Benefits of the Master Plan
Once you’ve purchased the right property, it is vital to create a Master Plan. A wise man once wrote: “without a vision the people perish.” Our Master Planning process creates a comprehensive plan to articulate your vision and guide your project. Without a Master Plan to guide what you do on your property you will have unnecessary setbacks and cost overruns that could have been avoided, and that carry the potential to sabotage your ability to achieve the full potential of your dream. Our Master Plan will guide the development of your property and home for the abundance, sustainability and resiliency you desire.
View a sample Master Plan
Home design and location are only two of many elements to consider as we plan, right from the start, all aspects of your project. Even if you already own property, we can help you decide how to best work with what you’ve got to make your property work for you. We use permaculture design principles to create a holistic framework for your land and home. This holistic approach, combined with our years of experience in construction, bring together property management and homesteading to create a unique building experience.
Similar to a budget or business plan, our Master Plan will provide a blueprint for how you develop your home and property to ensure you have a coherent design that adds real value to your property and a long-range view that will save you thousands in corrections and maintenance over the years. Careful pre-planning will help you avoid the common but costly mistakes that frustrate even the most well-intentioned project, and prepare for the design of a well-situated home on your property that facilitates a resilient and sustainable lifestyle. A Master Plan also helps ensure you use your resources efficiently and sustainably.
After documenting existing features such as topography, water and type of ground cover, The Master Plan begins with determining access, water and power sources, along with careful placement of the home site. Your home’s placement on the property determines a tremendous amount of your energy usage and cost, as no amount of home design can completely overcome a poorly-placed home. We take into account sun angles in all seasons, prevailing winds, fire safety parameters, views, noise exposure, and watersheds. By documenting these types of items we will not only be able to properly site your home but you will have essential criteria to design an efficient and comfortable home.
While the home is where you may spend most of your time, it is not the only consideration. To be sustainable we need a plan that considers how you will live on the land, as well. A Master Plan provides locations for additional buildings, efficient layouts for gardens, orchards and more. If your goal is to preserve your property with as little maintenance and impact as possible, you need to plan ahead. You may want to enhance natural conditions for forest or pasture health and bring in wildlife. We can guide you in how to do that. If you are seeking sustainability and resiliency for your own family, can you afford years of trial and error? Homesteading is a lot of work and can be very rewarding. But there is a lot to learn. Our Master Plan will help build a foundation that sets you up for success.
There is a lot to think about to plan your property well, and it is hard to catch it all. Like the property owner that sited an orchard directly below a pond thinking the moist soil would help the trees, only to have most of the trees drown. Or the owner-builder that managed to accidentally funnel the entire watershed from the parking area right to the spot in the basement wall where their utilities entered the house, and then during a rain storm discovered a waterfall over the electric panel! We can tell quite a few stories and bet you know someone that has experienced something like this, too. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can have a beautiful dream home, on an abundant property, while living sustainably and resiliently—without the horror stories. Even if you’ve already built a home but want to further develop your property in a sustainable, low-input manner, a Master Plan can revolutionize the way you use your property. We can look at your property layout with a critical eye and provide a plan on how best to work with the more permanent elements of your site and home.