# cost effective micro housing on raw land



## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

So got a new job where i am makeing enough to buy cheap property (been with this company 2 years come june). found some about 30 min to 45 min from work (used to drive that to work, not too bad). most are a little less than 5 acres ranging from $17k to $30k. if I save I can afford the 20% down and monthly payments after that. 

My "issue" is housing for said land. i was thinking the little portable cabins that have about 420-620 square feet. most are in the $8k range. im thinking a lot of this will take me around 2 years to get move-in-able and im ok with that lol!

Now im looking for suggestions on housing options that can be downpayment them monthly payments (i like the loft barns but dont know if that is a pay option) or cheap housing options. My fiance and i dont need a lot of space. he spend little time inside and i try not to (also smaller is easier to clean lol!) so small square footage is perfectly ok.

here are 2 that i have found. they are in the 8k range unfinished (no insulation or interior walls, you do that yourself).
General Shelters :: Dogtrot

General Shelters :: Star

New Cedar Cottage--Nothing out there more appealing


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

In your position I would do one of two things. Either buy a used single wide to live in while I built my real house, or build something very small (as in one room plus bath) that is designed to add on to. Look into owner-builder literature and groups, I am sure there are many such designs out there. That's how most successful owner-builders (there are a lot of unsuccessful ones) manage their time/resources. 

Expensive building loans are dream-destroyers for owner-builders. They are designed for professional crews to get in, finish, get out, and the loan then is negotiated into a regular mortgage (much lower risk & hence lower cost for you). That will not be you -- avoid a building loan even if it means living in a tent. 

Undeveloped land has many infrastructure costs, that vary enormously depending on the property -- road, power, septic, well, etc. Make sure you have figured those in.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

yes. the land we are eyeballing already has power to it and water. double wides are a little too expensive at the moment. the goal was to eventually build a house and the small cabin home be a visitor sweet/mother-in-law sweet. my fiance's family has a construction company and both him and his brother would help with construction (they build million dollar homes with normally 3-5 workers. they just take their time) though i will take your advice and avoid building loans lol! Might just save up for a double wide after the cabin is put on it.


the money im makeing and hours are not alot but if i try it can be doable.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

How about a yurt?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Google Tiny Houses on youtube. These are houses built on double axle trailers with a max of 13' to pass under power lines. Great ideas for conserving space, sleeping lofts, etc. For all the ones I've watched the best is one in New Zealand. His roof slopes end to end and is of two elevations.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

I would avoid "tiny house" designs. They are for urban people or vacations or hermit writers. Not for people who actually do things with their hands and/or live with other humans, or animals. Way too small and not expandable. 

And really, avoid yurts. They can't be heated, can't be cooled, can't be divided internally, among many other reasons. Maybe for living in while you build your real house if someone gives you one. They are not trivial to put up -- my nephew and his wife had a yurt raising party for theirs -- twenty people, many of whom were experienced builders, all day, and that was just the bare frame and skin. 

Throw your romantic fantasies, if you have them, down the toilet. What you are attempting is doable if you are a very hard headed decision maker, are persistent through any obstacle, have skilled help, and are willing to work like a slave for much longer than you ever imagined. 

That's what we did! We built a 2 bed 1 bath house ourselves for $60,000 cash, which we had saved by living like wolves for ten years, in 1990. It took four years, and 25 years later we still haven't finished plastering. But it is ours!

And my last piece of advice: don't do anything 'alternative'. There are actually good reasons that mud, straw bales, horse hair felt, and coke bottles are minor building materials. Anything differing from standard stick built sheetrock and plywood construction methods will slow you way way down, and possibly will defeat you. Doing what everyone else does around there will be plenty hard enough.

Good luck! It's a wonderful life-changing adventure, creating your own dwelling place.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

Agreed Avna! A smell little cabin works for temp even if its not expandable (though we know someone who has successfully added on to theirs). my fiance is only home long enough to shower, eat and sleep. he HATES being inside. 10 hours MAX is what he tolerates and that includes sleeping time lol! we are living in a 10X10 room and have not killed each other yet so there is hope right?.

We have lots of skilled help in construction thankfully. my grandfather built John Lennon's house in the catskills so i have experienced construction on both sides. that being said that's further off. that's why i was thinking the cabin for temp. enough space for a small bathroom bedroom and dining/living room/kitchen. hopefully within the next year my fiance can get his CDL (after he addresses some of his issues caused from his accident). then there is more income. i could also save up a little longer and talk to the bank about buying a house. my Soon to be Sister in law went through a program where they could get a house that cost $75k. they found it and its were we are moving our horses too. so its doable. And im ready to fight for it as it has been my dream for the past 10 years. and i LOVE my family but at 23 i would very much like to not live in my parents house sharing a 10x10 room with a 6ft 4in cowboy and a cat XD!


