We’ve decided on a lot!

(Click on photos to open  larger images.)

Finally.

After 2 more trips in July to view properties, we have found the lot for us. We had been to this lot twice before and, after walking more of it on our 3rd visit, decided to make an offer.

The lot is on Sanderling Court, and if that rings a bell, you may remember we first visited Sanderling and posted a couple pictures in late spring. Snow was still on the ground. (Remember snow? Frozen white stuff that falls from the sky?)

Here are what we consider the pros and cons.
Pros:
In our price range.
Access is from a county maintained road, plowed in winter.
Lots of aspen and some pine.
Lower part is fairly level and has a good building spot.
Views from upper lot are great, from house site very good, from end of driveway where it joins the county road the views are spectacular.
Lot is in a saddle between two ridges, seems protected from wind.
Quite a varity of wild grasses and flowers. No cactus!  (Seriously, some lots had cactus.)
No looking over a neighbor’s roof.
High enough to be significantly cooler in summer than at the house in DeBeque.

Cons:
No driveway into lot. I have contacted a local excavating company and am waiting on a driveway installation estimate.
Entrace to lot would go down a slope, making winter access something of a concern.
Back of the lot is s-t-e-e-p.
No cell phone coverage. (This may be a Pro, depending on how you feel about getting away from technology for a while.)
Currently open range so we would have to build some type of fence to keep roving cattle off the property.
It is a bit further out from civilization than we would like. Closest gas station or convenience store is about 20 – 25 miles away in either Fairplay (west) or Jefferson (east.)  Fire station is 6 miles away (EMTs!).
No mail delivery. Must get a P.O. Box in either Fairplay, Como, or Jefferson. Como, closest, is about 15 miles away.
Access road is gravel.

Here are a few photos of Filing #4, Lot # 174 (address is 179 Sanderling) :

Driveway would go through here.

Driveway would go through here and pass to the left of the For Sale sign.

There are plenty of aspen to remove. The dead trees would become firewood. We would thin the living trees to allow for better growth for the rest.

Driveway would have to be cut into the hill at left, slope down, then curve right into the flatter part of the lot.

Slope into lot is fairly steep.

This rock outcropping is at the back of the lot. I’ve named it Squirrel Rock due to it’s shape. The realtor and I walked the lot’s perimiter and found all the corner stakes so I know this rock is part of the 7 acres that make up the listing.

Rock outcropping at the back of the lot.

Views from Squirrel Rock:

View #1 from the back of the lot.

View #2 from high point of the lot.

View from the cul-de-sac where driveway would meet the county road. (Taken last spring with a telephoto setting.)  I am standing where the driveway would meet the road.

Pam on cul-de-sac near proposed driveway.

The view from the bottom of the lot is not bad, either.

View from the bottom edge of the lot.

Over the last 2 years we have looked at hundreds of lots. Some were flat, some steep, some pleasant, some over our price range, some we wouldn’t buy at any price. Some had houses, some had buildings, some with no views, some with spectacular views. This one is the best all-round lot we’ve found.

How do we feel? We are convinced this is a good lot for us, and are looking foward to owning it. We have already planned out where the driveway would go, where a house would sit, where my shop would be, and have visions of the lot with the trees thinned and the dead wood removed. Lots of work, yes, but very satisfying work. I can see us on the lot, smelling the warm pine, looking out over South Park to the distant mountain range, and sipping a beer between jobs. 🙂

Pam’s brother Larry had an interesting suggestion: Mount a camera on Squirrel Rock and pipe the view into the internet. Call it Pam’s Cam. Have access to those views any time we want without the steep uphill climb. Good idea!

There are plenty of details to plan out with an empty lot, including how to get power, telephone service, garbage pick-up, and just carving out a place to park a car. Off-grid may be an option for power. It remains to be seen if Pam and I are up for all the challenges developing this property will bring.

The next post should be, I hope, announcing that our offer has been accepted and a closing date set.

We are excited. Finally we can move forward in our plan to acquire recreational land, a goal we set 2 years ago and are now almost there!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!