You’ve made up your mind—you’ve decided to purchase an Ulrich cabin. Congratulations, and welcome to the Ulrich family!  The next step in this exciting journey is to secure and develop the land where you’ll be placing your cabin. When making this decision there are some things that you’ll want to consider during this process to ensure your cabin experience is the best one possible.Â
Now let’s cover some major factors that you’ll want to iron out in the process of developing your raw piece of land.Â
Site Plan
The first step you’ll want to do is to establish a site plan. In your site plan you will lay out your cabin placement, access to your property, plans for water supply, septic system layout, and the placement of other amenities.Â
Cabin Placement
Where you place your cabin on your piece of land is highly personal. People choose different areas for many different reasons. Some are interested in placing their cabin at the highest point on the land so that they can enjoy a great view, or some people prefer to be secluded, so they opt for a spot on the land that is far back from the road or nestled among trees. Another factor of cabin placement could also be based on whether you are a fishing fan or love to watch the sunset. At the end of the day, your cabin will be a reflection of your lifestyle.Â
Before making a final decision, you’ll want to consider several other factors, such as electrical access. The further away from the main electric supply that you place your cabin, the more it will cost for you to get electricity to your home. If running electricity to your cabin would cost about $30,000, a solar power system may be a wiser investment for you.
Access to Property/Cabin
Something you’ll want to make sure you give careful consideration to is the accessibility of your property. In order to make way for your cabin, lane, and other amenities, you may need to clear trees.Â
Usually, the cost for clearing trees will vary based on the slope, size of your land, and trees. Although the cost can be as low as $400 per day, if you use the services of a bulldozer, you could pay about $1,500 to $2,000 per day. Even though using a bulldozer to clear your land is one of the fastest ways to get the job done, it may be more suitable to get the job done slower using alternative services depending on your budget.
Another important thing to look for is a property with a lot of road frontage. When you have a property with a road front, it gives you a way out if you were to face a financial or medical challenge. You could easily divide your property into individual plots, selling or leasing these to ease some of your financial burden.Â
Water Supply
The water supply to your cabin is another area that needs your careful attention. If you can, access to public water is always a bonus. With this option available to you, all you would need to work out is what would be necessary to have it channeled to your cabin.Â
If there is no access to public water, you might consider drilling a well. Typically, the cost to do this in Texas is approximately $40 per foot — this price includes drilling, a submersible pump, and a pressure tank.Â
Lastly, an alternative option could also be to install a storage tank and have the water delivered. While both options are suitable solutions, the best choice for you will come down to what is most available to you and what suits your budget.Â
Sewer
The sewer system is a major aspect of your property that you don’t want to overlook. Wherever you decide to place your dream cabin, you’ll have to comply with the county’s regulations in establishing your septic system.Â
Some options you have are choosing between an aerobic septic system or a leach field system. An aerobic septic system can cost as much as $8,000 to $10,000 or more. In comparison, the cost of a traditional leach field system ranges from $3,000 to $5,000 (these prices are usually influenced by the geology of your land).Â
Keep in mind that all pricing is an estimate, and will tend to increase over time.
Additional Amenities
Beyond the above important factors, you should also make early arrangements for your preferred amenities. Maybe it’s important to you to feature a fire pit, outdoor cooking and grilling area, a pond, clearings for food plots to attract wildlife, a duck habitat, fencing, or a storage or hobby shed.Â
Whichever features you choose to create your dream cabin, if you plan for these from the beginning you’ll be able to leave space for them (saving you money in the long-run).