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Maybe looked for a used truck camper. It will have all you need for short term use.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

ummm camper is pushing it lol! may not have money for an actual house/double wide for another 3 years after we move in. i MAY kill someone in a camper XD!


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Living quarters horse trailer!! If you get it with slide outs, then build your house, and...voila...you have something you can USE!!


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

LOL!!!! sadly for the cost of thoughts out here i could buy two 10x20 cabins XD! 

most for 3 horses are 13-20k outhere.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

Avna said:


> And my last piece of advice: don't do anything 'alternative'. There are actually good reasons that mud, straw bales, horse hair felt, and coke bottles are minor building materials. Anything differing from standard stick built sheetrock and plywood construction methods will slow you way way down, and possibly will defeat you. Doing what everyone else does around there will be plenty hard enough.


Yes there is a "good" reason why natural materials aren't used as much - they can't be patented! Straw bale is easier than stick-building, cheaper if you do your own labor, more energy-efficient than average, more fire-resistant (yes really) and more earthquake resistant.


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

PaintHorseMares said:


> How about a yurt?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Might be a little warm in Phoenix summers


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

KQ, if money is tight, there are a LOT of used single wide mobile homes in AZ, and some are even free if you haul them off (which will cost something). 

With a handy boyfriend and family, you could make one into something nice enough and might actually save some money on that deal. 

Sounds exciting...I keep meaning to ask you, do you trail ride? And what area do you ride in? I keep thinking about moving down to the valley :gallop:!


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

i used to ride untill my mare went lame. we normally ride around thunderbird park and trailers to horse lovers. sadly horses are being/have been moved to tonopah so very little riding untill we get land (if at all).

Hopefully once we get land we will move the horses rather quickly. we are looking north west valley.


I will look into the single wides though again if its in an incredibly sad state i may have to pass. reason for that is i will have to put money into fix it and i will have to weigh the pros and cons. but i like the idea! as long as its serviceable im game . were would i find listings for that sort of things.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

Oh i could cry im so happy!!! found several nice mobile homes for sale in the 5-10k range!!! and all are not dilapidated lol! maybe there is hope of going straight to that!!!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Have you checked in to shipping containers? They are fairly cheap and two or three would give you plenty of room and you could easily add on. A good cutting torch can turn two side by side into a 16' wide space.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

My first stepp dad did that and its not too bad of an option. they are almost 3k a piece though. if i can find them cheaper than a mobile home i will go that rout. my issue is once all is said and done with 1 shipping container ill have put 5k into it at least. and they get HOT! It can get up to 120F (48C) here in the valley, average temps from april till september are 95F (35C) to 105F (40C). hence why a yurt wont work either lol! i also tend to get heat stroke over 95F (i live in the wrong climate) so cool living is preferred lol!

I would like to build a straw bale house (that's 2-3ft in the ground) eventually. have seen and been inside a few and they are perfect for arizona. they stay nice and cool and are well insulated. most of my money will go to electric for cooling the house below 85F (29C) in the summer and that's still miserable lol! anything around 35F (-1C) in the valley is cause for mass histeria and people expecting to freeze to death. mind you this is the LOW. the high is normally in the 50s. just to give you an idea how hot it gets. it gets so hot our horses lose weight in the summer, not the winter (they sweat it all off. herd to keep weight on older horses in the summer).

I also want something that looks nice. im all for function over looks but i dont want my property to look like crap either lol! 

NOW i think i could take a cargo container and make stalls in it if i do it right. indoor stalls with runs and fans in the walls of said barn. 
but there is a better use for one that i want to do. You can set up a hydroponics system in a cargo container that is climate controlled and with set lighting. you can grow 1 acre's worth of food in one and are not limited to seasons. that is something i WILL do! at least at some point in the next 5 years.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

KigerQueen said:


> i used to ride untill my mare went lame. we normally ride around thunderbird park and trailers to horse lovers. sadly horses are being/have been moved to tonopah so very little riding untill we get land (if at all).
> 
> Hopefully once we get land we will move the horses rather quickly. we are looking north west valley.
> 
> ...


google: arizona mobile home. There's a repo site that was my first hit.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I've watched the Tiny House thing on TV before and the prices they charge for those things is ridiculous. You can buy a full size house on it's own land cheaper than you can one of those things. If you can wait for the craze to fade away I bet the prices drop considerately. I bet you can find used travel trailers there in AZ for pretty good prices. Once you get your house built you can sell, keep it if you like to camp or turn it into a tack room.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

kinda the idea hopefully . though we are bad people and use our trailer as a tack room XD lol! if the micro home prices drop ill be ok with it but i never realized how cheep mobile homes are selling for. Alot cheaper then buying plumbing/shower/tub/sinks etc.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Nothing to add to all these great suggestions, but I like your ideas, good luck with all this.


