Our Vision for Turning 26 Acres in Georgia Into a Family Retreat
When we bought this place, we didn’t just buy a house and some land.
At least, that’s not how I see it.
We bought a long-term project. A family retreat. A place where our kids would want to come hang out. A place where our grandkids could grow up exploring, playing, learning, and making memories. A place where it feels like we’re always just a little bit on vacation, even when we’re home.
That’s the vision anyway.
And I’ll be the first to admit, it’s a pretty ambitious one.
We’ve got 26 acres here in Georgia, and while I’m extremely grateful for what we already have, I also see a lot of potential. Some of the projects are practical. Some are fun. Some are probably a little crazy. But all of them tie back to one bigger idea:
We want to turn this property into a place our family can enjoy for years to come.
It won’t happen overnight. It probably won’t happen in a year or two. This is a long-term vision, and I hope I don’t run out of years before I get everything done.
But every project we finish makes the property a little more enjoyable. And honestly, the journey is half the fun.
Creating a Pine Savannah From an Overgrown Pine Thicket
At the front of the property, we have an area we call “the pines.”
That name fits because it’s basically five or six acres of 15-year-old loblolly pine trees.
This area used to be cow pasture. About 15 years ago, the cows were pulled off, the land stopped being maintained, and nature did what nature does. It turned into a thick jungle of pines.
For the last few years, I’ve been slowly chipping away at it by hand. And when I say by hand, I mean one tree at a time with a chainsaw.
Cut it down. Limb it. Cut it up. Pile it. Repeat.
It’s slow work.
But I have a vision for this area.
I’d love to turn it into a more open pine savannah with scattered pines, maybe a few oaks mixed in, native grasses and wildflowers underneath, and trails winding through it.
I can picture benches, wildlife viewing spots, and little places to stop and enjoy the property.
It would be a great place for my wife and me to take evening walks. It would be an awesome area for the grandkids to explore. They could learn about wildlife, plants, trees, and just enjoy being outside.
That’s the kind of stuff I want this place to be about.
It’s going to take a lot of work, especially doing it with a chainsaw and sweat equity. Eventually, I’d love to get some bigger equipment in there and tackle it on a larger scale.
But for now, I’m just doing what I can, one tree at a time.
The Backyard Par 3 Golf Hole
One of the craziest things I’ve done on the property so far also turned out to be one of the most rewarding.
I built a little par 3 golf setup.
Now, I don’t know if I can officially call it a golf hole. There’s no real green. It’s more like a par 3 driving range with a flag. But it has become one of my favorite things on the whole property.
It started almost on a whim.
I’m not some super serious golfer, but my son got into golf a few years ago, and I started playing again with him. It kind of became our thing.
Now he comes over to the house almost every day on his lunch break. We eat lunch, then we go hit golf balls.
That alone has made it worth it.
But it gets even better because my little granddaughter loves coming over and picking up the golf balls. To her, it’s basically a never-ending Easter egg hunt.
There’s something pretty special about that.
I also enjoy going out in the evenings and hitting a few golf balls just to unwind. Even walking around and picking them up afterward is kind of therapeutic.
The setup is about 140 to 150 yards, depending on where we hit from. It still needs a lot of work, though.
I’d like to clean up and widen the fairway area, make it look more like an extension of the yard, and eventually put in better tee box areas.
I don’t plan to build a full green because that would be a lot of work to build and maintain. But I would like to add a few more flags or target rings to make it more fun and competitive.
It may have started as a simple idea, but it has already created a lot of memories.
That’s exactly what I want more of around here.
Updating the House Exterior and Adding More Living Space
The house itself has plenty of work ahead too.
I’m not even going to get into the interior renovations here because that’s a whole separate subject. But on the outside, we’d like to update the look and make it more attractive and functional.
We’ve talked about painting the house white, though we’re not completely sold on that yet. I like the idea of white with natural wood shutters, natural wood posts, and some wood trim to warm it up.
Basically, we want it to feel more inviting and fit the property better.
One of the bigger plans is to enclose part of the carport and turn that space into a new primary bedroom and bathroom.
That would give us a third bedroom and a second full bath, which would make the house work a lot better for us.
It would also let me move my office upstairs into the bedroom we’re currently using, which means I could finally quit working every day down in what I lovingly refer to as the dungeon of a basement.
The front portion of the carport would become a covered front porch area with a railing across it. We’d bring the front wall of the house forward, line everything up, and give the house a much cleaner front elevation.
It’s one of those projects that would completely change how the house looks and functions.
Building a Yard Made for Family
The yard is another big part of the vision.
Everything we’re trying to do here comes back to having a place where friends and family can gather, hang out, and enjoy being together.
Right now, we’ve got a makeshift fire pit area. It works, but I want to turn it into something much nicer.
I’d love to have a permanent fire pit area with good seating, maybe a swing, and a comfortable place where everyone can gather around the fire, tell stories, laugh, and just enjoy the evening.
We also have a swing set for my granddaughter that we picked up off Facebook Marketplace for around $30. It needs work, but she already loves it.
I’ve started reinforcing parts of it, and eventually I want to clean it up, paint it, and make it look nice for her.
Again, it’s not about having some perfect magazine-looking yard.
It’s about building a place people want to be.
Growing More of Our Own Food
Another part of the vision is growing more food here on the property.
We’re not trying to be hardcore preppers or anything like that. But we do like the idea of being a little more self-sufficient.
Groceries keep getting more expensive, and it seems like there’s always another story about food contamination or recalls.
I’m a hunter, so putting our own meat on the table is already important to me. But I’d like to grow more fruit and vegetables too.
