Basement a good idea east of Spirit Lake? (oil, property)

[Clark Fork Fantast]

You mentioned a really big garage. Sounds great, if you have a collection of cars! But what most of our Idaho friends would say, you should also think about building a pole barn. Most people even start with a pole barn, and stay in it while the house is being built. We decided not to do that, because then all the money would be spent on the pole barn! But it is a good thing to have a big indoor space to store things; you'll need a plow (snow!), and a lawnmower just to control those weeds (that's what people do: mow the weeds), and a place for the ladders and the lawn furniture etc., and the canoe! And the ATV! and don't you really also want a shop? That's life in Idaho! We'll probably just do a tall, wide carport, and enclose it eventually.

About those weeds: You could have a lawn instead of the weeds, but that takes a lot of water and upkeep. Friends of ours have sown little clover-like plants around the house that look beautiful, and need very little upkeep except for watering. We intend to mow around the cabin, and put gravel around it and in the driveway, but otherwise leave nature to do its own thing. We don't intend to spend summers agonizing over a lawn, in the middle of the woods.

[oldafretired]

Thank you for all the great advice. I was planning on building a shop at the same time as the house but the builder thought it would be better to live in the house for a little while so I could figure out the best place for a shop. Is a pole barn the same thing as a shop?

My brother and I like to play with old cars so we have 4 old '60's Fords at his place in Acton, CA. I was planning to have a 6 car garage to store the cars until I can get the shop done. A big garage will make a great playground for the cats too once the cars are moved to the shop.

Just yesterday we finally finished rebuilding my brother's old 1965 International Harvester tractor for Idaho duty. We still have to get a battery to see if it runs right. Sure don't want to take it apart again. LOL Hopefully, it won't be too heavy for his trailer to tow to Idaho. I think he could drive it down the gravel road to my place once he clears the snow from his driveway. I plan on getting a big snowblower too. I guess an ATV and a boat won't be a bad idea either. Boy, I'm going to be broke. LOL

This is a photo of it while it was still apart.



Sure was hoping I could just leave my lawnmower (or weedmower) here and never have to use it again but I guess not. I see photos of houses with lawns but could they just be mowed down weeds? I think your idea about gravel around the house is a good idea.

Any photos of your house build in progress?

Thanks again.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

I really hope I'm not coming across as if I think I know everything --every day of this process is a learning experience for me! Three years ago I never heard of a pole barn!
But here are some, and they're really just big sheds, very solidly built, so you can have a shop in there:
How to Build a Pole Barn
Pole Building

I wouldn't agonize about having to mow a lawn or weeds, as long as you don't have to take care of 5 acres. The NID way is not a little electric pesky SoCal lawn mower--it's a john deere lawn tractor! Woohoo!

[oldafretired]

Thanks for the links. Those are actually pretty nice and would make great shops. I had a picture in my mind of some kind of shack held up by poles.

Boy, the list of toys that are needed is getting longer and longer: ATV, trailer for ATV, snowblower, boat, tractor to keep the yard clear of weeds, and........................ LOL

[SS454ElCamino]

My best friend is from Acton. He moved to southern Utah about 10 years ago. Those are real lawns you are seeing in NID , not just mowed weeds. Depending on your water situation a real lawn around the house is nice, and I keep the rest of mine mowed out in the trees because it looks nice and keeps the pests, and insects a little more under control. The wasps have been bad at our house, but we are getting them under control also. My lawn tractor has a plow blade, and chains for the rear tires. I am also working on a modified mower deck, and exit chute for snow blowing. We shall see if I can make it work soon enough. I figure riding the blower is better than pushing it any day.

[oldafretired]

Lawns look very nice but after spending a lot of time every week mowing and edging for the last 20 years, I'm kind of tired of it. Maybe I'll just put gravel around the house and spray for weeds.

What kind of wasps? Are they they ones that make the paper nests under the eaves of houses? Hopefully there aren't as many black widows in the panhandle like in the CA desert.

[javatom]

Pole barns are designed to last 30 to 40 years. A shop with full foundation will be more than double that time frame.

[oldafretired]

Originally Posted by javatom

Pole barns are designed to last 30 to 40 years. A shop with full foundation will be more than double that time frame.

30-40 years is plenty for an old retired guy like me. I don't think I'll be around in 40 years. LOL

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by javatom

Pole barns are designed to last 30 to 40 years. A shop with full foundation will be more than double that time frame.

If built from the right woods and in the right way, pole barns last much longer than 40 years. S.E. Idaho still has many functioning round-roofed pole barns standing that were built by Swedish immigrants over 100 years ago. A good pole barn should be good for 40 years with almost no maintenance if done right. With regular maintenance, they could easily last centuries. Swedish pole churches are as much as 1000 years old and are still standing.

[javatom]

The old ones lasted a long time because they were made of old growth heart wood.