I think you might need to seriously consider what else you would do with your property if you can’t grow trees. I’m a relatively experienced permaculturist and sheep herder. Years ago my wife and I bought 20 acres of mountainous chihuahuan desert in SE AZ with the intention of creating a forest. After a couple years and more dead trees than I can count, we recognized that our soils were so insanely alkaline from the lime stone that we weren’t going to grow trees. For us, water wasn’t an issue because we had a very good well. I brought in tons and tons of wood chip mulch and still out of literally hundreds the only trees we could get to survive for more than a year or two were jujube bushes. Theres so much to learn about erosion in this type of landscape- it would be literally insane to pay someone to create earthworks that almost definitely won’t work. You need to find a certified permaculture design expert who specializes in chihuahuan style desert earthworks. I’m no expert but even I know the basics- once soil has been overgrazed for 200 years like 99% of the chihuahuan desert has, it no longer behaves the way that soil would. You need to learn about about how headcuts form, how to make one rock dams, and rock berming. In places that flash flood like this, no amount of moving dirt around arroyos and washes will do anything for more than a year or two. To even attempt at creating pools to retain water in arroyos you need to build earthworks with very large stone boulders. Where we live now is only a few hours from you past El Paso and in to NM. We live along the mimbres river that flows out of the gila wilderness. We host some endangered desert river species so fish and game has built pools in the river with boulders. 5 or 6 feet long and maybe 3 or four feet high. Our river floods like crazy every year in July and august and everything in the landscape is liable to change except for those big boulders. Ans even those get covered up every 5-10 years and it needs to be replaced. Luckily that’s a government funded thing to protect certain guppy and frog species. The property that we bought and ended up selling in the lower chihuahuan desert of se az, was along a big dry arroyo like yours. If your serious about building a forest or having any plants beyond lime loving chaparral, ocotillo, white thorn acacia, and mesquite you will need to drill a well. I’m sorry no one has told you that yet. Start digging into some desert permaculture groups. Turning the desert into forests and jungles is a real thing- but there’s so much mystery to each unique localized ecology that the projects that succeed are basically because of relentless work and dumb luck miraculously combining. If you have 50-100k to throw at it- drill a well or multiple wells. That will at least give you a shot. But remember as a software engineer without any agricultural experience at all - you are kind of entering a brand new field of study and expecting to immediately become the Michael Jordan of desert permaculture. Also - You should probably figure out where you have caliche, and if you will need to jack hammer through it to allow room for trees to grow taproots. Good luck man, you can do this - even if it’s 20 years before your first trees start really sticking around. Sometimes the people that grow forests don’t live long enough to really see the forest.
Edit: Yup. That's what happens, have friends learn how to use excavators and are okay living in a camper. Get everything out there and you'll get it done for $10,000 (minus the cost of the camper, but that's a long term cost.). Get guns and have a watering/feeding station for the drug mules. Also remove this video and never post interactions with them again, the cartels are super prevalent in Texas.
My brother in law now deceased, was a Government Trapper and ran miles , hundreds of miles of trapline and you give everyone water and tortillas or something to sustain because those who aren’t in drugs often wouldn’t make it without the watering holes
I think you would be better off spending 25 grand and buying an old used excavator. You can pay someone to deliver it as close to the property as possible and just drive it in. Stop renting. You are going to need heavy machinery as long as you are active on this property. The equipment holds it's value well and could be sold later with out much loss.
Well, two thoughts. The plan today is different from then, which I mentioned in the opening. The value of renting is the option to change my mind/change the plan
@@dustupstexas I watched videos of Brent Underwood who owns the ghost town of Cerro Gordo in California for while now and if wanna get things done you have to have a base there.
A skilled operator will work 100x faster and i he really wants this done he will want a bulldozer but he's a smart ass and thinks a bulldozer produces concrete underneath it. I should send video of the powder under the tracks of the dozer on our jobsite. Oh well, libtards moving to Texas what can you do
@@doktorzappergeck492 Wut? No way is that the case in software early on in any reasonable shop. Maybe different with landscape, but I would expect that to depend on the experience level of the individuals involved and the scope/scale of the project. Going all in on a given plan when there are various unknowns without contingency plans and reconsideration is extreme and potentially quite foolish.
Buy a used excavator and have it delivered to the beginning of the road leading to your property. Start leveling the road. By the time you reach your property you should have enough experience to excavate your own L-shapes in the dirt. If you’re scared of getting a little dirty, maybe gardening just ain’t for you. Best of luck!
I like this idea.... getting the experience with the road, and at the time, making it a lot easier, and probably faster, to get there in the future, seems like a win/win
I was gonna suggest the same. This is the kind of project where he has no choice but to get hands on if he has any sort of budget at all. Buy used equipment, learn how to use them and service them. Vanity projects are not for those with shallow pockets.
Two things... 1) Get a Garmin inReach! It uses satellite communication to allow you to text from pretty much anywhere and has the ability to summon help in an emergency. They're not too expensive and could save your life. 2) At $46k you could definitely a decent used excavator and do the work yourself.
Just like El Salvadors Bitcoin rollout. I don't believe Jack this guy says but if he saddled El Salvador with it's Bitcoin nightmare I really hope this project turns into a giant, cash chewing white elephant.
It’s hard not to bust out laughing. I’m a believer in learning by doing, but if you invest some time in learning before you commit, your learning might be a lot cheaper.
I really think you need to focus on your site access infrastructure FIRST. You need a basic gravel haul road with appropriate drainage so it won't wash out. Virtually anything you try to do will have a massively inflated price because of the lack of a proper haul road and the risk that poses to very expensive equipment.
Agreed, same as Ghost town living "Cerro Gordo" guy had to learn the hard way that 2 floods and his mine was inaccesible for weeks when he was expecting the heavy equipment. If ever good offroad car and maybe little shed to be built on site first, lot of work can be done by hand but I feel like he was pushing for rainy season ahead...
1) Not having a fixed, permanent base of operations there is essentially a non-starter. You'll never get anything done. 2) Renting equipment is expensive, because it's far away and the equipment is more or less new. Get a used dozer. No offense, but seeing your level of equipment expertise leads me to believe it would take forever for you to do much of anything with a more complicated piece of machinery like an excavator. Just being honest. And item #2 depends on item #1 happening. I admire your dream. But your logistics and plans just won't work. I have 500 acres in central Texas and it takes at least two or three people, including myself, pretty much working it full time to make anything of consequence happen. And that's with two large tractors, a dozer, a bobcat, and a variety of other machinery.. .and a full time residence with power, tool shop, etc. I think you just need to step back and take a long realistic look at what you want to do, and what you can do.
These learnings are extremely important. These people are honest and are telling you the challenges they see. I had similar unwanted feedback about getting a gravel road into my property (cha ching $120,000). But a less experienced contractor had already wasted several thousand dollars doing it wrong. Keep moving forward. That's the important thing. I think the commenters who recommend investing in your own equipment are spot on. You should learn how to take care of your land and become independent of contractors for making significant progress. Don't be too hard on Reuben. For now you need contractors. Just get better at confirming - it's a very different business culture out in the real world than in the world of tech.
I worked for the grounds department at my university and ran a skid steer a number of times for small projects. I would highly recommend getting some instruction and hands on experience. It would be invaluable for this project. The guys that do this kind of work aren't any smarter than you, they just started as beginners and got experience.
Hey Shaun. I thought of something. You probably already thought of it long ago but on the off chance that you didn't, here goes: Use gabions on your L shaped catchment diverters. You'd have to screen for a lot of fist sized to basketball sized rocks but I assume there is a source of them somewhere on your land- like in a wash or something. Hauling them in would probably be way too expensive. But the gabions could be massive enough that no flash flood would budge them. The water would instantly obliterate piled and even tamped earth. At worst, the water might undermine them a little bit and they might sink somewhat but then you can call them a footing and build another one on top. THAT structure would be immutable... Sand and dirt should infiltrate them over time and make them pretty water tight. Gabions would slow the snot outa the water and not budge and trap a lot of H20 behind 'em. I would think they would last decades at least. Also, start slowing the water way upslope before it builds up too much power and volume with swales, gabions and connected ponds so that in effect you create a much gentler SHEET of water overall instead of a violent, concentrated flood! Also, you'd need to scoop out the built-up sediment from the catchments every year when the rain stops but what a great source of concrete sand &/or gravel, road repair material, topsoil foundation, chicken scratch or whatever! Ya always need earth material for something! I'm thinkin' about ya man! I've got one of those little spinning wheels (like the busy wheel on the computer :) in the back of my head spinning for ya often. Heh. 'Cause you're living my own dream! It's hard when I haven't actually stood on and gazed at the actual lay of the land specifically but... still... the mind works... You and your project really inspire me and I am sooo rootin' for ya! I was a Handyman to the rich and infamous for 35 years (one family for the last 8) so I'm really good at coming up with creative solutions to vexing problems. :) Be in good spirits, continue to walk with God and Best of Luck!!!
I got a couple questions, has there been a topographical survey done on your property? Have you gotten soil analyst done, ie a geologist taking a look at the project. It's tempting to get started with the water management asap, but right now you're biggest issue is your infrastructure. Have you asked about the cost to grade and widen that road? I do look forward to your videos.
In my experience a super high bid usually is a polite way by the contractor of not wanting to do the job. if you think about it they make money by using time efficiently despite the customers dreams however inspiring they are. Your geographic location puts them in a bind from the get go. Add to that the time of travel and poor roads to even get to the job is a big NO GO for them. Add to that is the lack of lodging for them at the job site. Breakdowns are inevitable when using equipment. No close repairs or parts nearby equate to time lost and added cost. There is no way they would accept a job in that location when other jobs are much closer in their area. Sadly these are issues to have been answered before the land purchase. I agree in spirit with the concept and Im very interested in the end result. The last video is a compilation of videos from 2022. Its a year later just wondering where in actuality the project stands in 2023. Based on your budget I think a backhoe bought at auction for under 20K and then refurbed to be mechanically sound with you as an operator would be more cost effective than hiring the work out.
The channel is about the learning process. I drop comments and quick shots of the current state. There are plenty of permaculture channels that know way more than I do. All of their videos show themselves planting trees or how to videos. Those channels add value, but they don't make for interesting stories.
@@dustupstexas Also, as you said they are doing "Trees" they wanted an "immediate result" by transforming desert into lush greenery in a short time. Obviously under the assumption that they'll create shade,windbreak, retain nutrients in the soil, etc. I followed the Great Green Wall project for a while...only 15% of what they planted in the 70s were still alive in 2021-22. Now they are switching gears and taking after Saudi Arabia utilizing tech & smaller indigenous species.
@@dustupstexas Yeah, when he first mentioned that he didn't want to continue down the road until some rough estimates, sounded like he already didn't want the job.
-never tell people you have a lot of money to spend -when you work with beeping machinery, you eventually stop hearing it I know I'm late but I love watching your project come to fruition♡ thank you for posting your journey
Yes Starlink will definitely solve the connectivity issues As for the rest it’s just a bonfire made from unwanted money But if you have cash to burn I would come and run your equipment I would tell you what 2 pieces of equipment to rent and for how long it would be needed And any other items needed to complete your project And I have never had even one product turned down by any inspector for any reason
This is a great experiment. Nothing wrong with following your heart. Civil engineers built jetties along the gulf coast basically using rocks contained in heavy wire fence panel, and heavier rock on top. They aren't going anywhere. That's basically how a church in my neighborhood built a berm around the back property due to neighborhood flooding - rocks contained in a cage, dirt on top, plants in the cracks.
Purchase your own equipment. You will probably need to repair the earthen berms frequently. If you have trouble getting heavy equipment to the property, you may need to repair the road... What's the market look like for a 50HP tractor/excavator??
A leach field, similar to what is used in septic systems, may be able to get your desired results at a much lower cost. Also, it will not wash away because it is under the surface instead of on top of it.
buying the used equip is best route have done that several times ..but you need someone to do it for you who has the experience ...you will also need an equip trailer a heavy enough truck to pull it fuel tanks and pumps etc etc ...finding the retired guy sounds like the best idea
@@bakerbill4274 my brother has a bunch of retired guys working for him. After they left their full time gigs and were staying at home with their wives for a bit too long, they were very keen to pick up contract jobs because they were interesting or challenging. Also, a lot of guys retired when the cost of living was pretty low and now it is astronomical, so they like to pick up work to augment their pension etc.It's not as far fetched a concept as you might think.
