Look for What Already Lives on the Land !
When you are purchasing a piece of property to build your home, remember, even though there may not be a house on it, it is probably home to many species of plants and animals. It is easy to dismiss this on a piece of property we want to build our homes on. But reality is that it is home to other things. And should those other plants and animals be a protected species as declared by a jurisdiction, you may find some restrictions placed on you for what you can do.
This is not necessarily as obvious as an eagle’s nest in a tree on the property. It may look more like a moist or wet spot on the property. It may be a stream, pond or lake that serves not only as home to one species, but may be a source of drinking water for others.
Paths on the ground may be how something moves from one location to another maybe only once a year, or maybe daily. Holes in the ground may be evidence of burrowed animals.
The point is that the more the property is located in the wild so that a home can be a secluded place of refuge, the more that property may be home to other things that are protected by a jurisdiction. I have known new land owners who became frustrated because right after they purchased a piece of property, they preceded to remove vegetation or drain swampy pools of water that were stagnate. Then someone in a government agency took notice and suddenly they found themselves defending their actions and incurring fines and orders to undo what they did. And jurisdictions may require replacement of habitat to be done by licensed firms, not by the land owner. Which in turn creates a lot of cost that could have been avoided.
Some properties lie within the boundaries of habitats of animals who are hunters themselves. Bears, mountain lions, bobcats, eagles and hawks are carnivorous hunters. New land owners should understand that once they develop a piece of property, these animals and birds of prey will probably visit and could target pets, other domesticated animals and birds or in some cases the owners themselves. Landowners will have limited means afforded to them for protection. Government agencies tend to side with protecting these animals and their need for food, water and shelter. Land owners are expected to develop a property and use the property in a way that does not invite trouble. If they don’t, government agencies generally will fine or even imprison those that are negligent.
So, when you get ready to purchase a piece of ground in order to build your dream. Get out and walk it from end to end looking for any signs of habitat. Go in and talk with those bureaucrats that may have some say on what you can do with the property. And then review how that impacts the use of the property for your dream home. It is so disappointing when new potential owners have not taken the time to do this. They see the great views the property offers. They see the price as a great deal. And they can envision their own dream on the land. But they forgot that other things were there first and that those things could be protected in some way.
Gary Miller
Principal and Designer,
Timbertree and Stonecastle Designs, LLC