For almost a month now they’ve been digging on my mountain.
I think I mentioned before, but I’ll mention again, what you pay for your land is not the only thing to consider when choosing your land. Assuming you’re not building in a graded flat subdivision you’re going to have costs associated with putting your land into a buildable condition. In my case I bought the high point of the ridge and it needed to be brought down to where I could have roughly 80×120′ of flat area for the footings, patios, parking, etc. The driveway and front turnaround drive also had to be built up and leveled, a septic field built, etc.
Foundation hole from corner tower
I had looked at one lot that was cheaper than this, and way way way worse than this besides, but also it likely would have had 250k+ of excavation costs, making it, in the end, not cheaper. Additionally I toured a house under construction nearby where I was told they had a million dollars in site prep. They took a lot that was hardly flat at all, the peak of a little foothill that was all rock, and had to blast it apart (literally) to create a level surface (and a large one). Though they got tons of “free” rock to landscape with.
Foundation from Forest Side
My lot is great by comparison. It was a high point, but not so steep or severe, and mostly soil, very little rock. Around 2 feet from subgrade we did reach a really compacted layer of almost-sandstone. Not quite rock, but not quite soil anymore. That has slowed us down and cost more money. All told it is looking like site prep costs of around $100k, if you include the tree clearing. Cheaper than other options, but still quite expensive. Of course, that isn’t the end of the earth costs, on the backend things will need to be put back into order, the foundation backfilled, the lot graded with soil, etc. Plus this isn’t including the long driveway, which I categorize under concrete, but which could also have been less (or more) with a different lot.
Excavation on our property was done by Joe Palmer of McKinnley Excavating.
Looking great, Ishmael!
I myself have the same dream as you, so I’m checking by once in a while to see if there are any news. It’s very exciting to see you making progress and sharing all your considerations with us. Keep up the good work and all the best of luck to you!
Oh, and for myself I’ve been much inspired by the abandoned Chateau de Noisy (also known as Chateau Miranda) in Belgium. I’ve visited twice. Although it is not medieval – I sense you try to hit that style? – it uses lots of the Gothic style. I’m especially keen about the stone-plastering on the outside. It was build with brick and later covered.
/Kasper
I’ve never seen that Chateau before so no, that wasn’t my inspiration. I took inspiration from certain parts of Windsor Castle (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Norman_Gate,_Windsor_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1224110.jpg), Hunyad Castle, Notre Dame Cathedral, but mostly it was an amalgamation of different castles I had seen over the years.
Ishmael –
Still enjoying your updates. Please keep them coming as much as is reasonable. Hope everything is going smoothly.
Indy
I live at 4320 Raccoon Mtn Rd, I was the first one to build on this road. Gimme a shout, I can tell you a lot about your place.
I’m also planning on building a small castle, but in the Philippines. Will be heading out to look at an 3 hectare island on a lake 2 hours drive from Manila where I live. Hopefully the ground is not waterlogged. A lot of my ideas are similar to yours, but they don’t sell ICF in the Philippines it is all concrete hollow block..so I plan on using 2 layer thick (40mm) walls, with 100mm cavity, rebar (or micro rebar), plus 120mm thick insulation each side, plus 4cm thick limestone bricks as cladding on the outside (or if I have to, cladding imported from China). Prices are a lot cheaper here than those you mentioned, and I will have about 10 to 15 permanent workmen (carpenters, stonemasons and laborers) living on site while building…Be glad to correspond on ideas, I may have some that might help you..:)
Cool idea. We almost bought a house in that same neighborhood. Great place! Quiet and secluded but close to town. We just moved here and we live this town. Great for the kids
Just read the article in the local paper about your project. I am amazed at your detail and progress. I was born and raised not 20 mins from where you are building. I now live in DC, but still dream of a mountaintop castle of my own someday. I’d be interested in hearing more about the trials of getting contractors to follow your vision and banks to take you seriously. I can only imagine the headaches. Keep up the good work!
Wow this looks like are really fantastic project. I look forward to following your progress. I hope you get a chance to check out our website. A project of this magnitude deserves to be shown off in the night as well as the daytime! As the premier landscape lighting company in Chattanooga, we can help you keep the night creatures at bay.
Ishmael,
We welcome you to the Chattanooga area. I must admit I know nothing about the building of
castles and look forward to Castle Building 101 while following your blog! What I do understand is color and design of certain interior furnishings. When I saw the colors of the stain glass window it reminded me of a very large(castle size) area rug we have in our store. When you get to that point please feel free to look us up.
Thanks for sharing this! As someone who just bought some land, I have been wondering if I will need a contractor to flatten some of the land for me too. It sounds like it is better to have the land prepared successfully instead of gambling on the land how it is. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a contractor who will do a good job!