Candie Lea

Hello all! We've been trying to start our homestead in SW Missouri for almost two years. We feel very blessed that we purchased our 40 acres before the big hike in prices in our area. Still, it's been quite the experience! We've hit snag after snag, mostly dealing with access issues -- since last summer, we have been trying to find someone to install a new MoDot approved entryway (we are on a rural highway, which is turning out to be a big hassle). Everyone is either too busy (one guy gave us work dates for 9 months, only to have something come up every time), or they are charging exorbitant prices (one guy gave an estimate four times that of his predecessor, who was too busy). We would do it ourselves, but the MoDot requirements are out side our skill set!

In the mean time, we are planning to use a very small, old entryway. We are tired of waiting, so we are going to camp on our property while working on a shower house and then a bunk house. We cannot get a well rig into our old entryway, so we are thinking of temporary alternatives.

Are shallow wells an option in this part of the Ozarks? We are about 40 minutes from Springfield. We have looked at sand-point wells and other hand-dug options. We are wondering if something like this could work for now? Or is the water table to low? We are in a lowish-area -- we get quite a bit of flash flooding in some areas of our property.

We also have a spring that has been running ever since we bought the place. Would it be simpler to pursue developing the spring?

Any advice would be appreciated! We have been working toward this dream for years and years, long before these crazy times started! Now, it seems more important than ever, but also more difficult. Still, with God's help we will make it work!

Hello all! We bought some property in Dade County, Missouri last year, and we are getting ready to put a well on it. Though I grew up on a homestead with well water, I've never had a well drilled before and don't know what to expect.

I'm wondering about the costs. I have read estimates online, but I'm curious what other people in the Ozarks have paid?

Also, what do you all do for waste? Septic? Composting toilet? Would love to hear your stories and recommendations!

Any advice would be appreciated! Also, recommendations for well drilling contractors in our area would be great too!

Just wanted to post an update here and say we found our dream acreage in Dade County! We found 40 acres with a year-round spring, mostly wooded with some pasture. The access is great -- further from Springfield than we hoped but still close enough to commute! We closed on it a couple months ago, and we are now all wintering in town and preparing to move out there this spring! I have been visiting various threads here getting ideas. I'm so excited about starting our adventure!

Matt Mill wrote:Candie, I live in Stone County between Reeds Spring and Branson West. The developer that built our neighborhood is now selling 700+ acres of land around Ance Creek in (I think) 20-40 acre plots, no restrictions. I don't have the realtors' information at the moment and don't see it online, but if you want to do a drive-by it's off of Ance Creek Road north of Branson West.

Thanks, Matt! But we really want to get out of the Branson/Branson West area. I am in Branson now.

P.S. I'm pretty sure I have met you and your family a couple times at church functions. I recognize your website. Your wife gave us a bunch of fresh dill last year for making pickles. It was amazing! Hope you all are doing well. :)

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the encouragement. We have been looking for a couple years. My folks just sold their little house, and with the rest of our savings, we are trying more seriously to find something.

Eric Hammond wrote:Greetings. I live outside of Marionville, so SW of Springfield about 45 minutes. I work In Springfield.

I found my 10 acre propert on landwatch.com.  It was listed by a hole in the wall agency in Aurora that didn't even use the internet, but somehow it still pulled up on landwatch.com although the county listed was wrong on the website.  I'm in Lawrence county, no building codes, they do require a septic system.  My property taxes with a 40x50 shop and 10 acres is less then $250 a year. You'd be wise to stay away from Greene and Christian county. Lots of codes and high taxes!

Lawrence county is awesome!

I can keep an eye out around here to property for sale as well.

We like the Lawrence Co. area, but we don't seem to see very many places out there we can afford. I have wondered about real estate companies that don't use the internet though. What company did you find your place with?

Are you saying they require septic systems for each dwelling? (Most of us would want that anyway, but some of my family has talked about composting toilets.)

Hello all! I have been a lurker on hear for quite awhile. :) My family is looking for 25 acres or more within 45 minutes of Springfield, MO for a family homestead. We plan to build several cabins/tiny houses, just for family members, and we want to raise a few animals and garden. We would prefer mostly woods, but a little pasture could be nice, too. We would love a creek (tall order I know), but its not a deal-breaker. We want to avoid Christian and Greene Counties (too many building codes). We have been looking mostly at bare land but would be interested in land with a modest home as well.

If you know of any land in that area, that's great. But I'd also love advice about where to look for land. We have scoured several websites (Realtor(dot)com, Zillow, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. We have been driving around and asking around. We have found a few things that COULD work, but nothing we were sure of quite yet. How did you find the land you live on? Are their any resources you recommend? Thanks so much!