Fencing and Farms

Fencing and Farms was Originally Posted on June 27, 2014 by lavarock

I have been wanting to have the side yard fenced for quite a while. My house is pier and post, meaning that the actual house is upstairs and there are vertical posts that hold everything up. It is a common practice in the tropics. There is a set of stairs that comes down on the south side of the house and I will include them in the fencing. This will allow me to let the dogs stay on the upper lanai (porch), and they can go down the stairs and turn into the fenced in area to exercise, etc. There will be a walkway gate for me at the bottom of the stairs and a farm gate for the tractor to get in and cut the grass. This project will eliminate me having to let the dogs out and watch them in the currently open area and it will also keep me from having to take them to a neighbors when I leave for a while. They will have shelter up on the lanai and yet have free movement to run and play. A neighbor can come by and put food out for them, without having to have access to the house itself.

I have two guys who were supposed to give me quotes, but the second guy never called back, despite multiple calls. The first guy was recommended by a neighbor who had fencing done, so I have seen his work. That fencing was done under a government contract, so I have faith that mine will be professional also. His quote is $2700 for supplies and labor and will be completed in time for me to go have my last medical procedure. This will be a relief as I won’t have to climb stairs often with the dogs.

Many years ago I had an opportunity (but not the funds) to have the farm fenced under a grant. Much of my costs would have been reimbursed, however I didn’t have the funds up front to have the fencing done. We have been inundated with wild pigs which dig up and damage crops here. At the time I was installing water catchment tanks for irrigation and my funds were tied up with that. Had I been able to take advantage, the major area of the farm (coffee and fruit orchards) would have been fenced but the house area would not have been included. I would have to take the dogs out to a gate opening into the main farm area each time, would have had to build some kennels and shelter out there for them, or would have had to still built fencing connecting the house to the farm yard itself. In that scenario, they would have had perhaps 6 acres to run in instead of perhaps a quarter of an acre.

A former coworker at the computer company has been trying to buy a farm out here. The first farm he found was close to me, but the deal fell through at the last minute. The current farm is quite a bit closer to town, but easier to access and will have county water, which the first farm did not have. It also is a larger house, but needs a lot of work. He will need a new kitchen, carpeting or flooring and two new sliding doors. He has coffee already on the property but we can’t tell how much until we get a weed whackers in there. The guy has a friend who will be moving out here with him and his wife and this guy will help work the farm in lieu of paying rent. He can also do some work down here for me and my neighbors for which we will pay him.

Although the price of that farm is lots more than what I paid for mine, it is still a good deal for what he will pay. The place needs fixing and the yard clearing, but he already has crops and additional coffee or fruit trees will be easy to add. In the case of my farm, I had to remove considerable trees and spend lots of money to lay things out. He can rely upon my experience doing that to get his place going faster. He also has a large farm next door and will have the opportunity of working a deal with them to process his coffee, thus freeing up money he would have to use to build a processing area.

In anticipation of him getting the first farm, he started developing a business plan, changed his voter registration to here, got a business license and I set him up a website and got him a local telephone number. I also signed him up for a post office box, although he will now have local mail service.

There is still a possibility that he will get the first farm also, but because of a procedural issue may lease that farm instead of purchasing it. He could let the friend clear that farm and live there, working it as a second business. By just leasing it, the costs for the lease and property tax would be minimal, and might come in at $4,000 a year before utilities. Of course, in that case, a lessee would not be able to sell the property and any money invested in fixing up the house would not be recoverable, but that house was in pretty good shape.

Having this guy, his wife and friend on the island would help also because those runs to the Costco warehouse club for groceries can be a lot more cost-effective if I don’t have to buy things just for myself. Also having someone to check on my farm if I’m away is helpful.

So although the first farm is in limbo at the present and may not become available for lease, the second farm looks to be a solid deal and we should know the closing date soon. He could be moving there within a couple months. he just sold one of his houses so he may not even need to get a mortgage. That would help and speed things up.