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abby
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2016 15:24
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the door is FABULOUS! oh I sure hope you don't close this. I personally love the planning and thinking of it all. but then I am a person that feels anticipation is half the fun. I can't imagine anyone really having a problem, and it's totally interesting and a good read for those pondering a cabin build. I look forward to every small step forward. 
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2016 16:20
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Thanks, Abby! I think the door will look great. I LOVE the speakeasy function because you can look out and see who's around. So much better than one of those peephole things. Plus, with the metal grill in front of the little door, no one can break in. Beyond that, I just think it's neat, lol.
I have the paint color tentatively picked out -- Behr Marquis Caramel Cream. The metal roof is going to be a light beige. I've gone back and forth on the roof color, dark brown or light beige. I want the light and heat reflective properties of the light color but I'm just not sure how it will look with the medium brown cabin. Interestingly enough, the color I chose is shown on a large house with light beige trim and even some pure white accents. The contrast looks really nice! But a gambrel roof is a LOT of light beige, lol. So, I wonder.
I like the planning and anticipation, too. Then, seeing it all come together is pure magic.
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abby
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2016 10:05
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Julie, I may have missed it, but how did you decide to move to Oregon? I think it's an interesting point for anyone looking for property. had you visited or did you find it online? (of course I'd like to know how a fellow 'Burgh' girl found TX, too! LOL how did you leave the Steelers and pierogies?)
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2016 13:10
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abby
It's a rather long, circuitous story, LOL, but I've been interested in living in the PNW since I was 17 and was offered an academic scholarship to a university in Washington State. My parents wouldn't let me go across country, said I was too young. I was ticked and have always been adventurous. My mum would grumble that I took after my grandmother (dad's mum) because she loved to travel, haha.
When I graduated from college in the late '80s, there weren't jobs in Western PA but I got offers in New England so I moved to New Hampshire and worked there for 9 years. Met my husband there who was born and raised in Bend, OR! (Another life nudge toward the PNW.) He died from cancer at a young age.
Then I got sick and my docs initially thought I had MS and urged me to move to a warm climate. I got a job via a newspaper chain in Texas. Heh, later came to find out that I did NOT have MS, I have Lupus and constant heat and sun are terrible for me.
So I'm following my heart to Oregon. None of Gary's family is still in Oregon. His older brother worked and lived in the San Francisco Bay area until his death 2 years ago. But there's still that West Coast connection. I absolutely love it there and have felt it's home when I've visited.
Besides my son, I only have a sister left in Erie. She's WAY older than myself and a nun! She went off to the convent when I was a baby so I don't even know her all that well. It is kind of weird for my son and I not to have family but it's all we've known for a while.
Gosh, when I think about it, I haven't lived in PA for almost 30 years!
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2016 14:00
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I'm super-glad that I bought my land when I did. The prices in the subdivision have gone up by several thousand dollars and the land is selling quickly. I've kept my eye on it because I still have the option of transferring my equity to another parcel that comes available if I find one that suits me better. But I like the one I have.
I just spoke with the guy I bought my land from about one of the parcels. It's in a section that has a shared well. But he advised that the association that controls well access has been sketch and he's been trying to inquire about who's in charge on behalf of the people who buy land from him but he hasn't gotten any satisfactory answers. So he's not sure it would be a benefit. Plus, he thinks my parcel would be better for solar, anyway, since it's not far from the other one and it's near summit.
The guy's honest. He could have gotten more money out of me by hiding the well situation but he didn't. I like that.
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Don_P
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2016 19:54 - Edited by: Don_P
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I was looking for something on an old flash drive, this was an arched speakeasy we installed a few years ago. Making the interior trim took a few days off and on, ripping oak to thin enough strips to glue in an arch using a plywood form.
Edit; another pic from the sticks, just some neat wood, ambrosia maple.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2016 01:06 - Edited by: Julie2Oregon
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Oh, nice, Don! Truth be told, I was hoping for my door to be a tad lighter but at $599 for the door, pre-hung, and the whole kit, I'm not grousing. Speakeasy doors are EXPENSIVE, sheesh. Did you build that one or was it already made?
That's some beautiful maple!!! I've seen some great, really interesting juniper boards for sale on Craigslist near my land. That's a good idea -- to use them for trim like that!
