With 2 kids out of the house in college, we are looking to downsize our home. We’ve always lived in master planned community but are yearning for more privacy with peace and quiet. We found a very nice 1-story house on 3.5 acres about 10 minutes from where we are now. The property seems perfect as it is rural living within city limit. It is on septic and well though. I like the property a lot but the wife is concerned with maintaining that much land and afraid we might be biting on more than we can chew. Personally I think I would enjoy the work as I am semi-retired. Forum members that have experiences with acreage properties, any advice you can share? Anyone ever regret making the move from urban neighborhood to acreage living? It will be a major change for us. Thanks.



View from the den to the back yard

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kingfish007,

3.5 acres of land and 3.5 acres of lawn are two different animals. If all manicured lawn and you love yard work it won't be an issue. If you cost in the price of having it done professionally it won't be an issue. If neither of those apply, it might not be a good idea.

Get a good quality ZTR mower and you'll be happy as a clam. I mow about 5 acres around the farm with a 52" Turf Tiger and it takes about 3 hours - but that includes a lot of uneven terrain, trim work with a push mower, and line trimming.

Any maintenance considerations other than mowing?

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
3.5 acres of land and 3.5 acres of lawn are two different animals. If all manicured lawn and you love yard work it won't be an issue. If you cost in the price of having it done professionally it won't be an issue. If neither of those apply, it might not be a good idea.

It is 3.5 acres of flat lawn ...

That looks great, you'll also get to buy some kool lawn equipment, you'll want a pretty good mower with wide cut, a zero turn mower would be a good idea, lots of trees and landscaping means a lot of trimming and care.

That view is nice

I'm on 11 acres, you will love it. It's a little more work, but having more privacy is well worth it. The wife hated it the first month, then fell in love with it, now she wants to move further out on bigger acreage. I would do it in a heart beat if I were you.

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:

Any maintenance considerations other than mowing?

-Rob

Not really, just lawn and trees. I'm thinking of adding a small veggie and a rose garden for the wife.

I have been thinking the same way recently. We have lived in the same house on the golf course in the suburbs for 25 years.

The house is to big for us and is a tri-level so lots of stairs. I have not retired yet but its coming.

I grew up on a farm so I love country living but my wife has always been a city person so thats an issue.

I am curious to see what others feel as well.

My parents are in their 80s and have a mostly grassed 8 acres. They have been spending more and more to have people come do chores for them.

Wooded acreage would be much more easy to maintain, and would be preferable if privacy was your goal.

Some cities have rules against it, but there is always the option of letting it grow up and ceasing the mowing and raking, etc.
In the city of Knoxville, you would get a letter telling you to cut the grass or they will do it for you at the cost (to you) of $500. So, for some reason - once grass = always grass. Also may want to check the rules regarding putting in a garden...

Completely reasonable. Just remember better living through hydraulics i.e. A small tractor such as a Kubota BX2600 or something similar to make maintenance less strenuous and more enjoyable!

Sounds only natural to me, not sure what your concern is. However, after getting settled in, stay keenly aware that not all riding mowers have cup holders so be very, very careful when choosing your new "toys."

id kill for 3 acres around here. My FIL in TN has 50 and he's 74, it's mostly hay. A good tractor w mower attachment seems to be the thing for him

I lived in the middle of the city in previous periods of my life and enjoyed it at the time.

For the past several years though, privacy and space around our home from others have been essential to me and my wife.

It is well worth the added other variables in terms of time and expense. It just becomes the way things are. I believe you will really appreciate the change. Looks like a nice place.

At one point, I lived on 5 acres. Mostly grass.
A quality tractor is a must. I had a residential sized lawn tractor and I killed it in one season. A good chain saw might be needed too. And my line trimmer was a walk behind model that would throw a walnut sized rock with the velocity of a 30-06!
Don't cheap out on your property maintenance gear.
Have your septic system checked over by a pro before you buy. Well too. And septic systems require some maintenance too so be prepared for it.
One final suggestion: Emergency generator. My next house (if I ever buy again) will have one before I move in.

I've only ever lived in a "city" while I was in the Navy and in military housing.

I'm a country boy from the get-go and detest cities, towns and suburbia. I have 4 acres in a "village" with houses 100 feet either side of me and can just barely tolerate that much closeness. Fortunately, it's a live-and-let-live kind of place, no zoning to speak of, definitely no HOA's and the house to the North of me is Summer People and only occupied a week here and a week there in the Summer.

I couldn't survive without acreage. I'd go stark raving batshit crazy.

If you look at it as a chance to buy toys and you enjoy playing with Man Toys, you'll be good to go.

If you (like one of my brothers) require manicured, every blade of grass in place, every shrub trimmed to within an inch of it's life, not a weed on the place type of space, you'll soon tire of the constant upkeep.

One of the unhappy surprises of our move here was realizing that our 3 acres has just enough soil to grow weeds sitting on enormous rocks which stick out here and there. This makes mowing a real ordeal, both for the mower and the operator. I tore up a riding mower, which my far more experienced b-i-l characterized as "the Cadillac of riding mowers." Fortunately, Sears insisted I buy the extended service plan. I probably should have gone with a tractor sized mower.

The other limitation is health. When we moved, I knew I would be more and more limited in my activities, due to this lung disease. I was able to do the yard stuff for several years, but no more. Take into consideration John Lennon's observation about life is what happens while you make other plans. If hiring out yard work is too costly, it will be a resentment eventually.

quote:

Originally posted by AH.74:
I lived in the middle of the city in previous periods of my life and enjoyed it at the time.

For the past several years though, privacy and space around our home from others have been essential to me and my wife.

It is well worth the added other variables in terms of time and expense. It just becomes the way things are. I believe you will really appreciate the change. Looks like a nice place.

Couldn't have said it better.

Do it! You and the wife will love it!

I live on 2.5 acres about 30 miles outside of downtown Denver. Far enough away that it's pretty rural, but there are plenty of stores 15 mins away. All my neighbors have between 2-4 ares as well. I would never consider moving to a smaller lot size. I plan on living here until i die (I'm 43).

We are at 7,400 feet elevation so I only have to mow about 6 times per year. I only trim/weed whack twice per year...when the grass around the split rail fencer posts gets about knee high. Most of my neighbors don't even trim/weed whack. How "manicured" are the lawns of your neighbors? That will really dictate how much time you need to spend on lawn maintenance. No need to be the shitiest or nicest lawn, just somewhere in between.

My parents live on 5 heavily wooded acres in Virginia. Fall leaf cleanup is a real bitch for them, but my dad has a good system for getting the leaves cleaned up now. Plus, it's only 2-3 weeks per year.

As said above, make sure your tractor has a cup holder.

When looking at house one of my "must haves" was the ability to go into a hot tub naked, and not have the neighbors see. I have the land and the house, but the damn hot tub still has not happened.

We're looking to do similar in a few months. Looking at a house on 2.7 acres, coming from 0.1 acres.

Timely thread, thanks.

that looks about like the easiest 3 1/2 acres to maintain that I've ever seen.

Mow, blow leaves, and every now and then have a limb fall and need to cut it up and haul it off.

I live on 1.5 acres but it is heavily wooded, with a creek, and about 1/3 acre of grass. I let about 1/2 the property just be what it is... woods. It is hard to maintain that, but I do have a lot of limbs falling. And the leaves... the leaves are brutal in the fall so I pay someone to take care of it for me.

But there is nothing like having some space. I love it and long for the day when I can get away from the city and live on 50+ acres.