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R MacDonald | 07-22-2007 11:00 PM
Just how big IS 5 acres? <big><big><big><big><big>Just how big IS <big><big><big>5</big></big></big> acres?</big></big></big></big></big> Acreage can be a pretty deceptive thing. Forty acres looks like nothing in a Kansas wheat field. On the other hand, it's possible to achieve a surprising amount of privacy on just a few acres in the forests of the Ozarks. Maybe these illustrations will help YOU get some idea of the size of five acres. Real estate can come in any size or shape, but most frequently, five acre parcels of land are rectangles about 330 feet wide by 660 feet long. http://www.ozarkland.com/images/Will...Aerial%201.gif Take a look at this aerial photograph of a typical urban area. (Okay, it's not a typical urban area at all, it's our home town, Willow Springs, but from up here, everyone looks surprisingly normal.) Notice that five acres here will encompass seven or eight city blocks. Looks like there may be around 6 to 8 houses to a block, so five acres might have twelve to sixteen home on it. http://www.ozarkland.com/images/Will...Aerial%202.gif Or consider this five acre block. Five acres would easily contain the high-school football field with a quarter-mile cinder track surrounding it. Okay, getting dizzy from the height? Let's try looking at it from the ground. They put up these power poles every 330 feet on the average (four to the quarter-mile) so, it's the width of five acres to the first one, the length of five acres to the second. http://www.ozarkland.com/images/fiveacrs.gif As my final exhibit, here's a drawing I made to show the proper scale. (You probably thought I just horsed around all day.) Here, the telephone poles look even further apart than the ones in the photo above, but they're drawn to scale. One of my purposes here is to point out that five acres, especially five rolling acres covered with mature forest is actually quite a bit of ground. If you need more privacy than five acres of woods affords, you're likely to be arrested for what you're doing sooner or later anyway, so why push your luck? http://www.ozarkland.com/Just%20how%20big.htm

Curtman | 07-22-2007 11:18 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? :s9: If you have five acres with good sunlight, soil, water and hopefully nobody near you or if so only organic minded folks you can live like a king on it with just one addition. A Troy Bilt rototiller. I Know. Only I had an Alis Chalmers model CA 1954 I think. Cost about as much as a rototiller but for micro farming you cannot beat the roto tiller for versatility and economy. :s9:

drafter | 07-23-2007 09:26 AM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by Curtman (Post 671647) I Know. Only I had an Alis Chalmers model CA 1954 I think. Cost about as much as a rototiller but for micro farming you cannot beat the roto tiller for versatility and economy. :s9:
I've got a 1939 AC Model B, crank start only with a scickle mower. My 5 acres is too uneven to get much use out of it though. A rototiller or my Cub Cadet "Lawn Tractor" with implements seem to be more usefull.

Darkside | 07-23-2007 09:59 AM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Acres are pretty small if you ask me. The way I think about it is if you want 1 square mile of land that's going to equal 640 acres...

REV127 | 07-23-2007 10:24 AM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Five is plenty enough to sustain yourself and your family if you've got the basics of a good growing season, water and decent soil. It's also small enough to be easily manageable by one person. Five was my target but where I am it's hard to find anything much over one acre for a decent price so I ended up with 3.5. I sure wouldn't mind a little more but it's enough. I've got stands of oak, pine and maple for fuel, turpentine, tar and building material. A half acre pond for water and fish, a bit over an acre of pasture and still have plenty of space to grow crops. There's not much else I could really want, if I had more land I'd just scale everything up.

bjgnome | 07-23-2007 10:27 AM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? I've posted it before, but this family is growing almost all their food, and selling some, on a 1/3 acre suburban lot with a house on it. Imagine what you could grow with 15 times that (5 acres)? http://www.pathtofreedom.com/

Lackluster | 07-23-2007 10:47 AM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? The farm is the best place to be in a depression. I can remember asking my grandfather about the great depression. All he could remember was going without shoes in the summertime.

Kahlil Gibran | 07-23-2007 10:58 AM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by bjgnome (Post 671975) I've posted it before, but this family is growing almost all their food, and selling some, on a 1/3 acre suburban lot with a house on it. Imagine what you could grow with 15 times that (5 acres)?
On six acres we had a three-generation family, 4 Black Angus steers, a dairy cow, two sheep, a dog, and a vegetable garden. Homemade bread that Granny made twice a week. Life was very good. :smile: the Angus and sheep were 4-H Club projects.

Alpine5654 | 07-23-2007 11:35 AM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Just looked at 5 acres on Saturday. 1,500 sq ft, 3BR, 2 Bath house (Built in 1992) 60 x 40 pole barn above ground pool $339,000 :confused_ma: :smokin:

drafter | 07-23-2007 11:41 AM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpine5654 (Post 672029) Just looked at 5 acres on Saturday. 1,500 sq ft, 3BR, 2 Bath house (Built in 1992) 60 x 40 pole barn above ground pool $339,000 :confused_ma: :smokin:
Around here that would be a hell of a deal. Two nieghbors have their places for sale across the street, one because of a death and the other moved to be closer to family elsewhere. One is $750,000 and the other with less outbuildings is $620,000. Who knows if they'll sell, but a 2 1/2 acre spot down the road with a newer house (most around here were build in 1970's) sold for $499,000.

