Country Life In Argentina: What's It Really Like?

[steveinbsas]

Maginificent looking back yard, steveinbsas-san! Please post pics of avialble land adjacent to yours...
And how large was it?..Do you know price approximation for the available land and present building cost
of a house in that location per m2, so I will have a vague idea.

Also about security in the area. One has to rig the surrounding with mine-field in order to defend from invaders coming to rob you then possible kill you whilst at? Or is it sufficient just having a few Pit Bulls around?

Can foreigners with just a temp residency allowed to carry fire arms in your locality? have so many questions as to fill the prerequisites to planning to pay the visit in the area. And what about how to hire a security people to feed the dogs
whilst I'm off to going back home or just travelling around.?

OK Hybrid-san. I will answer your questions now.

The land that I might sell (next to my house is just under 2500 sq meters (46m x 54 m). It has four rows of tamarisco trees in the front and one along the outside edge of the property as well as several large eucalyptus trees on the property line in the back. Otherwise, it is open in the back to the land in the previous photos. My house is in the far front corner of the property and is obscured from view from the other side by tamarisco and eucalyptus trees. I have planted olive trees that will line an 8 meter wide "lane " between the two lots (leading to the property in back). I have no desire whatsoever to sell the land in the back, only the land beside me (facing the street). I am also considering constructing a "hacienda" style wall between the lots (at least on the side toward my house).

The lot beside my house is difficult to photograph because there is a 40 meter wide and 24 meter deep tamarisco "forest" in the front of the 54 meter deep property. This forest is comprised of four rows of tamarisco trees which create three arches. The house could be constructed in a clearing within the trees or directly behind them in the open area. The open area would be the ideal location for a house similar to or inspired by Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye in France. The views of the Argentine countryside from the second floor and/or rooftop garden would be very desirable.

http://villa-savoye....s-nationaux.fr/

There is some land on the other side of the lot next to me that might be available to buy, but it is open on two sides and has no trees, just a lot of scrub brush. I would not feel nearly as secure there as I do at my house. My property is truly an "oasis" in the pampas, but it is not easy to get to from the highway and the police station not far away. I do not worry about invaders coming to rob or kill me. I keep a low profile and drive a 20 year old Peugeot, but it's OK to have a new vehicle here. The previous owner had a Toyota Hilux! I recently left my house for six hours, forgetting to lock the kitchen door. Nothing happened.

I would budget $125-$150K USD to buy the land and build a house similar to mine. A (possibly much) lower cost alternative would be to build a log home. There are builders in the area who specialize in this. It's time to "trim" my eucalyptus trees (without killing them) and the harvest might be sufficient to provide enough logs to build a house...at least a cabana. After living here for four years I know where to buy materials at the best prices ans which contractors are trustworthy. i will be happy to help with the entire building process. I built a hose in Sayulita, Nayartit, Mexico when I didn't speak much Spanish, but i had help from other expats who lived there and knew who to trust.

I do not have the lot next to me listed for sale. I will not sell into the local market. There are no houses in front of me for about 200 meters and none on either side for about 500 meters. I will chose my new neighbor carefully. Once I sell the land (if I do) I lose control of it. The first thing I will do if and when I sell the land is finish the estancia style guest house in order to provide a place for my new neighbor to stay while their home is being built. The reason I want a neighbor is so that I can travel from time to time but not very often. I am a home body and I love being home. I will be here to watch my neighbor's house much more of the time than they will ever have to watch mine.

It is not possible for a temporary resident to get a gun permit. I have permanent residency so I qualify for a permit to keep a gun in my house. With or without a firearm, I feel much safer where I am now than when I lived in Capital Federal, Sayulita, or Chicago.

I will post some photos of the "lot next to my house" in a few minutes.

 

[steveinbsas]

Here are a few photos of the 46 m x 54 m lot next to my house:

The front 24 meters are covered by tamarisco trees and the back 30 meters are open with several large eucalyptus trees just beyond the back line. I will post photos of the view from the front of the property as well as to the open side very soon.

This is a view of the open space in the back of the lot. The present galpon and future estancia style guest house can see seen through the eucalyptus trees.

This is a view from the back of the lot looking toward the back row of tamarisco trees. The metal building (which eventually will be removed) is located in the middle of the future lane that will go from the street to the property in back. With some additional material to enclose it completely, it will serve as temporary storage for building materials during construction.

This photo was taken from the left hand corner of the tamarisco "forest' in the above photo...looking toward the back of the lot and the large eucalyptus trees:

 

[French jurist]

The open area would be the ideal location for a house similar to or inspired by Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye in France.

