Today I thought I would tell you my top 10 nonnegotiable factors when building or buying a house. Although I don’t understand why, there are some people who don’t hunt and that’s ok. Even though you’re different we still love you. Some of these factors will apply to non-hunting friends as well.

1. Location- Find out where your game of choice lives, if you like to hunt ducks then maybe a place 2 hours away from any water source isn’t the place for you.
2. Laws-Whether you’re a hunter or just a shooter the next step is to check your local laws to see where they allow the discharge of firearms. This will give you a map of acceptable areas in which you can live, after determining the acceptable distance from your parents of course (remember the map on Everybody Loves Raymond?). Please don’t be like me owning a business where I can almost throw a stone to where I can hunt, yet I’m just inside the limit where it is prohibited. I swear every deer in the area is aware of this and camps out in the back yard teasing.
3. House size- Make sure the house is big enough for all your family and their friends. And then factor in your hunting buddies that come to stay. Adding extra rooms and bigger beds than you think you need is always a good idea.
4. Property size and layout- Make sure you have room to safely shoot and the ability to place multiple baits is best. A house with neighbours on all four sides may not be the location for you.
5. House layout-If you’re building make sure you plan your windows and doors according to your deer runs and food plots. Get to know when and how game travel prior to the big day.
6. Flooring- A huge consideration for me when installing flooring is-is it blood proof? I butcher a lot and want a flooring that is continuous, waterproof and does not have cracks.
7. Countertops- I am going the granite route this time. To me the cost is worth it to allow me to butcher right on the surface with no damage and clean up will be a breeze.
8. Appliances- There is a meme going around about freezer size and labels in the store showing how many deer each can fit. As funny as this is-it’s true in my life. We have the biggest freezer I could find and an extra-large fridge to go with it.
9. Storage- Bins of camo and hunters orange clothes, boots, seat cushions and on and on take up a lot of space. Plan for extra storage for these items.
10. Firearm storage- For some of us this is a small metal safe affixed to a wall in a closet and for some of us this is an entire specially outfitted room. For most people it is something in between.

When the time comes for you to move to a new house or if all your dreams have come true and you’re building a new house of your own- consider the above suggestions. Whatever your ideal house may be, come see us at Oley’s Armoury and we can help you to ensure that you have all the hunting and shooting supplies to enjoy that home to the fullest.