2. I began by going outside at my grandmother’s house
and taking in the yard. My uncle and I went out with a
100’ tape measure and measured what we could on
the property. The back of the property is thickly
wooded, so we weren’t able to go all the way back, so
Google Earth was used for the figures on that. I was
pretty familiar with the yard because this is where I
spent a lot of time growing up.
3.
4. From the measurements I wrote down
and the configurations from Google Earth
I sketched the rough draft of the plot of
land
6. Next I began adding in the details. What is
apparent is this plot is a blank slate. There
is a very moveable picnic table in the back
yard, but the shed was recently demolished
and the house is on the forward part of the
plot of land.
7. I used Google maps
because a lot of the area
wasn’t easily accessible
by foot. My grandmother
knew where the property
line was when I showed
her this image. When they
were designing this
neighborhood it was cut
into rectangles- shown
more on the next slide
8.
9. The biggest trouble I encountered is trying to do this
work on my own, it was difficult to get the tape
measure down with a rock. My uncle was able to help
me, but that interrupted
10.
11. Sectors
There are some sectors on my grandmother’s
property
Wooded area
Most of my grandmother’s property is thickly
wooded, if this were to actually be used as a
backyard homestead, that would have to be
taken into account.
Sunlight
Most of the property does not receive direct
sunlight because of the abundance of trees
Slope
The property slowly slopes down to the back of
the property. I see this as an advantage for
manipulating water
12. What I learned
I watch HGTV (a lot) and I always think to myself, “I
need to have a large property, where I can grow food
and have lay hens, and it has to be PERFECT!” and in
reality, looking at my grandparents property, this
would be any homesteader’s first choice of property,
but I could make it work. The first week we were
asked to list the things we would want in a
homestead and as I look around, it is possible. It is
also easier to clear out undergrowth and take down a
few tree than it is to plant trees for things like a zip
line and tire swing and hammocks.
