Expanding ? But got the Land!

[ARKANSAWYER]

  I have been talking about expanding for some time now.  The hold up has been the land on which to do it.  Cost has been a key factor as well as how the land lays.  Since we live in the hills and have few highways level land that is close to the highway that does not have a house or already have a business is rare.   The town of Flippin is getting a by-pass put around it to help traffic flow and a new Super Center Wal Mart just went in.  Land prices have gone up.  I looked at one 29 acre tract that the by-pass was taking 4 acres of and they wanted just $425,000 for the remaing 25 acres.     That would take alot of bdftage each day to make the payment.   Found another 31 acre tract but it was going to take about $30,000 worth of dirt work to get enough level room to work and cutting the hill down enough to get a tractor trailor rig in there.  I but had given up on getting land.
  Then 2 weeks ago on the way home from church there tacked to a tree on a tract of land I had tried to find the owners for 3 years was a FOR SALE BY OWNER sign.  Called when I got home. (broke a few speed limits coming in)  The Lady wants $85,000 for 30 acres that has two wells and two house foundations. (one is old and has a burnt house on top of it and the other is new and ready to build on)   Spent a week trying to get the Banker in line so I could secure this land.  I fired him and went to the bank across the street and talked to new Banker who went to school with my Wife.  2 hours latter he gave me the go for $80 grand.  The Lady settled for the $80 grand and took my down money.  Closing will be after I return from the Piggy Roast.      8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

  This is where the old house was by the highway.  It is the dark pile just left of center.



  There is a small holler in front between the ridge in the back ground and the highway.  That will keep people from just "wondering" onto the saw yard.  Notice the pole with 3ph power in the front yard!   



  Things are looking up for the Expansion.  Now if I can get a few more grand for saws and equipment I will be " GETTIN- R- SAWN"

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Way to go, David.  8) 8)  Just where IS that place ???  ;D

[beenthere]

That is great to hear you are gettin some land to saw on.  Hope to hear more about it at the Piggy Roast.  

[ARKANSAWYER]

  It is half way between Yellville and Flippin on HY 62 on the south side and the back side slopes down to Crooked Creek.  I have 1/4 mile of frontage on the highway  with 3 driveways at this time.  Every body will see me setting there and it is easy to find and get into.

  Sooner or Later every little hound will have their day.


P.S.  Even Furby could find this place. ;D

[Captain]

Congrats Arky!! Looks like enough room to setup a circle headrig!! ;)

Captain

[beenthere]

Messin with the TerraServer site, and looked in on what Arky described. Estimating this pic might be close to your description with the Crooked Creek and maybe you are in Sec 36 or Sec 2, Township ?, Marion County.  I hope this isn't getting too nosy.

[Furby]

P.S. Even Furby could find this place. ;D

Are you kidding me?
I drove past there.......ummmm..........let me see.............
8-12 times over two days!
You are DanG tootin I can find that place! 8) ;D

[Frank_Pender]

Isn't great to pull off a deal like that.  I am really happy for you Arky.  I would build a giant wood shaped pv and call the site the Arky Special Sawmilling. 8)

[Furby]

Try this:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=yellville,+AR&ll=36.247457,-92.644444&spn=0.039718,0.085127&t=h&hl=en

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Ahh yes, know right about where that spot is. Have made lebenty-seben hunnerd trips on that there hiway.  ;) ;D :D :D :D

No buildings in there ???  You are gonna be one busy guy, Arky. Good Luck to you and the Mrs.  ;)

[Chris Burchfield]

Congradulations David. Being on the highway where people can find you, you and Wanda will be so busy you should not have to travel to saw. I suspect it will all come to you now. It was sounding good last week like it was going to work out with the new bank, glad it's going to happen. That other bank was cutting their nose off to spite their face. Finally moved my mill into the back yard last night about dark. Yard has been to wet, so "Glenda" had to set in the driveway where everyone could see her since Friday. Gona have to get some weight for the front end of the Troybuilt lawn mower. Very much a TNT Sawmill pull. Nope, haven't cut anything since the cherry. I am lined up for the 10 loblolly pine on the ground. Have to finish limbing before I can get the logs. There calling for rain to move in today. Just been way too hot down here in the flat land. BTW, did I mention how good those Hickory Smoked Grilled Pork Chops were Renea fixed?  :D 8) :D

[MULE_MAN]

Glad to hear things are working out for you. Sounds like you have
allot of work ahead of you, But I know if anybody can Get-R-Done
You can !!!!   Congratulation  8)  8)  8)

[Bibbyman]

I's beginning to believe your plans were all talk.  :

Congradulations!!!  8)

Now,  when's the LT300 system comin'?   ???