The answer is Gabion Basket walls. In areas where washouts are likely, these are much stronger. You have plenty of rocks, all you need is the metal baskets and a strong back or some friends. Also solves the accessibility problem. You can make the baskets yourself, there are plenty of TH-cam video demonstrations.
That’s not a bad idea. Unfortunate he is just throwing darts at a board. He is clueless but so much so he can’t even recognize it. Just watch him shows he has the desire and enthusiasm but is totally clueless in what he is trying to accomplish.
Did you try contacting the TX A&M extension office? They probably have loads of expertise and I believe making wastelands bloom, so to speak, seems to be their forte. No idea if it's workable, but I was thinking maybe some TH-cam content creator with an excavator, skid steer, &/or backhoe/front end loader, or all of the above, might like to do a collaboration with you.
Loving the series, this is so interesting seeing you figuring out how to turn nothing into something. Also, I laughed so hard when I saw you chose a vellies shoe company to promote. I'm South African and this was the last place I expected to see or hear about vellies. Never owned a pair but I know they are amazing.
You need to put the catchments higher up where the risk of washout is less. Backtrack the way the water is running down to and find good places to put microcatchments. With microcatchments. Build a few of them to test your theories first. Thar way you don't need the really heavy equipment and maybe you can do some of the work yourself.
One thing I found in a different video, here in Central Texas, is that water infiltration up-grade cause water to seep down-grade. So while it may seem good to put the catchments in at the low areas where the water accumulates in a more significant/noticeable amount, the actual infiltration is possibly more impactful at the higher level, since it naturally flows downward anyways. It's all relative though. I think that micro catchments would be effective at the higher places, where the water hasn't yet accumulated into a wash that would erode the system. It would also be done with relatively minimal effort. Downstream, the system has to be much bigger, like what a bobcat would be capable of doing, as opposed to the backhoe, and you would presumably want to do it on relatively flat land. I know this is a retrospective, but something to consider doing is actually plotting out and planning exactly where you want everything placed. You could use stakes, strings, or markers of some kind and use drone footage to really make the plan clear to you and your contractors. I think if you are going to actually go through the trouble of getting the equipment and operators out there, make sure you have a plan for the property already in mind so that you can quickly get the most amount of work done. I wouldn't want to do a contract for someone who didn't have a clear plan outlined for me. It could even result in changes to the costs. It's actually exciting to think about surveying the land, understanding the hydrology of the topography, and formulating an extensive plan to develop the water catchment system. You could include pilot plan phases, extensions and finally a propertywide system with perhaps even consideration of how to expand beyond your property for future development. The first objective is the development of the system. The second objective is to develop its ecology. Lastly, you should consider making the roads more accessible. Using a bobcat to flatten the roads would be an option. It makes the initial contracts cheaper, and makes subsequent work easier.
For that price, you can buy your own heavy equipment and do it yourself, then you would always have it there for repairs or expansions. Learning to use one for what you want to do wouldn't take you a lifetime just a few days.
You did the right thing on your planning and working through the details. The numbers you were seeing were not rates that are given to respectable clients. As much as they were "taking a risk" with the location and logistics, I can assure you that those rates were not what a contractor would give a typical company client. You made the right choice to find someone who can respect your project and your budget. Maybe as your channel grows, they will see you less as a gold mine and more as a respected client. Thanks for the video update. Cheers.
As a former contractor, that was the "I really don't want this job" price. When we don't call you back, it's because we already have plenty of work closer to the shop. Besides, 9 out of 10 times the time we invest in a quote will result in $0 earned.
@@CommieCat IDK what bay you live in but if you charge 90k for a week of work, then I never want to even visit your bay. Imagine the price of a sandwich there! lol
Hi Shaun you would do better buying a second hand excavator or Cat D6 or whatever, you will need the machine for ongoing projects, and to re do the the berms , it will not be a do it once and forget project. To divert the water from the river bed, you need to push shallow trenches leading away from the river bed , so water can flow down them without holding the flow back , there will be less erosion this way. the aerial view should look like fingers spreading outwards from the river bed.
More strength to you brother keep going I just wish I could have supported you side by side on ground but we are miles apart. I pray for your success 👍🏻
I love that you're doing everything differently than the norm. From our dreams to the way you're advertising on this channel. I find it relatable and more enjoyable to watch. Best of luck!
Love your content and the challenge you are involved with! For someone who lives in a high populated country (The Netherlands) it is hard to imagine your property is so remote that it takes 3 hours one way to reach it. It makes your challenge even more impressive (or stupid 😂).
Hey man we’re all rooting for you cuz it’s a cool project but you have to stop overthinking it. Swales have been around for ever and work without “L”’s or whatever. And it’s impossible to access everything without some simple roads. Get a basic farm tractor with a bucket and backhoe and get to work…that would be more interesting than these contractors who’ve never done this kind of work. You got this man.
There are some jobs a contractor just doesn’t want whether it’s because they don’t believe in it, they get bad vibes off the customer, or it’s a pain in the ass. In return, they give you the “I don’t want to do it bid.” The only thing that makes them want to do it is the ridiculous money if you agree to it. I’m guessing that’s what you ran into.
Have you considered having prefab concrete "L's" made and then trucked to the sight? Not sure if they would work for your project, but would save you a ton on labor and you wouldn't need to worry about erosion as much. Plus you would then own them and could move them to other sections of the project as you progress.
I agree as well on the equipment, Buy a cat with a blade, or lease it, or something and redo the road some to start . Also, maybe buy a seacan to lock stuff up there, at your base camp. Then see where that takes you. Then you don't have to keep hauling so much stuff out there, as well you will have something there with a little bit of security. MAybe some solar power too? That road seems to be a big deterent to contractors. Just my thoughts. Enjoying watching. Keep it up and stay the course. Cheers!
Yes a cat with a blade to clear, smooth out the road is first. If it takes 1.5hrs from Sierra Blanca now, how much time could he save by improving the road? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? Then it would make bringing a trailer easier and not damage it or his truck. I mean sure after a rain some of the road could get washed out but deal with that as it happens.
I don’t have any answers other than to start small and get your hands in the dirt and be willing to fail and learn, I know you have that fire, keep at it, very excited to watch your progress!
Could you please continue with having episode number in the title of the video! will make it a lot easier to follow the progression, specially for someone coming in later! I hope you have some success with your project, and looking forward to following it!
Each time you post a video, I'm still amazed you're alive, mostly because I keep waiting for some horrific story about how a drug cartel kidnapped and/or killed a super nice, rather gullible guy. I don't think any savvy drug trafficker is going to pick up your ipad, unless they can get rid of it *very quickly* before you track it. The land around the border has been a problem for as far back as I can remember (the '70s?). I grew up in Dallas, but everyone knew the border was where all the drugs were smuggled across. Please, I'm begging you to stop mentioning that you're "doing well" financially. Cartels will NOT THINK TWICE about holding you hostage for ransom if they even THINK you have money, and they'll send a message to your wife with where to drop the money. If you don't believe me, I will *gladly* send you the video to listen to the man who survived over one year of being held hostage, in a windowless room, with bright light, while they played "Hey Macarena" on blast, 24/7. His wife is now dead, from cancer, probably due to all the stress she endured trying to negotiate with the cartels for so long because although they were "wealthy" by Mexico standards, they did not possess the wealth the cartels assumed they had. This man and his wife were kidnapped, along with their employee, as they were driving, all were held, and they eventually released his wife so she could get the ransom together. They only allowed the employee to be released first, once the first ransom was paid, and then the wife had to spend the next year trying to negotiate the ransom down because there was no way she could ever come up with that amount. Long story short, by the time she came up with enough money, and he was released naked on a dirt road, and he was able to finally walk back to civilization, his own children didn't recognize him. th-cam.com/video/mjpmS23NXLw/w-d-xo.html < That is the story, and it is NOT for the sensitive or weak. I go to Mexico a few times a year, and I do not worry when I cross the border. I am not one of those anxiety-ridden freaks who thinks Mexico is a death sentence. I go with a few thousand in cash each time I cross the International Border (and I leave my car on the US side parked in a patrolled day lot, so if I don't come back, people know and yellow flags go up). I leave a description of where I'm going, when I'll be back, and who to contact if I don't return. No one bothers me because it's not worth killing an American over a few thousand dollars. However, you have MUCH MORE MONEY, and you are ALONE right on the path of the cartels, not at an international border crossing. You if you haven't already purchased one, you MUST GET A SATELLITE PHONE and stay in direct contact DAILY with people, and have a plan for what to do if you go missing. You have too much money to NOT have a satellite phone out there, in case of emergency (and probably a couple of guns, too). Please. Your son NEEDS his father, and he will need you for a long, long time.
I agree, although I like the idea...the things that have gone wrong already and the lack of anticipating them lead me to think that this is not a time to learn on the job.
In addition to proper extra food, water, gas, etc., I would never go out there alone. The buddy system at a minimum. It applies whether you are hiking, cave exploring, scuba diving, mountain climbing, and so on. Sheet happens. I would also talk to the authorities about the drug running. They can probably tell you about the traffickers, history, risk, etc.
Great effort! The surprise in the passion project sometimes is the the best way to test out if we have really dream something too big, but definitely support your work. A few ideas: setup satellite connection, either a phone or starlink, it can help you in case of emergency. You might want to setup the test field as close as possible to the main entrance of the site, just to create some easiness for every trip. Then instead of using extractor, there are a lot more personal digging and dirt moving equipment you can buy, they are cheaper and lighter that you can carry to the test field using your pickup, I feel like this is the time the project need to shift from a large equipment scale to a man scale to test out if water really can be hold. There are additional concerns as you are building trenches, as now we are moving away from raining seasons, this is a good time for you to test out the water leak rate in the soil and evaporation rate thru the entire year, as you are building surface water, these information will help you determine how big trench and what kind of water keeping method is needed. Also you may need geologist or biologist to help you determine what kind plant or bush is needed to preserve water, in an dessert like or arid climate, sometimes keep water underground might be more efficient then keep them on the surface. All in all, best luck to you!
This is a super fascinating journey and project! Wishing you all the best and I'm staying tuned and subscribed. I love the videos and reading the comments, almost making it seem like some sort of collaborative effort. Have you considered potentially including some universities / students that would be able to help? I can imagine that this could be a cool project for students to chip in ideas into as part of their studies (or personal interest?). The stories around cartels in the comments and pictures of drug mules are completely foreign to me since I live in a capital city in Europe. It's absolutely fascinating to see these things unfold and you having to consider these factors. Stay safe Shaun; I admire you for doing this project and look forward to your next update!
Welcome to West Texas. Most “dirt contractors” in this area are tied up doing work for the oil industry. The cost that I’m hearing you quote would pay for a good used dozer at auction, in a short period of time. Then you could resell it to help cut your overall cost. I believe in your dedication, and hope you get the results you are looking for.
Drug mules are to be expected. If you succeed in building what will essentially be an oasis, odds are very high the number of trespassers will (*potentially) increase to such levels as to destroy whatever you have built. No amount of signage or fencing will protect it. Your heart is in a good place with this land - I wish you all the best.
