Hi! Sorry if this isn’t the right subreddit to ask on, but I thought you all would have good opinions.
My family is between two houses on where to move to. House X is with 4 acres in a very open valley with farms nearby. The second option is House V in a forest with 25 acres. I included some example pictures on what the areas look like. Both houses are equal distance to an urban area with lots of activities, so that’s not a factor.
We really like the idea of the woods, but the problem is my family loves watching the sunrise/sunset. House X has a 360 view of the horizon and gets gorgeous skies, but doesn’t have any trees and the property is smaller.
Currently, we live in a house with a good view of the sky, so it would be a bit of an adjustment going to the forest, but we think we’ll have a lot of fun living there.
What are your opinions/experiences living in an open area vs wooded?
by SecretSwordStyle
26 Comments
It’s a lot easier to cut trees down than to grow them. well… faster anyway.
Also House V (wooded area) in on a slope, so the forest is downhill with some flat spots
I live in the woods and love it. You can cut trees and use it for firewood. I have some friends who live in open fielded areas and they get blasted with snow drifts during the winter. Not sure where you live but something to consider if you get snow.
Only mow what you must. Making it all field will be one more thing to maintain. Not that woods don’t need to be managed but it’s less work that mowing for hours every week/month
Any amt of dense trees will give you more privacy than any amount of grass would. Plus id love listening to the squirrels and birds
I am working to convert 20 acres of woods to anything usable for larger animals and I am probably doing some things wrong but for what its worth I envy people with flat land they can just throw fences up on. Granted its New England if it isnt trees it is rocks/boulders in the ground.
I love living in the woods! You can easily cut a few trees in a select couple of spots for sunrise and sunset, and enjoy the best of both worlds. There is nothing like living in the trees. It’s so quiet and peaceful
Just built a new home in a field. Id prefer the forest
This is a personal preference thing. I really wanted a wooded setting where we can’t see our neighbors. So we bought a 20 acre privacy fence. OTOH my in laws are on 6 acres of cleared farm land. Their deck overlooks some rolling hills that look really pretty when the sun hits just right. Both are great and we both appreciate the change of pace that comes with visiting one another. There are times where I wish we had an expansive view off our porch, but if I’m limited to one or the other I’ll pick the woods every time.
Is it an option to buy the wooded property and clear a west facing lane and get the best of both worlds?
Way more land in the woods is the clear choice if it were mine.
This is totally a subjective matter of opinion, but, MY opinion is that this would be a total no-brainer decision for me. I would take the 25 acres in the woods over 4 acres of open land. Hands down, no question. You can enjoy trees all day every day, the sunset is only like 20 minutes a day and only when the weather is mostly clear.
I mean, you could always clear 4 acres of the woods and then you’ll have your 4 acres of open land, AND still have 21 acres of beautiful woods.
I prefer wodden area. Less wind and more intimacy. But, there will also have more mosquitoes/flies and less land to cultivate right away.
I think a lot depends on the weather. A house on an open field will be hit by serious wind, heat from sun, snow drifts if you have that sort of weather. The forest can be dark cold and depressing if you have a long winter. On the other hand, having flat ground for gardening and an open book to plant what you want is awesome. You can put in hedgerows and trees to block wind and drifts. You can create whatever you want out of that space. The forest, similarly has its own advantages. Plenty of wood for what you might want to build, cool in the summer, etc. I’m very lucky because I have about 2/3 valley floor/ grass and 1/3 forest. Best of both worlds! As a homesteader it’s nice to have flat pasture and it’s lovely to walk up into the forest for mushrooms
Both?
Woods and it’s not even close
If the trees are healthy hardwood and the weather nice, go for woods.
If the trees are weak softwood, like silver maples, and you get storms, keep them away from the house.
Falling trees and even large branches cause serious damage.
Good luck!
Both in balance. Pasture and hay are nice but those breaks from wind and snow and having firewood from timber management are bonuses too. I wouldn’t want all of either.
I’d ideally have a mix of both. If I could only choose one I’d go for the woods because you can clear some trees as needed and it would provide countless hours of entertainment for my kid whereas a big field would be pretty boring to play in without adding stuff like a trampoline or jungle gym. Enjoying sunrise and sunsets more with an open field may be a valid thing for you, but as someone who has lived in a wide variety of settings, I’ve been able to enjoy them wherever
You haven’t mentioned what you intend to do with the land. This is the homesteading sub, so forgive me for assuming you might want to work the land at some point. Depending on which direction you want to take, each will have its pros and cons.
Im 100% on that wooded house with the cool deck, but thats just me
How often is it cold and windy? I would like to have some more view around my house but then I go on a walk and freeze my ass of as fast as I reach the houses with a nice view, and then I think that maybe forest is not such a bad thing.
We’re leaning towards the woods but since it’ll be so different, it’s hard to make the final decision!
The one with most land. You can always add to a house you can’t add more land
We bought a house in the woods recently, and I love it 90% of the time. In your case with the land I’d do the woods without hesitation.
There are a few things I’ve realized that I didn’t think about before buying though.
– Less natural indoor light from the sun. The shade outside is awesome when doing yard work, but it can feel dark inside depending on certain variables.
– Fall cleanup. I’m going to have to look into gutter guards next year, I can clean my gutters and they’ll be full of leaves in a day or two if its windy.
– Costs to have dead or dying trees cut down + stump removal.
– The bugs.
Wooded
Go for the woods, I always love seeing nature surrounding me. Plus you can chop the dead trees for the firewood. And more privacy from your neighbors.
Make sure you don’t plant trees too close to your house, you don’t want to deal with broken branches falling onto your roof or trees leaning over your house. Tree trimmers aren’t cheap.