As I sit by the crackling fire in my cabin, surrounded by the serene winter landscape, the city life seems a lifetime away. The decision to move from the city to this secluded haven, in the middle of winter, was a rollercoaster of adventures, challenges and of re-learning everything I took for granted. But it was all worth it.
I'm sharing my personal experience to help you avoid some of my mistakes, so you can embark on your journey being better prepared than I was.
The first post in this series is all about: snow removal.
So, there I was, making my grand entrance into the winter wonderland. Little did I know, navigating through layers of snow was going to be my new favorite cardio. Turns out, after enjoying my freshly brewed coffee while admiring the beautiful view of fresh snow - I was stuck. I couldn't get out, and no one could get in. Snowed in.
I sent my husband out to the cold, to clear the long and winding gravel driveway. How long will it take? he'll be back by the time the next coffee pot brews!
Well, not really.
And that's how our journey of buying all snow removal items beggins.
We thought we could get away with a nice 2500$ snow blower, it even felt like a splurge! but quickly we realized that a narrow plow means going up and down a steep, curvy and icy driveway. spending 1-2 hours after every snowfall was not a sustainable plan for a cabin in New England.
Lesson learned: Invest in a snow plow that is wide enough to clear your driveway easily. Unless you have a short driveway, or a lot of free time.
Another obstacle we faced with the fancy snowblower, was it's weight. On the store's smooth and flat surface everything is easy, but maneuvering a heavy snowblower on a slippery driveway up and down a hill is a different story. While my husband was able to navigate the snowblower, I wasn't. I admit that at first it was convenient for me, but I learned pretty quickly that not being able share that responsibility ment leaving or entering was dependent on his schedule (try telling your employer you need to leave the zoom meeting to clear your driveway, because your wife is waiting for a amazon delivery).
Lesson learned: Get a snowblower / plow that all household members are able to operate in times of need.
With a too-small, too-heavy snowblower, and a too-long, too-steep, too-curvy driveway, we did the bare minimum to be able to get in and out. But very quickly we learned that we created an ice trap. The time we saved on plowing, we paid for in breaking ice with a hammer. Let me explain...
Every winter has a few warm days, just above freezing temperatures. It's a magical feeling when the sun is out and the air doesn't hurt your face - some tiny streams even start forming on the driveway from melting snow. But we were wrong to get excited. because once the night fell and temperatures dropped, the water turned into thin, deadly ice. We were no longer snowed in, we were iced in.
Lesson learned: Clear the driveway generously, till the dirt. Plow a spot to Park, and enough room to turn around!
FINALLY the driveway is clear, time to take out that 2-wheel drive and enjoy your hard work! Well, not so fast. Winter has a magical way of turning everything into ice, even a super clear driveway. Now it's time for another trip (or 4) up and down the driveway.
Coming from the city, we thought a hand spreader for ice melt would make our lives easy. In reality, it's heavy, and holds such a little amount of ice melt, that we were constantly walking up and down just to refill the spreader.
After a few days we realized we should upgrade, and bought a wheelbarrow salt spreader. Easy to push, larger capacity - sounds good, right?
Well, just like the snowblower, it turns out that a narrow machine can only cover a narrow part at once. and the capacity? oh, you need a stockpile of that stuff if you want it to work.
Lesson learned: Invest in a wide, high volume, spreader.
Eventually, we realized that walking up and down in deep snow or slippery ice is just not how we want to spend the winter. We ended up buying a used 4X4 ATV, added a wide plow on the front, and a large mechanical wheelbarrow salt spreader towed from behind. A quick round trip that allows to clear the snow off our driveway, and spread a decent amount of sand, salt or ice melt. And now, finally, we can jump back in just in time for the coffee to finish brewing.
The longer the driveway - the larger the plowing and icing equipment should be.
The amount of ice melt / sand you'll need is X4 than what you expect - consider buying in bulk.
Always clear extra space for U-turns - especially if you plan to have visitors or deliveries. If you neglect to plan for it in advance, you'll find yourself breaking through layers of ice later.
Choose plowing and salting gear that all adults are able to operate - being able to keep your lifeline to civilization is not just a luxury, it's a matter of safety too.
Backups - while powered equipment is the most time efficient, things can always break, and it tends to happen in the worst timing. Having manual options will be a lifesaver.
4x4 / all wheel drive vehicle is a must, regardless of your snow clearing abilities.
Spend the winter in Florida?