Homestead stories of success

[philm]

Right now im feeling like a need a little encouragement from anyone who has some great stories of their homestead. In October of 2013 I bought a house with 11 acres, half field half wooded (pine, birch, weeds). Im gutting the house, and there is an old broken down carriage house, no other sheds or barns. My wife and I have dreams of homesteading and currently live in the city 5 hours away from our house so we can have an apartment and fix up the house as we go, because of that our cost of living is so high we arent really able to save that much money, so its looking like its going to take years and years to get the house done and fix up the carriage house. When its all done, I know it will be worth it and we will have a beautiful house with wonderful land for very cheap (we bought it as an estate/as is), but right now im just very tired and worn out by all the stress of trying to save money and trying to save and then never hitting the goal of saving the right amount and having to wait all the time for money to come in... we are doing most of the work ourselves except for the duct work, thankfully my father in law is a master electrician, which will help when we re do the wiring for the house in spring, but sometimes I think maybe it was all just too much. We are only 23 and 24, so when most of our friends are traveling, buying motorcycles, going out to eat all the time, living in nice apartments its hard for us to really relate to anyone or be able to talk to people that are trying to do the same thing as us (im thankful for forums like these). So was just hoping to hear some encouraging stories about peoples homesteads to keep me on the right track. I know its worth it, but i hate when i get in the mood where all i want to do is sell the property. Those moods have been coming more and more and its just getting frustrating. Maybe I just need to be more patient and thankful, but ive never really been patient... guess thats why we bought a homestead when we are only 24.

any stories, words of encouragement or wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

[TnAndy]

Well, you started young....that's in your favor !

Questions:

What do you two do for a living ? If the house was done today, and you could move in, what would you do for a living there ?

Reason I ask, is it is VERY hard to work on property being 5 hrs away.....like nearly impossible. We sold our house in town (15min away) and moved into a trailer on the farm so we could build the house (after two years of getting roads, water, etc, developed on the place). If you could move there now, even if you have to move into a mobile home, travel trailer, or rent a place there (I assume you rent where you live now ?), you'd be far better off....IF work allows for such.

AND if you can't work THERE (as in off the homestead), chances are you aren't moving there for a long time. Takes a fair amount of time to develop any kind of income on a homestead. You can get by with less, but you can't get by with nothing....or even what you'll generate for many years on a small place. Simply doesn't work that way.

As for your friends.....basically forget them. You're on different paths. Yours is the road to self sufficient living, theirs is the road to just what they are doing now....living for today....buy crap that really doesn't matter, spending money on eating out, fun in the sun, and being dependent on the world remaining a nice comfy place where other people do their jobs so you can live a nice life. That may work out for them. But it may not.

So you need to decide WHICH path you really want to go down.

[philm]

If the house was done today, I would look for getting a job at one of the manufacturing plants around the area and look for photography side jobs and try to do live music gigs with my banjo, i live within 15 minutes of a population center of 10,000 that has quite a few job opportunities. and my wife would probably look for nanny jobs or data entry or reception work, she does data entry and office work now. The mortgage is only $400 including escrow, so we both dont need $15 an hour jobs to be able to live up there. and we are doing the renovation as debt free as possible so that we can have lower earning jobs but be able to have a house with internet and pay for electric. thats whats really taking the longest.

We have good jobs down here where we can save more than if we lived there and had to rent. right now its not livable. my wife says the first floor needs to be livable (which means just dry walled and the kitchen/bathroom is functioning) which is around $10,000 away so im just hoping my tax return is bigger than what those tax estimators say online. Im using all my vacation time up there, but man its just hard to do this, i thought with being young, energy would be on my side but it just gets zapped so quick with the stress of regular life but then the pressure of trying to get this done in a reasonable amount of time and saving money I already feel worn out which makes me feel like a whimp and then i just hope people dont think im not a hard worker, cause i am, but im mostly mentally tired of it. i love being up there and the thought of having a dog, a few goats, a flock of chickens and a 1/2 acre garden makes me more excited than any motorcycle or fancy thing ever could. So i think I just need to constantly remind myself of what im working towards and just really work as hard as i can this summer to get projects done.

here is the list:
redo electrical throughout the house
install duct work into 2nd floor
convert the house from oil to propane
Install wood furnace in basement
get chimney lined
install 2nd story bathroom
put in roxul insulation
drywall...

im doing a lot myself or with people i know that are pros which i am very thankful for cause thats saving me thousands, but its still quite the list haha, not to mention the work im doing in the field and putting in an orchard and things like that

[philm]

some pictures. Im ripping out the lath this weekend on all the exterior walls for insulation install in October/november. then will be ripping out the interior as we do the wiring, plumbing and hvac.

