Selecting and clearing the home site

If you read my previous post, then you know we want to build a partially earth-sheltered home.  This changes the site selection process quite a bit (provided you don't intend to completely bulldoze and re-shape the land completely).  What we must find then, is a gentle south-facing hillside to set the house into.  It's almost ridiculous how perfect a spot our parcel of land would provide us.

We had several important criteria to consider simultaneously when choosing our home's location:

• Find a south-facing hillside of gentle slope
• Be well off the road for privacy, but not too far (driveways and utilities services aren't cheap!)
• Make sure driveway access to the site will be convenient
• Remember the fact that we'll be splitting 1/3 of this land off to the Redoy family
• Consider the zoning: lot area requirements, frontage minimums, building setbacks, etc.

I was also worried about the view from inside the house, but figured we could amend that over time if needed.  But it's all a beautiful forest right now anyway.

So after establishing a rough parcel split plan:

The choice was rather obvious: almost dead center in our parcel (the top blue 9.7 acre piece)

So, some 800 feet off the road.  Oof, that's a long driveway.

Of course, there was still a forest to deal with.

After several hours of tractoring, the hillside was visible:

Looking down from atop the gentle hill:

These trees gave their lives so we could build ours.  Thanks, trees.  Thankfully only a few of 'em were actually of any quality.

Big thanks to Gabe, Ron and Tim for repeated chainsawing sessions throughout the winter of 12/13 to get things all cleared out.

Then, stumps.  Oh, the STUMPS!

After many hours of hard work, we had almost an acre mostly clear, and ready to build on. Whoo!