Finally have a home in the Mountains

[Eric@ict]

Say hello to your neighbors Eric, Kenny, Stan, and Kyle.

Oh My God, they killed Kenny. The bastards!

I love that show!

 

[James]

That ain't no moose.

I think the non moose might be an inanimate object. Or else it’s standing on a bare spot exactly it’s shape. Plus posing for a photo.

 

[Andy Mink]

There's a reason the first few were not to be. This one looks fantastic! A fence made from old skis, some deck furniture made from old skis, etc. Heck, even new skis. Still cheaper than lumber.

 

[Eric@ict]

Is the moose in the last picture real and what structure is the photo taken from? Where's the driveway?

Nice house and cool spot looks about 7 or 8x the price of my getaway.

Full size bronze Elk. I think the pic was taken with a drone. In the pic with the elk, you can see a corner of a structure that is over the drive. The elk is looking at the drive. Here are two pics that show the drive/parking a little better.

 

[Eric@ict]

There's a reason the first few were not to be. This one looks fantastic! A fence made from old skis, some deck furniture made from old skis, etc. Heck, even new skis. Still cheaper than lumber.

I agree, things happen for a reason. Building the fence next week for the small dogs and have a few pairs to add to the fence. Thanks, we are very happy with it.
Funny thing is, we were skiing when it came on market and we were scheduled to go see a different place. We did see the other place and it was a mess, just too much work. We saw this one and Liz fell in love with it. I was cold on it until I slept on it and made some calls to our mgt company. It started to warm up fast and we made an offer later the next day. Needless our ski trip was cut short, we were in full house purchase and inspection mode.

 

[James]

A large water tank might be better than a garage. With a large hose.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I'm impressed that the elk is bronze. Most of the statues that are being sold these days are fiberglass.

Congratulations on your new home. Welcome to the mountains.

 

[tball]

Congrats @Eric@ict! Great location and a beautiful property. I never realized there are so many homes out there just driving by on 285. I'm curious, what's the elevation? How's the Internet access?

 

[Eric@ict]

Congrats @Eric@ict! Great location and a beautiful property. I never realized there are so many homes out there just driving by on 285. I'm curious, what's the elevation? How's the Internet access?

There are a number of homes on Indian Mountain, we were very surprised. Lots to the north as well as you come out of the pass. We are at 9700ft. Inet...they all say its very fast at 25/4. That will be an adjustment for us being on fiber. It is line of sight.

 

[Jack skis]

Speaking from experience living at 9600' ASL in Colorado, get yourself a small snowblower, needn't be self propelled, for your deck space. Ours at CB saved me many a heart attack. Watch out for snow coming off the roof onto the deck too.

 

[Eric@ict]

Speaking from experience living at 9600' ASL in Colorado, get yourself a small snowblower, needn't be self propelled, for your deck space. Ours at CB saved me many a heart attack. Watch out for snow coming off the roof onto the deck too.

We will have a small one up there for the deck for when we are there. In July, I’ll be reworking all the heat cables on the house. North side has ice dam issues and 1week before closing had to repair the deck due to one dam coming loose. There aren’t any cables on the south side so toying with adding but with the south exposure it might be an over kill.

 

[Jack skis]

We had some heat cables installed after our house was built, maybe in the second winter. After a few years we stopped using them for various reasons. Sections of our metal roof were pretty far off the ground so we hired crews to clear the ice on those exposures a time or two a year. Also had a roof rake and used it often, with great caution as it could bring down a lot of snow and being buried alive was not on the list of things I wanted to experience,

 

[Jerez]

Ugh. Heat cables. Could be cheaper to hire someone to shovel the roof two or three times a season than the cost of running and constantly repairing those things. They added $200 a month to our electric bill in Colorado and we only have them in the N. gutters. The ones we have in New Mexico are pretty useless too. Flat roof (another really bad idea in snow country) and one section or another would inevitably fail every winter. YMMV.

 

[scott43]

I don't see a lot of heat elements up here on roofs. Often it's just too cold for them to work well. They do more around proper roofing/building and shovelling the roof if need be. We shovel the roof up north 2-3 times a winter. Usually knee-deep when we do it. Lessens the blow during the thaw when you get 5000 lbs of wet slop sliding off the roof and blocking in the garage...

 

[jseeski]

Lessens the blow during the thaw when you get 5000 lbs of wet slop sliding off the roof and blocking in the garage...

Building code around here requires a snow load capacity of about 100psf. Since the garage is 20 feet wide, it would only take 2.5 feet of width back up the roof to drop 5000 lb on the driveway. My garage has a fake dormer on it to prevent that kind of nonsense.