[RichardsonFive]

That's a really nice place you have there, I can see LOADS of potential.
I don't have a success story, as my husband & I started homesteading recently without NEAR the task list you have in front of you.

But I feel you on the impatience. I've waited a lifetime to get out in the *sticks*. You are smart for starting this while you're so young. Just keep your focus on the end game, do whatever you can, whenever you can - and keep reminding yourself why you chose this lifestyle.

[OK Yankee]

What a BEAUTIFUL house! That is something that you can be very proud of when you are done! I wish I had started much younger, but life got in the way. Hang in there, you will have it all and those other people will still be on the fast track to nowhere!

[Rectifier]

Nice house. Beats the pants off mine. But - needs a lot of work.

Oh, to live in a place where you both don't even need $15/hr jobs... to buy our place my wife and I worked half a decade at $30+/hr each. Lived in a mobile, drove a company truck to work and sold my personal vehicle, saved ALL our money. I still work as an electrician in the summers to pay for expansion and improvements.

Sounds to me like you already have success if you bought that cheap and have a tiny payment. Don't rest on the tiny payment though. Keep a good job for now, pay lump sums and get rid of the mortgage in a few years. That's the only way one can afford to homestead today on small acres, as the land will not make you any money nor will any livestock. Market garden maybe.

By the way, propane is lame. If you have a wood furnace, what do you need to waste the money on propane for. Tank rental, delivery costs, and one of the most expensive fuels available... expensive furnace plus ductwork in addition to your wood furnace...
Personally I would put in electric baseboards instead to keep the place from freezing if you go on a trip. They are cheap and maintenance free. Expensive to run, but you will only use them a couple times a year.

You will be burned out running back and forth. You will go through a ton of fuel. Don't try to renovate much while not living there.

But don't worry, my grey hair went back to brown once I left the city to live on the farm full time. 29 now and "retired." My house is about 3/4 done now and my barn is no longer going to fall down, haha.

Get sheep instead of goats and save money on fence. With 11 acres how about a couple cow-calf pairs?

[ChristieAcres]

Go see my thread:

ChristieAcres Homesteading in Sequim

We bought 5.1 acres with a carport in April of 2014, with certified septic, well, power on the property, and RV hookups. The day we closed on the property, we spent the night in our 19' travel trailer. Then, we lived in that travel trailer for a few months before we sold it and bought a 36' motorhome. A few months later, my DH was reading the paper and saw an ad for a free singlewide mobile home. We looked at it, and agreed to take it on the spot. It cost us $645, including moving, permit, and taxes. I sold the unneeded appliances for $325, so we were only out $325. My DH built an addition onto it, installed our wood stove. We will live in our mobile until we build our log home. Our goal is to get our building permit this year and complete our home within two years. I am 51 and DH is 58.

[blessingsfarms]

What a great future you have started and what appears to be old
common sence economics.
1 Decide this is your future together. There will be plenty of other
trials at your age and don't loose this prospective.
2 Move there as soon as possible. We lived in a 14 x 70 trailer for
7 years before built home. In your case we would have lived in the
basement and worked our way up. With our home finished we still
use the basement area every day. Our basement is nothing fancy
just functional.
3 Remember you are building your needs for the future. You do need
to have a way to regenerate so find one. It does not need to be expensive
just a get away.
4 Spend your money on conserving your energy cost now at the stage
you are at. Ex. Foam and batt walls, centralize heat and allow to naturally
riase though the house as much as possible. We did this and spent under
500 to heat 2800 sq ft in 2014 in mid ohio with propane and 90% furnace.

May the Triune God bless you and give you the means to complete
your project. Good Luck.

[mzgarden]

My 2 cents: It sounds to me like you have a foot in two different lifestyles. People can do this if they are ok with progress on the future lifestyle being long and slow.
If you want go speed up the process - I suggest (as others have) you'll need to find a creative way to live there. (by the way, where is 'there'? as weather could impact some of the suggestions given to you.) Trailers, camper trucks, RV's, tents, Yerts and sheds are all places others have chosen to live temporarily while they build their dream.