Steve is inviting me to be his neighbor! Would rock!

How much are the 2500 sq meters?

 

[steveinbsas]

Steve is inviting me to be his neighbor! Would rock!

How much are the 2500 sq meters?

You are definitely invited if you build this on the open area in the back half of the lot (and you would have a much better view than the original Villa Savoye has today):

The price of the land is less than $20 per square meter and that includes the cost of bringing electricity and municipal water to the lot. Ground water for irrigation is already there for the pumping.

 

[ghost]

Beautiful place Steve. Maybe a Google link would illustrate your descriptions more clearly/ visually.

 

[steveinbsas]

Beautiful place Steve. Maybe a Google link would illustrate your descriptions more clearly/ visually.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Here's a google shot that shows my property bordered by tamarisco trees which are brown and not green. It was probably taken during the winter two years ago. I had already cut the weeds in the back and I can see lighter circles in the photo that were only visible after that. The house is in the bottom corner of the "diamond" which is created by the angle of the photo and the beginning of the curve in the road is directly in front of the "far" corner of the property.

The metal "storage" building is visible in the center of the property towards the street, just behind the last row of tamarisco trees. The closest neighbors I have are directly behind me. The small white squares are shelters for small livestock.There are no houses in front or on either side of mine for hundreds of meters. The long silver structures below the brick factory are filled with chickens.

Near the bottom of the photo is a brick factory and you can see the mountain of bricks near the oven. it may be the quietest factory in the world. When this photo was taken the lagoon that usually forms during the spring rains was bone dry. It is now even fuller than it was when I took this photo from the upstairs window in the front of the house.

There are several horses that are free to graze on the land on which the brick factory is located:

The same day I crept to the edge of the water to take photos of the birds at the lagoon. When I stood up they took flight:

And this is a photo of the four rows of tamariscos in the front of the property. It was taken a year ago, one year after I cut all the small branches from the trunks with a machete. This is the end of the rows next to my house. They extend 80 meters toward the other side of the property, stopping about four meters before the fence line, providing a separate entrance for vehicles on that side.

One of the three "tunnels created by the rows of tamariscos is twice as wide as the other two. This photo shows a smaller one of two in the back. The wider tunnel was created by completely cutting what was once the fifth row. It's actually quite enchanting.

 

[studiodio]

What are my chances finding a house to rent in your region if I have 5 dogs? (would be a rent for 6 or 24 months, don't need luxury, just a closed garden for the dogs + a safe place).

Frenchie: The second place we lived in in the La Falda area had 5 dogs...and we ended up adopting one and took it with us to our current place. La Falda is very dog friendly...everyone seems to have a dog or two, and you see dogs roaming free all the time, even downtown. So, I dont think your dogs would be a problem...there are lots of temp rentals in the area, but are by the day (geared to the summer tourist trade)....but to find longer term rentals like we have had is a bit trickier....owners want to meet you/trust you. I think your best bet would be to come and check out the area. or you can do a search for La Falda, temp casa rentals, and if you find something you like, you could negotiate with the owner for a reduced price for a long term rent. I could check out any places you like that you have positive feedback from the owners. let me know how you do.

 

[steveinbsas]

Here's a photo of the land just outside my property (to the right (aka east) as you stand facing it). I took this photo several years ago. The brush has grown at an astonishing rate since then. There is another lagoon a bit further to the east, beyond the fence line (if you look closely you can see a fence post near the center of the photo). That is the far boundary of the property. The lagoon was dry when I took this photo. It is quite full today. Keep the two taller trees in the right upper corner in mind as a point of reference as you view the photo of the sunrise.

Note to Frenchie: You would have a terrific view of this land (and a lot more than in the photo) if you built a replica of LeCorb's Villa Savoye on the lot next to my house.

This is the view from just inside the front wall of my house looking toward the (then dry) lagoon near the brick factory.

This is a photo of a winter sunrise taken in the street in front of my driveway (the curve in the street begins at the corner of my property):

 

[Matiasba]

Very nice pictures Steve! Does it snow there?

 

[steveinbsas]

Very nice pictures Steve! Does it snow there?

I have lived here four years and there hasn't been any snow. Puddles in the driveway occasionally get a thin sheet of ice (overnight) in the winter and so does the pileta, but the ice always melts during the following day. I have seen photos of the center of Bahia Blanca after a measurable snowstorm, but the photos were taken at least 30 years ago.