[GF]

That sounds great, the price sounded much better than the others also.

The place should be easy for me to find I just have to get on Highway 62 in Harrah where I'm located at and go east, guess I couldnt miss it.

Conrats are in order for your expansion.  8) 8)

[Roxie]

My boss is half way between Yellville and Flippin all the time!   ;D
Good on ya Arkansawyer!   8)

[Buzz-sawyer]

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[oakiemac]

Congratulations!!!

So now what is your expansion plans? You going to quit mobile sawing and become stationery? If so are you going to saw for the whole sale market green lumber or go more for retail?

[Norm]

Glad to hear you found some land in such a good location Arky.

80 acres huh...gonna rename your company Arkansawyer land and development. ;D

[MULE_MAN]

I think you read throught it too fast Norm , He buying 30 acre's for
80 grand .      

[Ernie]

Great news mate.

Sounds like you're off to a new start, well done.

[Tom]

Little David, the land baron.


Wow!  Looks like you got a real deal.  Ready made foundations for an office and second home.  Three Phase power at your disposal for those cheap, too-big-for-others type wood working equipment, lots of frontage so you won't miss the driveway when the brakes fail, plenty of "down-hill" to put sawdust and slabs into, lots of uphill to look for reven'oors, some level ground for corn, peas, 'maters, water melon and grits trees, and several places for a sawmill.

You might even have room for some cabins to rent to those Chicago tourists who want to take the week off and watch a sawmill run.

[Kirk_Allen]

Way to go Dave.  Nothing better than seeing dreams come true!

[D._Frederick]

Arky,

A couple questions: What are your regulations on land usage and zoning if you have them?  What about property taxes, do these come into play?

Sounds like a good buy, hope everything falls into place for you.

[Tom]

Hey D.!!   He lives in Arkansas. :D

Zoning?  Permits? 

I asked that question to a realtor in Harrison one time when we were considering moving to Parthenon and I've never seen such a confused look on anyone's face in all of my life.  Finally, I guess he felt I needed some kind of an answer, he said, "I guess you just do what you want and tell city hall you did it, .....if you want to."   :D

[Norm]

Yup MM you're right...jeez I hope Arky didn't have the same problem when he signed that contract. :D

[ScottAR]

I'm just guessing this land is out in the county. (not in the city limits)  I'd want it to be anyway...   Out in the county in Arkansas, the rule of thumb is get a septic system permit and just have at it after that.   Whatever and however you wanna build it just go ahead,  if it kills anyone it's likely to be you.   :D :D :D

[Teri]

A Walmart super center in Flippin???????????? 

When I left there they was talking about putting up a traffic light by the railroad to ranger boats.  ;D

[Furby]

I drove right past Ranger Boats...........don't recall seeing that light, might have missed it.

[Teri]

maybe they decided not to put one up. I worked there 10 years and a lot of traffic was going through there.

[Smakman]

Land prices are getting crazy aren't they?  10 years ago I sold a nice 40 acre peice of land for $29,000.  I wish I had hung onto it now.  I bet it would go for $120,000 at today's prices.

[beenthere]

Smakeman
That 'ol hindsight is rough on the mind.
In '64, (41 years ago), I had the chance to buy 80 acres of hardwood timber that hadn't been cut in, that anyone could remember, for $3000. I tried to get $$ from the bank, and just because it didn't have any building whatsoever, not even a shack, they wouldn't loan the money (bank policy). :
Since then, it sold for $55,000 after 20 years, and now would easily go for $1,200,000 as it is better property than the surrounding acres going for $15,000/acre in 40 acre pieces.  This 80 still has never been cut in or managed, but it does have a small shack on it now. 
I don't regret not having it, as it wasn't meant to be. I enjoy the 22 acres I have now.