Hey, enjoying the show so far. I use to work for the Bureau of Land Management, and have had to replace fences that spanned across dry washes just like the one on your property. We would dig a hole over three feet deep and three feet wide and fill the hole with concrete for each fence post, and later the fence would be replaced again after the rain dragged the entire fence, with its concrete bases, down the wash like a flimsy piece of string. Desert flash floods are no joke, and they routinely reconfigure the topography of floods zones. You may want to consider the areas surrounding the wash for large swale basins to catch rainfall, and if you wish to create a wetland in the wash, you may need to construct analogs, check dams, and flow spreaders. I would start with finding bedrock or hard pan as far upstream as possible, and construct a rugged flow spread followed by a series of check dams and flow spreaders which empty into a large basin/pond which is dug in and a reinforced berm at its foot. The pond should backflow and allow water out from the head of the pond, and the water meanders over a marsh where it enters your L- shaped berm series. The idea would be to slow water down completely before it reaches your dirt berms, and the berms may need significant reinforcement still. Make absolutely sure your outflow will be able to accommodate the heaviest of floods conditions or else it's all for nothing, so it is best to calculate that well ahead of your project plans. I would expect this project to cost you well over $100k just for the equipment rental cost, not including labor, and imported materials (such as stone/ aggregate), whereas such projects are usually ongoing for many years and will require inputs if they are not available in your area. I'm not going to say you couldn't do it cheaper, but that's what i call "sweat equity". It only occurs after a lot of hard work, and taking shortcuts will severely impact the viability of the project. I'm wishing you the best. I have been working on my own permaculture project, entirely by hand with over 20,000 hours over the last 12 years on a single acre, and i feel i could spend a lifetime still working on that single acre. Don't worry about making massive impacts all at once. "The man who moves a mountain begins with carrying away small stones. " - Confucius
I do want to mention, I believe for your pond and berms to survive, they will need to be rather large, and water flow will need to be mitigated to a high degree. You could attempt to divert part of the flow if you can build a check tall enough and/or a channel that can divert part of the flow to another retention pond above the wash. Anything you can do to widen the flow path and subtract from heavy flow conditions before reaching your wetlands, the better. You also have to consider how sediment will deposit, and how long of a life your retention ponds may have. It is startling to see how quickly reservoirs die in the west from sediment, but that can still be advantageous for creating marshy wetlands. You will find that every rain presents a new problem, and if you don't do something right away, your work begins to crumble away. Mesquite trees could be your best friend, whereas they have very deep root systems and thrive in desert washes, but they are also nitrogen fixers, so they are a pioneer species that will assist in developing nitrogen fertility. A final thought, you will also want to consider big game and cattle and how they will interact with your earthworks. They will settle out rough contours, but may also encourage channels or degradation to your berms if they aren't graded properly. You don't want steep or narrow berms. Everything should be very well tamped down and at a stable slope, and your berms should be 3-4 feet higher than the high water mark. If a channel gets worked into a berm and water flows through it, it will just wash the berm away. Hard lessons better learned early than later.
Get an RV for temporary shelter. It's sweltering in that semi desert 🏜 region. The location is beautiful it needs work. It can be doable. All support to you. I wish I could give a helping ✋️ but all I can do is give you moral support. I'm looking forward to your next adventurous project. Also in the future if you are planning to build a 🏠 try watching carr builds.
Ive been waiting for a video! this will not be an easy project, just stay at it. going slow and really thinking it through before dropping a bunch of money is smart. however i do kinda agree with maye purchasing some used equipment of your own. I would also recommend building a small cabin out there. even just one of the home depot pre engineered sheds.
I have a similar 320 acre project in Montana. Mine is also High Desert and we're subject to flash floods too. Our terrain is similar. I have a few suggestions one have a welder build a steel box frame, out of scrap steel or vehicle frames, you can drag them along the entrance with a heavy duty pickup, and that will improve the driveability and it's easy and cheap. I find crested wheatgrass is a cheap easy seed that grows well in arid places and helps to prevent erosion. I don't think the L-shaped water diversion will work well, fresh soil doesn't handle washouts at all, the only way I have been able to prevent it is to make the Dyke higher the existing packed soil and have the wash out go over the existing soil, you might consider something like a series of ponds down the washout. The equipment's going to be your biggest expense, I would consider getting a track loader like an old cat with a ripper, you can find one cheap enough and have it delivered buying equipment transporter probably into the 30k range or lower I'm thinking maybe 20K for the equipment and 10K for transportation. And once you learned to operate it it's pretty straightforward. another option might be a plow pulled behind a four-wheel drive I've done that here with decent success, but I think your soil might be a little too Rocky also on the gentle sloping Terrain I've had really good luck plowing horizontal to the slope, it really help to retain a lot of the moisture, but I think with an old Cat dozer and a ripper you'd be able to do all of that and much more. I use a cat 951c, I can repair it myself, but if you have to pay for repairs it can get costly but if you get a machine that's in decent shape and operated patiently, it should last you a long time without repairs.
There was a teen farmer named Dylan Rounds who owned a remote ranch in Utah. His last phone call to his mom was about how proud he was about his upcoming crop. Some drifter killed him and his body has yet to be found. I planned and prepped to cycle solo from Vegas to Los Angeles, so I considered I-15. Then I looked at the type and volume of traffic and went south instead of west out of LV. That put me on backroads desert country, just like in your wide shots. I came physically and mentally ready to do anyone/anything harm in my defense, so be careful. The most dangerous animal is human, and my solo ride proved it. I get what you're trying to do, you're a lot more prepped than the dude that bought the old Serro Gordo (CA) mining town. I've done work in WY and CO and my mind wanders into lending a hand, definitely reach out to others for your safety.
Have you gotten any consultation on a way to do this that might have a higher chance of working so you do not end up wasting money? I'd imagine there are consultants that could get data like the topography of your property, as well as weather patterns and whatnot. Maybe a university or something that could push you in the right direction about what type of terraforming would lead to the results you desire without all the worry of erosion and whatnot.
I’m sure you’ve considered this already, but what about doing the same L shaped berms out of gabion baskets? It looks like you have plenty of rocks. It’ll take a ton of labor, but they work really well.
I've no experience, but this sounds like a good idea to avoid the use of expensive machinery. Could metal rods be hammered into the ground and used to anchor the gabion baskets, then fill the baskets with stones and top off with sand/soil?
First off these videos are super awesome! I really enjoy you sharing all of the ups and downs of you learning how to manage this property. It is a really cool passion project and I am glad that you are sharing it with us. But I was wandering if maybe it would be a good option to work on the viability of the roads leading to and from the property. I think just that alone would help a ton with every future aspect of the property.
As someone who almost bought land in Terlingua 15 year ago and owns 100+ acres in central Texas even this looks ultra remote. Sadly though anywhere in the border exclusion zone can expect 'traffic' through their property and that was a big reason I never bought out there. I think eventually I will but out there but you better have a pretty big warchest of cash. I hope you eventually get the work done out there.
Thanks for the video, and sharing your passion project with the rest of us. My only advice, air down your tires before you drive on down those roads. It will save your tires, and prevent flats.
Shaun, first things first You need to build a compound on the highest point on your property. You need to get some water tanks out there, some solar, and some sort of cell phone antenna, starlink comes to mind that's what I have. Then what you're going to need is to learn how to run that equipment yourself, you're never going to be able to do what you want to do by hiring somebody else and not go totally broke in the process. I've developed three properties from scratch in my lifetime so far, And I'm too old to start a fourth. Working with that caliche, limestone aggregate, this substrate will not make substantial berms, You're going to need geotextile an actual ponds that will hold water. I've seen berms that you're talking about wash out after one rain. Push the reset button and get your compound bilt first, learn the seasons and where the water flows and then decide just what you're going to do.
Work as a novice equipment operator for 3 to 6 months, get some experience. That will give you some perspective on what it is going to take to do your project and perhaps the skills to do it yourself. These guys likely kept raising the price as a way of saying "we do not want to do it."
Have you thought about a water collecting system? I don't know any climatic data for your property but usually you can 'harvest' the moisture that's in the air. Maybe a setup with a small electric pump which is hooked to a solar panel will do the trick. You could run water through your soil during daytime so it is rather cool and moisture will condansate above ground. Might need some shade to block heating through sunlight but should work just fine. Might not be a real permaculture thing but will provide water for the first plants in the first years.
Get your own equipment and off grid cabin. Start with small swales. I recently sold 52 acers, Harper Texas, that I built 7 miles of swales. 21 hp Kubota. Most of them were small swales. One or two feet deep. I built larger ones where a small tractor could handle the geology of the micro terrain. Took me years working on weekends. Went from ag exemption to wildlife exemption. Swales work! small swales can be walked and repaired with a shovel. Approximately 30 feet, down hill, between swales
I feel like you have big dreams but need to start small… survey the land and watersheds, even small rock dams can make a difference…build living accom on site, gets logs or trim trees for wood chips, remove invasive species, begin fencing small areas for orchards and make walking trail paths, begin a small self sufficient garden, shed ect small projects will give you better understanding of what the land needs ect
Agree about starting small. By living on the land for a year and watching what happens is a great tool to its future. Walk the land and see what it offers in resources. Use those.
Living there or having someone who can watch over everything would also be invaluable. This would help especially with and how the land floods and holds water.
Agree with many of the suggestions. Rather than intercepting water in the high energy wash, have you considered swales instead as a proven way to soak water into the entire landscape? Engineering wise they're much simpler and easier, and can be done a bit at a time at your own speed. Less make-or-break also. Hope that's helpful. I believe in you!!!
never feel bad about "wasting" a company's time on a bid. But: be professional enough to let them know, it's too much or not going to work or you've decided to go another way. I hated it when callers just went silent on me when I was on the other side.
The Excavation company talked about rain land slides, but what about you recognizing strata that is deeper? The skidsteer will work only if the excavation stays sand and gravel. What about keylines? What about using a ditch witch to perform the keyline technique?
Getting shot and or robbed out there by traffickers always needs to be in the back of your mind. If they don't kill you for your truck but just take it you're pretty screwed. I'd bury some cashes with food and water around your camp with some basics in them if I were you my guy. Stay safe. Always have your sidearm on you.
Buy a used Bobcat. Renew the extended warranty on the Bobcat. Do the job. Sell the machine. Sell extended warranties for machines to fund additional property purchases.
I’m liking this longer videos. Might even create some more revenue for the project. I want to this work out for this guy so bad. Pretty dang cool to me
yeah those desert rainstorms are no joke. you aint catching a flash flood in any berms lol. you'll have to create a system NEXT to the main drainage canal to capture excess runoff, or dig a deep ditch near the main drainage where you can drop a large pump down to fill the berms up and hydrate the land
I disagree with the people saying that you should delete the video because of the image with the drug mules. The last thing a cartel wants to do is mess with an American INSIDE the US, if anything it's good for them to know that that land is not empty anymore and hopefully begin crossing through another place. It does rain strongly in El Paso a few times per year, but making the Ls fat shaped and letting the water through will definitely help slow down the erosion of them. If you put gobernadora plants or other kind of desert plant on top of the Ls I'd bet that the erosion would be minimized to a point that's acceptable. Being from here I can tell you that part of the problem with the contractos is the accessibility to the location, before doing anything I'd build some kind of dirt road for easier accessibility as well as some markings to make the location easier to find. You could probably make one of the Ls yourself with tools that you can carry on your truck so that you can get an idea of the integrity of the structure. Keep in mind that temperatures are about to rise, though, and that can add another layer of difficulty to being out there
Thanks for the gobernadora suggestion. I'll read up on it. Most people's knowledge of cartels comes from Narcos or Breaking Bad, mine included. Their advice is coming from a good place, although I disagree with the conclusion
In my opinion, you should sell the lot, and buy another one close to Highway 10, driving 4 hours from the highway to the lot is a true waste of time. You may not be able to buy 300 acres, but how about 50 acres and have time to make thing works. It also significantly reduces all of the costs.
I would buy an old dozer and do a little by little it would be a lot of fun
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Have you considered the "Man Who Planted Trees" approach? It might be far cheaper, just dedicate few acres to it and then you can make comparison to your main project.
You can get far just building gabion walls using the stone on the land. Also look up some Indian technology were over in India, they use dry stack stone to make Chevrons we’re the water flows over the top. Digging into the ground is better just to build up some sand traps, than trying to use berms in the fast flowing areas. Berms are great for slow flow. Seriously think about getting a rifle and bullet proof gear to keep in the truck. You bought in a high risk drug mule and coyote trafficking area. Being city nice in that area can cost you your life as no help is coming. Self reliance is what you need for this project.
Hey Shaun, I find the project fascinating. I find myself eagerly awaiting the next installment, but I am thankful to have a big story to watch unfold in real time. Most of my input (buy some used equipment) has been thoroughly enough covered by experienced folks in the comments. I just want to say I'm rooting for you. I was trying to be sincere, but then made a "root" pun... Peace and blessings my friend - your project has great value and merit.
