Closet Homestead Kinks

[PulpFaction]

SO. Just as I was getting really comfortable and imaginative with my tiny homestead, opportunity has to come knocking and shoot it all to pieces.

I'm am being pursued by the owners of a small Hosteling International backpackers inn that is essentially located around the corner from my cabin. It's a cool place, cool people that own it, and generally a really cool crowd that stays there. The place opened last summer and was/is touted as being the most environmentally friendly hostel in the world.

The job would essentially entail running the place like a large home or B&B, standardized check-in/out times would allow me freedom away from the property in the mornings and afternoons and late evenings, and I would be able to accomplish my duties around the place during the hours I have to be there for check ins, etc.

The kink in the works is that it is definitely a live-in position. IE; no more cabin. Which is a bummer.

There is a small apartment that I would be living in, and I'm sure I could make use of it, but it's definitely a struggle to switch gears and imagine something else.

I keep trying to think of ways that I could justify keeping the cabin and my set-up there going. Rent is $475 and it is zoned commercial/residential and located on "Main St." though that means little from a traffic perspective.

I'm thinking I might try to do a square foot market garden this summer, and could expand my indoor growing operation at the cabin. (Ooh, that sounds shady. We're talking Wheatgrass here, though.) If I didn't have all my stuff in there I could set up the whole place to grow out seedlings and baby greens for sell, and I could set up a market stand out front in the summer.

I think as long as I could make it at least mostly pay for itself, it would be worth keeping strictly for the experimental and food value.

If you had a cabin about the size of a single car garage (no doubt what it was in a former life) in the setting I described how would you make it produce $500+ a month?

I have a good market here for locally grown food if I can produce it consistently. There is a pretty good flow of tourists from the ski resort in the winter, and just general "Alaska tourists" in the summer. Like I said, the place is commercial/residential and accessible, but it has no running water. (Which is a bummer. I would love to set it up with a commercial cert kitchen.)

Ideas?

[Freya]

What does your gut say?


Would the job allow you to save up for your own land or a bigger cabin?


Will your set up last? How long can you guarentee your cabin can stay there?


Can you move said cabin to the job?


Can you grow a garden at the job?

[PulpFaction]

The job would reduce my expenses to very little and would also still give me the free time to have additional work on the side, so yes. This is an excellent opportunity to save up quite a bit.

Moving the cabin isn't an option since it is on a solid foundation and rented. It's just a really good deal and I can see regretting losing it sorely if for any reason this job didn't work out, so I'm looking for a way to justify keeping it financially until I feel more secure about this new found position, at least. I've been burned too many times to have blind faith in businesspeople. (Heck, probably burned a few myself.)

The hostel is a new renovation completed late last summer, so I am planning on campaigning for all the landscaping to be installed this summer to be of the edible variety, and will regardless have a garden. (Whether they like it or not!)

There's also a chance that I could talk them into letting me move my trailer onto the premises when summer rolls around and live out of that again. This would give them an extra apartment to rent out and would probably raise my salary as well.

Meeting with them in the morning. I'll feel them out as to how they might feel about having a picturesque hen house and a small "barn" with rabbits or whatever else I could keep safe from bears and dogs. Seems like it would be good for business if it was all well constructed and tended. Visitors would probably love having fresh organic eggs for breakfast and such, and it could be my excuse for getting angora rabbits up here, too. Ideally, I would also talk them into a couple of Nigerian Dwarf milking does.

I guess we will wait and see on all that.

[Darren]

Sounds like a great opportunity. After paying for a renovation, the owners may have specific thoughts, likes, dislikes. Rhetorically how well or how much do you know about them?

I'd keep the cabin. You need to get to know the owners of the hostel. Go with the flow. May be an opportunity to suggest, educate, etc. If it really turns out as good as you think it may be, then you can do more. Make yourself indispensible. Build trust. With that they may accept more of your input.

As for landscaping ... someone has to maintain it. Guests may or may not be into what you want to do.

A commercial kitchen is expensive. Sanitarians, inspectors, fire marshals can be incredibly picky. You have no recourse. Best to find one, at the hostel maybe?, that you can use. Otherwise unless you can buy or rent a place with one, it's mucho dollars.

Lots of folks have gotten expensive surprises putting a commercial kitchen together. I've been through a couple with schools. The minutia can kill you. It's always better spending other people's money.

[Big Dave]

If they want you badly enough have them pay your expanses. Never hurts to ask. What is it worth to them? They are coming after you not you persuing them. Told this to my SIL and it got her 30 grand a year more than what was being offered. Just be reasonable and know your value.