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## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

Avna said:


> And really, avoid yurts. They can't be heated, can't be cooled, .


 The heck they cant, I lived in one during a south Texas summer, and we ****ed sure had ac

http://www.laurelnestyurts.com/heating-and-cooling-a-yurt/


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

6gun Kid said:


> The heck they cant, I lived in one during a south Texas summer, and we ****ed sure had ac
> 
> http://www.laurelnestyurts.com/heating-and-cooling-a-yurt/


I guess what I should have said was, in terms of using design to augment natural cooling and heating, they suck. Of course one can pump fossil fuel powered climate control into anything. 

My niece finds that in summer the heat build up is really fierce since it is uninsulated and just a bad design for hot weather. In winter it's the same thing in reverse. She's unhappy with it.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

I love your idea of a tiny home. We can adjust to live in almost anything. When I was showing full time, I literally lived in my horse trailer, going from one event to the next. I loved it.

I would get the land (after making sure it perks and has a couple of building sites), pick a SECONDARY site, near your future primary buildin g site, and put the cabin there. Then, when you are ready to build something bigger, you can use your tiny home as a convenient guest house and maybe future "granny pod".

Remember, The cabin is just a small part of the equation, though. You will need sewer, water and electricity, too.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

My house is 24x28. This gives me an 11x11' bedroom, bathroom big enough for toilet, tub, 5' counter, washer, dryer, hot water tank plus some shelving. Kitchen is spacious, lots of cupboard space. Working area of kitchen, table and lr form an L. When sitting on the couch or chair I don't feel like I'm in the kitchen. While under construction I drew everything on the sub floor so we'd know where the inside walls would go as well as each necessity. The reason I mentioned the tiny houses was the various ways, some ingenious, that people have maximized the space. We lived in a smaller place for about 4 yrs and borrowed on a bed/seating area from our travel trailer. This is now in all the tiny houses.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

septic is not too hard to dig though a few of the properties have electric and sewer and water. wonderful thing about az is that if you dont mind power polls they will bring above ground electric to any property for free. but the arrears im looking are on the edge of build up areas so they have at least 2 of the 3. i would like to get a lot more then 5 acres but im limited to driving distance for work.


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## weeedlady (Jul 19, 2014)

DH and I have a 1973 30' camping trailer that we will probably live in (at least in the summer months) while we build our retirement home. I bought it used, in almost mint condition for $3000.
It's not THAT much smaller than a mobile home and with water and sewer available it should be perfectly do-able.

If you can live in a 10x10 room together, you can live in a camping trailer.
M


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

point lol! that is also doable. will have to see. we dont have anywhere near enough to think about building a house any sooner then in 5-7 years. hence why i was thinking a somewhat permanent structure. as we will be living in it for a while.


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## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

Avna said:


> I guess what I should have said was, in terms of using design to augment natural cooling and heating, they suck. Of course one can pump fossil fuel powered climate control into anything.
> 
> My niece finds that in summer the heat build up is really fierce since it is uninsulated and just a bad design for hot weather. In winter it's the same thing in reverse. She's unhappy with it.


Actually the electricity came from a turbine jet windmill.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I bo't a 40' Atco trailer. They're tough, much stronger than a mobile home, as they are flown into areas with no roads and survive being set down by a helicopter. Mine was well used. It has two floors, the bottom one is pressure treated plywood to repel ground moisture. The floor that's walked on is plywood with lino. Toilet and sink as it was an office trailer. I think it's 12' wide. $2200 in the yard. 4" of insulation in walls and ceiling. This is my tack room and work shop.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

there is an auction yard that sells them in arizona so thats a plus! will definitely look into that as well! looks very doable too! can they be moved by a normal semi? that's the main issue i have been seeing is transporting them. and as much as we love my fiances 1989 First gen cummins dually untill he replaced the rear axle its not pulling anything that big (it can though, just needs work first).


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

here is my rough plan on the property layout. i can guarantee my proportions are way off and that i could use the land better but you can see what i'm trying to do. the stalls may be different. we may be bringing anywhere from 5-3 horses with us. if the mustang is good with the kids he can stay were he is and Notty might stay as their mare dose not like being alone and no one is ever going to ride her anymore (she is nutty and not a safe ride). ether way need two pastures/turnouts as odie harasses rocket to play too much and tried to remove my mare's ears. so if he can't play nice he dose not get to play. if we take the mustang they can go out together but will need an inner electric fence to stop them from destroying it (they play for hours when turned out and they play right by pushing on fences and partially landing on them. they play like bachelor stallions basically).

