Good afternoon everyone. I'm a new member to the site, having arrived here by googling the word "grubbing" and researching how to clear/grub a lot I may purchase for development and the construction of a building. What makes this rectangular property unique is that a creek runs through it, cutting it diagonally from the bottom left to the top right corner. This creek has scared away many potential buyers/developers, but given the nature of my business, I am pursuing ways to maintain/conserve it and give my building/business a unique identity. Since it's a year-round water source, the current owner of the land has let it get a good bit out of control over the past few years. I'm looking for any and all thoughts on the following: ways in which should go about it clearing/grubbing it myself (equipment to use, etc.), or general ballpark prices some of you would charge to do so in your neck of the woods. In the past couple weeks I've gotten back there with a Stihl FS-110 trimmer with saw blade attachment and an HS-81 hedgetrimmer to clear a walking path along the creek bank (for the surveyor) and a few other paths to the parcel boundaries. To say this work was intense would be an understatement. I live in the South, so it's a cool 95 degrees here right now and I was looked like I'd just jumped in a lake after about an hour of slinging the brushcutter around.
First, an aerial (birds eye) photo of what the property looked like approx. 3-4 years ago soon after the current landowner rented a bobcat (he things, wasn't sure) and a billy goat walk-behind mower and did his best to cut everything down...something he determined that he was too old to do again!
View attachment 191256
Second, a more current aerial view of the property...notice you can barely make out the outline of the creek it's so thick and overgrown now:
View attachment 191257
Third and fourth, two photos I took with my phone from "deep inside the bush"...in both you can see the path that I cut on the left.
View attachment 191258View attachment 191259
The area I need to focus on is of course the thickest part...if you're looking at the first two photos above, it's the area on the right side of the creek. The area to the left of the creek is mostly kudzu and should be a little easier to clear (famous last words, I know).
Any and all thoughts, comments, suggestions, etc. are welcomed and greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and I'm looking forward to being a member of this forum. Thanks!
First, an aerial (birds eye) photo of what the property looked like approx. 3-4 years ago soon after the current landowner rented a bobcat (he things, wasn't sure) and a billy goat walk-behind mower and did his best to cut everything down...something he determined that he was too old to do again!
View attachment 191256
Second, a more current aerial view of the property...notice you can barely make out the outline of the creek it's so thick and overgrown now:
View attachment 191257
Third and fourth, two photos I took with my phone from "deep inside the bush"...in both you can see the path that I cut on the left.
View attachment 191258View attachment 191259
The area I need to focus on is of course the thickest part...if you're looking at the first two photos above, it's the area on the right side of the creek. The area to the left of the creek is mostly kudzu and should be a little easier to clear (famous last words, I know).
Any and all thoughts, comments, suggestions, etc. are welcomed and greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and I'm looking forward to being a member of this forum. Thanks!