked about these things, the guy told me to just back fill the wetlands and that he didn't think wetland protection laws were important. I work in forestry and know the regs better, i withdrew from the sale
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 17 Apr 2012 01:22am
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Quoting: Seto the real estate agent was really crooked, had no info, not even a basic map
That's the point where I would have hit the door.
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