I would like a small orchard of citrus trees but i fail at applied tetris sooo dont know how to arrange things to fit that in.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

If you're getting your own place have you thought of not having the smaller covered stalls?

I almost moved to AZ (until I spent some time there) & my plan was to have larger areas such as you described, but having a long rectangular shade cover going right up the middle with feeding (hay) stations at the support poles. That would allow for group turn out all the time. No stalls to clean & no horses stuck in one place all the time. I never understood why those Mare Motels became so popular, unless it was to pack in as many horses as possible.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Have you spoken with your local municipality/county, KigerQueen? A lot of places have zoning bylaws with setback requirements on buildings from property lines -- that may affect your placement plans. Otherwise, it looks like a workable planyou've got there.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

the stalls have to be there. the only way the horses will be aloud to be turned out during the day is if they are up at night. people out here think leaving horses turned out together all day is like letting 5 year olds run around the woods by themselves... in other words incredibly dangerous and you are an irresponsible horse owner for doing so -_-'. sooo fighting 25 years of that being ingrained in fiance's head is hard. they can be out for about 12 hours or more a day but they go up when we go to bed. relationships are all about compromise so that is ours. it might change over time but i would rather not fight about it. better than these horses have had their entire lives if it can happen. there will be shade in the pastures. i will have to see how horses get alone though. if can leave all horses out together i will open one gate so horses can go into both pastures. one can double as an arena. both will likly be dirt because for the amount of water i will use to try to keep crabgrass alive during the summer i could water a herd of 250 horses a week. so nice dirt for arena riding.

As for the set backs on property lines yes agreed. one piece of land we are looking at the adjacent property has a building about as close as the temp housing is in regards to the property line. and stalls dont count as structures if done right (most are right on the property lines out here since they are pipe stalls). but as i said i suck at makeing things like this to scale as i can't visualize an acre off the top of my head.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

If they get along during the day they will at night too. The only difference is they have room to walk around & interact. A good fence is safer than those pipe panels too.
I guess I never knew how close I was to being a trendsetter.:wink:

I'll compromise in a relationship too, as long as I get my way.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I would bring the pasture fence up so that it also encloses the stalls. That way if you have an escapee from a stall they will still be inside a fence.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

the entire property will be fenced off so no runaway horses thankfully. and we chain the stalls closed since the mustang is an escape artist. he tends to have a padlock. mine always puts herself away because she is broken. Thought about enclosing the stalls in the pasture and still might. might make them open into the pasture as well. but i plan on letting some horses wonder the property (since it will be fenced off) as weed control. My mare is known to eat anything so there is that lol!


one day they may be out 24/7 but i won't count on that as of yet. again people out here wont even turn their horses out together because "its too dangerous". and my fiance has seen two horses put down from being left out together. both had shattered shoulders (two different owners and 4 different horses). so i understand. and odie has never spend more than 5 hours turned out at a time in his entire 9 years of life so i can see him getting into trouble the first week. But i will also get my way so at least two of the horses will get to be out 24/7 (the two older ones who dont do anything lol).



Anyway i found my favorite farm builder again and made most things to scale. (well as pest i could) each pasture is about 1 acre.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Doesn't fiancé realize that horses locked in stalls feel trapped because they can hear things we don't and worry about predators.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

that is the mindset of 90% or horse people out here. where we board there were 40 horses at one point. 35 were fiance used to work. 25 at a friends. 25 at one place used to board. 37 at the last place i boarded at and none had turnout options that were not an arena and limited. that's just how it is out here and it sucks. most my horse experience came from colorado. i was used to horse keeping like the first 2 pics. other pics is where the horses are at now (minus 2 that are now at my sister in larger penns).

Again i DO NOT think its right. BUT this is horse keeping is out here. people have been keeping horses like this longer then my fiance and i have been alive here in az. its a deeply engrained mindset and he is at least willing to TRY it my way. if they spend the night in penns (works as there are some diet tweaks each horse needs) that's fine. At least they can spend most their time OUT of the stalls.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

here is another version with stalls opening into the first pasture. again this is more to scale. each stall is roughly 16x21/22 and each pasture is about 1 acre. more free space than these horses will ever see in their lives. think both small house and potential building sight are far enough from any proporty lines. silo may not be though so might have to shuffle that around. Silo is a far off thing but it would be cheaper in the long run. getting over 1 ton of pellets a month will really kill me in gass lol!