Hubris. Did you ever bother to ask those old ranchers whose families have been out there for over a century, whether they've tried anything like this? Hint: they have.
I wish you were able to post updates more frequently, it’s a really interesting project. Appreciate the remoteness, the day job, the editing and the actual project all eat into your time, but, it is really interesting.
You are going to call me crazy, but by the equipment and contract operators. I worked at a shop, we repaired pallet jacks and fork lifts for companies like Foxconn, the reason they make money is that they own the machinery. The cheapest part of operating a business is the human coast, the expensive part is keeping your machines in working condition.
The operators need something to love in. Asking someone to live in a trailer in the summer is not something I'd ask someone to do. Need a structure first
@@dustupstexas 3 hours to your left, in the Pecos area, people do that for oil. My sister husband is supervisor for oil rigs, the conditions you described is the life he had since they meet. You know what is the real issue, Nobody values the intrinsic value of life (plants/animals). When I am up rooting trees that grow on my house because they can't properly grow under my pines, nobodies comes and helps, the same way nobody helps to pick up the trash other people left under the shade of my trees. But across the street there is a dead park, people destroyed because there wasn't a crazy lady who cares more about plants than people to protect it. Once your vision starts to take shape and there is beauty in what you create, people will gather around it, but nobody is willing to scarify to create... yet everybody sells their (soul) time for money. You know, in southern mexico in Durango sierra people go to "las labores" meaning plantation fields of acres about 2 hours away from the small town my mom grew up in. There is no running water or electricity, but people build up Adobe buildings where they would store things like seed and water and where they would take shelter the months they were planting away from home. I know it is not the Usual standard of living most people would settle with, but it has worked for hundreds of years. Maybe the solution is in going a bit pioneer, and learn how people settle in arid deserts like paso de el norte 300 years ago, Adobe constructions thermo regulate, and you make adobe with straw, clay, and wood frames, and bake them on the sun. And knowing the area, I am sure you got clay deposits on it. Knowledge is power, or in this case free material on a county without HOA or construction regulations. Stop thinking like a city dweller, Google will only sell you stuff, not give you solutions. Imagine your self as the Pioneer who is taming the wild desert you are trying to tame.
BTW, post when you go to your land and when you get back, buying an old excavator and hiring as retired operator is a good idea, but have the plan ready to go
I have a few ideas. Use a auger attachment to drill a line of holes to catch water. Use the rubble from the holes to create a berm down stream from the holes . A double row of holes staggered . It should be easy if the rocks aren't too big. A chain link fence slows water and causes top soil to deposit . It is a gradual process. Turn over a large rock to see if it is damp underneath . If it is damp plant something under it. Put up poles for a tarp for shade leave the poles cemented in place . Take the tarp home with you. Any structure would attract people and would be destroyed by the weather. Roads on farms are higher than the fields and act like berms . Mesquite trees put nitrogen back in the soil . IF you plowed part of the flat areas to see if that will hold moisture .
Right off the bat - a skid steer is the wrong machine for this job. Second, you will go broke having all of this work done by companies that must make profits or renting machines. Take a 4 week heavy equipment operating class. Focus on excavators & bulldozers. Then go shopping (it may take you a year to find the right machines) for a used mid size excavator and a small bulldozer with a 6 way hydraulic blade (used for finish grading). Get them serviced by a reliable shop and moved out to your property. Since you are a tech guy you should be able to fit them with satellite guidance controls - so necessary when you must depend on your slope to manage water flow. To much slope and you'll constantly be battling erosion. To little slope and your runoff will puddle and fill up with blowing sand. THEN - you will be ready to start building swales.
I specialize in dirt work and laser leveling and rainwater harvesting. The key to water catchment is three sided berms. The other key is spacing and that is all determined by slope. I have some videos that show areas I worked and how much rain they have caught.
Honestly, what I would do is forget about the wash. Anything you do in the wash outside of giant rock gabions is going to wash away in the first rainfall. Go up on the high ground with a small tractor in a single bottom plow, and start digging a single trench every 70 to 80 feet on contour. In addition, you could get a bobcat and dig holes around every existing tree base just one hole that would fill in the rain. Or use shovels depending on how hard the ground is. I would recommend making it easy on yourself until you figure out the best way to do it. But please stay out of the wash you’re just throwing money away.
My 2 cents.. renting machinery or companies to do all this will turn it into a multi (Mega?)million dollar project. Maybe buy a large excavator used,you will need it from now on to do this project. Forget the L shaped berms,one large rain is going to carry them away. You are very inexperienced in this,but don't let that stop you,this is how you learn,and unfortunately its a tough lesson. If you can improve a road be it with a dozer or whatever to the place it might help. You've picked one of the worst,toughest properties to work,and it's going to cost time and money. A solid plan would also be a good idea, changing things around constantly is expensive.
I watched all of your videos up to this point. Very good content and I'm a subscriber. Like your other commenters, I have some opinions. Like it or not I'm about to share them, lol. Greener does not equal better. Your property is beautiful the way it is. It supports lots of diverse wildlife and is not inferior to a forest. To design a water catchment system like you want that will function and last, you really need experienced engineers to do it. Asking the excavators their opinions on what will work best is better than nothing, but more than likely it won't work well and will be quickly eroded away (like they tried to tell you). Moving water is powerful, especially when it's carrying debris with it. These aren't gentle streams, they are raging torrents. You wouldn't expect a welder at a shipyard to be able to design a ship. That is kinda what you are asking the excavators to do. To do this on a budget you are going to have to do it yourself. Get some used equipment and learn how to use it. There is no way around that. First improve the road a bit. Then get yourself a camper and live out there so you don't waste so much time and money on travel. Get Starlink so you can keep the business going. Just some of my thoughts, only trying to help. Wishing you the best of luck.
Wow man, your remoteness is such a huge hurdle. You have stacked so much against yourself from the start. You can't rely on most people- especially way out there and especially those without the 'dream' too. Just get a nice big Cat excavator, a tractor, a skid steer and find a couple of good, loyal people as crazy as you are that you can rely on and do it yourself. Learn by doing, not delegating. You are going to fail a lot but just learn and don't stop. A permaculture food forest in the middle of the desert is sooo worth it! It ain't gonna be easy though. You'll have to be nice to the mules and don't give them a reason to shoot you! (You might wanna learn a little Spanish!) Word gets around fast, especially among Mexicans. When the thing gets going, they are going to want to stop and stay there on their way. You can cross that bridge when you come to it. Bring lots of guns and never leave the place unoccupied. Stockpile food, tools, supplies, hardware and essentials and just spend time out there excavating and building the water works, planting and building infrastructure, greenhouses, outbuildings, etc. I hate to break it to ya but this is the kind of place you need to live on and isn't that the ultimate aim anyway? If you create an Eden, why would you want to ever leave? Slowly but surely make it self sufficient. I haven't heard anything about swales yet. I dream about building swales and planting them with traditional permaculture successional plants every single day. My first love would be to do exactly what you are doing but I'm too old for that kind of time commitment so we're doing it somewhere that gets 45 inches of rain. It'll still be wonderful and will be done before I die! (hopefully) Then I can pass it to my kids- especially if SHTF. I would not have chosen land so close to Mexico or so remote. That's water under the bridge now, but it is going to make your project much more dangerous, hard and tricky. I hope you're up to it because it ain't gonna be no picnic at times! If I were to be honest with you, I'd tell you that you are a bit naive and green around the ears about such an all consuming undertaking. You're going to have to harden up and become more savvy. That's going to take blood, sweat, tears and your own labor. That's also why it will be important to spend most of your time there. The desert will 'cure' you and deepen you. :) At least you're smart so you have some hope. But smarts ain't even the most important trait and it could sabotage you too if you're not honest with yourself. The whole way you are doing this makes me very nervous. But I am watching with bated breath and may God and luck (And the Force!) be with you!!!
You have a scammer here down below my post. They're all over TH-cam. They seem to think I'm a sucker because I'm a dreamer. I am not. P.S.- Oope, it looks like he's gone now. What a shock. TH-cam deleted him for "multiple, severe violations." lol... I should have copied & saved his scam. He actually appropriated part of your channel and put a short video of himself there like a dumbshit. He also actually very much sounded like and looked the part of an arms dealer from Romania! :) Between the Libtards and the criminals, TH-cam is suffering...........
Shaun, I am a retired excavating contractor . I live in West Texas . I can do this work for you . Equipment can be rented from Caterpillar . You don't need that large of equipment and that means the equipment can be rented and hauled on a 40' gooseneck trailer and with a one ton pick-up truck . Fuel can be hauled to your site in 55 gallon drums and hand pumped into the equipment . A grease gun, a case of grease and 10 - 15 gallons of DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) is all that would be required to complete this phase of your project . I will operate the equipment at a rate of $25/hour . I could camp on-site and that would minimize travel . I have a 40' gooseneck and a 1 ton pick-up and I can haul the equipment necessary to do your job . If you like my line of thought, let me know . I will be happy to meet you on your site and we can discuss your ideas further . You can reach me at 832-724-4197 most anytime . I live on my ranch about 3 hours east of Sierra Blanca, just outside the town of Iraan, Texas . I'm doing similar things you are talking about doing on your property . My goal is to make my ranch produce everything I eat . Since I owned a heavy/civil construction company for over 35 years, there isn't much I haven't encountered in my career . I believe in what you are doing with your property and would like to help you in anyway I can .
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I think you might need to seriously consider what else you would do with your property if you can’t grow trees. I’m a relatively experienced permaculturist and sheep herder. Years ago my wife and I bought 20 acres of mountainous chihuahuan desert in SE AZ with the intention of creating a forest. After a couple years and more dead trees than I can count, we recognized that our soils were so insanely alkaline from the lime stone that we weren’t going to grow trees. For us, water wasn’t an issue because we had a very good well. I brought in tons and tons of wood chip mulch and still out of literally hundreds the only trees we could get to survive for more than a year or two were jujube bushes.
Theres so much to learn about erosion in this type of landscape- it would be literally insane to pay someone to create earthworks that almost definitely won’t work. You need to find a certified permaculture design expert who specializes in chihuahuan style desert earthworks. I’m no expert but even I know the basics- once soil has been overgrazed for 200 years like 99% of the chihuahuan desert has, it no longer behaves the way that soil would. You need to learn about about how headcuts form, how to make one rock dams, and rock berming. In places that flash flood like this, no amount of moving dirt around arroyos and washes will do anything for more than a year or two. To even attempt at creating pools to retain water in arroyos you need to build earthworks with very large stone boulders. Where we live now is only a few hours from you past El Paso and in to NM. We live along the mimbres river that flows out of the gila wilderness. We host some endangered desert river species so fish and game has built pools in the river with boulders. 5 or 6 feet long and maybe 3 or four feet high. Our river floods like crazy every year in July and august and everything in the landscape is liable to change except for those big boulders. Ans even those get covered up every 5-10 years and it needs to be replaced. Luckily that’s a government funded thing to protect certain guppy and frog species. The property that we bought and ended up selling in the lower chihuahuan desert of se az, was along a big dry arroyo like yours. If your serious about building a forest or having any plants beyond lime loving chaparral, ocotillo, white thorn acacia, and mesquite you will need to drill a well. I’m sorry no one has told you that yet. Start digging into some desert permaculture groups. Turning the desert into forests and jungles is a real thing- but there’s so much mystery to each unique localized ecology that the projects that succeed are basically because of relentless work and dumb luck miraculously combining.
If you have 50-100k to throw at it- drill a well or multiple wells. That will at least give you a shot. But remember as a software engineer without any agricultural experience at all - you are kind of entering a brand new field of study and expecting to immediately become the Michael Jordan of desert permaculture.
Also - You should probably figure out where you have caliche, and if you will need to jack hammer through it to allow room for trees to grow taproots. Good luck man, you can do this - even if it’s 20 years before your first trees start really sticking around. Sometimes the people that grow forests don’t live long enough to really see the forest.
