Clearing the lot

[David]

The lot we are looking at is the crown of a hill. It's also a corner lot. So, it slopes down on all sides. The lot faces east. This is also the long side. The other road is on south side. Neighboring lots to the west and north.


First, I'd like to clear the brush myself with a cat (rental). Is this unreasonable?
Second, I'd situate the house on the lot, based on orientation to the roads and to the trees.
Third, I'd hire someone to safely cut down the trees and stack them off to the side. I'd like to use them later for lumber, if I can find a sawyer to come out.
Fourth, I'd need to hire someone who could push the dirt around. I need to clear the lot and scape it for the driveway, foundation, detached garage, and backyard (hope to have a pool someday). They would also need to make the driveway over the ditch (with a culvert underneath).

After that, I'd be ready for form work, wouldn't I?

[Cole]

Yes you would be ready.

Dave, how big are the trees?

You should be able to do the land clearing by yourself easy.

What kind of tree removal would you need?

[grumpy]

It's no unreasonable to clear the lot, it's your property.

IMO I wouldn't recommend using the trees you cut as lumber for the building you erect. I'm not carpenter but I often work with lumber in my roofing and siding projects and most of the 2x4's I have held have a "Kiln Dried" stamp on them. Kiln drying the lumber removes moisture and brings all the lumber to a regulated state, which I am told mean the lumber won't be as suseptible to expansion contraction.

Why base the house in orientation to the trees if youa re going to be cutting them down? Or am I to assume you are only cutting down some?

If youa re going to hire someone to come in with an earth mover and rescape the lot, maybe it just makes sense to hire them to clear it also. I don't know how large the lot is but if it's a small lot some guys might not be too thrilled.

David, have you considered highring a general contractor with experience in residential development? Forgive me if I am wrong, but your questions seem like this might be your first project.

[David]

Hey Grumpy

I won't be using the trees for framing lumber, maybe built-ins. Everything you see says kiln dry because the trees we're using (we = USA) are fresh cut. Millers don't have time to let trees air-dry for 10 years.

If I can get a sawyer to come in and rough saw the logs, then I'll make a kiln. It's basically a wooden box with a lid (think of a freezer) with a special reflective liner and some hot lights. I'll use a moisture guage to determine when the wood is ready. It'll be ready for built-ins as it'll take me quite some time to stucco the exterior. If I can't make a kiln, I'll still get the logs rough sawn and then let them air dry in my huge garage/workshop.

I already have 800bf of midwest black walnut for my cabinets. Man, are those gonna look beautiful.



Yes, it's possible that I'll hire the whole lot clearing job out. But, if the survey comes out in my favor, I may only need a little dirt. I can scrape it or truck it in. Oh, it's 1.5 acres total. I only want to remove the pines (50% of the trees) and then oaks/mapels that are unfortunate enough to be in the way of the house. I'd like to place the house so that it sits on the crown of the lot, but also kills as few oaks/mapels as possible. I'd prefer the lot had a nice crown to keep the water flowing down and provide a lush green yard. That sounds obvious, but I could get some photos for you to see that it is not the case here - many, many flat lots. 1.5 acres is a lot of space to be crowned, especially when preserving trees which shouldn't be covered with dirt nor driven over with large equipment. Since the lot is the top of a hill, I'm in luck!!

I will be the GC for this. I am not the average Owner Builder. I'd really like to build houses, either on the side or full time. Yes, this is my first full project, though I do have some experience. I know it's not easy and it really takes a toll on a family, but we've discussed it and want to do this.

Fortunately, I'm in Texas. It's the easiest place to get licensed. And, the market is very strong in Houston. A strong market helps alleviate pressure to get it done and not screw up. There is plenty of labor, but not enough skilled/trained/educated labor. Plus, when others do it, they don't always understand what you want, no matter how well you communicate it. I've seen many things go on in this and other neighborhoods that concern me. No way would I want such careless/thoughtless/wreckless people working on my house. That's why my wife is letting me do this. I do it because I want to. I'm gifted at it and can soak up a lot of knowledge.

I appreciate your help and suggestions.

And since I have your attention Grumpy: Where are you located in the Chicago area? I lived in the NW burbs for over 8 years. And, things are a whole lot different down here than they are up there. It's really a different country. :) Some are good things, some aren't.

[David]

Yes you would be ready.

Dave, how big are the trees?

You should be able to do the land clearing by yourself easy.

What kind of tree removal would you need?

I'd have to walk the lot with a survey to get real numbers. But my guesstimate is that there are probably 50 pines on the lot. I'd say 10 of them are 24"+ in diameter. Only maybe 5 of those are 36" dia. I have no idea the number of oaks/maples to remove because I'd like to keep as many as possible. But sadly, I think 10+ oaks/maples will need cutting. And there might be 1 or 2 of those that are 24"+.

I'd like to be as eco-sensitive as possible with the trees. I'd like to use the lumber if I can.

The pines must be cleared, but I don't know what I can use them for. Pines grow very tall and slim here. They can grow 75 feet, with branches on only the top 15 feet. They are top heavy and prone to snap in high winds, which poses a hazard to people, structures, and animals. When a lot gets cleared, it allows for more wind to come thru, so chances increase that a pine will snap after lot clearing.

They also leave tons of needles that I cannot take care of. The pines pose numerous pains: the needles (1) fill gutters, (2) stain shingles, (3) clog pool filters, and (4) kill grass. Since (1) I want my gutters to work, (2) I don't want to clean my roof with ammonia every 5 years, (3) I want a low maintence pool, and (4) I like grass, ALL pines get chopped.

What can I use them for? Tall, skinny pines. Can I have them cut into 2x materials for someone else to build with? Pines make terrible firewood.

I'd need to get the brush removed, too. There is a lot of it, since it's 1.5 acres.