2 Yrs to homesteading!!

[Tilly]

Well, we've made the decision to look for our own property to build on. Currently we rent a 3.5 acre place that fits very well, so the plan is to start now to pay off excess stuff and get ready to homestead !!!! I grew up very rural and wanted to do more, but this is the first chance we have had to do so. We picked out a log home kit that we can build and are "talking to death" the things we would like to do. We have 1 1/2 years till we will be able to implement our plan, but we are soooo exited, even the 4 kids are liking this idea. So, for those of you who made the plunge into homesteading on your own land, what are some of the "wish we had known" and "things I would have done differently/ added to the house/barn/ etc.". FYI, we have 4 kids (human), two dexters with one on the way, ordering 25 chickens(I've heard it's addictive), looking for a good border collie, and a great desire to get as self sufficient as we can. I loved growing up that way!!!

[BTO]

I'd make sure the border collie was good with chickens before I bought him.

[Ralph in N.E.Oh]

Study all you can about grassfed. Low input farming is where the profit is, not to mention the benefits. My friend Gene Logsdon has a book called All Flesh is Grass, I would say this is a must read ...especially since you have time on your side.

I would also say fence your property's perimeter as soon as possible. This bit of work and expense will ensure that your critters,though not exactly where you want them, are not out roaming the neighborhood. I can tell you that no matter how careful you are, gates get left open, barn door latches break and some critters just enjoy going for walks!

Whatever you do keep dreaming, planning and talking about the move. The farm/homestead life is a great way to live and raise children. I also recommend that you study up on gardening and putting the harvest up by canning, freezing, drying etc.

[Hoop]

Good luck in your endeavors.

Why not build your OWN log home? If you can assemble/erect a kit, you can easily build your own.
The markup factor on kits often is huge. Put those funds to better use by doing it yourself.

The EASIEST log building method for the owner/builder is the vertical log method. The next easiest method is is "D" logs (these are logs that have been milled flat on 3 sides).

Building ANY log home won't be easy. If it were, everyone would have one. It will take lots of hard work & determination. The finished result will be a lifetime feeling of satisfaction.

[Tilly]

Sorry, my cow decided to calve 2 hours ago, so I have not been watching my posts!!!We are really interested in fencing the prop first so we won't have to do a rush job,of course if we find prop that is already fenced.... The log kit is 6x8 D style logs. We both grew up doing construction, and this particular kit option actually gives us more bang for our buck. We would not be able to do stick built for the same price even if we built ourselves! It's a two story box with a gambrel roof, not my first choice, but the price is right. BTW, if we ended up off grid, is there any heat option( other than wood, we will have a couple of those anyway) that will work with solar??

[DamnearaFarm]

Congrats!

You're one year (or a few months, since we started on our *plan* a few months ago) ahead of us.
Ours is a three year plan. Three years to pay off everything but the mortgage, sell this place and buy a smaller house with more acreage in a more northern clime.

I paid off the first bill yesterday, now to snowball that money into the next closest to pay off......

[Selena]

Save as much cash as you can -- even the best laid plans can hit a snag and all too many fail due to lack of cash. Unload/sell unnecessary things (why move them and garage saling in the woods doesn't get a lot of traffic) and get things you need.