Slam dunk. Best post by far.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comment. ❤
That's by far the best and reasonablest comment of the whole comment section !
They make drones now that fire seeds into the ground as they fly over
This dude needs trees fired into the ground.
Best comment of the 5 episodes so far. I hope he uses you as a resource.
Don't ever tell contractors you're rich, huge mistake. They will charge you as much as possible. I'm only 5 minutes into this.
Edit: Yup. That's what happens, have friends learn how to use excavators and are okay living in a camper. Get everything out there and you'll get it done for $10,000 (minus the cost of the camper, but that's a long term cost.). Get guns and have a watering/feeding station for the drug mules. Also remove this video and never post interactions with them again, the cartels are super prevalent in Texas.
My brother in law now deceased, was a Government Trapper and ran miles , hundreds of miles of trapline and you give everyone water and tortillas or something to sustain because those who aren’t in drugs often wouldn’t make it without the watering holes
@@waltershoults8803 yes, it's for everyone, but it gives good graces to the cartels who could quickly wipe you out if you get on their bad side.
That was a terrible mistake. He was going to jack it up to at least $75k.
I was thinking the same thing ... 5 mins in.
I think you would be better off spending 25 grand and buying an old used excavator. You can pay someone to deliver it as close to the property as possible and just drive it in.
Stop renting. You are going to need heavy machinery as long as you are active on this property. The equipment holds it's value well and could be sold later with out much loss.
Well, two thoughts. The plan today is different from then, which I mentioned in the opening. The value of renting is the option to change my mind/change the plan
@@dustupstexas That's not the way to do any project, be it software or landscaping. You know that. Make a plan and stick to it.
@@dustupstexas I watched videos of Brent Underwood who owns the ghost town of Cerro Gordo in California for while now and if wanna get things done you have to have a base there.
A skilled operator will work 100x faster and i he really wants this done he will want a bulldozer but he's a smart ass and thinks a bulldozer produces concrete underneath it. I should send video of the powder under the tracks of the dozer on our jobsite. Oh well, libtards moving to Texas what can you do
@@doktorzappergeck492 Wut? No way is that the case in software early on in any reasonable shop. Maybe different with landscape, but I would expect that to depend on the experience level of the individuals involved and the scope/scale of the project.
Going all in on a given plan when there are various unknowns without contingency plans and reconsideration is extreme and potentially quite foolish.
Buy a used excavator and have it delivered to the beginning of the road leading to your property. Start leveling the road. By the time you reach your property you should have enough experience to excavate your own L-shapes in the dirt. If you’re scared of getting a little dirty, maybe gardening just ain’t for you. Best of luck!
I like this idea.... getting the experience with the road, and at the time, making it a lot easier, and probably faster, to get there in the future, seems like a win/win
I was gonna suggest the same. This is the kind of project where he has no choice but to get hands on if he has any sort of budget at all. Buy used equipment, learn how to use them and service them. Vanity projects are not for those with shallow pockets.
Two things...
1) Get a Garmin inReach! It uses satellite communication to allow you to text from pretty much anywhere and has the ability to summon help in an emergency. They're not too expensive and could save your life.
2) At $46k you could definitely a decent used excavator and do the work yourself.
Rather get thet Musk thing. Starlink.
I admire your persistence. Honestly I’m here because each episode is like watching a train wreck.
Just like El Salvadors Bitcoin rollout. I don't believe Jack this guy says but if he saddled El Salvador with it's Bitcoin nightmare I really hope this project turns into a giant, cash chewing white elephant.
No way it can’t.
Like what are you even doing here man.
It’s hard not to bust out laughing.
I’m a believer in learning by doing, but if you invest some time in learning before you commit, your learning might be a lot cheaper.
@@timharbert7145 you sound like a hoot at a party 😂
@@clearingland typical scammer self-justification fallacious excuse, reality is, people are still responsible.
I really think you need to focus on your site access infrastructure FIRST. You need a basic gravel haul road with appropriate drainage so it won't wash out. Virtually anything you try to do will have a massively inflated price because of the lack of a proper haul road and the risk that poses to very expensive equipment.
Agreed, same as Ghost town living "Cerro Gordo" guy had to learn the hard way that 2 floods and his mine was inaccesible for weeks when he was expecting the heavy equipment. If ever good offroad car and maybe little shed to be built on site first, lot of work can be done by hand but I feel like he was pushing for rainy season ahead...
1) Not having a fixed, permanent base of operations there is essentially a non-starter. You'll never get anything done. 2) Renting equipment is expensive, because it's far away and the equipment is more or less new. Get a used dozer. No offense, but seeing your level of equipment expertise leads me to believe it would take forever for you to do much of anything with a more complicated piece of machinery like an excavator. Just being honest. And item #2 depends on item #1 happening. I admire your dream. But your logistics and plans just won't work. I have 500 acres in central Texas and it takes at least two or three people, including myself, pretty much working it full time to make anything of consequence happen. And that's with two large tractors, a dozer, a bobcat, and a variety of other machinery.. .and a full time residence with power, tool shop, etc. I think you just need to step back and take a long realistic look at what you want to do, and what you can do.
These learnings are extremely important. These people are honest and are telling you the challenges they see. I had similar unwanted feedback about getting a gravel road into my property (cha ching $120,000). But a less experienced contractor had already wasted several thousand dollars doing it wrong. Keep moving forward. That's the important thing. I think the commenters who recommend investing in your own equipment are spot on. You should learn how to take care of your land and become independent of contractors for making significant progress. Don't be too hard on Reuben. For now you need contractors. Just get better at confirming - it's a very different business culture out in the real world than in the world of tech.
I worked for the grounds department at my university and ran a skid steer a number of times for small projects. I would highly recommend getting some instruction and hands on experience. It would be invaluable for this project. The guys that do this kind of work aren't any smarter than you, they just started as beginners and got experience.
a lot of times you are paying for them to get trained also.
Good idea ...Shaun needs guidance before he sink big money in any machinery
Hey Shaun. I thought of something. You probably already thought of it long ago but on the off chance that you didn't, here goes: Use gabions on your L shaped catchment diverters. You'd have to screen for a lot of fist sized to basketball sized rocks but I assume there is a source of them somewhere on your land- like in a wash or something. Hauling them in would probably be way too expensive. But the gabions could be massive enough that no flash flood would budge them. The water would instantly obliterate piled and even tamped earth. At worst, the water might undermine them a little bit and they might sink somewhat but then you can call them a footing and build another one on top. THAT structure would be immutable...
Sand and dirt should infiltrate them over time and make them pretty water tight. Gabions would slow the snot outa the water and not budge and trap a lot of H20 behind 'em. I would think they would last decades at least. Also, start slowing the water way upslope before it builds up too much power and volume with swales, gabions and connected ponds so that in effect you create a much gentler SHEET of water overall instead of a violent, concentrated flood!
Also, you'd need to scoop out the built-up sediment from the catchments every year when the rain stops but what a great source of concrete sand &/or gravel, road repair material, topsoil foundation, chicken scratch or whatever! Ya always need earth material for something! I'm thinkin' about ya man! I've got one of those little spinning wheels (like the busy wheel on the computer :) in the back of my head spinning for ya often. Heh. 'Cause you're living my own dream! It's hard when I haven't actually stood on and gazed at the actual lay of the land specifically but... still... the mind works... You and your project really inspire me and I am sooo rootin' for ya! I was a Handyman to the rich and infamous for 35 years (one family for the last 8) so I'm really good at coming up with creative solutions to vexing problems. :) Be in good spirits, continue to walk with God and Best of Luck!!!
I got a couple questions, has there been a topographical survey done on your property? Have you gotten soil analyst done, ie a geologist taking a look at the project. It's tempting to get started with the water management asap, but right now you're biggest issue is your infrastructure. Have you asked about the cost to grade and widen that road? I do look forward to your videos.
Some civil engineering would be nice.
In my experience a super high bid usually is a polite way by the contractor of not wanting to do the job. if you think about it they make money by using time efficiently despite the customers dreams however inspiring they are. Your geographic location puts them in a bind from the get go. Add to that the time of travel and poor roads to even get to the job is a big NO GO for them. Add to that is the lack of lodging for them at the job site. Breakdowns are inevitable when using equipment. No close repairs or parts nearby equate to time lost and added cost. There is no way they would accept a job in that location when other jobs are much closer in their area. Sadly these are issues to have been answered before the land purchase. I agree in spirit with the concept and Im very interested in the end result. The last video is a compilation of videos from 2022. Its a year later just wondering where in actuality the project stands in 2023. Based on your budget I think a backhoe bought at auction for under 20K and then refurbed to be mechanically sound with you as an operator would be more cost effective than hiring the work out.
I called it the FU price 😂 I may or may not have used the strategy in my own business
The channel is about the learning process. I drop comments and quick shots of the current state. There are plenty of permaculture channels that know way more than I do. All of their videos show themselves planting trees or how to videos. Those channels add value, but they don't make for interesting stories.
@@dustupstexas Also, as you said they are doing "Trees" they wanted an "immediate result" by transforming desert into lush greenery in a short time. Obviously under the assumption that they'll create shade,windbreak, retain nutrients in the soil, etc.
I followed the Great Green Wall project for a while...only 15% of what they planted in the 70s were still alive in 2021-22. Now they are switching gears and taking after Saudi Arabia utilizing tech & smaller indigenous species.
@@dustupstexas Yeah, when he first mentioned that he didn't want to continue down the road until some rough estimates, sounded like he already didn't want the job.
-never tell people you have a lot of money to spend
-when you work with beeping machinery, you eventually stop hearing it
I know I'm late but I love watching your project come to fruition♡ thank you for posting your journey
It sounds like you need starlink for when you are out on the property. Could be life saving.
I already have it. I didn't have it at the time
Yes Starlink will definitely solve the connectivity issues
As for the rest it’s just a bonfire made from unwanted money
But if you have cash to burn
I would come and run your equipment
I would tell you what 2 pieces of equipment to rent and for how long it would be needed
And any other items needed to complete your project
And I have never had even one product turned down by any inspector for any reason
@@wjonthetrail he bought washout land anything he builds will be washed out by rain
He needs an ARBORIST
Not a contractor.
@@pointmanzero he will have stellar internet though, the starlink is no joke
@@AnimalChinz I have unlimited 5g on both my properties in two different states. So I never saw the big deal about starlink.
This is a great experiment. Nothing wrong with following your heart. Civil engineers built jetties along the gulf coast basically using rocks contained in heavy wire fence panel, and heavier rock on top. They aren't going anywhere. That's basically how a church in my neighborhood built a berm around the back property due to neighborhood flooding - rocks contained in a cage, dirt on top, plants in the cracks.
i think this is a great idea, then only have to move the cages in place and limits your fiance risk.
Purchase your own equipment.
You will probably need to repair the earthen berms frequently.
If you have trouble getting heavy equipment to the property, you may need to repair the road...
What's the market look like for a 50HP tractor/excavator??
A leach field, similar to what is used in septic systems, may be able to get your desired results at a much lower cost. Also, it will not wash away because it is under the surface instead of on top of it.
Find a retired operator, hire them and purchase a used machine. Sell the machine after the project is done.
buying the used equip is best route have done that several times ..but you need someone to do it for you who has the experience ...you will also need an equip trailer a heavy enough truck to pull it fuel tanks and pumps etc etc ...finding the retired guy sounds like the best idea
Good luck retired operator will have skill and knowledge but maybe not the drive or desire to see a project through
Think you're missing the point of being "retired"😂
@@bakerbill4274 my brother has a bunch of retired guys working for him. After they left their full time gigs and were staying at home with their wives for a bit too long, they were very keen to pick up contract jobs because they were interesting or challenging. Also, a lot of guys retired when the cost of living was pretty low and now it is astronomical, so they like to pick up work to augment their pension etc.It's not as far fetched a concept as you might think.
I'm headed back to work after 5 years of Retirement. Thanks JB. $5.00 diesel and my grocery budget doubling put me back to work.
The answer is Gabion Basket walls. In areas where washouts are likely, these are much stronger. You have plenty of rocks, all you need is the metal baskets and a strong back or some friends. Also solves the accessibility problem. You can make the baskets yourself, there are plenty of TH-cam video demonstrations.