You have a beautiful place there. Someone mentioned having a large water tank and a fire hose. Wildfire can be a very serious issue where you are. You may want to remove some trees to create a substantial defensible zone around the house. You should also be aware that you'll need a pump with a capacity to move a LOT of water if you have any ideas about defending your house yourself. In the event of a significant wildfire, power is likely to go out, so the pump needs to be gasoline or diesel powered and it needs to be exercised several times a year. For wildfire, a "large" tank is at least 25,000 gallons. Anything less is not going to accomplish much. In other words, developing your own firefighting capacity is expensive and requires a lot of effort on your part.

I was a rural volunteer firefighter in the foothills west of Fort Collins, CO for a number of years. I am painfully aware of how the high country in Colorado can burn. In Canada, I have been a civil engineer involved with water systems for rural subdivisions, among other things. The cost of a water system with the provincially required storage capacity for a remote subdivision has brought more than one developer's ambitions to a screeching halt. (A frequently used alternative is to make the lots big enough to drill wells and not have a water system. But then there is no fire protection and everyone pays more for insurance. If there is a utility providing water to everyone, it has to have enough storage for meaningful firefighting, even if it's only 6 lots.)

 

[François Pugh]

That ain't no moose.
View attachment 133578

[Crocodile Dundee Voice] That's not a moose

That's a moose [/Crocodile Dundee voice]

 

[Eric@ict]

Building code around here requires a snow load capacity of about 100psf. Since the garage is 20 feet wide, it would only take 2.5 feet of width back up the roof to drop 5000 lb on the driveway. My garage has a fake dormer on it to prevent that kind of nonsense.

You have a beautiful place there. Someone mentioned having a large water tank and a fire hose. Wildfire can be a very serious issue where you are. You may want to remove some trees to create a substantial defensible zone around the house. You should also be aware that you'll need a pump with a capacity to move a LOT of water if you have any ideas about defending your house yourself. In the event of a significant wildfire, power is likely to go out, so the pump needs to be gasoline or diesel powered and it needs to be exercised several times a year. For wildfire, a "large" tank is at least 25,000 gallons. Anything less is not going to accomplish much. In other words, developing your own firefighting capacity is expensive and requires a lot of effort on your part.

I was a rural volunteer firefighter in the foothills west of Fort Collins, CO for a number of years. I am painfully aware of how the high country in Colorado can burn. In Canada, I have been a civil engineer involved with water systems for rural subdivisions, among other things. The cost of a water system with the provincially required storage capacity for a remote subdivision has brought more than one developer's ambitions to a screeching halt. (A frequently used alternative is to make the lots big enough to drill wells and not have a water system. But then there is no fire protection and everyone pays more for insurance. If there is a utility providing water to everyone, it has to have enough storage for meaningful firefighting, even if it's only 6 lots.)

Next week, that is job one, clearing slash and cleaning the property. The area has a burn pit and stays on top of down trees. We are lucky, there is a rural FD 5 miles away that is staffed 24/7. We are on a well and limited how much water we pull each month. Lots to do….

 

[pete]

A large water tank might be better than a garage. With a large hose.

Fireproofing or reducing risk near home is what may make a difference in a wildfire. I heard several stories from experts on NPR a few years back where ensuring cut back brush, roofing and eaves/building being spark proof/resistant made the difference for many homes in wildfires of recent years. Doesn't guarantee it but helps move the odds cheaper and less risky than a water system as they can be very pricey and may need someone to man it. Since folks may be evacuated, the home is typically on it's own.

Main item was clearing out large combustibles from near the home out some 50 or so feet and detached garage or shed where fuels/flammables are kept. I thought is funny in respects that a friend's neighborhood in San Diego had the yearly goat farmer visit to clear shrubs.

Lots of articles out there but I suspect folks here have hands on experience and reference material. One I heard was from a fire expert who has a vacation home of his own, but I don't recall any specifics for a link.



BTW, nice looking home, Bronze Elk is pretty cool, you can decorate him up for holidays.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I don't know what the rules are in Park County, but people in Summit County with wells were getting fined for using their water in non-prescribed ways. You must have an augmentation plan to use well water for watering your garden, filling your outdoor spa amongst other things.

Understanding Water Rights in Colorado

 

[Muleski]

Just noticed this post. Asleep at the switch!

Congratulations! It looks great. Beautiful.

I can attest from 35+ years of ski/mountain/ocean/beach/island home ownership that there is a never ending project list...and a great combination of relaxation, memories made, and pride of ownership. Also fun for friends and family! Enjoy!

We have never owned where wildfires were a risk, so I have zero suggestions.

Looks great.