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

I feel like you have so much wasted space? Why not make two smaller sacrifice type paddocks, you could feed hay in those..then have the two grass ones too. Also, bigger driveway! Also a nice parking area for trailers is great to have. One acre paddocks are not very big, granted its more then what I have right now, but with 2-3 horses on 1 acre it will be a mud pit in no time. Save the grass by feeding hay in a smaller paddock but still big enough to play then they get limited turn out on grass!


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

no grass (unless i want to get a huge fine for watering during a drought). i could drain a well to try to keep a lawn alive (or water 800 horses a month). on our tiny lawn in the city we almost have a $300 water bill. its gone down to $150 since we let it die and that's with 5 people living in the house all showering doing laundry, me doing large water changes on my tanks and so forth.. also we dont get rain. mud doesn't last out here lol! if it floods enough to move cars and damage houses it will be "muddy" for MAYBE 5 days.

this is what the land out here (in the valley) looks like. all of it. and that's green for the valley too.









Like the driveway idea thought about doing that but wanted to wait untill actual house was under way. as for the trailer it has not moved in almost 3 years and i dont see it getting used much once we move. my truck could not haul an empty 1 horse trailer so its not towing and i cant drive the dully (or pull a trailer) do it would likly be by the horses as a tack room/feed room. i am aware of the empty space. not positive what i would put in right away. thinking a small orchard of fruit trees. im all for gardens though it would have to be low water needing. we are well into the 110s most of the summer so most plants die and i will not spend an arm and a leg watering plants lol!


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Ohhh I see. Ohh what you could do is set up an awesome paddock paradise then...That would help utilize some of the empty space and help the horses move and eat..so like grazing.

Lol you say trailer doesnt move now, but it could move more once its at home with the horses  If it doesn't then oh well you have a nice parking spot for it! Plan ahead, you'll thank yourself later haha


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

well we have a dead lame mare who may be a pasture puff for the next 15 or so years. a spazzy 31 year old who only a crazy or advanced rider can handle. a incredibly green 9 year old who has been sitting for the past 4 years and a mustang that broke my father in law's leg (his fault he is hard on the horse's mouth and has flipped him over a cuple of times) and has not even been handled a side from switching stalls for 3 years (he has more space to move around now though its only a round pen). sooo would not call them rideable lol! not leaving a fenced in area with any of them anytime soon XD!

i want to try the pasture paradise though i might do that within an pasture. the open space will eventually be used. i do want some fruit trees. also my fiance wants to get rid of all things with 4 legs and eats as it is, giving up A LOT of the land to them would not sit well with him. i dont know what HE necessarily wants to do with the open space so leaving room for future projects is always a safe bet.

also fiance wont spend money on electric fences as they never contained his rocky mountain. she would kick the fence posts or find a way to step on the fence and brake it. the mustang would break any fence that is not metal. i have seen this horse run sideways and snap a 4in round metal pole that was the support for a shade cover. i do NOT underestimate the panic straith of that horse. so that is going to be an up hill battle. electric fencing is also expensive! 1k in materials and fencing for just 1 acre that's not including any zigzagging i would need to do. sooo that would be ALOT further down the line though i have ALWAYS loved the idea.

I am also not worried about them not moving a lot. odie and Chris (paint and mustang) play for hours so they will be good. my mare cant even sit still in her stall so she will move around a bit and rocket will follow her. for odie and chris i can place slow feeders around the pasture too to encourage movement. cant do that for the other too as one chokes on hay and the other is just old. also my mar EATS slow feeding nets (and scares the crap out of me and the vet) so she is not allowed to be near one.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

JCnGrace said:


> I've watched the Tiny House thing on TV before and the prices they charge for those things is ridiculous. You can buy a full size house on it's own land cheaper than you can one of those things.


Where in the world do you live, cause I want to move there! Seriously, location is a huge factor in the price of real estate. Where I live, you can't buy a lot for under $100K, never mind a house to go on it. And that is why Tiny Houses are becoming more popular.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I live in southern Indiana and because we're not near any large cities housing is pretty cheap. You can get a house that is structurally sound but may need some décor updating for $50,000.00. A lot less for one that needs some fixing up. 

Take a look at this listing. Nice move in ready house, 18+ acres, set up for horses. $229,000. 

7225 West Deweese Road Fredericksburg IN 47120 | MLS 201600679


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## Regula (Jan 23, 2012)

I SO wish we lived in a dry, barren landscape like that. Would be perfect for my horse with metabolic issues - minus the hay prices, that is 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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