Agreed, there is no way dirt works in any situation.
That’s not a bad idea. Unfortunate he is just throwing darts at a board. He is clueless but so much so he can’t even recognize it. Just watch him shows he has the desire and enthusiasm but is totally clueless in what he is trying to accomplish.
Did you try contacting the TX A&M extension office? They probably have loads of expertise and I believe making wastelands bloom, so to speak, seems to be their forte. No idea if it's workable, but I was thinking maybe some TH-cam content creator with an excavator, skid steer, &/or backhoe/front end loader, or all of the above, might like to do a collaboration with you.
Loving the series, this is so interesting seeing you figuring out how to turn nothing into something.
Also, I laughed so hard when I saw you chose a vellies shoe company to promote. I'm South African and this was the last place I expected to see or hear about vellies.
Never owned a pair but I know they are amazing.
Thank you for the encouragement
You need to put the catchments higher up where the risk of washout is less. Backtrack the way the water is running down to and find good places to put microcatchments. With microcatchments. Build a few of them to test your theories first. Thar way you don't need the really heavy equipment and maybe you can do some of the work yourself.
That's what I've done with the microcatchments
One thing I found in a different video, here in Central Texas, is that water infiltration up-grade cause water to seep down-grade. So while it may seem good to put the catchments in at the low areas where the water accumulates in a more significant/noticeable amount, the actual infiltration is possibly more impactful at the higher level, since it naturally flows downward anyways. It's all relative though.
I think that micro catchments would be effective at the higher places, where the water hasn't yet accumulated into a wash that would erode the system. It would also be done with relatively minimal effort. Downstream, the system has to be much bigger, like what a bobcat would be capable of doing, as opposed to the backhoe, and you would presumably want to do it on relatively flat land.
I know this is a retrospective, but something to consider doing is actually plotting out and planning exactly where you want everything placed. You could use stakes, strings, or markers of some kind and use drone footage to really make the plan clear to you and your contractors. I think if you are going to actually go through the trouble of getting the equipment and operators out there, make sure you have a plan for the property already in mind so that you can quickly get the most amount of work done. I wouldn't want to do a contract for someone who didn't have a clear plan outlined for me. It could even result in changes to the costs.
It's actually exciting to think about surveying the land, understanding the hydrology of the topography, and formulating an extensive plan to develop the water catchment system. You could include pilot plan phases, extensions and finally a propertywide system with perhaps even consideration of how to expand beyond your property for future development. The first objective is the development of the system. The second objective is to develop its ecology.
Lastly, you should consider making the roads more accessible. Using a bobcat to flatten the roads would be an option. It makes the initial contracts cheaper, and makes subsequent work easier.
For that price, you can buy your own heavy equipment and do it yourself, then you would always have it there for repairs or expansions. Learning to use one for what you want to do wouldn't take you a lifetime just a few days.
This is the best series on TH-cam. The ambition and perseverance is inspiring,
You did the right thing on your planning and working through the details. The numbers you were seeing were not rates that are given to respectable clients. As much as they were "taking a risk" with the location and logistics, I can assure you that those rates were not what a contractor would give a typical company client. You made the right choice to find someone who can respect your project and your budget. Maybe as your channel grows, they will see you less as a gold mine and more as a respected client. Thanks for the video update. Cheers.
As a former contractor, that was the "I really don't want this job" price. When we don't call you back, it's because we already have plenty of work closer to the shop. Besides, 9 out of 10 times the time we invest in a quote will result in $0 earned.
@@bakerbill4274 Exactly! Feels like they know they have stable work but if they can 2x typical wages in their free time, why not, right?
It depends on the area. I'm in the bay and a crew of an operator, two laborers, two machines will easily bill double that.
@@CommieCat IDK what bay you live in but if you charge 90k for a week of work, then I never want to even visit your bay. Imagine the price of a sandwich there! lol
Hi Shaun
you would do better buying a second hand excavator or Cat D6 or whatever, you will need the machine for ongoing projects, and to re do the the berms , it will not be a do it once and forget project. To divert the water from the river bed, you need to push shallow trenches leading away from the river bed , so water can flow down them without holding the flow back , there will be less erosion this way. the aerial view should look like fingers spreading outwards from the river bed.
I LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE
More strength to you brother keep going I just wish I could have supported you side by side on ground but we are miles apart. I pray for your success 👍🏻
I love that you're doing everything differently than the norm. From our dreams to the way you're advertising on this channel. I find it relatable and more enjoyable to watch. Best of luck!
Love your content and the challenge you are involved with!
For someone who lives in a high populated country (The Netherlands) it is hard to imagine your property is so remote that it takes 3 hours one way to reach it. It makes your challenge even more impressive (or stupid 😂).
It can be simultaneously stupid and impressive 😂
@@dustupstexas your are in the process to proof your statement. Best of luck 🤞
Hey man we’re all rooting for you cuz it’s a cool project but you have to stop overthinking it. Swales have been around for ever and work without “L”’s or whatever. And it’s impossible to access everything without some simple roads. Get a basic farm tractor with a bucket and backhoe and get to work…that would be more interesting than these contractors who’ve never done this kind of work. You got this man.
There are some jobs a contractor just doesn’t want whether it’s because they don’t believe in it, they get bad vibes off the customer, or it’s a pain in the ass. In return, they give you the “I don’t want to do it bid.” The only thing that makes them want to do it is the ridiculous money if you agree to it. I’m guessing that’s what you ran into.
Have you considered having prefab concrete "L's" made and then trucked to the sight? Not sure if they would work for your project, but would save you a ton on labor and you wouldn't need to worry about erosion as much. Plus you would then own them and could move them to other sections of the project as you progress.
I agree as well on the equipment, Buy a cat with a blade, or lease it, or something and redo the road some to start . Also, maybe buy a seacan to lock stuff up there, at your base camp. Then see where that takes you. Then you don't have to keep hauling so much stuff out there, as well you will have something there with a little bit of security. MAybe some solar power too? That road seems to be a big deterent to contractors. Just my thoughts. Enjoying watching. Keep it up and stay the course. Cheers!
Yes a cat with a blade to clear, smooth out the road is first. If it takes 1.5hrs from Sierra Blanca now, how much time could he save by improving the road? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? Then it would make bringing a trailer easier and not damage it or his truck. I mean sure after a rain some of the road could get washed out but deal with that as it happens.
I don’t have any answers other than to start small and get your hands in the dirt and be willing to fail and learn, I know you have that fire, keep at it, very excited to watch your progress!
Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your experience! Look forward to watching you learn how to turn this into your dream!
Could you please continue with having episode number in the title of the video! will make it a lot easier to follow the progression, specially for someone coming in later!
I hope you have some success with your project, and looking forward to following it!
Each time you post a video, I'm still amazed you're alive, mostly because I keep waiting for some horrific story about how a drug cartel kidnapped and/or killed a super nice, rather gullible guy.
I don't think any savvy drug trafficker is going to pick up your ipad, unless they can get rid of it *very quickly* before you track it.
The land around the border has been a problem for as far back as I can remember (the '70s?). I grew up in Dallas, but everyone knew the border was where all the drugs were smuggled across.
Please, I'm begging you to stop mentioning that you're "doing well" financially. Cartels will NOT THINK TWICE about holding you hostage for ransom if they even THINK you have money, and they'll send a message to your wife with where to drop the money. If you don't believe me, I will *gladly* send you the video to listen to the man who survived over one year of being held hostage, in a windowless room, with bright light, while they played "Hey Macarena" on blast, 24/7. His wife is now dead, from cancer, probably due to all the stress she endured trying to negotiate with the cartels for so long because although they were "wealthy" by Mexico standards, they did not possess the wealth the cartels assumed they had. This man and his wife were kidnapped, along with their employee, as they were driving, all were held, and they eventually released his wife so she could get the ransom together. They only allowed the employee to be released first, once the first ransom was paid, and then the wife had to spend the next year trying to negotiate the ransom down because there was no way she could ever come up with that amount. Long story short, by the time she came up with enough money, and he was released naked on a dirt road, and he was able to finally walk back to civilization, his own children didn't recognize him. th-cam.com/video/mjpmS23NXLw/w-d-xo.html < That is the story, and it is NOT for the sensitive or weak.
I go to Mexico a few times a year, and I do not worry when I cross the border. I am not one of those anxiety-ridden freaks who thinks Mexico is a death sentence. I go with a few thousand in cash each time I cross the International Border (and I leave my car on the US side parked in a patrolled day lot, so if I don't come back, people know and yellow flags go up). I leave a description of where I'm going, when I'll be back, and who to contact if I don't return. No one bothers me because it's not worth killing an American over a few thousand dollars. However, you have MUCH MORE MONEY, and you are ALONE right on the path of the cartels, not at an international border crossing.
You if you haven't already purchased one, you MUST GET A SATELLITE PHONE and stay in direct contact DAILY with people, and have a plan for what to do if you go missing. You have too much money to NOT have a satellite phone out there, in case of emergency (and probably a couple of guns, too).
Please. Your son NEEDS his father, and he will need you for a long, long time.
I agree, although I like the idea...the things that have gone wrong already and the lack of anticipating them lead me to think that this is not a time to learn on the job.
In addition to proper extra food, water, gas, etc., I would never go out there alone. The buddy system at a minimum. It applies whether you are hiking, cave exploring, scuba diving, mountain climbing, and so on. Sheet happens. I would also talk to the authorities about the drug running. They can probably tell you about the traffickers, history, risk, etc.
Great video! I look forward to everyone and to see this project completed!!
Great effort! The surprise in the passion project sometimes is the the best way to test out if we have really dream something too big, but definitely support your work. A few ideas: setup satellite connection, either a phone or starlink, it can help you in case of emergency. You might want to setup the test field as close as possible to the main entrance of the site, just to create some easiness for every trip. Then instead of using extractor, there are a lot more personal digging and dirt moving equipment you can buy, they are cheaper and lighter that you can carry to the test field using your pickup, I feel like this is the time the project need to shift from a large equipment scale to a man scale to test out if water really can be hold. There are additional concerns as you are building trenches, as now we are moving away from raining seasons, this is a good time for you to test out the water leak rate in the soil and evaporation rate thru the entire year, as you are building surface water, these information will help you determine how big trench and what kind of water keeping method is needed. Also you may need geologist or biologist to help you determine what kind plant or bush is needed to preserve water, in an dessert like or arid climate, sometimes keep water underground might be more efficient then keep them on the surface. All in all, best luck to you!
Most of this has already been done. I'm telling the story as it happened, not as it's happening
This is a super fascinating journey and project! Wishing you all the best and I'm staying tuned and subscribed.
I love the videos and reading the comments, almost making it seem like some sort of collaborative effort. Have you considered potentially including some universities / students that would be able to help? I can imagine that this could be a cool project for students to chip in ideas into as part of their studies (or personal interest?).
The stories around cartels in the comments and pictures of drug mules are completely foreign to me since I live in a capital city in Europe. It's absolutely fascinating to see these things unfold and you having to consider these factors.
Stay safe Shaun; I admire you for doing this project and look forward to your next update!
From Fort Worth and love the project My brother in law has built roads fracking ponds etc in the area north of pecos he might be able to assist .
Welcome to West Texas. Most “dirt contractors” in this area are tied up doing work for the oil industry. The cost that I’m hearing you quote would pay for a good used dozer at auction, in a short period of time. Then you could resell it to help cut your overall cost. I believe in your dedication, and hope you get the results you are looking for.
Drug mules are to be expected. If you succeed in building what will essentially be an oasis, odds are very high the number of trespassers will (*potentially) increase to such levels as to destroy whatever you have built. No amount of signage or fencing will protect it. Your heart is in a good place with this land - I wish you all the best.
We'll cover that in much more detail in the next episode
There's not issue at the border
@Shaun Overton | DUSTUPS looking forward to the next episode.
@@andrewwilliams9419 there is not an issue at that area correct? It is further West and Del Rio?
