Will he be hiring an architect?

@apple_pie_order - I doubt it! He's....frugal ;) If I thought I could convince him to do that, I'd probably not have to crowdsource on Houzz! lol

For such an expensive undertaking, I would hire an architect who has experience with local farms. Both architect and contractor would have to walk the property to understand the situation. Houzz may not have many commenters with farm experience.

Adding the rough location or nearest city to your post would help since climate and geography make a big difference. Houzz gives a certain amount of time to make changes, after that you can add info in the comments section.

@apple_pie_order - I don't disagree with any of your points - I would (and did, for mine), hire an architect too :) Added to the post just now that we are in the piedmont of NC. Just looking for ideas - not a "this will definitely work out" type plan.

Keep the livestock spaces downwind.

I think that land has a "feel". And where you site a house is both a 2D function (on a map, aerial view, etc), and utilities - but also on a farm property it's a function of soil conditions and appropriateness (not to mention areas that will support a traditional septic.

We have 15 acres - we walked it and found the right place - you need the sightlines, the "feel", the proximity to septic, water source, access, wetlands etc.

I really don't think we can help much.

What Mark said.

@just_janni - I agree. No concerns on septic in our area, definitely not in my brother’s lot. I grew up on this land so I have a bit of a mental block for the possibilities because all I can see is what it‘s always been. Mostly looking for creative minds out there to throw out some ideas on placements to get mine flowing. I’m sure if someone threw one out that didn’t have the right ”feel”, I’d recognize that immediately, but can’t have a reaction without an idea to react to :)

A pro in his area with experinece in farm layout is a heck of a lot better than crowd sourcing and getting 100s of ideas that are not helpful. I am not familiar with how to lay out a farm for instance . I love what Mark posted so maybe find that book for your brother

@patricia - As mentioned in other comments, I am aware of the limitations of crowd sourcing, as well as the benefits of a professional.

@mark - thank you very much!

I am frugal too but hard to imagine DIY’ing the largest investment he will likely make in his lifetime - FWIW in my area good builders wouldn’t work on a project like this without a design pro, so would be good to make sure he doesn’t end up with a substandard team

1- He could get a 3-D model of the property and the surrounding area from a firm that prints from the digital topo maps. Mark easements and prevailing wind direction (thanks to Mark Bischak) with tape or Sharpie. Then a "house" and "barn" pair of Lego blocks (Monopoly hotels, dice, dried beans, or whatever) could be moved around on the model. A drone video would be useful, too- pretty good drones are under $100). He will need a professional survey before he can get permits.

2- For someone who is frugal, taking advantage of existing roads is a good idea. Grading and laying hundreds of feet of gravel for a new private road or driveway gets expensive fast. So he could start his exploration of possible locations by limiting his search to the area next to the "sisters" access road.

Edited to add: Here's a free website at Iowa State University to explore for creation of 3-D maps that can be printed locally. https://touchterrain.geol.iastate.edu/main

Absolutely consider prevailing winds (along with topography) when placing animal pastures/barns.

I live in rural Missouri where our prevailing winds come from the southwest. Only a foolish person would construct their new home northeast of their barn in my area.

Not nearly enough information to even start to hazard a guess at a bad layout. You need to start with a topography map. That is ESSENTIAL. Then you plot local wind and weather specifics as impacting the site. Then soil conditions for cropping vs draining for a septic. Then the specific animal and crop needs come first, before the house needs. You need tractor sheds, hay barns, well house, etc, and all the rest of the outbuildings.

A hobby farm is a LOT OF WORK, and a huge money outlay, with no income coming in from it. It gets really old, really quick, to be spending 100K every year, just for "fun", and never be able to take a day off from the responsibilities.

Thanks @Minardi for taking the time to reply. Agree that topography is important - that's why I added the elevation lines in the map as a very general guide. Again, I've lived here my entire life and am familiar with every ditch on this plot shown. We are aware of wind directions and drainage directions and soil qualities. Agree on the involvement of farming, but we are no stranger to the lifestyle and the requirements of it - this $100k is surely an interesting figure ;)

Would it be easier to continue just farming hay to avoid the thousands and thousands of dollars property taxes we'd owe otherwise? Sure. But they want animals included in their farm and the work that comes with it.

Because of our intimate knowledge of this land, I'm not afraid to ask for layout ideas. If someone were to plop a barn on top of a flood-susceptible area, or sitting underneath a powerline, I know well enough to accommodate for that - but would that mean that their proposal on fencing/driveway ideas should be thrown out without consideration? Surely not. I'm very much a "linear" thinker - I can see an image and come up with reasons why it will or not work, and vet through pros/cons/non-negotiables, but I'm not a "creative". I've seen many individuals come up with wonderful ideas that I'd have never even considered - so that's what I'm here for.