Weho Dave | 07-23-2007 12:06 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? I bought 3.1 acres with a 120 year old farmhouse and a barn on it. The frontage is 250 feet and goes back 500 feet into a forest. I realized after moving here the land is more important than the house. I can fix up the house or tear it down and rebuild. But the land will always be pretty much what it is. Houses depreciate, land doesn't. Would love to have 10 acres or more and then would qualify for the official farm property tax rate (which is very low, agricultural instead of residential). Would pay for itself eventually.

Goldhedge | 07-23-2007 12:19 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Back in the mid 70's in college I lived in Pueblo, Colorado on a 40 acre farm. Rented the chicken coop. They turned it into comfortable living quarters back in the 40's. Stucco exterior, bed living room, kitchen and bath. The owner, Mr. Morgan, was in his 70's then. Back was stooped from working 3 jobs all his life (farm, steel mill, bees). He hired me to paint a tin barn. I'd start a wall, then run off to class. I'd come back and in half the time he would have painted dang near 2x what I did! He showed me what it meant to work. As a boy, he saved his money $3000 for college. He made his way up to Fort Collins to go to Colorado State University. Put his money in the bank on Friday and registered for classes. On Monday they closed all the banks. He had 25c in his pocket to get home on. He always said "Never sell the farm!" I'm sure his kids and grand kids didn't listen to him. A shame because it was bottom land and just a stone's throw from the river. Good advice no doubt for just about any time....

Wyldwil | 07-23-2007 04:25 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Let's say S really HTF hard.....Peak Oil or worse. Will anyone really own any land??? Ownership really will just depend on if your defenses hold up.....or not.

Curtman | 07-23-2007 05:22 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by Wyldwil (Post 672288) Let's say S really HTF hard.....Peak Oil or worse. Will anyone really own any land??? Ownership really will just depend on if your defenses hold up.....or not.
Should that happen it would only last as long as it would take for all the politicians to be hung up in the trees. Of course I would not lift a hand to stop it. :thumpdown

bl96S5eu | 07-23-2007 07:08 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Alright gasilat, would you stop with the pictures already...you're just being cruel. We live on 5 and are working on closing on 18 in the next couple of months and can't wait.

hoarder | 07-23-2007 07:40 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? If you love people as much as I do anything less than 40 acres is too small. In Texas, counties are allowed to regulate whether or not you can shoot guns on your own property if you have less than 20 acres. 10 acres of flat land usually seems bigger than 10 acres sloped. Most sloped tracts are accessed by a road along the creek, so the only buildable terrain is along the road where there is no privacy. Terrain is an important consideration.

californiajeff | 07-24-2007 02:37 AM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpine5654 (Post 672029) Just looked at 5 acres on Saturday. 1,500 sq ft, 3BR, 2 Bath house (Built in 1992) 60 x 40 pole barn above ground pool $339,000 :confused_ma: :smokin:
You think you got it bad? In Vegas for that price you can get the same thing minus the barn and pool and 1/8 acre instead of 5 acres.:no_ma:

money matters | 07-24-2007 12:05 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? There are lots of old homesteading stand-by books that will give you an idea of how much can be done with 5 acres. Five Acres and Independence, The Have More Plan, etc, etc. Our copy of Have More was put out by Gardenway. It is a great read! Bound to be some books by Organiic Gardening that also have ideas. Often you don't have to posess property to have use of it. Often, neighbors will plant a community garden on one person's plot of land and work and harvest it together. Some inner-city areas might even have a gardening plot you can use. Five acres that borders a National Forest is a huge plot of land, if you get my drift. Have More Plan showed how to optimize layout of a small homestead for efiiciency and to maximize the potentials. Using intensive gardening techniques instead of row-cropping, having gardens close to animals for manure fertilizing, chickens close to the house for many reasons etc you can keep a pretty decent woodlot and maybe even get by on 2 acres for self-sufficeincy. Thanks to Andy for posting the photos of his canning efforts. Hope most have jars and lids/seals. Good way to preserve your freezer contents if the power is gone. Always worth stocking seals & lids if only for trade items.

Tn...Andy | 07-24-2007 12:14 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Five acres that borders a National Forest is a huge plot of land, if you get my drift. Excellent point.....the 'drift' being should the SHTF, no "RangerRick" is gonna be around to keep you from harvesting firewood.....they basically aren't NOW, or you can get a permit here for 10 cords/year of dead and downed wood for no charge. One of the things I found attractive about my place is the fact it's surrounded on 3 sides by National Forest.......5-10,000 acres of 'backyard'.

