Well, it's 1/2 acre on already-developed land that is just a 30ft wide strip along the road.

Main issue with doing myself is accidentally toppling a 40ft+ tree with a shallow root ball trying to rip the brush out of the way. Also just cutting down a few 60ft+ cottons is beyond my skill.

If it was truly clearing 5 acres at $120k I think that's a steal. $50k for 1/2 acre of shallow trees on flat land along a road seems a rip-off. The other $70k is for grading and planting a hedge row - which seems even worse. I was expecting bids to come in around $40k total for the entire job + cost of the hedges.

Don’t know about that, but google is your friend. Asking family and friends what they do is allowed. Calling an independent insurance agent is also an option as they deal with multiple companies and should be able to set things up that work for you.

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When I was a kid it rained regularly in San Diego. We had toads in our yard during the monsoon season, there were endless groves of avocado and citrus as far as the eye could see, and it was easy to find natural springs and creeks in the hills while out hiking. The highways all has beautiful green plants, much of it flowering all summer.

Not any more… Makes me sad to think about what we’ve lost in just a few decades.

Lol. This insane rant would have been better aimed at someone who didn't buy 2 acres and a tractor. You have overblown every potential issue to try and claim 120k is reasonable.

Awesome. Everyone should get to experience it at least once.

Not a trail, but a dog park that has access to Lake Washington for swimming, is Luther Burbank, on Mercer Island.

My new county not only contains ten state parks, but is partially located within Olympic national park. Cool.

Yes it's very touristy, but it's that way for a reason - because it's amazing. The combination wildlife, variety, and geological features are just unmatched. It's not like it's impossible to get away from the crowds, either.

Also another fun fact about Yellowstone (kind of) - the valley through Idaho to the southwest of Yellowstone is there because of previous super-volcano eruptions, of which Yellowstone is simply the latest. As the continent is pushed further west, but the hotspot that formed yellowstone stays in place, there will be another super-volcano do the east of yellowstone.

One of the things I love most about nature is seeing the evidence of millions of years of Earth's history, and Yellowstone is chock-full of that. I don't know if there are better examples of plate tectonics in the entire world.

Growing up in the northwest this was 100% my opinion going through Yellowstone. The thing that makes Yellowstone cool is the animals, there are much better viewing experiences in other parks. But seeing herds of bison, or bears and wolves is incredible at Yellowstone. Grand Teton on the other hand felt undersold with its beautiful vistas and lack of traffic.

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I’ve been there many times before and it is pure magic. That’s part of why my recent trip was so sad.

One of those things you can’t control. We had the fortunate part of going during a very rainy/misty day on a trail we couldn’t find again if we tried. One of the more magical experiences, and even came across quite a few elk.

Went there this past summer to the main HOH trail, and was not the best experience. No dogs allowed which we didn’t know(and were traveling from MN so had no where else to put her) on top of overcrowded and dry.

Yea Yellowstones a little overrated IMO. I traveled there a lot when I was younger, and would prefer Olympic way over Yellowstone. Don’t get me wrong Yellowstone is still amazing and cool in its own ways, but give me Olympic any day.

Nah we have 5 acres that is mostly developed already. This is just one strip along the road that is unsightly that wasn't part of the original clearing and development. It's actually about 1/2 acre total (long and narrow).

are you really clearing the entire 5 acre lot? that’s like 130,000 sf of disturbed area

Indeed. This list is a typical bullshit survey intended to boost traffic to the website. Among the factors they use to rank parks is "proximity to big cities" and "entrance fees", as if either has any bearing on how good a park is.

Sounds like shallow hydrology as well. Septic planned?

LOL, sure, go for it. But clearing 5 acres isn't like working on your back yard.

Don't forget your dump truck to get the debris to the dump. And there is an art to being an operator. Plucking tree stumps particularly.

Screw it, I'll burn it! Sure. Go for it. Burn 5 acres of debris. See how that works out for you.

And I'm not sure if OP needs the lot cleared and graded. But that's a different machine. (and skills)

By the way, the Department of Ecology will come to visit. They are going to want to make sure you are in conformance with the Storm Water Management Manual for Western Washington. (I'm sure we are all familiar with that, right?)

Speaking of which, do you have any required permits from the County?

And, you'll want to secure the property. (ditches and logs typically) Because semi-rural Snohomish County will have your average nutjob with a 4x4 bombing around because they think it's fun. All good until they get stuck or hurt. Then problems.

What? Insurance? License? Bonded? Why am I being sued? What do you mean there's an eagle nest on the next property over? Why does that matter? (oh sweet summer child...)

So, by yourself save some dollars and 5-acres should take... a couple of months? Assuming one guy doing everything full time? Assuming no break downs, no issues, and no surprises.

Or you pay an experienced crew and they are done in half the time. (or less)

120K is a lot, but that is professional land development for you.

Not saying there aren't people out there that do exactly this. That's where we see projects get started and sort of stop. And then hang out sort of half done for years.

Good times...

I'm glad you're not upset about it

Which state is “HA”?

That was going to be my recommendation too.

I highly recommend Everett CC as a great one. I went to EvCC and also UW and I thought the teachers at EvCC were excellent too. They also have a few universities with a campus at EvCC!

I usually try to avoid driving in rush hour but I don’t view it as a problem. People gotta eat.

Oh no, a downvote, but can’t show me where I’m wrong.