I don't know how I'm going to cover the walls yet. Found some nice hickory plywood at the Home Depot website but, yikes, it's pricey. I'll do white beadboard in the bathroom but I want a more rustic, wood look elsewhere. Not sure about the kitchen area yet.
This is the hickory plywood:
homedepot.com/p/Columbia-Forest-Products-1-2-in-x-2-ft-x-8-ft-PureBond-Hickory-Plywoo d-Project-Panel-3332/204856184
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Don_P
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2016 06:36 - Edited by: Don_P
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Ummm, you did fine on price... really fine. This door was purchased by the homeowner, I just did the install.
It's a shame shipping is prohibitive, I logged a nearby homesite, brought the trees home, and we have a large pile of hickory for the cabinets and wainscot... They called a week or so ago and said to come get more, they decided on a detached garage. Most of those have been mockernut, white hickory. Factoid, there are 7 hickories, your pic looks like shagbark but hard to tell really. The hickory most people know is pecan, very often the more uniformly dark heartwood portions are used for stereo boxes. I've attached a pic of some hickory paneling I made for one job. Mostly shag but I slipped in a few mockernut boards from my pile. We arrived one morning and a large favorite pasture tree had fallen... so we made lemonade
Going further ot, more from that stick, Mt Don and I have been talking about railings and I mentioned that for some posts I've welded up steel inner posts that could really be mounted solid, then slipped and secured the hollow wooden post over that, just another detail.
hickpanel.jpg
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2016 20:15
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Don_P
Sorry, I lost track of my own thread! That paneling is GORGEOUS! Wow, what I wouldn't give to have something like that in my cabin!
The interior is going to be an adventure. Truth be told, I haven't really considered it all that much because I figure I can do it at my leisure. The all-consuming thing for me has been getting the structure built and the sanitation/water/solar figured out. I can work on the interior and have fun with it after I'm not dealing with county inspectors, sigh.
But I do frequent Craigslist and the thing that's jumped out at me is the number of dudes with mobile sawmills who will produce boards and such from your trees. Of course you pay them for that but I'll bet that part of the payment is a portion of the lumber or some logs. Fine by me.
I've got Ponderosa pine, juniper, and a bit of incense cedar that I know of on my land. Aspen also grows in the area but I haven't looked carefully enough way back on my land to know if I have any. Juniper is kind of like to trees what weeds are to grass, BUT juniper wood grain is SO interesting and really very beautiful. The problem with juniper is the knots and the crookedness of it. I could see juniper moulding and trim in the cabin very easily, though.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 18:31
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Well, Julie's Cabin has hit an unexpected rough patch but it could turn out for the better. I bought my land from an Oregon realtor/developer who offered decent financing. Obviously, I went up and looked at the land -- discovered that it didn't have all of the open areas depicted because he sent me the wrong pics and they were actually for the lot next door. No biggy. I'd just have to take down some trees, which I told him.
Now, in the 11th hour, he is having a problem with me taking down trees to build. Wonderful. He's hemming and hawing, and I'm wondering if there are other things he's not telling me. I had done my due diligence and ensured that the taxes were paid up, that the deed was free and clear, etc. That's all fine. But he says I should just come up and camp for a while, not do anything, and look around. What does THAT mean?
I *could* pay off the land in full and do what I want with it but that screws up things. I had planned to use all of the proceeds from my house sale to build, and triple my monthly land payments so that the land would be paid off in less than 3 years. I'm wondering, though, if this guy wants to sell the land outright or if he likes to have that monthly income, trip people up and then take back the land so he can resell it? Yeah, I'm suspicious now.
So I've contacted a Realtor actually IN that little town because they have some land in that area that would suit me really well. One of them already has standard septic approval, is on the valley floor but close to the mountain, has a shared well, and great road access to both the highway and the road to the little town. I told them my story and they said they might be able to help handle that other issue.
At this point, though, the money I'd save from land already having septic approval and not needing the soil analysis/test pits/etc. and from having well access (oh, and power is at the property line, too, if I needed it) would be greater than what I've invested in my current parcel if I walked away. I don't want to be involved in a legal problem before I even get to Oregon but I think it could be mediated. The price at which I purchased the land is actually thousands less than the going rate now so he could resell the land at a higher price. And if I had to forfeit what I paid, it would suck but whatever.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 18:53 - Edited by: MtnDon
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Quoting: Julie2Oregon Now, in the 11th hour, he is having a problem with me taking down trees to build. Wonderful. He's hemming and hawing, and I'm wondering if there are other things he's not telling me.
