Is this a crazy idea? (sale, renting, to buy)

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by jsta_grl22

Lately I have been inspired to buy some remote land and build a cabin. This after reading a couple's web site Building a log cabin in Alaska, preparing the land and peeling logs. where they did just that - and built the cabin out of logs they cut down from their land.

So I have been on the DNR website lately, wanting to buy land from the Hewitt Whiskey Lakes subdivision near Talkeetna. I have dreams of going out there in summer and building it.....then outfitting it with a propane tank for cooking + refrigeration, a woodstove for heating, and oil lamps for lighting. Water purifier for water from the lake, compost toilet....etc.

I have been talking about this constantly, and my husband just laughs and says I am crazy. What do you guys think? Am I forgetting stuff? Right now I live in Wisconsin, and although its not as cold as Alaska it does get pretty cold and I have a good idea what its like there in the winter.

Thoughts?

Building them is fun, but a lot of work and most people don't realize it. If you have road access to the property, that is a whole different matter. But if you have to gain access via winter trail, river or summer four wheeler trail, you have a lot of work to do.

I did these two videos of a cabin I built and a friend's, they took about a two/three year window waiting for winter to run the trail system, getting everything together and permits where required. Also the weather will play a big factor.

I would come to Alaska first, get established and then find your "Dream Spot" in the Bush..

Even a simple cabin can be a logistical nightmare if you don't know what to expect..


YouTube - Roughwoods cabin II


YouTube - Building in the Alaskan Wild

[blueflames50]

Starlite9....the video's are fab...little encouragement here..you mentioned about writing a book about building in the bush....it would be a great to read a book on this subject and I am sure many others agree.
Please include how you acquired the land, homesteading/purchase etc and tell people how to "read" the property. Like the info you gave me, what trees to look for tells about the type of land, tell people what "kettle holes" are and so on. And post it when you finish the book and are going to publish please!! Waiting........

[Grannysroost]

Road access is important as Starlite said..We had some people from Idaho stay here last summer that bought land sight unseen off Funny River Rd in Soldotna, at least 20 miles out of town...Needless to say when they met the surveyor there, there was no road and no trail, just a handmade sign pointing...they weren't very happy, but are going to spend the extra money to have an access cleared this summer to start building,which they literally cannot do much until they can get to it...and get some equipment in their to get started.

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by blueflames50

Starlite9....the video's are fab...little encouragement here..you mentioned about writing a book about building in the bush....it would be a great to read a book on this subject and I am sure many others agree.
Please include how you acquired the land, homesteading/purchase etc and tell people how to "read" the property. Like the info you gave me, what trees to look for tells about the type of land, tell people what "kettle holes" are and so on. And post it when you finish the book and are going to publish please!! Waiting........

Getting the land isn't really a hard issue, there are a lot of sources that will sell you the land. Knowing where you want to be is more of the correct question and what kind of land... Lake frontage, ocean, river, meadow, mountain view, quiet secluded, etc.

Then figuring out how to get to it if there is no road. Remembering that when you do open a road, people will come in like "fly's on stink"... which no longer makes it "Remote".

I bought my property from the State of Alaska on an over the Counter Sale. Most of the land there is not that great, but about a third of it was outstanding, and cost more because of it.

It took me about six trips out on a snowmachine to find the right trail, that is 80 miles round trip on the short run, breaking trail which is not the same as riding on trails.... you cut brush, deadfall, and dead ends...

All that in my case just to begin hauling building supplies in on both snowmachine and track rig. Some people live on the river system and use boats to haul freight, but then again, if it is easy to access, you will have a lot of visitors that you may not care for either. They run out of gas and "Assume" that it is your job to loan them some to get home... Remember, anything you have there is what took a lot of effort for you to get there, piece by piece. A gallon of gas may have cost a couple of bucks in town, but your time, expense for travel and value to you there, is going to be many times more valuable than that. Then when you tell them twenty bucks for a couple of gallons, they act as if you are trying to rip them off, when in fact it is them that are doing the ripping....

In the summer my cabin has only fly-in access so that makes it a bit harder for the average guy to get to, and "most" that work that hard to get that far aren't into tearing stuff up, and I said "Most".... not all...

In the winter, once I have broken the trail in, I get groups of people out running snowmachines out that way without a clue to where they are at or where they are going. They will break into a cabin (anyones) if nobody is there for a place to party and drink beer, leave a mess if you are lucky, and be gone.

There is a big difference if someone was having an emergency and broke in because of life or death, but those people leave a note explaining why and how to contact them for the damages....

Anyway, building a place in the wilderness is a really neat experience, but there are "Caveats" too that most are totally clueless on until it hits them in the face....

[R_Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by blueflames50

Starlite9....the video's are fab...little encouragement here..you mentioned about writing a book about building in the bush....it would be a great to read a book on this subject and I am sure many others agree. ..

Starlite9 - DM me, I can tell you how to get that book done. I can give you some links and names of people who can help. I've published two and have 3 more on the way. Not as hard as you might think. Like building cabins, it is a step by step process, but once you've done it, you find it isn't impossible.

[jsta_grl22]

Thanks for the tips & encouragement, I appreciate everyone's advice.

[aloneinthewilderness]

Wow I found this because I was just looking to buy from the same area.. I guess if your strange then that makes 2 of us. Wow were both girls too. I havent seen too many women who have the same ideas. If you care to email maybe we can share info my name is Tricia Bonzaibb@yahoo.com

[rotorhead]

First of all, I'll VERY much second the suggestion to ALWAYS put your boots on the dirt before you write a check to buy land in Alaska. ALWAYS!

Even for land that supposedly has road access, the access issue cannot be underestimated. The definition of a "road" up here can be very... flexible, to say the least.

Unless you're an old-school dairy farmer or something like that, building your own log cabin is going to be more hard, physical work that you've probably ever done in your life. It's potentially some of the most satisfying as well, especially once you're finished.

BUT...go visit first. Even better, come up and visit several times, in different seasons. It's a beautiful state, and getting to know it a bit better before you write a big check is neither unpleasant nor a waste of time.

[reload1]

I thought I was the only person left in the whole world that wanted to buy some remote land and build a cabin in Alaska.I keep looking at acrage for sale on ebay and have come close a time or two to bidding on some but I will be going up there and spend the whole summer and get a look at the property where I will buy and build the cabin . live in Illinois now and there just seems to be to many bunny huggin libs here in IL. nowadays

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by reload1

I thought I was the only person left in the whole world that wanted to buy some remote land and build a cabin in Alaska.I keep looking at acrage for sale on ebay and have come close a time or two to bidding on some but I will be going up there and spend the whole summer and get a look at the property where I will buy and build the cabin . live in Illinois now and there just seems to be to many bunny huggin libs here in IL. nowadays

There are few real good deals on ebay for land, many of those sellers are buying land from the state and marking the price up 5 or 10 times or so the original price. Be careful buying land in Alaska.