"We can't expect God to do all the work"-Joshua Graham
Hey, enjoying the show so far. I use to work for the Bureau of Land Management, and have had to replace fences that spanned across dry washes just like the one on your property. We would dig a hole over three feet deep and three feet wide and fill the hole with concrete for each fence post, and later the fence would be replaced again after the rain dragged the entire fence, with its concrete bases, down the wash like a flimsy piece of string. Desert flash floods are no joke, and they routinely reconfigure the topography of floods zones.
You may want to consider the areas surrounding the wash for large swale basins to catch rainfall, and if you wish to create a wetland in the wash, you may need to construct analogs, check dams, and flow spreaders. I would start with finding bedrock or hard pan as far upstream as possible, and construct a rugged flow spread followed by a series of check dams and flow spreaders which empty into a large basin/pond which is dug in and a reinforced berm at its foot. The pond should backflow and allow water out from the head of the pond, and the water meanders over a marsh where it enters your L- shaped berm series. The idea would be to slow water down completely before it reaches your dirt berms, and the berms may need significant reinforcement still. Make absolutely sure your outflow will be able to accommodate the heaviest of floods conditions or else it's all for nothing, so it is best to calculate that well ahead of your project plans. I would expect this project to cost you well over $100k just for the equipment rental cost, not including labor, and imported materials (such as stone/ aggregate), whereas such projects are usually ongoing for many years and will require inputs if they are not available in your area. I'm not going to say you couldn't do it cheaper, but that's what i call "sweat equity". It only occurs after a lot of hard work, and taking shortcuts will severely impact the viability of the project.
I'm wishing you the best. I have been working on my own permaculture project, entirely by hand with over 20,000 hours over the last 12 years on a single acre, and i feel i could spend a lifetime still working on that single acre. Don't worry about making massive impacts all at once.
"The man who moves a mountain begins with carrying away small stones. " - Confucius
I do want to mention, I believe for your pond and berms to survive, they will need to be rather large, and water flow will need to be mitigated to a high degree. You could attempt to divert part of the flow if you can build a check tall enough and/or a channel that can divert part of the flow to another retention pond above the wash. Anything you can do to widen the flow path and subtract from heavy flow conditions before reaching your wetlands, the better.
You also have to consider how sediment will deposit, and how long of a life your retention ponds may have. It is startling to see how quickly reservoirs die in the west from sediment, but that can still be advantageous for creating marshy wetlands. You will find that every rain presents a new problem, and if you don't do something right away, your work begins to crumble away.
Mesquite trees could be your best friend, whereas they have very deep root systems and thrive in desert washes, but they are also nitrogen fixers, so they are a pioneer species that will assist in developing nitrogen fertility.
A final thought, you will also want to consider big game and cattle and how they will interact with your earthworks. They will settle out rough contours, but may also encourage channels or degradation to your berms if they aren't graded properly. You don't want steep or narrow berms. Everything should be very well tamped down and at a stable slope, and your berms should be 3-4 feet higher than the high water mark. If a channel gets worked into a berm and water flows through it, it will just wash the berm away. Hard lessons better learned early than later.
Thank you!
@@dustupstexas I hope I've helped in some way. Don't give up the vision.
Get an RV for temporary shelter.
It's sweltering in that semi desert 🏜 region.
The location is beautiful it needs work.
It can be doable.
All support to you.
I wish I could give a helping ✋️ but all I can do is give you moral support.
I'm looking forward to your next adventurous project.
Also in the future if you are planning to build a 🏠 try watching carr builds.
Look forward to watching further episodes!
Ive been waiting for a video! this will not be an easy project, just stay at it. going slow and really thinking it through before dropping a bunch of money is smart. however i do kinda agree with maye purchasing some used equipment of your own. I would also recommend building a small cabin out there. even just one of the home depot pre engineered sheds.
I have a similar 320 acre project in Montana. Mine is also High Desert and we're subject to flash floods too. Our terrain is similar. I have a few suggestions one have a welder build a steel box frame, out of scrap steel or vehicle frames, you can drag them along the entrance with a heavy duty pickup, and that will improve the driveability and it's easy and cheap. I find crested wheatgrass is a cheap easy seed that grows well in arid places and helps to prevent erosion. I don't think the L-shaped water diversion will work well, fresh soil doesn't handle washouts at all, the only way I have been able to prevent it is to make the Dyke higher the existing packed soil and have the wash out go over the existing soil, you might consider something like a series of ponds down the washout. The equipment's going to be your biggest expense, I would consider getting a track loader like an old cat with a ripper, you can find one cheap enough and have it delivered buying equipment transporter probably into the 30k range or lower I'm thinking maybe 20K for the equipment and 10K for transportation. And once you learned to operate it it's pretty straightforward. another option might be a plow pulled behind a four-wheel drive I've done that here with decent success, but I think your soil might be a little too Rocky also on the gentle sloping Terrain I've had really good luck plowing horizontal to the slope, it really help to retain a lot of the moisture, but I think with an old Cat dozer and a ripper you'd be able to do all of that and much more. I use a cat 951c, I can repair it myself, but if you have to pay for repairs it can get costly but if you get a machine that's in decent shape and operated patiently, it should last you a long time without repairs.
There was a teen farmer named Dylan Rounds who owned a remote ranch in Utah. His last phone call to his mom was about how proud he was about his upcoming crop. Some drifter killed him and his body has yet to be found. I planned and prepped to cycle solo from Vegas to Los Angeles, so I considered I-15. Then I looked at the type and volume of traffic and went south instead of west out of LV. That put me on backroads desert country, just like in your wide shots. I came physically and mentally ready to do anyone/anything harm in my defense, so be careful. The most dangerous animal is human, and my solo ride proved it. I get what you're trying to do, you're a lot more prepped than the dude that bought the old Serro Gordo (CA) mining town. I've done work in WY and CO and my mind wanders into lending a hand, definitely reach out to others for your safety.
Have you gotten any consultation on a way to do this that might have a higher chance of working so you do not end up wasting money? I'd imagine there are consultants that could get data like the topography of your property, as well as weather patterns and whatnot. Maybe a university or something that could push you in the right direction about what type of terraforming would lead to the results you desire without all the worry of erosion and whatnot.
Glad to see another full video
Man I'm hooked on this. I really can't wait for more vids. Hope it all goes well.
I’m sure you’ve considered this already, but what about doing the same L shaped berms out of gabion baskets? It looks like you have plenty of rocks. It’ll take a ton of labor, but they work really well.
I was thinking limestone blocks could work too. Buy once, cry once...
Sounds like a plan 🙌
Great idea!
I've no experience, but this sounds like a good idea to avoid the use of expensive machinery.
Could metal rods be hammered into the ground and used to anchor the gabion baskets, then fill the baskets with stones and top off with sand/soil?
First off these videos are super awesome! I really enjoy you sharing all of the ups and downs of you learning how to manage this property. It is a really cool passion project and I am glad that you are sharing it with us. But I was wandering if maybe it would be a good option to work on the viability of the roads leading to and from the property. I think just that alone would help a ton with every future aspect of the property.
As someone who almost bought land in Terlingua 15 year ago and owns 100+ acres in central Texas even this looks ultra remote. Sadly though anywhere in the border exclusion zone can expect 'traffic' through their property and that was a big reason I never bought out there. I think eventually I will but out there but you better have a pretty big warchest of cash. I hope you eventually get the work done out there.
Keep going, don’t stop no matter how hard task will be. This land will be fruitful in many ways, love the ambition and hard work.
Hi Shaun. I Love your work.
Thanks for the video, and sharing your passion project with the rest of us. My only advice, air down your tires before you drive on down those roads. It will save your tires, and prevent flats.
Shaun, first things first You need to build a compound on the highest point on your property. You need to get some water tanks out there, some solar, and some sort of cell phone antenna, starlink comes to mind that's what I have.
Then what you're going to need is to learn how to run that equipment yourself, you're never going to be able to do what you want to do by hiring somebody else and not go totally broke in the process.
I've developed three properties from scratch in my lifetime so far, And I'm too old to start a fourth.
Working with that caliche, limestone aggregate, this substrate will not make substantial berms, You're going to need geotextile an actual ponds that will hold water. I've seen berms that you're talking about wash out after one rain.
Push the reset button and get your compound bilt first, learn the seasons and where the water flows and then decide just what you're going to do.
Thank you for your comment, please be aware of scammers.
Can't wait for the next episode!!
Work as a novice equipment operator for 3 to 6 months, get some experience. That will give you some perspective on what it is going to take to do your project and perhaps the skills to do it yourself. These guys likely kept raising the price as a way of saying "we do not want to do it."
I just bought an older 50hp Case Backhoe and taught myself to operate it, withing a few months I was as good as anyone on that machine....
Ha ha, bro is a programmer but is now picking up 2nd jobs as unskilled worker for months on end. Bro wants to finish the project before he dies 😂
Have you thought about a water collecting system? I don't know any climatic data for your property but usually you can 'harvest' the moisture that's in the air. Maybe a setup with a small electric pump which is hooked to a solar panel will do the trick. You could run water through your soil during daytime so it is rather cool and moisture will condansate above ground. Might need some shade to block heating through sunlight but should work just fine. Might not be a real permaculture thing but will provide water for the first plants in the first years.
The contractors have priced themselves out of business. For 25k buy your own excavator. Then buy a small rock crusher for gravel roads.
Get your own equipment and off grid cabin. Start with small swales. I recently sold 52 acers, Harper Texas, that I built 7 miles of swales. 21 hp Kubota. Most of them were small swales. One or two feet deep. I built larger ones where a small tractor could handle the geology of the micro terrain. Took me years working on weekends. Went from ag exemption to wildlife exemption. Swales work! small swales can be walked and repaired with a shovel. Approximately 30 feet, down hill, between swales
I feel like you have big dreams but need to start small… survey the land and watersheds, even small rock dams can make a difference…build living accom on site, gets logs or trim trees for wood chips, remove invasive species, begin fencing small areas for orchards and make walking trail paths, begin a small self sufficient garden, shed ect small projects will give you better understanding of what the land needs ect
Agree about starting small. By living on the land for a year and watching what happens is a great tool to its future. Walk the land and see what it offers in resources. Use those.
Living there or having someone who can watch over everything would also be invaluable. This would help especially with and how the land floods and holds water.
Agree with many of the suggestions. Rather than intercepting water in the high energy wash, have you considered swales instead as a proven way to soak water into the entire landscape? Engineering wise they're much simpler and easier, and can be done a bit at a time at your own speed. Less make-or-break also. Hope that's helpful. I believe in you!!!
never feel bad about "wasting" a company's time on a bid. But: be professional enough to let them know, it's too much or not going to work or you've decided to go another way. I hated it when callers just went silent on me when I was on the other side.
They didn't call me back. I don't ghost people I've been working with
The Excavation company talked about rain land slides, but what about you recognizing strata that is deeper? The skidsteer will work only if the excavation stays sand and gravel. What about keylines? What about using a ditch witch to perform the keyline technique?
I hope you have a way to protect your self when you are out there by yourself.
What are the GPS coordinates of the ranch? I recently purchased some land on the Quitman Mountain area. I'm interested in knowing how close we are.
Getting shot and or robbed out there by traffickers always needs to be in the back of your mind. If they don't kill you for your truck but just take it you're pretty screwed. I'd bury some cashes with food and water around your camp with some basics in them if I were you my guy. Stay safe. Always have your sidearm on you.
I’ve been thinking of buying some land so I’m here to follow your project progress
Buy a used Bobcat. Renew the extended warranty on the Bobcat. Do the job. Sell the machine. Sell extended warranties for machines to fund additional property purchases.
Definitely, he is going to need the equipment more often than he thinks. Many more projects after building the catchments.
From personal experience, a Bobcat is too small.... This guy needs at the least, a backhoe or a decent sized excavator and a tip truck....