[MN Gardener]

Maybe you should keep it for a set amount of time (6 mos? a year?) and see how things go with the job. Rent for a year is $6000, that is a lot of money. I am not sure if you can make that much off the land. The job sounds wonderful, I wish I had an opportunity like that when I was younger. It sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity, go for it! Think of all the interesting people you would meet.

[fishhead]

Originally Posted by MN Gardener

Maybe you should keep it for a set amount of time (6 mos? a year?) and see how things go with the job. Rent for a year is $6000, that is a lot of money. I am not sure if you can make that much off the land. The job sounds wonderful, I wish I had an opportunity like that when I was younger. It sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity, go for it! Think of all the interesting people you would meet.

That would be a good way to ease into it without jumping with both feet and risking not having a solid place to land. Even if it didn't generate the full amount needed to cover the rent any amount would help.

Or what about subleasing?

[geo in mi]

My gut would tell me "No" It will take you in a different direction than your original goal. The venture is too new to be established. You will be in a position of begging to maintain your own goals. You will have to compromise to reach your goals, and you still won't own anything. Can you sell $500/month of food supplies to them?

[Common Tator]

My gut says accept if they will allow you to move your trailer onto the land. Give up the rental property that you currently have, and save up for your OWN homestead. This is an opportunity to actually own your future homestead.

Renters can never achieve complete financial independence, because they will always have to pay rent, or even if they achieve a caretaker position, rent-free, they still live there at the pleasure of the landlord.

[arcticow]

SSSHHH!!! Rachel, you know better than to post ANYTHING about "indoor growing operation" up HERE. LOL

[Freya]

How did the talk go?


I admit when I opened this thread I was expecting something COMPLETELY different with the title. I am suprised no guys have commented on it, especially since you are cute.

[||Downhome||]

Freya we dont want to scare her off ,

can you afford to keep the cabin and still utilize it for your plans just on a grander scale?

my thought is if you could make it pay for its self at the least then it wouldnt be a monetary drain, and if the job didnt work out you could always just downscale the operation and move back in.

[ronbre]

ok, keep it..you said it is just around the corner..set it up as a hostel itself and rent it out just like you would at the hostel..iteself.

you could rent it by the day, weekend, week, month..whatever..and make your money on it so you could keep it..of course you would also have to maintain it.

[Lyra]

Originally Posted by geo in mi

My gut would tell me "No" It will take you in a different direction than your original goal. The venture is too new to be established. You will be in a position of begging to maintain your own goals. You will have to compromise to reach your goals, and you still won't own anything. Can you sell $500/month of food supplies to them?

I was just thinking while reading her entry....with the economy the way it is in the States, who has the money to be an Alaska tourist?

[soulsurvivor]

And I just thought that she needs to check her renters agreement and make certain of what she's allowed/not allowed to do on the rental property. Subleasing maybe not allowed.

If it was me, I'd take the job if it paid well enough. Sounds like you'd be the main person 24/7 for at least check-in/out and that's likely 7 days a week. I'd keep the rental only until I was certain the new job would work out and I would take the free apartment, try it out and see how I liked it. I'd look at it as a 5 year plan to save and buy my own property. I'd be careful introducing ideas to the owners. It's their property and they probably have a set business plan they're following.

If you take the job and free apartment, use your free time to learn new skills or take classes and then dream and make plans for your future property and save every penny you can to make that happen faster.

[FarmerChick]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

If they want you badly enough have them pay your expanses. Never hurts to ask. What is it worth to them? They are coming after you not you persuing them. Told this to my SIL and it got her 30 grand a year more than what was being offered. Just be reasonable and know your value.

Yup---if they want YOU, then you make YOUR deal.....I agree with this.

My SIL came to NC from NJ and was a big wig data processing for food corporations. The only one near her wanted her desperately. She got $30K more per year also. they offered $50k and she got $80k

so seriously, know your own worth when someone wants YOU.

I couldn't agree more!

[FarmerChick]

oh--I wouldn't give up the cabin until you know this job is for you.

if it goes bad, and things happen, at least you got backup

[Freya]

Update?


Suspense is killing me. LOL

[Freya]

How did it go?

[Michael W. Smith]

If this new job is secure (no lack of customers with this economy), I think you would be crazy to pass it up. It seems right down your alley and the only "problem" is letting go of your RENTED cabin.

You have an opportunity to live rent free at your work place. Let the cabin go, work there for several years (you should be able to save MEGA BUCKS) and then when you are tired of the job or just burnt out, you can go and pay cash for your land and OWN a cabin!

I don't think you can justify paying rent for a building you won't even be living at. (To make even more money, try to talk your (soon to be ex-) landlord into letting you manage the cabin to find daily / weekly renters. You make money, the landlord makes money, and you may even still be able to garden at the cabin.

You are young and nothing holding you back from doing this. Save and invest your money NOW so you have cash in the future to do what you want!