Re: [papercreters] eBay Land

LOL Good for you, being an ex-californian for 20years now living in Texas... but... the reason some things are so cheap cause the natives out here aka redneck cowboys do know a thing or two. I am up here in the Hill Country with 2 acres got it with a fire sale, when the previous owners unfinished strawbale house caught on fire... by the time I bought it, most of the fire mess had been cleaned up, and was over grown looking like a secret garden, but it was "as is" purchase. Now three years later, my development of the place is crawling along, because of all the major work that is required to the land to make it dry... what? yeah the "dry creek" when the rains come turns into quite the beauty and my 1/3 acre pond is fantastic, but then when it keeps on raining as it did a couple of years ago, I learned the hard way; the whole two acres soil gets very saturated. Even my car got flooded, I had parked it a bit too close to the pond, where I thought at the time it would be okay..... so my plans of papercrete would be great only with a huge foundation to keep it dry. The creek is fed just by the run off from other properties, an amazing amount that if not for living here I would find it hard to believe anyone. Luckily I too have a sense of humor, and am thankful that I have my property paid for when I moved from a suburbian house lifestyle to living on the land.  Living in a 10x10 for three years now, the bit of money I do have goes into getting the dirt pushed around to eventually build and be dry year round. So I really suggest that if possible get a set of geo corrdinates of the property and see if this great property of yours is  in a "wash" or low lying flood zone. South Texas sand has other problems too, that takes it a very hardy person to live there. Flash flooding is a reality out here, even in the hill country, each year all over texas there is lots of property damage and even deaths. I could go on and on, but if you really want to build papercrete there are lots of unrestricted areas in texas, and close to city's and towns making living wonderful here in Texas. Happily now a Texan Laura --- On Thu, 6/18/09, Perry Way <perryway@gmail.com> wrote: From: Perry Way <perryway@gmail.com> Subject: [papercreters] eBay Land To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009, 2:26 AM Am I crazy?  This is what I'm asking myself right now. I just bid on 10 acres of land on eBay without seeing the property, without a plat map, without photos, without any knowledge whatsoever of the specific property other than it is 10 acres in the middle of the chihuahuan desert in Texas near Big Bend.  On a good windy day with wind at my back and a hot load in my 30-06 or World War II Russian rifle, I might be able to actually hit Big Bend if I aimed up high in the sky.  It is literally in the middle of nowhere in a depressed economy in a depressed economic region with no jobs, no markets, no gas stations, no cable TV, no power poles, no phone cables, I'm certain it has rocky sandy soil. Soil? You call that soil?  Haaa!  The loam and clay elements have long since been carried away in the wind and spread all over the prairies I'm sure.  This is so different from California's Central Coast where in the summer time the golden grass meets the deep green chapparal or Live Oak woods.  Over here we have water at least.  Right where I live, the water table is measured in feet.  Out in Big Bend Texas, you might be better off measuring the water table in hundreds of yards.  I don't know.  I'm kind of hoping I lose this auction.  It's a rare auction.  Started at 99 cents and is a "total purchase price" auction.  I bet someone would spend about $20,000 putting in a well on this property seeing they might have to drill halfway to China.    Well, a couple of positives.  Taxes are low.  I think it's $75 a year.  There is no building and safety commission to interfere with someone who would want to build say.. a papercrete home.  A few dump trucks of topsoil and a well and you could think about raising a small garden to keep food on your plate.  Hunting for meat?  Well, heck, that's all around, and cheep too.  Texas loves hunters.  A few cows, a few goats, some chickens.. small garden.. solar electricity, compost toilets, water for garden and showers and cooking and cleaning, not much is required really.  Actually this property is starting to sound a wee bit nice.  Eh?   Come to think of it, that sandy earth in the ground there, that just might be the aggregate necessary for a perfect papercrete mixture.  Oh, and come to think of it, the dry climate.. why.. someone could order a dump truck of cement and just leave it out under a tarp (to keep the wind from carrying it off) and use it as required, rather than only risking keeping small amounts handy.... y'know, now this is really starting to sound like doable.   I dunno... I might still be crazy though..

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