@@MickH60 i agree a bobcat is to small
I’m liking this longer videos. Might even create some more revenue for the project. I want to this work out for this guy so bad. Pretty dang cool to me
Buy used equipment and teach yourself to operate it. Sell it or upgrade as needed. Hire riggers for transporting it to and from the property.
yeah those desert rainstorms are no joke. you aint catching a flash flood in any berms lol. you'll have to create a system NEXT to the main drainage canal to capture excess runoff, or dig a deep ditch near the main drainage where you can drop a large pump down to fill the berms up and hydrate the land
I disagree with the people saying that you should delete the video because of the image with the drug mules. The last thing a cartel wants to do is mess with an American INSIDE the US, if anything it's good for them to know that that land is not empty anymore and hopefully begin crossing through another place. It does rain strongly in El Paso a few times per year, but making the Ls fat shaped and letting the water through will definitely help slow down the erosion of them. If you put gobernadora plants or other kind of desert plant on top of the Ls I'd bet that the erosion would be minimized to a point that's acceptable. Being from here I can tell you that part of the problem with the contractos is the accessibility to the location, before doing anything I'd build some kind of dirt road for easier accessibility as well as some markings to make the location easier to find. You could probably make one of the Ls yourself with tools that you can carry on your truck so that you can get an idea of the integrity of the structure. Keep in mind that temperatures are about to rise, though, and that can add another layer of difficulty to being out there
Thanks for the gobernadora suggestion. I'll read up on it.
Most people's knowledge of cartels comes from Narcos or Breaking Bad, mine included. Their advice is coming from a good place, although I disagree with the conclusion
In my opinion, you should sell the lot, and buy another one close to Highway 10, driving 4 hours from the highway to the lot is a true waste of time. You may not be able to buy 300 acres, but how about 50 acres and have time to make thing works. It also significantly reduces all of the costs.
I would buy an old dozer and do a little by little it would be a lot of fun
Have you considered the "Man Who Planted Trees" approach? It might be far cheaper, just dedicate few acres to it and then you can make comparison to your main project.
You can get far just building gabion walls using the stone on the land. Also look up some Indian technology were over in India, they use dry stack stone to make Chevrons we’re the water flows over the top. Digging into the ground is better just to build up some sand traps, than trying to use berms in the fast flowing areas. Berms are great for slow flow. Seriously think about getting a rifle and bullet proof gear to keep in the truck. You bought in a high risk drug mule and coyote trafficking area. Being city nice in that area can cost you your life as no help is coming. Self reliance is what you need for this project.
I'm emotionally invested in this journey lol don't give up I can't wait for the next video.
Probably should have know the price of moving dirt on the scale you need before buying the property
Hey Shaun, I find the project fascinating. I find myself eagerly awaiting the next installment, but I am thankful to have a big story to watch unfold in real time. Most of my input (buy some used equipment) has been thoroughly enough covered by experienced folks in the comments. I just want to say I'm rooting for you. I was trying to be sincere, but then made a "root" pun... Peace and blessings my friend - your project has great value and merit.
Hubris.
Did you ever bother to ask those old ranchers whose families have been out there for over a century, whether they've tried anything like this?
Hint: they have.
I wish you were able to post updates more frequently, it’s a really interesting project. Appreciate the remoteness, the day job, the editing and the actual project all eat into your time, but, it is really interesting.
You are going to call me crazy, but by the equipment and contract operators. I worked at a shop, we repaired pallet jacks and fork lifts for companies like Foxconn, the reason they make money is that they own the machinery. The cheapest part of operating a business is the human coast, the expensive part is keeping your machines in working condition.
The operators need something to love in. Asking someone to live in a trailer in the summer is not something I'd ask someone to do. Need a structure first
@@dustupstexas 3 hours to your left, in the Pecos area, people do that for oil. My sister husband is supervisor for oil rigs, the conditions you described is the life he had since they meet.
You know what is the real issue, Nobody values the intrinsic value of life (plants/animals). When I am up rooting trees that grow on my house because they can't properly grow under my pines, nobodies comes and helps, the same way nobody helps to pick up the trash other people left under the shade of my trees. But across the street there is a dead park, people destroyed because there wasn't a crazy lady who cares more about plants than people to protect it.
Once your vision starts to take shape and there is beauty in what you create, people will gather around it, but nobody is willing to scarify to create... yet everybody sells their (soul) time for money.
You know, in southern mexico in Durango sierra people go to "las labores" meaning plantation fields of acres about 2 hours away from the small town my mom grew up in. There is no running water or electricity, but people build up Adobe buildings where they would store things like seed and water and where they would take shelter the months they were planting away from home. I know it is not the Usual standard of living most people would settle with, but it has worked for hundreds of years. Maybe the solution is in going a bit pioneer, and learn how people settle in arid deserts like paso de el norte 300 years ago,
Adobe constructions thermo regulate, and you make adobe with straw, clay, and wood frames, and bake them on the sun. And knowing the area, I am sure you got clay deposits on it. Knowledge is power, or in this case free material on a county without HOA or construction regulations. Stop thinking like a city dweller, Google will only sell you stuff, not give you solutions. Imagine your self as the Pioneer who is taming the wild desert you are trying to tame.
BTW, post when you go to your land and when you get back, buying an old excavator and hiring as retired operator is a good idea, but have the plan ready to go
I have a few ideas. Use a auger attachment to drill a line of holes to catch water. Use the rubble from the holes to create a berm down stream from the holes . A double row of holes staggered . It should be easy if the rocks aren't too big.
A chain link fence slows water and causes top soil to deposit . It is a gradual process.
Turn over a large rock to see if it is damp underneath . If it is damp plant something under it. Put up poles for a tarp for shade leave the poles cemented in place . Take the tarp home with you. Any structure would attract people and would be destroyed by the weather.
Roads on farms are higher than the fields and act like berms . Mesquite trees put nitrogen back in the soil .
IF you plowed part of the flat areas to see if that will hold moisture .
Right off the bat - a skid steer is the wrong machine for this job. Second, you will go broke having all of this work done by companies that must make profits or renting machines. Take a 4 week heavy equipment operating class. Focus on excavators & bulldozers. Then go shopping (it may take you a year to find the right machines) for a used mid size excavator and a small bulldozer with a 6 way hydraulic blade (used for finish grading). Get them serviced by a reliable shop and moved out to your property. Since you are a tech guy you should be able to fit them with satellite guidance controls - so necessary when you must depend on your slope to manage water flow. To much slope and you'll constantly be battling erosion. To little slope and your runoff will puddle and fill up with blowing sand. THEN - you will be ready to start building swales.
I specialize in dirt work and laser leveling and rainwater harvesting. The key to water catchment is three sided berms. The other key is spacing and that is all determined by slope. I have some videos that show areas I worked and how much rain they have caught.
Honestly, what I would do is forget about the wash. Anything you do in the wash outside of giant rock gabions is going to wash away in the first rainfall. Go up on the high ground with a small tractor in a single bottom plow, and start digging a single trench every 70 to 80 feet on contour. In addition, you could get a bobcat and dig holes around every existing tree base just one hole that would fill in the rain. Or use shovels depending on how hard the ground is. I would recommend making it easy on yourself until you figure out the best way to do it. But please stay out of the wash you’re just throwing money away.
Super cool project man! Give that guy Heavy D a call. He seems to love these out of reach excavation projects, and helping others.
My 2 cents.. renting machinery or companies to do all this will turn it into a multi (Mega?)million dollar project. Maybe buy a large excavator used,you will need it from now on to do this project. Forget the L shaped berms,one large rain is going to carry them away. You are very inexperienced in this,but don't let that stop you,this is how you learn,and unfortunately its a tough lesson. If you can improve a road be it with a dozer or whatever to the place it might help. You've picked one of the worst,toughest properties to work,and it's going to cost time and money. A solid plan would also be a good idea, changing things around constantly is expensive.
I watched all of your videos up to this point. Very good content and I'm a subscriber. Like your other commenters, I have some opinions. Like it or not I'm about to share them, lol.
Greener does not equal better. Your property is beautiful the way it is. It supports lots of diverse wildlife and is not inferior to a forest.
To design a water catchment system like you want that will function and last, you really need experienced engineers to do it. Asking the excavators their opinions on what will work best is better than nothing, but more than likely it won't work well and will be quickly eroded away (like they tried to tell you). Moving water is powerful, especially when it's carrying debris with it. These aren't gentle streams, they are raging torrents. You wouldn't expect a welder at a shipyard to be able to design a ship. That is kinda what you are asking the excavators to do.
To do this on a budget you are going to have to do it yourself. Get some used equipment and learn how to use it. There is no way around that. First improve the road a bit. Then get yourself a camper and live out there so you don't waste so much time and money on travel. Get Starlink so you can keep the business going.
Just some of my thoughts, only trying to help. Wishing you the best of luck.
Wow man, your remoteness is such a huge hurdle. You have stacked so much against yourself from the start. You can't rely on most people- especially way out there and especially those without the 'dream' too. Just get a nice big Cat excavator, a tractor, a skid steer and find a couple of good, loyal people as crazy as you are that you can rely on and do it yourself. Learn by doing, not delegating. You are going to fail a lot but just learn and don't stop. A permaculture food forest in the middle of the desert is sooo worth it! It ain't gonna be easy though. You'll have to be nice to the mules and don't give them a reason to shoot you! (You might wanna learn a little Spanish!) Word gets around fast, especially among Mexicans. When the thing gets going, they are going to want to stop and stay there on their way. You can cross that bridge when you come to it. Bring lots of guns and never leave the place unoccupied. Stockpile food, tools, supplies, hardware and essentials and just spend time out there excavating and building the water works, planting and building infrastructure, greenhouses, outbuildings, etc.
I hate to break it to ya but this is the kind of place you need to live on and isn't that the ultimate aim anyway? If you create an Eden, why would you want to ever leave? Slowly but surely make it self sufficient. I haven't heard anything about swales yet. I dream about building swales and planting them with traditional permaculture successional plants every single day. My first love would be to do exactly what you are doing but I'm too old for that kind of time commitment so we're doing it somewhere that gets 45 inches of rain. It'll still be wonderful and will be done before I die! (hopefully) Then I can pass it to my kids- especially if SHTF.
I would not have chosen land so close to Mexico or so remote. That's water under the bridge now, but it is going to make your project much more dangerous, hard and tricky. I hope you're up to it because it ain't gonna be no picnic at times! If I were to be honest with you, I'd tell you that you are a bit naive and green around the ears about such an all consuming undertaking. You're going to have to harden up and become more savvy. That's going to take blood, sweat, tears and your own labor. That's also why it will be important to spend most of your time there. The desert will 'cure' you and deepen you. :) At least you're smart so you have some hope. But smarts ain't even the most important trait and it could sabotage you too if you're not honest with yourself. The whole way you are doing this makes me very nervous. But I am watching with bated breath and may God and luck (And the Force!) be with you!!!
You have a scammer here down below my post. They're all over TH-cam. They seem to think I'm a sucker because I'm a dreamer. I am not.
P.S.- Oope, it looks like he's gone now. What a shock. TH-cam deleted him for "multiple, severe violations." lol... I should have copied & saved his scam. He actually appropriated part of your channel and put a short video of himself there like a dumbshit. He also actually very much sounded like and looked the part of an arms dealer from Romania! :) Between the Libtards and the criminals, TH-cam is suffering...........
Great advice man. He seems a bit over his head but this could up being an amazing project
Shaun,
I am a retired excavating contractor . I live in West Texas . I can do this work for you . Equipment can be rented from Caterpillar . You don't need that large of equipment and that means the equipment can be rented and hauled on a 40' gooseneck trailer and with a one ton pick-up truck . Fuel can be hauled to your site in 55 gallon drums and hand pumped into the equipment . A grease gun, a case of grease and 10 - 15 gallons of DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) is all that would be required to complete this phase of your project . I will operate the equipment at a rate of $25/hour . I could camp on-site and that would minimize travel . I have a 40' gooseneck and a 1 ton pick-up and I can haul the equipment necessary to do your job .
If you like my line of thought, let me know . I will be happy to meet you on your site and we can discuss your ideas further .
You can reach me at 832-724-4197 most anytime . I live on my ranch about 3 hours east of Sierra Blanca, just outside the town of Iraan, Texas .
I'm doing similar things you are talking about doing on your property . My goal is to make my ranch produce everything I eat . Since I owned a heavy/civil construction company for over 35 years, there isn't much I haven't encountered in my career . I believe in what you are doing with your property and would like to help you in anyway I can .