Does something in the deal give him a legal right to have any say in what trees may or may not be cut? Like an HOA or whatever? We looked at property that had "approval needed to cut trees" among the many conditions that came along with being a part of the development. That was our walk away and look elsewhere time.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 19:10
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Here's the clause:
"Buyer shall have no right to cut or harvest timber from the property excepting for his personal use to create room for a drive or building until such time as the property is paid in full. Buyer agrees to obtain Sellers (sic) written agreement beforehand."
OK, not alarming. This sounds perfectly reasonable and a way for the seller to protect his land from someone who aims to cut down trees and sell timber for profit. I had told the guy EXACTLY what I was planning to build/do and he previously said no problem!
Here's the thing: The parcel I thought I was buying from the pics I saw wouldn't have needed ANY tree-cutting but it was the one next to mine. And after I saw it, I told him, "Hey, you sent me the wrong photos and I WILL have to cut trees on my actual parcel so I can build." He didn't raise an objection.
But now that I'm coming up, he's turning squirrelly. Um, kinda late for that, dude. I think the law would be on my side in this one.
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Don_P
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 19:41
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Is he thinking there is a better house site, maybe in your interest or in the interest of the entire development. I've built in neighborhoods where we were supposed to try to "hide" the houses from one anothers viewshed as much as possible.
Septic and power... life just got simpler.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 20:10
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Don_P
I can't figure out what's going on here. I don't like welching on deals but the little alarm bells are going off in my head and I've learned to listen to those things. I've tried to address the issue and have even looked at other parcels he has available to see if another will better suit me, willing to transfer my equity and even pay more. He honestly told me (I think) that another I was looking at wouldn't be an improvement. Unless he had a cash buyer lined up for it, who knows.
He's suggested plunking a mobile home on the land temporarily. I'd rather not. I wonder if it's because I'm doing a legal build, from scratch, and in doing so, there WILL be county inspectors and such on the mountain -- perhaps seeing illegal builds on land he's sold on payments? They do know him and I think call him out when stuff happens. The land contract says you'll build legally. I'm just keeping up my end of the bargain, as I've done all along. 
As I said, I don't like to welch or walk away. But maybe it's in my best interests. Time is of the essence and I don't want to find myself in a bind when I show up there, dogs and stuff in tow. 
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 20:17
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But, yeah, if I can do a deal on the property I found offered by the local Realtor there, I'd be able to hit the ground running with the septic approval already in place. Oh, and the approval came from the state DEQ, no less! Plus, there's a water source. I'd have to find out the particulars on that well agreement but, hey, it's a great starting point for site plan purposes.
With the DEQ issuing the septic approval, it makes me wonder if this parcel falls under the planning jurisdiction of the little town rather than the county? That would be awesome, if so. Another time- and cost-saver.
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rockies
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 21:51 - Edited by: rockies
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It would seem to me that the clause means that you have the right to cut down trees and harvest timber ONLY to clear space for a road or building WHILE you are paying off the land. After the land is totally paid off you can clear cut the whole thing if you wanted to. Since this is stated in the clause why require written approval from the seller if cutting trees for a building site is what you are intending anyway?
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 21:55
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When I bought my land, there was a clause I could not log it for 2 years. It was to keep someone from buying it to just log it off, rape the profits from the timber sale and default on the land and skip town.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 22:03
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Quoting: rockies After the land is totally paid off you can clear cut the whole thing if you wanted to.
No, you can't. Oregon has restrictions, especially if there's old growth.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 22:08
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech When I bought my land, there was a clause I could not log it for 2 years. It was to keep someone from buying it to just log it off, rape the profits from the timber sale and default on the land and skip town.
Yep, that's perfectly understandable. And I do get that a seller doesn't want the land utterly altered until/unless it's paid off. But I don't know what's going on now with this.
I've been watching his website for parcels that I can swap and apply my equity on and I do know that he's getting thousands more for his property now than when I bought. I'm wondering if he's putting the squeeze on so I do move on and he can turn around and sell it for his going prices now.
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sodbuster
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 22:31
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Long time follower of this forum. Learned a ton from all. Could not help offering thoughts on this subject as I hate to see someone getting taken advantage of. It is clear you have done your homework on this land deal.