Right now you have two things to 'spend' -- time(energy) or money.
If you're spending your time/energy making money, you have little time/energy left to spend the money to build your homestead. This can lead to spending for convenience/speed.

Since you're handy, you may want to consider 'spending' your time/energy on the property to get a return on your investment of happiness & contentment and making less money. You'll be amazed at how you can live with less money when you are doing what you love.

As for ongoing encouragement - we all need that when we are climbing a big hill - but your prize is over the ridge - keep going.

Find new friends. You need to spend time/energy cultivating a social group with a similar vision to you. This gives you a built in encouragement team - you network, learn new skills, help them, they help you, etc. You can rejoice together in successes and you can build each other up during the trying times.

Best wishes - you're doing this younger than many. Stay the course, and you'll have peace and contentment younger than many as well.

[Use Less]

Everything takes longer and costs more than expected. Just expect that. Are you both equally interested in this lifestyle? Folks who marry young sometimes find out they're not really a good match when they get to their latter 20s or early 30s. Still "growing up" in how society is in America these days. A town of 10,000 really isn't a big enough place to think you can earn much as a freelance musician. Trust me on this; I'm a professional musician. Not everything on your list is necessary to live comfortably. Keep the oil furnace if it runs. Add wood later (much later). Maybe a pellet/corn stove in the main living area is a better choice long-term than wood, depending on the availability and cost of fuel sources. Did you put on the siding?? There's a huge disconnect for me between the outside and the inside.

[Bubbas Boys]

If it helps here is what we went through. We started putting rock in the middle of an empty field and called it a drive 2 yrs ago. We have gotten no loans of any kind and did not have a huge savings when we started. We worked our jobs and worked like crazy on the property as well as homeschool our kids (5 boys 10 and under). When you have a dream like we did you just do it! We ended up moving to my brother in laws house 4 months after starting the homestead because we had the opportunity to get out of our other homes lease, so we packed up our family of 5 and all that goes with them and a 2500 sq ft house we had been in for many years and left. Yes with 5 kids and a dog. Stayed there for 2 months and then moved to a camper on the property to be closer for 2 months. Then before last winter we moved into one room (20x20) that was finished and had heat. We live Nov-April of 2014 with no running water, kitchen, or anything! (but father in laws house is on the property about 400 ft away) When my kids tell the stories of running to the outhouse in 2 ft of snow in the pitch dark and the frost on the seat freezes to your rear, they will be telling it from real truth and experience. haha Now we are living in the whole thing with water and wood heat and its a HOME!! Not finished by far but we would not have done it any other way. We had some melt down times (wife cried a lot) haha, but at the end of the day we are here, closer than ever as a family and living OUR idea of the dream life! With the added bonus that we feel like we can conquer anything that comes our way! Keep going, it will all be worth it!! U just have to ask yourself, How Bad Do I Want It??

[GeneMO]

I would say you have the world by the tail! You are young, hopefully healthy ( I have lived with a kidney transplant for 24 years and take 14 meds.). I would think about moving closer, getting work in the area, and forget you ever lived in a city. You will never regret it. And look at that porch!! You need a porch swing out there!

Kick youself in the behind, get a move on, and thank your lucky stars you have that place.

Gene

[GeneMO]

Get sheep instead of goats and save money on fence. With 11 acres how about a couple cow-calf pairs?[/QUOTE]


I'll go with the cow/calf pairs, except cattle are terribly overpriced now. Try hogs and chickens.

For some reason I HATE goats. I could tolerate sheep though.

Gene

[Callieslamb]

I think you need some R&R...real recreation and refreshment. Go play at something somewhere. Having your nose to the grindstone for so long leaves only so much nose left. Get out and do something fun- not work or homestead related. Re-look and think your plan. Take a fresh look at your goals and why you decided on this path. Laugh...run....be a little crazy for just a day or two. Camp out at the homestead with no thought of work. Have a picnic....play ball....(Build a snowman or two and give them names). Splurge on a swing or hammock so when you are there, you have a place to sit back and think of what it will be like someday.

[My2butterflies]

I can see how you feel worn out and overwhelmed.

