Moving to Raw Land....?'s

[PioneerSpirit]

Hello All,
I am still new to the site and not sure where to put this post... Hope this is ok.
My husband and I are selling our wood shop tools and household Items... To start our new adventure...We are moving to TN to find property and use all the trees and land to build a cabin...... We have found several pieces of property that look very promising.. We want to make sure there is a stream or some type of water that would be of use for our watering needs..... I am old enough to remember having an outhouse, helping My grandmother in her canning, washing clothes with a wash board. I've been involved in the kill of deer gutting hanging it to bleed out and butchering.....
I am tring to print off the absolute nessesities and create a book for my own use in what we are enbarking on.....Much work will be involved and I know we will be with out the comforts of this day to day life of electric.. heat air conditioning grocery stores Ext Ext I am tring very hard to face all the facts that will be involved..... Not romanceing the Ideals.....I am excited to start this journey, but would like to know others experiences to know the advantages and the hard lessons learned in this style of living. I believe it would be classified as going back in time....off the grid I believe is the term its called..... utilizing the land for all of our needs.....
I just have so many ?'s that I am confussing myself..... First things first...
Any suggestions on making sure we are prepared for the start of this....
Thank you in advance for your help!!
PioneerSprit
Annette

[turtlehead]

I've never lived off grid or without some form of water supply (well or commercial) but things I'd consider:

Is the water supply available year round, even in times of drought, and is it potable? What will you do for water if the stream becomes contaminated by upstream livestock or industrial pollutants? You might consider drilling a well for water and using solar to power the pump to fill a cistern that is up hill from the house.

I'd keep my non-power tools, I wouldn't sell all the wood shop tools.

Where will you live while building?

Sawdust or composting toilet to reduce water needs and still avoid that 2 a.m. trip to the outhouse in late January.

How will you keep perishables (dairy, for example)?

Will you cook and heat with propane trucked in, or with wood?

If you plan on building with trees from your own land, research what kind of wood is needed and be sure you buy property with the appropriate trees. I think they need to dry for a year too after being debarked.

It sounds exciting and challenging. Please keep us posted with your progress, I'm sure most members would be fascinated.

[PioneerSpirit]

Thanks for your quick responce. We do have some people who have extended an invitation for a place to stay... We will also have tents camping equipment and we will be bringing tools for the prep for the land...my husband has looked into a generater, and also a machine for processing the trees that will be used.... As I knew posting this question will help us in things not considered.....drying time for the trees...AHHH.... I also remember my grandmother had # 2 tubs that she collected rain water I guess it will have to be purified with tablets
We are planing on an open pitt for cooking while building.... it will have to be enclosed for what ever weather may be.....as far as milks and such we are stocking non parishibles and freeze dried foods....and dehydrated ....looking to get a start on our veggie garden asap....so much for me to learn...LOL
I will of course let others know how this process unfolds in the good and the trying times....Not going to be all roses...
This is the very reason I posted I need to look at aspects that may have been forgotten or not even considered by us.....
PioneerSprit

[oz in SC V2.0]

Put in some form of septic tank...DIY or do it legally but it is much more fun to NOT have to poop in a bucket.

As to water,a berkey filter would work to purify drinking water from a stream/creek/pond.

For living quarters,if I personally was to start with bare land again I would buy a BIG older 5th wheel,have it towed to the land by someone and live in it.

We went back and forth and back and forth and ended up building a barn/apartment that while it adds value to the land it is still unfinished.

Also I would get 'temporary' power run to the property....and then simply hook up the camper to the pole and live that way until such time as you build a house....or forever.

You could even build a shelter over the camper that would increase living space,at least in the warmer months.

On our place right now we have a camping porta potty and it gets a little old after a day or so...we end up enjoying our trips to Lowes as they have a real bathroom...

We also haul water which is no big deal as we only stay a few days at a time if/when we even stay overnight.

Good luck and have fun.

