Building a log cabin in Walker! (Phoenix, Mesa: general contractor, live, costs)

[HX_Guy]

You guys are a lot more worried about privacy than I am. :P

I need to measure the driveway again now that is complete but I think its close to 200 ft from what I remember.

Regarding location on the lot, topography did dictate but is still close to 150 ft from the neighboring house. The detached garage will also be between our cabin and their home so it really wont be visible .

[like-2-hike]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

You guys are a lot more worried about privacy than I am. :P

I need to measure the driveway again now that is complete but I think its close to 200 ft from what I remember.

Regarding location on the lot, topography did dictate but is still close to 150 ft from the neighboring house. The detached garage will also be between our cabin and their home so it really wont be visible .

Fair enough, but once it's out there, it's very hard to get rid of it (plus the county has done a poor job of redacting older docs that have SSNs on them, so the whole platform becomes a potential source of data mining for attempts at identity theft).

I wouldn't doubt it's close to 200'. I'd gather that means you won't be spending too many winters up there once the snow starts. My driveway (paved) is a little over 100' and has similar curves and slope to yours (but a much steeper grade) and is a PITA to deal with in the snow.

150' with buildings and trees serving as a buffer seems good. Is that neighbor year-round or seasonal, or do you know?

I've been going over to Lynx Lake a lot recently. It's really a great little spot - but with a surprising amount of traffic on weekdays (and far more than I would care for on weekends). After the summer Arizona is having, I'd think you'd be itching to get this project complete so you can enjoy it as often as possible in the summer...

[HX_Guy]

Hoping winter isnt too bad as we plan on spending some time there. The driveway slope is very gentle and my understanding is that the winter is not that bad? Where are you located elevation wise? I know that it starts to get up there pretty quick, just a few miles up the road and you're already at 7000 ft. We're at at 6300 ft.

And I agree, Lynx Lake is such a jewel. Can't wait to be out at the cabin and wake up early on a weekday morning and head up there, especially once the summer passes and I imagine traffic really dies down.

[snebarekim]

Originally Posted by like-2-hike

You're much faster than I was - by almost two months. I only found it after the recent drone photo showing part of the neighbor's house. But to your point, I might have purchased this as an LLC, or at least put the mailing address as a PO Box, and not (apparently) my really nice home near two highways (I suppose that explains how he can make it door to door in 1.5 hours or less.

His topography photo has Lat/Long information on it.

Also, most digital photos taken with a device that has a GPS in it (nearly every smart phone and drone) captures the GPS coordinates in the metadata.

Download a photo, right click the picture, click "properties", then scroll down the details tab. Lat/Long coordinates (along with altitude) are usually all right there.

I have my families phones set to disable that feature, which is set to "on" by default.

Police routinely track criminals that take/post photos this way, so it does have its good uses.

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

You guys are a lot more worried about privacy than I am. :P

I just wasn't sure a new guy at the forum understood the information he was publishing is all.

Since you understand, it is all good.

I am jealous of your beautiful cabin environment! It is quite nice.

[rcarbuilder]

Great build. Love cabins. 8 years ago we bought a smaller one off Rt66. My long term Farmers agent told me not to worry about insuring it. It was 4.9 miles from the Fire Dept. Turned out to be over 2,000. a year for the insurance and if it was over 5 miles they wouldn`t insure it. The school taxes were crazy too. As it turned out there was a serious health issue we were not told about and eventually they bought it back. Hope it all works better for you.

[Open-D]

With the FUGE forest fires going on now, I'd think twice about building in a forested area. I did, and have decided against it.

[elkotronics]

With the FUGE forest fires going on now, I'd think twice about building in a forested area. I did, and have decided against it.

^^^^This. At least give it some thought before building surrounded by forest.

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by elkotronics

With the FUGE forest fires going on now, I'd think twice about building in a forested area. I did, and have decided against it.

^^^^This. At least give it some thought before building surrounded by forest.

The difference here is that the Prescott National Forest actively manages the forest to mimic natural fire conditions, rather than let everything grow indiscriminately. They allow logging companies to cut down a variety of trees to open up the canopy. This allows the remaining trees to have more sun and water, and to grow stronger. When a fire rolls through these managed areas, it is low to the ground, less dangerous, and controllable.

Fire is a natural event and forests have evolved with the existence of fire. In ponderosa forests, natural fire burns down the small, weak trees and does not bother the large trees. The burned out areas get nutrients from the burned material and smaller shrubs and grasses grow in those areas. Those areas support a lot of diverse flora and fauna.

In many states, environmentalists have controlled the politicians and have convinced them that all logging is bad. In addition, every fire has been extinguished as quickly as possible for decades. The result is a monoculture of nearly 100% ponderosa which are all skinny matchsticks. There is no diversity in these forests and when fire hits, everything burns wildly out of control.

[Open-D]

Originally Posted by BriansPerspective

The difference here is that the Prescott National Forest actively manages the forest to mimic natural fire conditions, rather than let everything grow indiscriminately. They allow logging companies to cut down a variety of trees to open up the canopy. This allows the remaining trees to have more sun and water, and to grow stronger. When a fire rolls through these managed areas, it is low to the ground, less dangerous, and controllable.

Fire is a natural event and forests have evolved with the existence of fire. In ponderosa forests, natural fire burns down the small, weak trees and does not bother the large trees. The burned out areas get nutrients from the burned material and smaller shrubs and grasses grow in those areas. Those areas support a lot of diverse flora and fauna.

In many states, environmentalists have controlled the politicians and have convinced them that all logging is bad. In addition, every fire has been extinguished as quickly as possible for decades. The result is a monoculture of nearly 100% ponderosa which are all skinny matchsticks. There is no diversity in these forests and when fire hits, everything burns wildly out of control.

True, but "low the the ground" is where most houses live.

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by Open-D

True, but "low the the ground" is where most houses live.

Indeed, but the "low to the ground" fires burn more slowly and are more easily contained.

PNF and the local fire departments also promote creating defensible space around homes. We were just told by one of our clients that their HOA near Lake Tahoe in Nevada prohibits cutting ANY tree and will fine them $1,000 if they rake or remove pine needles from their property ...all in the name of "protecting the environment."