Glad Arky got what he was looking for. Easy to find too, and will try to get by there when visiting my Arkansaw brother next time.
I remember driving from Texas to Mountain Home, AR years back, and having to drive through some streams along the way. Maybe that was around this area.  ???

[DanG]

I agree with Beenthere.  Too much looking backward will make your eyes water up.  A couple of years ago, the former paper company sold off a whole bunch of land for $1500 to $2500 per acre.  I coulda bought some, but I didn't want to take the money outa my 401k and pay the 10% penalty.  Now the remaining parcels are going for $7500 per acre.  I coulda tripled my money in just 2 years! :'( :'(

15-20 years ago, I could have bought a beach-front lot on St. George Island for $3000, or a bay-front lot for $2000.  Now, the few bay-front lots available are going for a half-million, and beach-front for over a million!  Oh well, my ex probably woulda ended up with it, anyway. :D :D

[Buzz-sawyer]

I imagine back in the 50's St George beachfront was CHEAP...It was so popular they dropped bombs on it in the 40s........I learned one thing.....ya never loose buying land.......and you usually lose when ya sellit........

[samdland]

Dang Arky ya just missed the Tax sale for marion county I saw 40 acres go for $2,500 and a few other large tracts go dirt cheap. I know a sawyer and his wife bought most of the large tracks. That wasnt you was it?

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Sorry I have not gotten back sooner.  I have been sawing on the road last week down in Calico Rock.  I will post some pictures of it later in another thread.  That is the one thing I will miss about sawing on the road.
  Since my land has 2 wells and 2 septic systems on it already all I have to do is let the Court House know when I finish a building.   Taxes are pretty low here and pert near any thing goes in building.   Here common sense still flows like a stream and most folks know to come in out of the rain without some one telling them.
  The Super Center in Flippin is behind where the old Razorback Hotel was which burned a few years back.  There is a stop light there now.  The other stop light is on the other side of town where the old Wal Mart was.  No light at the intersection of HY 178 & HY 62.  By-pass hits at the intersection of HY 101 on the east side of town and goes south of town and comes back into HY 62 about 2 miles from the new home of ARKANSAWYER SAWMILL.   No stop lights in Yellville.

  Already have a guy who wants me to put up a 20 x 20 building so he can rent it to put in a welding shop.  Half of the land payment made already. ;D   

    Few people want to know if on Saturday mornings if they can rent a spot under the shade trees by where the old house was to sell small live stock like rabbits, chickens and goats.  Seems they got run out of the Farmers Market in the City park because of some left behind chicken "nuggets".  Was a thinking that would be good for business to have more people coming in and getting a look at lumber and such.  Any thoughts on that?

  The plan is to set up at one site and saw others logs as well as what I can buy from loggers.  Not going to compete with the large mills for oak but take pine, cedar and odd woods like cherry and walnut that no one around here saws.  I have green markets for every thing I can get so getting rid of the excess is not a problem.  Kilns will be added so I can dry for others which has been a big demand since I started sawing.   I will dry my own in seperate kilns from the customers.  I was thinking of putting in 4 or 5 4,000 bdft DH kilns.  Scragg mill and band resaw for small log break down and when get going good a LT 70E for large logs.   I will set Wanda up with her bed extension for long logs and doing special cuts off the main line.  Then want to add a swing mill with slabber for the "big & uglys"  Will try to keep production under 10,000 bdft a day and look at making a better product and work on the ones that sell best.   I hope to be able to get another mill for portable sawing and train some one to do it to keep that void filled so some young stud does not get a foot hold in the market. ;)  A Logosol PH 260 would make T&G easy enough that would sell well here.   Cabin packages and portable buildings and the list just keeps going.
ARKANSAWYER

[D._Frederick]

Arky,

If you are going to be milling a lot of T & G material, I would take a look at the WM molder. It is a much heavier build machine and should have less problems.