We are still working on our place. Mostly just your average fix ups are needed. New siding, windows, painting through out, sinks, ect. And the land needs work. From what I can tell no one really spent the time loving this place. That is all going to change!

I do agree with everyone that you should figure out a way to live on site. And it sounds like that will mean switching jobs early. It might sound scary and like a step back, but it will allow you to get more done and with better timing. Since you will be able to work and then come home and do dry wall, paint, lay flooring, ect. With the distance you are now you need a day off work to do anything. And that really limits the time you can work on things.

Our first house(in the city) was bought "as is" from a contractor. The plumbing needed to be redone. We had no water. And even after we got the water running we went almost two weeks with no hot water. I refused to stay with anyone during that time. We lived in the house so we could work on it. In one week we had it plumed. Then a couple weeks later had hot water going. I can't tell you how great a hot shower is after showering in ice! Haha
It's do able, but you both have to be 100% committed.

And I also agree don't go propane! We have spent about $1200 since oct on just propane. We have baseboard heating as well, but had a furnace put in. We are in mn so it can get horribly cold and base board heating wasn't really cutting it. Now I'm really wanting us to look into putting in a fireplace. Not sure I'll be able to talk my husband into it tho.

Keep your head up, you have a great start going. And your place looks great!

[Homesteader1]

Food for thought. First you have what looks to be a great place. When I first started getting set up I had a propane tank and a cooker and a small bbq grill. I slept in the back of my truck. I went to the truck stop about 14 miles away to shower every other day. I told you this because it was worth every minute. It will be for you and your wife to. Sit down talk about it, build it in your minds together and agree the quitting is not an option as soon as you do that you will see things in a different light. Built your dream together. What state is this in? I would consider moving in if you only use one room make it happen. You have a great property and a desire so make it a reality. Ya at times it gets tough and it will even after you get it all done, but I can promise you this when it's all said and done you will have an amazing place and memories to share.
Not sure about the weather but a 6 or 8 person tent is an option. Best wishes to you both. Don't even consider quitting.

[claytonpiano]

You have gotten great advice. We have done this. It is next to impossible when you do not live on the property. The problem is the drive and sinking all of your extra money into property that you really cannot enjoy. At some point, you need to make a choice (as I am sure you already know.) The choice as I see it from your post is to choose to take years to complete your house and homestead.....all the while struggling financially and being torn between friends and your dream.......or........leave your secure jobs now and find a new job near your homestead. Then, you could either get a trailer and live on your homestead or find a cheap apartment closer to the homestead. That way you save money and time on the drive and can work an hour or so each evening. That really helps complete things in a more timely fashion. It also gives you the chance to enjoy what you have now.

Another choice is to sell your homestead and save money for the future. The question is, will you really save the money or will you blow it on motorcycles and having fun with friends? Those things are so temporary compared to living out your homestead dream. I know. It took us longer to get where we are today because in some ways, we blew the money on good times and better cars. That was stupid as I see it looking back, but when you are young it is hard to see where life is headed.

A five hour drive and tight finances will kill the homesteading dreamer faster than anything else. I think you will really regret giving up your dream. It sounds like this is something you really want to do.

I am much older than you and we are finally on our dream homestead and debt free. It took years, but we just kept working at it. We made the decision to live where the homestead was each time and like so many of us, there were times we had to start over. Either a move was necessary or life just got in the way. I finally realized that you can't eat motorcycles and nice cars. Nothing compares to raising kids in the country where they can roam the woods and enjoy life. The same is true for your and your wife. While your friends are watching the latest sitcom, you are watching deer and the animals you are raising. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

You are young, but already planning to fulfill your dreams. I wish you all the best in your decisions.

[philm]

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for the advice and stories of your own experiences. Right now I still think we can save more money by living down here, because the place is in northern Wisconsin so we would be pretty cold in an rv or a trailer or a tent, the house is gutted and not livable currently. Im hoping we can have most of the first floor livable by June of 2016 (which means at least the drywall is up and the kitchen and bathroom are functional and we seal off the rest of the unfinished house for my wifes breathing issues) and then we will make the trip to go up there full time. Im going up this weekend and will take more pictures. Thanks again for the encouragement. I really do appreciate it!

[philm]

the reason I was going to do propane was because I could vent it right out of the house, which would free up the masonry chimney thats in the middle of the house. If i would keep the oil furnace, i would have to build a new chimney for the wood appliance,