Sunday, September 23, 2012

"Before" Pictures of the Homestead-to-be

Out of all the houses we looked at, we ended up being accepted at our first choice!  It has a nice area for the kids upstairs, a Michigan basement so we finally have someplace for some more advanced food storage and someplace to go during tornado warnings, and the biggest yard of every place we looked at!  For me, the basement and the yard were some of the biggest pluses for what we were looking at.  On this house, I was also greatly encouraged by seeing the next door neighbor had clothes hanging on a line in the back yard, something that had been forbidden at the Trailer Park Homestead.  I'm seeing a lot of potential for this new place.....but I haven't asked if I can have chickens yet!

This is our front yard to be.  Since we are on an extremely busy street, I haven't decided if I'm going to leave it more or less as is for camouflage (nothing to see here; move along) for the sake of security, or if I'm going to turn it into a showcase of what is possible to grow in a small area to serve as an inspiration for the surrounding community, and just expect to share whatever is up there with the community.  If it wasn't on a busy street, there is no question that I would have a showcase, but this is one of the city's major streets, so it may draw more attention than I want to deal with, in a negative way.

This picture shows the side yard, as taken from the middle of the backyard.  There isn't a whole lot of side yard, but that's okay, because if I do want to conceal my urban growing activities, I'll want to put a privacy screen of some sort up there to block the backyard from the three- or four- lane one way street that goes in front of it.  I'm also excited about the ramp, because that means for the first time, my sister-in-law will be able to visit us, so I'll definitely be looking to make sure to keep that accessibility when designing the garden.  The other side of the house is driveway, so nothing to see there.
This picture is from the corner of the property.  You can tell from the small size of the ramp that it's a pretty decent sized yard!  Not so large that I'm really thinking about goats, but I definitely intend on asking the landlord about chickens, once I make sure that local ordinances would allow for them (which I'm pretty sure they do, I just need to find out specifics).  The van isn't actually parked in the real driveway/parking area, since I wanted to keep the back of the house clear for pictures, so that's actually future gardening area as well.

17 comments:

  1. Congrats , it is absolutely adorable , I am so happy for you and your family !!!! aka: Denise Jolly of facebook !!

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  2. You know, you could grow some unruly-looking but useful plants in the front yard. People who don't know any better would just think it looks overgrown, but you'll have all that loveliness there incognito! :)

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  3. Wonderful! So happy for you all! It looks lovely and you have some great plans for how to use it. Congratulations and best wishes on this new start!

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  4. You can also grow herbs in the front yard along with some beneficial flowers. Not everyone knows what certain herbs look like, so it may draw less attention.

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    1. That's what I'm currently leaning toward. Calendula and purple coneflower are huge candidates for my "flower" garden up front, along with regular herbs.

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    2. Oh wow, that's going to look really nice!

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  5. I think its a very nice looking space, I hope they allow all the animals you want. Just remember when one door closes another one opens..I think this is the open door for you. God bless.

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  6. Cute place.
    Remember you have a two tier process regarding chickens though. City and home owner both have to say yes. Do not assume to sneak it past the city or you will get your landlord in trouble which could result in a repeat of last time.

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    1. I have not ever violated the terms of a lease, nor local ordinances with regards to my homesteading activities, nor do I intend to. The city ordinances do allow for chickens--I have already checked to make sure of that before I even got the idea in my head. I just need the landlord's okay and then, if/when I get the chickens, I would make sure to do so in compliance with the ordinances in place with regards to chickens within city limits.

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    2. You're right. What was I thinking. People who follow their lease to the letter often hide, sneak, and redefine terminology to suit their needs and then write about it in their blogs.

      It's all perfectly rational behavior.

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  7. Great place! So glad that you were able to find a new place to be excited about. Good luck with the move!

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  8. May your family be very happy there!

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  9. Congratulations on your new place!

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  10. As per the front yard, you'll have lots of shade so hostas might be a good choice. My calendula and coneflower are both in sunny areas so don't know what exactly they need. Glad it was your first choice and has a yard for your activiites. Nice for the ramp also. Looks like a great place to be. Congrats on finding what you want, too bad it's on such a busy street. maybe folks will be so busy going past they won't notice your homesteading activities. Deb

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  11. I can't wait to see the new place all gussied up! I know that you are going to do a fabulous job of showing everyone what can be grown in this space. And a house!! Yay!! I know you are excited!

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  12. AWESOME!!! I'm so excited for you! Space! a real yard too. You spoke of chickens & see in the comments above it's allowed by the city. You draw up plans to show the LL what you'd like to build. Even waiting to start chicks in the spring would let you have a few months under your belt as a good tenant before asking. Can't wait to see what you do for a garden

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