[PioneerSpirit]

Originally Posted by PioneerSprit

Thanks for your quick responce. We do have some people who have extended an invitation for a place to stay... We will also have tents camping equipment and we will be bringing tools for the prep for the land...my husband has looked into a generater, and also a machine for processing the trees that will be used.... As I knew posting this question will help us in things not considered.....drying time for the trees...AHHH.... I also remember my grandmother had # 2 tubs that she collected rain water I guess it will have to be purified with tablets
We are planing on an open pitt for cooking while building.... it will have to be enclosed for what ever weather may be.....as far as milks and such we are stocking non parishibles and freeze dried foods....and dehydrated ....looking to get a start on our veggie garden asap....so much for me to learn...LOL
I will of course let others know how this process unfolds in the good and the trying times....Not going to be all roses...
This is the very reason I posted I need to look at aspects that may have been forgotten or not even considered by us.....
PioneerSprit

It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.
Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American author and poet.

[bee]

When you look over the land before purchase check out the trees that produce food and try to leave them standing... oaks,hickory,serviceberry,persimion ,pawpaw, black haw. Getting a garden in now to feed you this summer and winter is great but don't forget that fruit trees take several years to even begin to produce so get them in(and protected from varmits) as soon as you have time/money for them.
Massive undertaking that you are embarking on. In light of the previous post perhaps build the foundation and top it to live in this winter while your logs dry to erect the rest of the house next year?
I believe I would secure year round potable water first(when I built my log place water well was first as it was make or break on the budget), then shelter. And don't forget fencing to keep stock in and varmits out!
Could build a permanent out door mud oven or a bean hole for cooking while the build goes on.

[Harry Chickpea]

Read this thread in another forum from beginning to end. It gives great examples of what the reality can be.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/tenne...nn-county.html

[CrazyLady]

I will try this again, seems being a anti-techno lady, I can make things go poof faster than others can blink..
Years ago, and over time I have done much of which you speak, built log cabins, lived a homestead type lifestyle, over and over, mostly with children at my side… And if I learned anything, it was that, we won’t know it all… and an open mind is of most importance. Because what may work, for one, will not work for another.. We do not have to follow the law in the books we read, or in the advice we get, for each and every situation will, be different. From finances, or lack of them, from strength or moods, to efforts and dreams, to ways of seeing things and of needing needs… All can be different, and will be…An open mind is of the greatest importance, and be flexible, your priorities will change, as your ways of thinking, or doing things.. Living in the remote country, I have seen many neighbors come with grand dreams, yet bringing city needs, soon the money is gone, they’ve built an over-kill, are frustrated, broke and wishing for more, and are soon gone.. It happens more often than not.. Sit back and look at what you really need, or really can do with-out, you can always go forward later, but it’s hard to go back..We are suppose to learn from our mistakes, but I believe we will be learning the day we die.. Save room for some comforts, whether a good book to be read out-loud, after a long grueling, bone weary day, or a cup of fancy coffee, herb tea, or glass of wine, a new hobby, knitting socks?.. Years ago, Mother Earth News had an article on how if a couple could build a homestead together and survive, it might work. We all have tests and don’t always get good grades, but that doesn’t mean we should quit… I’d love to be a mouse, and smile at your dreams, it is a grand adventure which you seek… There’ll be joys, sorrows, frowns, curses, laughter, tears, smiles and hopefully dances in the rain.. I too am beginning a new adventure, far different than my country lifestyle, but into it I hope to bring some of lessons I have learned.. Your book is a grand idea, but add another, one of deeds done, good or bad, it’ll be fun to look back on, on a chilly New Year’s eve, or to pass on.. Be true to your dreams with all your heart, yet stay flexible, and as I said that open-mind is so important, into today’s world of hurry, we often tend to forget those who survived before us.. No, it wasn’t easy, and yes, we really never know just how strong we are, until we must.. I wish you all the Blessings of good will, and I again, smile at your dreams.. and of all you will learn..

[houndlover]

Double check all the land use laws and hoops to jump through, like permit process and the like. Bad to go to the work of improving a place, only to have the government come in and tell you to tear it all down. Some places are better than others. Oregon isn't a good place to do your own thing, too many good hearted greenies with no clue about living in the country.

