Summer Kitchen / Bathroom / Game Processing / Living Quarters

Foggy47

Foggy47

5 year old buck +
OK....so I am thinking I need to enjoy more comforts at Deertopia. So I am planning to have built a small building that would have a new well directly adjacent, perhaps a holding tank or a septic and djainfield, a modest kitchen with sink stove and refrigerator, a decent bathroom with running water and a small shower area, some living space with large screen TV and a couple of bunks, and a good area to hang and process deer as well as a walk-in cooler area to hold up to 4 deer. That area could be made to have a floor drain and fiberglass walls to wash it all down....and be seperate from the other living quarters. I am thinking this building to be in the area of 20x20' or perhaps a few feet larger. I also think I would do an overhang area of about 20 x 10 feet to include a covered fireplace and area for a picnic table and a few chairs under the roof.

I'd like to have the Walk in Cooler cooled with a window AC unit....perhaps a track to move the deer.....a ss table area for processing.....and more. May as well plan for all the things a person may use.....even if they are added with time.

Appreciate the ideas you may have. I'd like to get this underway this fall and have a winter build by a local contractor. Likely hardy board type siding. Comments and ideas are welcome. TIA
 
I said 50k in the other thread, if you're doing a well with septic I'd guess 60-70k.
Prices may vary in your neck of the woods, maybe contractors will be looking for something to keep them busy this winter and you'll get a price break.
 
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For the walk-in cooler, install a couple windows, so in colder deer seasons you can open them to get free outside COLD air blowing in. AC might be needed for earlier archery / muzzy seasons, but free cold air is FREE!!

SS table is a great idea - we have one at our camp. Clean-up is a breeze. Our processing area is outdoors, under a metal roof, with water right there. A winch is perfect for all of us as we get older - those deer don't get lighter as time goes on. Goatman above ^ ^ ^ ^ nailed it.
 
Does anyone have a trolly system they can reccommend. Here is one on FB with four units. Not sure if I should quarter deer to age em (and be easier to handle?). That would require simple meat hooks to hang the quarters. I think being able to hang four deer would be pretty sweet. Likely take less space to hang the whole critter.
 
Foggy47 said:
Does anyone have a trolly system they can reccommend. Here is one on FB with four units. Not sure if I should quarter deer to age em (and be easier to handle?). That would require simple meat hooks to hang the quarters. I think being able to hang four deer would be pretty sweet. Likely take less space to hang the whole critter.
Click to expand...
I just went to Tractor Supply and bought a barn door track and trolleys for the deer pole. Don't know why it won't work for you.
 
A track would be nice, but it will be difficult to incorporate into a cooler. I have a cooler here at the house and at my hunting farm. I wouldn't trade them for anything. I have standard refrigeration on them, but have heard good reports on a window A/C with a cool-bot. I also have an electric winch on my meat pole.
 
All this for a couple of days a year?? Or do you anticipate family putting in more time? Aren't you normally racing back to AZ?
 
Daydreamer said:
All this for a couple of days a year?? Or do you anticipate family putting in more time? Aren't you normally racing back to AZ?
Click to expand...

Well, I spend about 2 days each week at this property. I like having a decent bathroom and a place to have some gatherings with the local cronies here. Or maybe a steak fry at the land, etc. It would be fun to grow old (er) with some facilities like this. And my hopes are for Deertopia to provide years of use for my family members. Or, I suppose I could just die with excess money?

In the past, my home at the lake could provide enough room for my family to stay wife's included. The gals normally did a shopping trip for entertainment, and the guys would hunt. We have lacked having a "deer camp" per se. It's been ok....but not the same as "deer camp".

This has changed. I've sold our large home on the lake. We are moving into a smaller townhome to downsize our life. Now we will either have our family stay at some lodging at Breezy Point, or the guys could just come a few weekends and stay in the small cabin I own and in this new place. There would be room for about 5 or 6 to sleep in both buildings. Going forward they would not need to include me when they venture north for a weekend.

So, that is my concern and I wish I would have done this years ago. Investing on a place like this doesn't mean the money is gone....instead it's invested in the future. I kinda like the Legacy of Deertopia to pass along to my family. Is that wrong? I rest my case.
 
Foggy47 said:
Well, I spend about 2 days each week at this property. I like having a decent bathroom and a place to have some gatherings with the local cronies here. Or maybe a steak fry at the land, etc. It would be fun to grow old (er) with some facilities like this. And my hopes are for Deertopia to provide years of use for my family members. Or, I suppose I could just die with excess money?

In the past, my home at the lake could provide enough room for my family to stay wife's included. The gals normally did a shopping trip for entertainment, and the guys would hunt. We have lacked having a "deer camp" per se. It's been ok....but not the same as "deer camp".

This has changed. I've sold our large home on the lake. We are moving into a smaller townhome to downsize our life. Now we will either have our family stay at some lodging at Breezy Point, or the guys could just come a few weekends and stay in the small cabin I own and in this new place. There would be room for about 5 or 6 to sleep in both buildings. Going forward they would not need to include me when they venture north for a weekend.

So, that is my concern and I wish I would have done this years ago. Investing on a place like this doesn't mean the money is gone....instead it's invested in the future. I kinda like the Legacy of Deertopia to pass along to my family. Is that wrong? I rest my case.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. Forgot the association with the move and not having place for family to stay. And I love the sound of growing older with a place like this!


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Daydreamer said:
That makes sense. Forgot the association with the move and not having place for family to stay. And I love the sound of growing older with a place like this!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I kinda need a place to go every now and then. I wish I had time for a nap at the land....and just toy around with some piece of machinery and such. Call me goofy.....grin. My new townhome is only 6 miles away. I'm getting a pond dug pretty soon....and have a special spot to use the spoils from this project.

An old saying goes: "Plan plans....not results". I like to work out there......it does keep me in shape somewhat physically, but also mentally.
 
I'd recommend going with a septic system with a drain field - that will improve the value of the property and also decrease annual pumping costs. My cabin has a holding tank since the water table was too high for a standard drain field, and it gets irritating to pump it at least once per year despite using a minimal amount of water. I wish I found a way to put in a standard septic system.

My cabin is 30x40 with a 10' overhang on one side. The overhang is great for storing hunting clothes and just sitting out of the sun - I'd definitely recommend that. Approximately half of the building is finished living space with a kitchen/living room, a bathroom and 2 bedrooms. That works really well for up to maybe 6 people. The other half of my building is a garage/storage space. I have a LP tank and forced air furnace for heat and a central AC for cooling. Now that we have AC, we probably use the cabin more in the summer than during hunting season. After a day of summer work, going back to the cabin with AC is worth every penny.

I think you are looking at it the right way though, you aren't wasting money as those types of improvements tend to appreciate in value over time. If you are on the fence about the size of the building, go bigger!

Tell me about the pond plan, I must have missed that.
 
Also, your plumber should be able to add a shutoff valve so you can easily blow the water out of your plumbing lines easily if you want to winterize the cabin. Having a drain right below the water heater is a good idea as well so you can don't have to have a stupid garden hose going through your cabin to the front door when you winterize the cabin for the year.
 
For the price of the Walk-in and everything associated with it you could pay for a lot of processing to be done. I'd consider investing those spaces into entertainment more (outdoor kitchen, game-room, etc). I love to process on my own, but as I age that other stuff is becoming less important than the people around me.
 
24’x30’ish garage package keep a 24’x14’ garage bay the rest living space maybe 6 extra trusses to extend the roofline on the living quarters side for a covered patio.
 
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