Trade-offs and Compromises

TVA Power Easement - 75 feet from the middle of the power lines into our property.

When purchasing any property, home, or even a car, there are always trade-offs.  Hopefully, we are going into this knowing what "defects" we are accepting.   And, with my background in Permacutlure, we are hoping that we can make the "problem be the solution."

So, trade-off number 1 - The Tennessee Valley Association owns a 75 foot wide easement on one side of the property.  Means that there can be no trees grown and no structures built (including fences) on that part of the property.  Means it's also kind of ugly to see the tower on either side of the property along this side. The upside being, that the other people's property also has a 75 foot TVA easement - so the closest anyone could build on that side of us is 150 feet.  We can live with that, especially since there are no buildings/houses on that property right now, and it is mostly wild and wooded.  And, second bonus, there are no towers actually on our property. 

Compromises.  We got: close to work for both of us, high speed internet connection, more than 3 acres, 15 minutes from a grocery store (maybe less the way I drive), less than that to a gas station, 25 minutes from the heart of town (i.e. like to the farmer's market), trees and more trees, close to the Dodge Dealership. A place with lots of potential.

What we wish wish we didn't have, but are going to move forward with mitigating: neighbors on 3 sides.  Like a track home neighborhood.  They are most likely excellent people, and I have nothing against them other than that they are closer than a mile to us.  Ah, well, planting more trees so we won't see their houses and can pretend we are in the Smokey Mountains.  And maybe I can sell tomatoes to them? ... Rock on and near the surface.  Like, bedrock rock.  Like trees can't grow in it rock.  Luckily, I can raise bed garden on it.  Can I grow 10 feet of soil on it and then plant trees?  Ah, the gauntlet has been thrown. ... Falling down wire fences.  Well, there is a very nice cattle gate, but most of the once high tensile fencing is now low sagging barely fencing.  Mostly the wire is being held up by shrubs (and, shudder, poison ivy!)  Some of the wire might be good.  Perhaps it is a lifetime supply of trellis wire?  It is probably too stretched and old to become fencing again.  But trellis wire, I could use.  Like how that works - the problem becomes the solution.  Waste not, want not.  The hubby has already found an iron bracket in the trash pile that he wants.  

Surface Rock - looks like granite to my untrained eye.

What we're hoping we didn't get: a money pit!  Ok, I am sure we got a money pit - it will take all of our time and money to develop this property - but the journey, ah, the journey will be well worth it.  So blessed to have a little piece of land to steward.