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Brenna_o's avatar

What to do with over grown land?

Asked by Brenna_o (1779points) February 11th, 2013
13 responses
“Great Question” (1points)

My husband and I are quite possibly buying a home. We meet with the owner tomorrow. One issue we have is the land it’s on is overgrown. There are at least 6 trees in random places throughout yard, there is minimum 10 shrubs/bushes at the side on the house and weeds everywhere. The trailer house is built on a slanted land somewhat. If we just rip up every plant shrub and bush will we cause foundation issues?
We do not have the money for a professional and it’s our responsibility to change yard if we buy it.

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Answers

Tropical_Willie's avatar

@Brenna_o Is a home inspection part of the the transfer, if nor get one and get their advice. Most single-wides are not on a foundation only on blocks and jacked up in the air.
Also overgrowth may mean vermin and varmints ( RATS AND other things).

WestRiverrat's avatar

As far as the 6 trees, find someone that has a wood burning furnace or stove, tell them they can have the wood if they take out the trees and clean up the mess when they are done. Give them a time limit on taking out the trees, but be prepared to wait. Sometimes it is better to wait for the ground to freeze or dry out to reduce the damage the equipment will do to the lawn.

I had to have a professional take out my old cottonwood tree, it was growing over power lines and the neighbor’s house.

Adirondackwannabe's avatar

Do what WestRiverrat suggested with the trees, then get some goats, from a farmer or a neighbor and house them on the land with the idea of sending them back in the Fall. Goats will clear the land better than any person could. Just put in a temporary fence and you’re all set.

CWOTUS's avatar

There’s no need to “rip up” trees and shrubs. When they’re cut down, leaving trunks in the yard, then you can call a stump grinding service (those are some representative photos for one such service in coastal Connecticut) to grind them down into the ground, leaving you a pile of wood chips where each trunk used to stand. You never have to tear out the roots at all.

I expect that most tree removal outfits also offer the stump grinding.

WestRiverrat's avatar

If hiring goats is not an option, rent a DR Field and Brush mower and go over the yard, at least the first time. Don’t wear shorts or sandals while operating the mower. Easiest way to get rid of weeds and small trees and it won’t break on trash hidden in the weeds.

Coloma's avatar

I was going to say get goats or sheep too. haha
I don’t like cutting trees if they are not diseased or rotten.
Can you maybe thin the trees out and prune them to look more attractive?

Brenna_o's avatar

We’re not having an inspection done because my family members have seen it and the owner is doing many many repairs right now and doing the floors before we move in.
One tree is pure rot and one is leanin toward house others are jut hideous and huge. We have a dog so I don’t think goats woul be an option. As the shrubs go there all dead or about dead. The past owner died about 2 yrs ago so it’s been empty then but now the guy we are buying from is in process of “flipping” it.

augustlan's avatar

Have the trees cut down, not ripped out. For the other stuff, use a “bush hog” mower.

choreplay's avatar

@WestRiverrat skipped over a big one fast. If goats are an option, they eat everything down into the roots. Municipalities have started to set them loose on slopes taken over by Kudzu, because they are the only thing/creature that can stop it, because they eat the roots and all.

So if you can have goats that might be the answer.

WestRiverrat's avatar

@choreplay I didn’t think I needed to expand on the goats as @Adirondackwannabe had covered them in the previous comment.

Adirondackwannabe's avatar

@WestRiverrat It’s okay. Most people don’t know that you can turn goats loose on almost any field and they will clean it out better than any human can. They eat everything. Feel free to add anything to my comments.

choreplay's avatar

Ahhh, missed that one. But I think we rammed the point across that goats will work.

Adirondackwannabe's avatar

@choreplay Yeah, we wouldn’t want to butt our heads over ignorance.

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