Pine wilt infestations

Our next door neighbor at the new acreage is a professional landscaper with Landmark Landscapes.  He bought his acreage just a few months before we bought ours.  The first time we met him that spring, he pointed out that a few of the numerous Scotch pines on our lot looked like they were succumbing to "pine wilt."  We didn't do anything about it at first, but when he mentioned it again in the fall, we decided it was time to act.

Second meeting with the architect

Stacy and I had our second meeting with our architect this morning.  He had a few rough sketches he wanted to bounce off us before he worked up more detailed plans.  I'm feeling very poor and uncreative right now, and it sucks.

First meeting with our architect

Stacy and I had our first meeting with our architect this morning.  The goal this time was to give him as much information as we could about the direction we wanted to go so that he didn't have to waste any time (at $60/hour) chasing rabbit trails.  It was an exhausting three hours, but I think we're off to a good start.

We own dirt & timber

We now own three acres of dirt and timber.  We spent this morning at Lincoln Federal, where we signed the closing papers on our new 3-acre plot.

We found a keeper

Stacy and I been dreaming of moving our family to an acreage for about ten years -- since just a couple years after buying our first house in town.  We talked for a while about carving a lot out of my family farm, which is now inside town, but that didn't work out.  After searching periodically for acreages just outside town, we finally found something in March 2011.

Welcome!

You've stumbled upon the introductory post of the Prairie Rim Home blog.  Think of this as a Midwestern "This Old House."  Our primary theme for the first year or two will be building a new custom home on a small acreage, as well as fixing up our current 120-year-old urban home prior to selling it.  I come from a long line of handy-folk, and have gotten pretty good at swinging a hammer over the years.