If I might be able to offer a suggestion, IF you are sure the realtor is doing a bait and switch. He might back down or let you out of your deal at current market value if you threaten to file a complaint with the licensing agency of the state that issues real estate broker licenses.
Also, please remember there are no oral contracts in real estate so make sure everything is in writing.
Probably want to reserve that complaint option as a last resort and only if you have solid proof.
Perhaps I have not earned the right to offer advice due to lack of posts but wanted to weigh in on this matter.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2016 23:09
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sodbuster
Of course you can weigh in and I'm glad you did!
It's hard to prove intent, of course, but I have the land packet with the pictures I was sent for the purchase and they're not of my land. So, there's that. When I went to look at the land in person, the seller's agent who took me to the land was confused, as well, and showed me the land that matched the pics I was sent. I noticed that the lot numbers didn't match. Mistake or bait and switch? Don't know. I couldn't switch to that parcel because it had already sold and I figured that I could make my parcel work by taking down some trees, anyway. It's on the same road. But now this tree-cutting thing is a problem.
I've tried to make this work and have shown good faith. Frankly, I'm getting ready to move and don't need this. But if there's an issue, better to know now before my worldly goods are irretrievably gone and I find that I don't really have land I can build on. I can't complete the sale of my house until I have worked this out, one way or another.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2016 00:38
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Julie, the rule allows you to clear timber for your house. This could also include a larger swath around it. If the trees are 50 feet tall, I would say clear 60 feet back, a falling tree cant his the home. The cost to log this area or clear it would be additional expense and of course, stump removal, cant build on stumps.
Has a co worker who bought 5 acres on a big river, there was multiple lots. As it turns out, he was shown a different lot then the one he bought. He complained, they said, no problem, lot he thought he bought was still available, so they did a lot swap (next door to each) Well, that fall, heavy rains, water level rose, river bank changed, now it turned right into his lot. It all washed out and not only did he lose his entire lot, the road accessing it was gone. He had a sliver left on the other side of the river with no access. The lot he originally had was still in place. Because of the EPA rules, he was unable to shore up his bank, it was all riverbottom sand and was all gone somewhere downstream. He paid 40K for it, and he even paid it off recently to keep his good credit. His taxes, the country gave him a break, but its still like $30 a year. I think he could donate it to a conservation group and get a tax write off? Not sure.
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2016 09:16 - Edited by: Littlecooner
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This sounds like you have entered into a "purchase agreement" with the owner/developer instead of having a warranty deed in hand. Am I correct? Do you have in your hands a warranty deed where you did owner financing and this clause on tree removal is in a mortgage which is also recorded in the public records along with your deed? Or do you only have a purchase agreement in your hand where you are paying a certain amount of money each month with the promise of a deed when the full amount is paid?
If you plan on building on his land, which it is if you only have a purchase agreement, I think i would consider obtaining a warranty deed before building a house. From following the forum and your story, I would think it would be a wise decision to look at that lot at the valley floor with electricity, great road access and near town. Snow can get deep in the winter it that part of the world. You have house plans in hand and all the knowledge you have developed in the past few years to now start building. It sounds like your owner/developer has just cut out some parcels in the mountains and is enjoying people sending him money every month as when someone stops making those payments, he will just turn around and find someone else to sell a contract to and the money keeps coming in. I have know a couple of people over the years that have become quite wealthy with this type of very legal operations. Its your call, but I think I would look long and hard at that lot with septic tank approval, well water and electricity close to town.
Document all this exchange of not cutting timber now that you are ready to build, him sending and showing you the incorrect lot, etc. If you move to this area and build and do not build on this lot, it could be the courts will welcome you with open arms when you drag this scum bag real estate developer into court to get your money back along with mental anguish. They probably do not want him operating in there nice county also. He could be willing to give you all your money back that you have paid on the lot. ( I am assuming you do not have a warranty deed at this time).
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2016 10:10
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Littlecooner
Yes, you're absolutely right. I held off on getting the deed until I moved there and was going to start building because I didn't want 2 properties in my name for a number of reasons. (Foremost, I didn't want my Texas homestead tax exemption called into question and my taxes raised prematurely.) And it proved to be a good call when I was unexpectedly hospitalized all last summer! Better to keep the land status as it was until I knew what I was doing.