[jassytoo]

Don't know if this is your intention or not, but are you planning on working off the land or making money on it? You'll need some money even if you barter for some things you don't have. The tax man cometh, always! You might need medical care at some point too. Good luck with your plans and keep us up with what's happening. It sounds like a fun trip.

[Witterbound]

Did you watch that tv series about pioneering? Was it on pbs? Anyway, the show depicted a dozen or so folks living like pioneers. No electricity, living in tents until "houses" were built, trying to grow crops and critters, etc. You need to watch that series. The living was very hard, and I'll have to say that it looked roughest on the women, who worked in the fields, cooked over the hot stove, cleaned house, etc. The men got to go hunting and do a lot of what many men today would call "hobbies." It soulds kinda romantic -- like going to scout camp in the summer -- but you never get to come home to a good hot shower.

[Woodsprite]

Hey, PioneerSpirit -

Congratulations on making the leap!

We've lived in the wilderness - 45 minutes from the nearest grid power or telephone, and two hours from a place to buy food...but we were caretaking a log cabin in the mountains, so we didn't have to try and figure out how and where to live while simultaneously learning big lessons every day and building a house. Now we're building our own place, off the grid, on raw land, not with a limited budget, but with NO budget...but we're renting a house across the road from our place, so we've got it really easy compared with what you're planning.

It certainly sounds as if you have the spirit and grit to make this work. You've already gotten a lot of excellent advice, including not-so CrazyLady's very wise (and poetic) counsel. While you're acquiring STUFF you'll need (and I'd definitely second the British Berkey water filter as being near the top of that list), think about acquiring the skills that will be helpful, too.

Try to make an honest appraisal of the skills you both bring to this adventure, from the obvious things like carpentry, plumbing, gardening, small engine maintenance and repair, cooking, sewing, hunting, nursing/medical skills, animal husbandry, etc, to things less immediately obvious. Things like research skills, an ability to entertain yourselves without electricity, and your tolerance for what I call 'shared solitude'. Our only neighbors for thousands of acres around were bears, elk, eagles, and mountain lions. This suited us very well, but the previous caretakers admitted to us that they only managed to salvage their marriage and stay together because they both loved the land so much that neither one of them could bear to leave. They made it, but they pretty much had to build another cabin to do it.

On the other hand, living in the country involves a degree of interaction with what neighbors you do have that city or suburban living never prepares us for. Barter is a way of life, as is simply helping folks out when they're in need - whether that means chasing down somebody else's escaped livestock, firefighting, driving them to the nearest hospital three hours away...whatever comes up.

You're going to be building and maintaining your own infrastructure. How are your joint troubleshooting skills? One 12-degree February day, I turned on the faucet to wash up some dishes and got a sink full of mud and sticks. Investigating this problem involved suiting up for a two-mile hike up the mountain to the source of our water - the proverbial mountain stream - which, it turned out, had been visited by some large, curious critter who had pulled the screen off the intake pipe, then stomped around stirring up a lot of muck. Solving the problem involved fishing around blind in freezing cold water, trying to cobble the screening back on before our hands froze. That was an easy one - and we didn't even have to go back for supplies.

Speaking of supplies - building on raw land, every day we miss having a "junk pile", which was an unsightly but invaluable source of materials when living on a 70-year-old homestead.

Got propane? Great. What do you do when you smell gas? Do you know how to clean out a chimney? I'm not saying you need to KNOW how to do all these things - and brain surgery, too - before you start, but you do need to be reasonably sure of your ability to figure it out...whatever IT turns out to be.

All that said, I say DO IT! I have never for a minute regretted "running away from home", and I've never been happier. It's the adventure of a lifetime. All the best to you.

[ET1 SS]

Originally Posted by PioneerSprit

...
Any suggestions on making sure we are prepared for the start of this....
Thank you in advance for your help!!
PioneerSprit
Annette

Take it in steps.

One big leap, may be over-whelming and slap you with culture shock.

Once it becomes a bitter / angry memory, it will haunt you for decades.

Slower steps, and easier to swallow and adjust to.