I’ve already planted a couple of muscadine vines, and I’d like to add thornless blackberries on a trellis.
I’d also like to plant fruit trees — maybe peaches, pears, apples, or a mix of different things that will grow well here in Georgia.
At some point, I want to build some raised garden beds for ourselves. I built some for my father already, and I’d like to do the same here.
The challenge is finding the right spot that gets enough sunlight and is still close enough to water easily.
That’s one thing I’ve learned about property projects: every idea comes with five more things you have to figure out.
But growing more of our own food is definitely part of the long-term plan.
Adding a Back Deck With a View
The back of the house is kind of an eyesore right now, but it has a lot of potential.
We have a walkout basement, and the land drops off behind the house toward the creek and woods.
One thing I’d really like to do is build a nice deck off the main level of the house. Maybe coming out from the living room, and possibly the kitchen too, with double doors leading outside.
Then I’d like to clean up the brush and low-growing shrubs behind the house, including some Chinese privet that needs to go anyway.
The goal would be to open up the view down into the woods and toward the creek.
If the bigger dream ever happens, that view could be even better.
But we’ll get to that in a minute.
Renovating the Old Shop
If you’ve followed along for any length of time, you already know the old shop is a big part of this whole story.
It still needs a ton of work.
The roof needs to be replaced. The outside needs to be redone. The inside needs plenty of work too.
But I’m using it.
It may not be pretty yet, and yes, the roof still leaks. But I’ve figured out where my tools can go so they don’t get wet, and I’m able to use the space for woodworking projects.
That alone has been a big deal.
Long term, I want to turn that shop into a much better workspace. Better layout, better storage, better lighting, better organization, and eventually a roof that doesn’t make me nervous every time it rains.
It’s frustrating because I want to get that roof done so badly. Once the roof is handled, I can really start improving the inside.
But like everything else on this property, it’ll come in time.
For now, I’m grateful to have the space and excited about what it can become.
The Chicken Coop and Small Homestead Projects
Behind the shop, we’ve been working on my granddaughter’s chicken coop.
The run is roughly 12 by 25 feet, and I’ve been building out the enclosed coop area, nesting boxes, and everything the chickens need.
This area used to be a mess of shelving, PVC pipe, and old plumbing materials. Getting that cleaned up has already made a big difference.
The chickens have been growing fast, and they’re about ready to get out of the brooder box and into their new home.
This is another one of those projects that fits the bigger picture.
It’s practical. It teaches the grandkids. It gives us eggs. It adds life to the property.
And it gives us another reason to spend time outside.
The Sawmill Dream
Behind the shop is another covered bay area that still needs a lot of cleanup.
It’s much better than it was, but there’s still plenty of junk to haul off and wood to organize.
My dream for that area is to eventually put a sawmill there.
That would be huge for me.
We have plenty of trees on the back of the property — oaks, hickories, poplars, pines, and more. I love the idea of cutting trees from our own land, milling them right there behind the shop, drying the lumber, and eventually turning it into furniture or other projects for the house and property.
Taking a tree from the property and turning it into a finished piece for our home would be about as good as it gets.
That’s one of those dreams I really want to make happen.
The Big Dream: A Lake Behind the House
Now we get to the big one.
The possibly crazy one.
Behind the house, the land drops down into a creek bottom. There are probably around 10 acres of hardwoods back there, and a creek runs parallel to the back of the house.
That creek runs year-round. I haven’t seen it dry up. It comes from a natural spring that feeds my neighbor’s pond, then the overflow creates the creek behind us.
Every time I walk back there, I can’t help but think the same thing:
This would be the perfect place for a lake.
If a dam could be built in the right spot, I believe we could have a two- or three-acre lake behind the house.
And man, that would be the ultimate addition to this property.
Imagine sitting on a deck behind the house looking out over water. Steps leading down the hill to a dock. Fishing with the grandkids. Swimming. Kayaking. Watching wildlife. Just having a place where family can gather and enjoy the outdoors.
That is the big dream.
Now, I have zero experience building ponds or lakes. I don’t know what it would cost. I don’t know all the permitting, engineering, or dirt work involved. It may be way more expensive than I’m imagining.
It could be a six-figure project for all I know.
So it’s not at the top of the list right now.
But it is on the list.
Maybe one day, if this channel and these projects grow enough, we can bring in the equipment, get the right help, and make that lake happen.
That would be the ultimate family retreat project.
Why We’re Doing All This
This whole vision is not something we’re going to knock out quickly.
This is a long-term plan.
Maybe a very long-term plan.
But I’m glad to finally put it into words because it explains a lot of what we’re working toward.
We’re not just randomly doing projects.
We’re trying to build a place.
A place for our kids.
A place for our grandkids.
A place for friends and family.
A place where we can work, play, grow food, build things, enjoy nature, and make memories.
And while I’m excited about the finished product, I also really enjoy the process.
There’s definitely a good feeling when you finish a project and get to enjoy it. But the planning, the struggle, the figuring it out, the little wins along the way — that’s part of what makes it worthwhile.
Every cleanup project, every tree cut, every board nailed, every new trail, every garden bed, every improvement adds something to this place.
We’re already enjoying the property as it is.
But we can enjoy it even more.
Build a Vision for Your Own Place
You don’t need 26 acres to have a vision.
You might have one acre. You might have a small backyard. You might have a garage, a patio, a porch, a business, or some completely different dream.
The point is to have something you’re working toward.
Something that gets you excited.
Something that gives you a reason to get outside, pick up a tool, learn a skill, or make your place better than it was yesterday.
That’s what we’re trying to do here.
We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re moving.
And around here, that’s good enough for now.