I wish we'd had some good bumpers when we decided to move to the country. We bumped our noses on land, on the layout of our house, on the location of our barn, fruit trees, and pasture — on nearly everything a family could blunder at. I hope you'll profit by our mistakes!
Setting up a productive country home is probably the biggest and most important job any of us attempt during our lifetime. Despite all of the people who have needed some basic data on setting up a homestead, no one had completely worked the methods out and put them on paper. Every new family has been left to stumble its own way toward the answers.
Not long after our first edition of the "Have-More" Plan went out, we began to get letters asking for help in laying out a place. Of course, we couldn't give specific advice without seeing each piece of property — and then, people have different ideas of what they want to do with their place.
Even though no one layout will fit everybody's ideas and site, there are certain basic points that ought not to be violated.
For example, where should you locate your house in relation to the highway? (If you do this right you can probably get the town snow plow to do your snow shoveling for coffee and doughnuts.) Where should your barn be placed with reference to the house? Toward what compass points should house and barn face?
What are the best locations for garden, orchard, pasture, hayfield? In placing fruit trees how much space should be allowed for them to mature without crowding? How can fencing and gates be placed for easy pasture rotation and so livestock can always get water without your having to carry it?
In planning the house itself, how can you start small and yet make additions through the years so that the finally completed homestead is attractive and efficient for country living?
If you plan your place correctly from the beginning, you will save countless steps in the years to come. You can actually cut your chore time in half. One minute saved twice a day on chores equals 12 hours a year!
Have a Plan for Your Home
Before you lay out your place you ought to be able to answer all the above points and more too. Even if you're buying a country house that's already built, you should have a definite plan for refitting the house and land to your use. Over and over again, I've seen city people buy a farm, remodel the house but let the land go to rack and ruin. Even if you can't use all the land you've bought, you should learn enough about land management so you can rent your unused land to a neighbor and see that he keeps it in a good state. Idle land deteriorates just as fast as an idle house.