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Building my Retirement Home or "My First 5 Year Plan"

Started by Weekend_Sawyer, March 23, 2016, 08:43:11 AM

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Weekend_Sawyer

 I have never had a 5 year plan. During Job interviews I have been asked, where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? My answer usually came out of thin air. Just make something up to get you through to the next question.

For the first time in my life I have a 5 year plan. It started around my 55th birthday. I decided to retire at age 60 as I will have 20 years in with "The Company" and am vested in their pension plan.

It's time to sell my property in the DC area. It's getting so crowded I have a hard time looking out my front door. Right across the street, what once was Uncle Elwoods woods is now 250 townhouses. I used to love to say Elwoods Woods. I liked the way it rolled off the tongue. My cousin's place up the hill from me will be another 150 units soon. The trees are falling all around me but no one is replanting.

The good is that the developers are interested in buying us out.
The bad is I have a lot of Junk, old trucks, tractors tools, and projects I really meant to get around to. I have made the decision to get rid of most of the tractors and at least 1 truck and I hope to find them good homes rather than selling them for scrap.

I need to build my retirement home. I am very lucky to own a small tree farm in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. On this land I plan on building a 60 x 40 garage/workshop with a loft apartment in it and then build a house next to that. The perk test has passed and we will break ground this weekend! I plan on building "out of pocket" so I expect it to take around 2 years to get the garage livable and then decide weather I even need to build a house. I am very lucky to be working with a good friend who is, in my opinion, the best builder in the area. Our goal is quality not speed.

I still have just over 4 years left to work and live in the DC area, traveling about 1 week a month for my Job. But for the first time in my life the path into the future is clear. I just hope Murphy or Karma don't decide to throw too many curve balls my way!

Thanks for listening.
Jon

This is the lot. Mostly White Oaks which I'll mill to use in the loft

 

60 x 40 garage basic layout. Somehow it looks small. I'm sure it won't seem small when we start pouring concrete!

 
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
Jon, Appalachian American Wannabe.

Roxie

I'm very happy for you, and your plan sounds awesome!  8)
Say when

OneWithWood

Good for you, Jon! 
60x40 is a good size to start with.  You might want to make the roof plan 72x40 and have an open bay at one end.  Who knows what things will need to be stored in an unheated but rain/snow protected area.
Stay flexible with your plan.  Two years can quickly become four years, but when your retired it becomes immaterial. 
Glad to hear you have a good vision on exiting the rat race. 8)
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Weekend_Sawyer

Thank Roxy!

Robert, I am putting a 22' overhang along one of the 60' sides to keep my tractors, trucks, equipment out of the weather.

  ;D 8) ;D
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
Jon, Appalachian American Wannabe.

4x4American

Great to have a plan.  Especially when it falls together.  Most times I fly by the seat of my britches, but I am trying to improve upon that.  I'm working on my own little plan right now.  It's slow going, but piece by piece things are falling together and it's exciting.


It's sad to see the buildings popping up around you.  Happening all over the place.  Too many DanG people coming into our country year after year. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tb1ngTYl60







Boy, back in my day..

OneWithWood

Quote from: Weekend_Sawyer on March 23, 2016, 12:08:08 PM
Thank Roxy!

Robert, I am putting a 22' overhang along one of the 60' sides to keep my tractors, trucks, equipment out of the weather.

  ;D 8) ;D

That ought to get it  :D
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

fishpharmer

Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
Lucas 618 with 50" slabber
WoodmizerLT-40 Super Hydraulic
Deere 5065E mfwd w/553 loader

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work. --Tom A. Edison

customsawyer

Really happy for you. One day we will be saying we knew you when........
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

thecfarm

You will need all that stuff you collected over the years at the new place. ;D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

moosehunter

Some years ago when I visited you, you said something about someday selling to the developers and getting out. Good for you and good luck with your plans.
mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

Brucer

I once planned to retire at 35. That was my plan, "retire at 35". That wasn't a very good plan and it didn't work.

So then I decided I'd retire at 40. Again, that was my plan. Didn't work.

By that point I figured there was something wrong with my plan so I changed it. I decided to retire at 50. That was the plan. And ... well it sorta worked. I got laid off at age 48 :(.

Now if I'd had a real plan I would have bought a sawmill a lot sooner, and I'd have bought the land my mill is on for a fraction of what it's worth now, and I'd have a nice little operation going.

I think you're way ahead of me in the retirement planning department.  ;D
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

YellowHammer

YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

I love your ideas and plan Jon.  I wonder if I had a plan I could set a retirement date.   ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

gspren

  I like to say that retirement is the best job I ever had. Starting back in the 90s when my coworkers would talk about when they might retire I always said "August 2011", I retired last day of August 2011, I worked an entire 11 days after I was eligible and haven't regretted it at all. Try to get to your retirement date with no debt if possible, that makes it much easier.
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

WmFritz

~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

Magicman

I was caught without a plan and was a victim of "downsizing" at age 51.  Thankfully I had taken some very good advice 20 years before concerning what was to later become 401k.  It was not enough to live on, but more of a supplement.  My best day after that was buying a sawmill. 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

yukon cornelius

Sounds like it is going to work out great! Congrats and good luck!
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

scleigh

Man, thats the American dream, glad it still happens. Congratulations

slider

Jon,i like your plan.Not unlike your self i have stuff.Stuff that i just can't part with.Pick out what can part with and drag the rest to your new home.I hope the harley is not on the go list.al
al glenn

Weekend_Sawyer

Oh no, the Harleys are not on the cut list. I have 8 antique tractors and a crawler. I plan on keeping 1 maybe 2. Oh the decisions.
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
Jon, Appalachian American Wannabe.

Weekend_Sawyer

We were supposed to work on the leach field this weekend but it rained pretty hard early Friday morning so the septic guy waved off.
By 7 am it was clearing up and we decided to set the temporary power pole and see if we could get some lot clearing done. There were a lot of white oaks averaging 18 to 20" and a couple maple's on the lot, we already had my brothers backhoe on site so he gave one of the tree's a push and with a little effort it came out root ball and all! So we spent 2 days pushing over trees and cutting them up into saw logs.

 

By the end of the weekend W had over 40 saw logs a huge pile of firewood and mounds of brush. My skid steer with a grapple was invaluable!

 

One thing I notice about pictures, the slope looks less steep, trees look thinner and I look fatter. :D
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
Jon, Appalachian American Wannabe.

Weekend_Sawyer

This old chimney stands on my neighbors property about 50 yards from my property line. I don't know how long ago the cabin burned down but it has been like this all my life.  When I come out the front door of my garage apartment this is what I will see. The property is in a land trust and can never be built on.

 
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
Jon, Appalachian American Wannabe.

Magicman

I love the relic and your view.   smiley_thumbsup

I did not see you so you musta been holding your breath.... :D :D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Roxie

Say when

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