Now, there IS a deed in trust obtainable with the promissory note so you can build before the land is paid in full. But since he's hemming and hawing now before I've filed for that, I'm not happy. I've got too much on the line. Selling my home and moving 1,700 miles is a big deal and I have to feel secure that when I get there, I'm not going to suddenly find myself with a dude pulling strings for his benefit, leaving me unable to build and scrambling for somewhere to live.
I think you're right. I've never encountered something like this before. He's a licensed Realtor, I looked him up at the BBB, asked around the county, didn't find anything amiss. Then again, he lives in Portland and not in the area. A local Realtor there has the parcel I mentioned and a couple of others that would work well. I told him the whole story, hope it doesn't scare him off.
At this point, I'd rather walk away and lose the money than to gamble on this guy dragging his feet or creating problems that prevent me from building. I hope it doesn't mess up my credit, though.
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2016 11:21
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Do not think this would mess with your credit and I think if you did move and build permanent in the same county on a different parcel, it would not go well with him on not returning your money if you did start some legal action. A lot of people run bluffs in life until it is time to put money on the table. That local realtor, especially in a small town/community could be a great contact, great person and might find you a very nice place to build your retirement small cabin. You move there, start telling the bad story in the coffee shops about the scum bag in Portland that tried to screw over the new resident, little old lady who moved to town and how great the local realtor has been to you and when you go to court and pick 12 people to sit on the jury to get your money and money for mental anguish caused by that scum bag off in Portland, well, you will be shocked how much this guy will be willing to pay you back just to stay out of court. Go for it gal. New property with water, sewage and electric awaits in Oregon. Are you taking the Oregon trail on your move west?
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2016 14:14
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Julie, caution on low valley land. We get lots of rain in the pacific northwest, make sure you are above the flood plain. Just make sure its high enough where heavy rainfall in the spring or fall wont ever be an issue.  That is if you go the valley land route.
If it is above the plain, you might be well ahead to go that route. Have lots of things already in place, save lots of $$$$ too. Can you post pixs of the new lot?
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2016 15:04
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Low valley land can have a high water table that prevents a septic from being installed. You said it has septic approval, I'd verify that if you consider making the switch.
Can you get your down payment back, or most of it, from the owner? It's to their advantage if prices are higher now.
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razmichael
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2016 16:22
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Just my opinion but maybe everyone is thinking the worst of the seller. He had the restriction in place for a possible reason that has been mentioned (avoiding clear cutting when the land is not yet paid off). His suggestion (whether or not fits you plans) is something that others on this forum has made many times - "spend some time on the land before you decide where to build". It does not necessarily sound like he is trying to bait and switch - yes he may have made a mistake at the start. I could be really wrong but suggest you don't jump to conclusions about his actions without having a good talk with him. If he is giving you good financing rates and you like the land, talk to him??
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2016 16:43
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toyota_mdt_tech
Southern OR (and central, actually) is high desert and doesn't get a ton of rain. It should be fine. I won't post pics unless/until I buy it. There are a couple of nice parcels in that area.
bldginsp
Septic doesn't appear to be the issue in this section as it was on the mountain. I've looked at the MLS info for a couple of parcels and it states the septic status. Don't see why they'd misrepresent it when it's easy enough to verify but, then again, I'm in a bind now myself.
I doubt I could get my money back without a legal battle. Then again, there was the misrepresentation. Whether intentional or an error, there was no assistance in making it right. And now the other stuff.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2016 17:04 - Edited by: Julie2Oregon
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razmichael
I did talk to him. And, no, the finance rates aren't very good but it can be difficult to get a loan to buy raw land. I went with it knowing I'd be paying off the land quickly.
Here's the specific problem -- the land is so forested that I can't get onto it without taking down trees or entering via the lot next to it. Now I LOVE all of the trees but I do have to take down some of them to even gain access.
Those clearings I posted in the pics here of "my land." Turns out that's not my land. That's part of the lot next to my land. It was presented to me as mine, though, via the pics and packet I was sent and even by what I was shown when I went up to see it. Even when I discovered the lot number was wrong, we thought that part of the clearing was still on my land. Nope. So I have to cut more trees than I thought. Therein lies the problem.
I've been talking to this guy from day 1. I'm not a shrinking violet, lol. He knew what I was planning to build, when I was looking to build it, what sort of land I wanted, and what specifically I loved about that land I selected. I've kept up every bit of my bargain. Making payments on time, going through the county to build legally, checking with him on everything, viewing with his land agent. So this sudden behavior sux, quite frankly.
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