Anderson valley house project
I created this blog to provide information to friends and family on the progress on the construction of our house in the Anderson valley between Boonville and Philo (off Highway 128 on the way to Mendocino).
It has been a long process to reach this point. We looked at land in 2000 thinking it would take a long time to find the right piece. We first looked in the Alexander valley (one valley south and home to the Russian River) but soon discovered that the bay area real estate inflation had already hit there. Our local real estate agent suggested looking one valley north where price inflation had yet to hit. It is also more isolated so there is less danger of being overtaken by suburban tract homes. After looking at several pieces of land, we fell in love with a 200 acre parcel just off Highway 128 about half way between Boonville and Philo.
You can see it on Google maps at:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=95415&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=39.045069,-123.396721&spn=0.013549,0.024483
View the satellite image. The tiny white dot in the center is the yurt.
Below is a topo map with an outline of the land boundary. The road on the property is the one we put in. (The road labeled "Good Acre" actually doesn't exist.)
The land goes from street level to a high point farthest from the road via a series of benches. These benches are broken by series of separate wide drainages that provide very distinct and separate environments. As you hike from area to area, the feeling is one of discovery of a new and different environment as the next area appears.
One of the unique aspects of the land is the wealth of water resources. In addition to a year round stream, we have several year round springs. Although the stream is a trickle by September, the presence of any water makes the land unique and fosters a rich array of wildlife including turkeys, pigs, and deer. Due to a mutually beneficial arrangement with a local hunter, we have a freezer full of turkey, pork, and venison.
To the north is a large olive orchard which produces award winning oils. To the south are vineyards from Roederer Estate and Cakebread, two premium wine producers. Of our 200 acres, 1/4 is probably plantable but we have no intention of becoming a vineyard at this time. In recent years, the valley has gone through a period of massive agricultural change where orchards have been ripped out in favor of vineyards. Our neighbors became noticeably friendlier when we told them we had no intention of planting a vineyard in the foreseeable future.
It has been a long process to reach this point. We looked at land in 2000 thinking it would take a long time to find the right piece. We first looked in the Alexander valley (one valley south and home to the Russian River) but soon discovered that the bay area real estate inflation had already hit there. Our local real estate agent suggested looking one valley north where price inflation had yet to hit. It is also more isolated so there is less danger of being overtaken by suburban tract homes. After looking at several pieces of land, we fell in love with a 200 acre parcel just off Highway 128 about half way between Boonville and Philo.
You can see it on Google maps at:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=95415&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=39.045069,-123.396721&spn=0.013549,0.024483
View the satellite image. The tiny white dot in the center is the yurt.
Below is a topo map with an outline of the land boundary. The road on the property is the one we put in. (The road labeled "Good Acre" actually doesn't exist.)
The land goes from street level to a high point farthest from the road via a series of benches. These benches are broken by series of separate wide drainages that provide very distinct and separate environments. As you hike from area to area, the feeling is one of discovery of a new and different environment as the next area appears.
One of the unique aspects of the land is the wealth of water resources. In addition to a year round stream, we have several year round springs. Although the stream is a trickle by September, the presence of any water makes the land unique and fosters a rich array of wildlife including turkeys, pigs, and deer. Due to a mutually beneficial arrangement with a local hunter, we have a freezer full of turkey, pork, and venison.
To the north is a large olive orchard which produces award winning oils. To the south are vineyards from Roederer Estate and Cakebread, two premium wine producers. Of our 200 acres, 1/4 is probably plantable but we have no intention of becoming a vineyard at this time. In recent years, the valley has gone through a period of massive agricultural change where orchards have been ripped out in favor of vineyards. Our neighbors became noticeably friendlier when we told them we had no intention of planting a vineyard in the foreseeable future.
posted by Jim Barstow at
11:14 AM
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