Bushpilot | 07-24-2007 12:21 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? I'm just finishing up the purchase of an additional 14 acres. Feeling a little guilty about the price, $30k, but the peace of mind of outright ownership and having room for animals and gardens is worth it. Inexpensive property is out there, but its bought on the side without realators and it sure as hell isn't listed. Now I just need to learn from TN Andy the ins ands outs of gardening and canning. Now, if I only would have run away from Skyvike and the blue pill.... Dang! BP

Tn...Andy | 07-24-2007 12:38 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Yeah.....the 'pill', once taken, is forever :D Good find on the 14 acres. That is about as much as anybody can handle or need. I have 100ac, but 90+ is in timber, and up the side of a mountain.... I basically don't use it.....it's just insulation, watershed, and woodlot....what I actually USE is closer to 7-8ac.....and without a few cows, I could get by on a far less than that, except for woodlot.....I think a person needs 10ac or so of woodlot just for a renewable source of fuel, assuming you live in a decent rainfall area that grows trees. They claim 1 cord of wood can be cut off an acre per year, and actually improve the timber yeild down the road......and 10 cords of wood will supply most folks adequately thru a winter, assuming you're not trying to heat a McMansion.

Anty Ep | 07-24-2007 12:43 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by Marketneutral (Post 672037) Look at Tennessee. You can buy a 2500 square foot house with a barn, pond and stream on 25 acres for under $250K. You want to be close to a KY or GA because sales tax in TN is 9.25%. Plus in TN you can grow a nice variety of food crops.
The blue ridge mountains are fantastic. I would love to have a nice mountain cabin in Tenn as my "alpine redoubt." GA no thanks.

Tn...Andy | 07-24-2007 12:53 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? You'd have a pretty hard time finding a deal like that in East Tennesse nowdays....when I bought my place 25 years ago, 1000/ac was the going price, but that has changed considerably......but in middle or west TN, things are still more reasonable......the Cumberland Mtns run down thru middle TN, and it's also pretty there. West Tennessee is too hot, to flat, and too communist for me.

AgAuGal | 07-24-2007 06:09 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by Curtman (Post 672353) Should that happen it would only last as long as it would take for all the politicians to be hung up in the trees. Of course I would not lift a hand to stop it. :thumpdown
Would you lift a hand to start it? I think that is part of the problem in present America - lot's of expectations that the guys next door will 'do something' to stop the insanity and many will stand on the sidelines whoop and hollerin and not object to someone else taking action. Problem I see is there will not be enough with the courage to stand up and 'do something' about the issues we face but rather they will give other's their blessing for taking some action. (no disrespect intended Curtman but standing by waiting for someone else to do the right thing is what I believe contributed to the current state of the USA). Our law makers are 'stuck on stupid' State and FED. A country without vision or willingness to sacrifice. We will all learn how painful the lesson will be for making that mistake. Our ancestors paid forward so we could have the freedom we do now, now we are bankrupt (in many ways) - how disrespectful of the people that paid the price before our current generations (some the ultimate sacrifice). The history books on the America that was - the Empire of arrogance (just view the latest Executive Order on the siezing of private property - how is it a President quoting his rights provided by the US constitution writes an EO that is all about oppressing citizens who would stand against any war (in this case I think the term 'IRAQ' shows up more than any reference to the US - you would think it was an EO issued by the IRAQ government and not the President of the USA) :banghead: :banghead: Sorry for the :rant:, just came flowing out.

Curtman | 07-24-2007 06:20 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Gee thanks .

AgAuGal | 07-24-2007 06:23 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by Curtman (Post 673790) Gee thanks .
My rant was not directed at you Curtman, it was just your comment got my thoughts and feelings rolling and I get so upset evertime I consider where we are as a country and where I think we are going.

Curtman | 07-24-2007 06:41 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by AgAuGal (Post 673791) My rant was not directed at you Curtman, it was just your comment got my thoughts and feelings rolling and I get so upset evertime I consider where we are as a country and where I think we are going.
My religious moral & philosophical beliefs do not permit me to offer up anything but passive resistance unless my life or my families is in danger. Not my life style, I can always move away from the problem. There have been many times in the past that it would have been better for me to adhere to that same policy. Think of like pushing against a mountain. If the mountain is too strong, is it not better to push off it rather than keep trying to push it over?

AgAuGal | 07-24-2007 06:48 PM
Re: Just how big IS 5 acres? Quote:
Originally Posted by Curtman (Post 673804) My religious moral & philosophical beliefs do not permit me to offer up anything but passive resistance unless my life or my families is in danger. Not my life style, I can always move away from the problem. There have been many times in the past that it would have been better for me to adhere to that same policy. Think of like pushing against a mountain. If the mountain is too strong, is it not better to push off it rather than keep trying to push it over?
I understand, I'm not advocating violence (actually think prayer is proly the only answer at this point) I'm just frustrated at where we are when it seems it was possible to avoid the insanity if coorporately we (TPTB) would have made good decisions. What happen to personal responsibility and integrity - so many good values no longer valued :(

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