Levan property under contract; revised floor plans

Today we accepted a counteroffer on a 53-acre piece of land south of Levan, Utah, up a canyon. So finally, after making half a dozen offers on various parcels, we're finally under contract and can focus on a specific plot of land to make it work.



It's a beautiful spot of land, up a mountainous canyon climbing eastward, dotted with large Juniper trees. Shrub oaks surround the creek bed that runs through its narrow valley. The south side (north-facing slope) is arrayed in Juniper trees and has a rock outcropping that runs the length of the property, adding an artistic element to the land. The north side is more sparse, mostly dirt (shale), due to the sun hitting it more directly, bringing out its desert attributes.



About 20% of the property is suitable for putting buildings on (e.g our home, guesthouse, walipinis, outbuildings, etc. for the Safe Haven Villages community); the rest is too steep.

We found a spot in the East side of the property, on a south-facing slope where valley gives rise to the northern ridge, providing a view on the south of the tree-filled, rock-outcropping.



The property is quite remote, with the closest neighbor being ~3 miles away, and the tiny town of Levan (pop. 688) being ~9.5 miles away. Nephi, population ~5400, is about 15 minutes north; and the Utah Valley with all modern conveniences begins about another 15 minutes north of that.

I'm not a hermit by nature, so the idea of living so far removed from civilization was not attractive to me. Those in the community project assure me that once we get a property and start building that others will join in and we won't be alone for long. In a scenario of societal melt-down, being out of the cities is a good idea, but neighbors are also important for helping each other out. So we'll be anxious to get some close neighbors in soon who are likeminded.

Here's video I shot a couple of weeks ago.



We went to see what the property would be like in the middle of winter. Just the last ¼ mile would need to be plowed by us to keep it accessible.



We'll have to buy some water rights. A friend who drills wells said the water in this area is excellent. However, we're hoping that in our home we'll be able to get enough from rainwater capture to handle all our household needs, circulating the grey water, and using compost toilets.


Revised Floor Plan

In launching this first Safe Haven Villages community, one of the SHV members suggested that we get rid of the loft in our great room and put in a second floor there to be used as a community center. We'll call it "guest quarters".



In addition to retreats, classes, and wellness sessions, people coming to help build the community could stay there temporarily as well, speeding up the build-out of the village.

We moved the storage room down next to the garage, making the second floor space that much larger for the community center.

We also decided to get rid of the solarium along the south side to cut back in building costs. We can add that in later. This required us putting a hall through the office area to get to our master bedroom, which used to be accessed through the solarium.

Randy Tolbert suggested that we put the solar thermal array on the hill behind the home, with a drain-back system, rather than trying to space the panels between the second floor windows and connecting them in a drainable set-up.

Torg expects to be finished with the house drawings by next week some time.



Next step is all the regulatory hoop jumping, getting approvals and permits to begin building. Tim Hall said it took him a year to get his building permit for the home he showed me in Hawaii. Hopefully the hard work by others, being referenced in our application, will speed up the time it takes us.