March 26th: Loft and Chips, Solar and Straw

  Today was a busy and productive day for Zach. He first met with the county engineer concerning our road right of way. Since our property is in the middle of BLM land, we needed to get permission from them to build a road from where the county road ends, to the base of our property (about 4 miles through BLM land). During the Right Of Way (ROW)  application process, we were informed that the county could "hold" the ROW and give us permission to make and maintain the road. This was advantageous for us because we were able to avoid a very expensive application fee ($1200) and yearly ROW lease ($75/year, but the fee goes up every year by $2 or $3). This is something we would have to pay for  FOREVER had we attained the ROW personally. The county would be given grant money to pay for this, and they would get approved much easier and faster than us. If anyone else decided to moved out there and build on their parcels and WE held the ROW... they wouldn't be obligated to help with road maintenance.  But because the county agreed to apply and accept the ROW, we could potentially share this maintenance with others. Everything through the county was approved and we can start major road construction after April 15th. YEAH BABY!!!! Our road is pretty rough right now, but with a few guys chainsawing, and someone on the backhoe, we should have a decent road after a few weekend work parties! (Email me if you want to be kept in the loop of when we will be up there working, so that you would know when to come @ thehiddenhillsranch@gmail.com)

 After his meeting in Cedar,  Zach was able to meet with an architect up on Hidden Hills, who specializes in energy efficient homes. We plan on building a home that is insulated using straw bales and that runs mostly off of solar. "Off the grid" so to speak. Where we want to build our house is ideal for this type of home (whoop whoop!). Although it might be 2 years before we actually start building our home, it was good to get an expert opinion before making concrete plans for the barn placement and home placement. When the times comes, we will reach out to him again to draw up our blueprints.

After that meeting was over, Zach had plenty of time to add a loft to the shed, creating more storage and a place for kids to sleep off the ground (if they want).

While Zach was throwing the loft together, Lincoln and Marshall started in on the piles of branches that needed to be chipped. Lessons learned: Always wear long sleeves and sun/safety glasses while chipping. Work gloves are a must as well!

Today's Guest List:
Zach
Lincoln
Marshall