~95% of the budget and all the debt. Produces no food — it's what every other bucket stands on.
Land, a basic livable house, and the utilities that make the property work. This is the one bucket that carries a mortgage — serviced by your income, not the farm. The farm shrinks even this, by erasing most of your grocery bill and (via an ag/wildlife tax valuation) most of the property tax.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Land — 10 acres | $150,000 | Outer county; biggest lever, every $10k off = $10k of farm |
| House — 4-bed / 2-bath square, ~2,000 sf | $200,000 | Simple form; owner-build saves more |
| Well + pump + pressure tank | $18,000 | Trinity aquifer, 200–600 ft |
| Septic — aerobic system | $14,000 | Required rural |
| Perimeter fence — cattle (high-tensile/barbed) | $10,000 | ~2,640 ft; cheaper than goat woven-wire; DIY saves more |
| Rainwater tanks + gutters | $7,000 | 2 × 5,000 gal |
| Electric service + trench | $7,000 | You dig the trench |
| Driveway / culvert / pad prep | $6,000 | Materials — you run the machine |
| Set-back drive + utility extension to the house | $12,000 | ~400–600 ft more gravel + buried water + electric to reach the private north core |
| Bucket A subtotal | ~$424,000 | Trim toward $400k via cheaper land / owner-build. The machine is its own line below. |
The $200k house line only holds if you act as your own general contractor — buy a kit/shell, sub out the licensed trades, and do the finish work yourself. The square, metal-roof form was chosen to make exactly this path cheap and fast.
| Path | $/sf | ~2,000 sf | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit / shell only — metal (barndo) | $30–50 | $60–100k | Steel frame + roof/walls erected; no slab, MEP, or interior |
| Kit only — panelized wood | $42–85 | $83–170k | Wall/roof panels + plans; you/subs erect & finish |
| You as GC — kit + subs + sweat | $80–120 | $160–240k | Slab, framing, MEP, finish — you manage the trades |
| Turnkey builder | $130–200 | $260–400k | Builder does everything |
| Owner-GC saving vs turnkey | ~$80–120k | Roughly 25–40% — the plan banks this |
Metal / barndominium (matches the standing-seam roof, fast dry-in): Mueller Homestead Series (Texas), Worldwide Steel. Panelized wood (appraises like a normal house): Green-R-Panel, Redstone, Zip Kit Homes. Roundup: PrefabReview — Texas kits.
The kit is only ~20–30% of the finished cost — turnkey runs 3–5× the kit price. You still sub slab, frame erection, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and septic (licensed + inspected), carry a 10–15% contingency, and the time/scheduling falls on you. Financing wants an owner-builder construction loan — Texas Farm Credit / Capital Farm Credit understand barndos + rural land. Metal needs closed-cell spray foam for the Texas heat.
Next step before trusting the $200k: get fixed kit quotes for the exact footprint from Mueller Homestead and one panelized supplier, plus 2–3 sub bids for slab + erection. Expect it to land ~$190–230k as GC. → Follow the full GC build checklist (step-by-step, with a possible-cost column).
Pulled out of the house build on purpose: the tractor isn't part of the home — it's shared equipment that mows, clips, augers, and hauls for every bucket. Bought in Phase 1 so the site work and fencing can happen, but it's its own line, not part of the $424k home.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tractor + front loader + implements | $38,000 | 35–45 hp 4WD; box blade, brush hog, post auger. Used ~$20–25k saves $13–18k (see docs/04-equipment.md) |
| Equipment subtotal | ~$38,000 | Home $424k + machine $38k = the ~$462k platform that carries the debt |
The pieces a working homestead needs that the bare house + utilities don't cover — dry storage, weather protection, and (this is North Texas) a place to ride out a tornado.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hay & equipment pole barn — 30×40 open | $14,000 | Keeps winter hay dry + covers the tractor/implements; can precede or replace the Phase-4 shop |
| Storm shelter / safe room | $6,000 | Tornado alley — precast concrete or an in-garage reinforced room |
| Attached carport / garage | $8,000 | Covered parking off the house; garage costs more |
| Root cellar / cold pantry | $4,000 | Stores roots, onions, garlic, squash, canned goods — the non-freezer larder |
| Garden & orchard wildlife fence | $4,000 | Against feral hogs + deer; trees are caged but the blocks need a perimeter |
| Fuel storage + backup generator | $3,000 | Diesel/gas for the tractor; outage backup (or lean on later solar + battery) |
| Entrance gate + cattle guard | $2,000 | At the county road; cattle guard saves opening a gate every trip |
| Outbuildings & safety subtotal | ~$41,000 | Animal shelters/handling are costed on the Animals page |
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Workshop — 20×40 metal / pole barn | $30,000–40,000 | Equipment + storage; build once cash allows |
| Solar — 8–12 kW (roof or ground-mount) | $20,000–35,000 | Conduit roughed in at build; add array later |
| Optional later | ~$50,000–75,000 | Not in the ~$540k core |
Mortgage (the only real debt), property tax — slashed by an ag / wildlife valuation on the land, homeowner's insurance, and tractor fuel + maintenance. Utilities trend low with the well, rain tanks, and (later) solar.