What should a home in the country have?
 

We are a family with 4 small children. We have recently purchased 14 Acres of land in the Midwest where we will build a house and raise our kids. Neither my husband or myself have lived in the country before, and therefore, we will take everything in small steps...
We envision having a couple of dogs, a few cats and some chichens. We also want to have a vegetable garden, small orchard and a small barn. Down the line, we might have a cow and a couple of pigs.
We are currently trying to figure out what we want in the house. For example: I think we should have a large pantry off the kitchen area to keep a good supply of food and for our canning goods. How about having a freezer in the pantry? Would that keep the room too hot?
Keeping in mind that we are a family of 6, do you have any general advice as to what our home should have or not have? We are a little lost, and don't want to make too many mistakes building the home...we will probably live there for a long time.
Any advice will be appreaciated!

Yes
 

Large pantry & mud room. Plant fruit trees first...you will love them!

face the house south w/plenty of windows on that side, berm the north side if possible and you want that style of house, plant deciduous trees on the South side so the shade hits the house in summer, but the leaves drop in winter to allow the sun to warm it

in addition to the fruit tree advice above, I'd also throw in a good assortment of nuts... fruit and nut trees will keep you in a lot of "free" food without a lot of extra work

add a circle drive if possible, a place to park a trailer or two as well as a tractor, a tool shed, a workshop w/a covered awning for the tractor/implements

lots and lots comes to mind... you are prob feeling a little overwhelmed, but think how lucky you are to be starting with a blank slate!

Best of luck with it

First of all...Welcome to the forum!!

Next, we really need to know where you are located. At least the general area. Makes a lot of difference if you are in say Texas or Minnesota.

Then, what are the building restrictions like, and what are the kid's ages. Can they help?

And a little about the land....Hilly, rocky, bottom land, good soil etc.

Are you on Grid or off? What kind of heat/water/septic. How far for fire/ambulance/police.

Believe it or not all these things need to be taken into account.

You definitely want a large freezer in the pantry. It will not make the room to hot. And you'll want a wood burning fireplace or wood stove.

root cellar,..cool basement storage for canned goods, and things like winter squash and potatoes...this is a good retreat for bad storms as well...the pantry upstairs can be for shorter term storage..try to visit other peoples farms and see their setup...ask questions, find out mistakes that others feel they made, and find an older couple who have done this lifestyle for awhile...go slow and try different things...you will find your way and what works best for you..

I would definitely vote for the freezer in a large pantry. It will not heat up the room, all a freezer does is transfer the heat from in inside of the freezer back into the room where it then goes slowly back into the freezer to be removed again. its a vicious cycle but you are really not generating much heat, just transferring it.

You simply cannot have enough shelf space in a pantry. Lots and lots of deep solid shelves to store canned goods, coffee, tea, sugar, flour, cooking oils, tp, (lots of tp) paper towels, canning supplies and all the other stuff that you do not want to run out of when the weather, and or budget keeps you from running down to the store every few minutes.

The only thing that you will need is a pantry and a mud room beside what you will find in town. The freezser will be alright in the pantry but you may decide to put it in the garage or on the pourch. Get one that has a manuel defrost and you can put it anywhere. Start small and grow into it not starting large and get fustration at not being able to do the job. A vegetable guarden will take a lot of time the first year and you will have some disapiontments.

Hi,
Nut trees/ orchard/ grape vines. Fall is a good time to plant them all. The sooner they get started the sooner you can start harvesting.
Good luck,
Dutch

Welcome!!

Put in as large a pantry as possible. Along with an area to store canning supplies and jars. In the midwest, I would think you would want a basement for a storm cellar.

Choose a spot for composting. You an just do a pile or build or buy a container.

In addition to fruit and nut trees, plant berries. Not sure about your climate but raspberries do really well here with almost no care.

If you aren't already, sign up with your local Freecycle group. It will be a great way to give away things you don't want to move and it's a great place to ask for things you will need - garden tools, building supplies, canners and canning jars.

Plan on an alternative heat source. Wood or pellet stove.

If you don't have a good home library of books, check some out from you library. Once you find some that you think will be useful, look for used copies at bookstores, yard sales, or online.

Since you will be on a well, consider a way to pump water in case the power goes out.

Be sure to let us know how things are going!

Great advice and welcome to the party! We are doing the same thing next month when we take possession of our 9 acre Amish homestead.20 more acres are in the works for next January. The only difference is that we have our house, shop and barn, we just are going to try and go it without electricity for awhile , run a generator for power and wood heat for warmth until we can get minimal electricity installed along with lp.

We have the pantry and root cellar. Just need to fill them up. Young fruit trees were planted this year by the current owner. She is leaving me a start of strawberries and grapes and 8 ewe lambs are coming next spring! A garden is being planned.

I feel like I've died and gone to heaven!

I also feel like I'm in a whirlwind. SO much to do and plan that I don't know where to start. I am very glad that 2/3rds of our neighbors are Amish. Talk about survivors and homesteaders.

If I had any advice to add to that already given, it would be to study up on the Amish way of homesteading. Nothing wasted, everything has a purpose and Keep It Simple!

In no particular order.
Outside Dog to guard your Chicken's at night.
.22 Rifle.
12 or 20 G. Shot Gun.
30.06 or similar Rifle.
Wood stove.
Chain Saw, 18" or larger.
log Splitter.
Long Driveway with locked Gate.
4x4 Truck
Generator

Fruit trees, Berries and Dogs.

NTMU badlander. Your now a citizen of the NEMO area. The Amish don't sell very often unless it's to their own. Hard work and a prayer or two go a long way. Just ask 2/3 of your neighbors. Hehe.

A large mud room where the kids can take off those filthy barn clothes. It is really nice to have the washer and dryer right there. I would also put a 3/4 bath in there so they wouldn't have to come all the way into the house to use the facilities and they could go straight to the shower if they were really filthy.

And to 14 acres, welcome. Alot of good advice here, some redundant as all get out just with a different perspective.
Someone replied that the midwest is a large area. It can vary in temp at times by 50-70 degrees depending on your latitude. Don't have to be specific but a general area would help in any assistance you may receive in your thread..

-a shotgun, RIFLE and a four wheel drive.

-A well stocked pantry(1/2 year of food or more, ammo)

- a grain mill (like the country living mill)

- CAST IRON SKILLET and dutch oven

- Axes, wedges, mauls

-A GARDEN

- a PORCH on the house, with a PORCH SWING.

- STORM CELLAR

- a LARGE T3 style MAILBOX

- a library of books, KJV Bible, and concordance, encyclopedias

These are the essentials of country living, vs city slickers.

I second the suggestion of a mudroom.

For livestock, I would start with chickens.

Trees take a while to grow, so in one sense you want to plant your orchard ASAP.

But on the other hand, trees are hard to move, so wait long enough to be sure where you want to put your orchard.

There is some poster on here, I don't know the name, who has a signature line that reads, "What every boy needs is a dog and a mother willing to let him have one." I agree entirely.

I love my pantry w/ the freezer. I also have a laundy room/sewing room. I can pile the laundry in shut the door and the rest of the house is clean.

I do wish I had a game room/den. I have the kitchen, dining and living one room. I do love it but sometimes it is noisy as the kids won't spend time in their room unless they are sleeping or in trouble. My kids have always wanted to be around us while they were playing.

We have a woodstove that heats the main rooms. The bedrooms are kept cooler. Have the bathrooms where you don't have to worry about freezing pipes if you keep the house cool.

We kept the bedrooms small 12x12. I figured they needed at least as much space as a horse stall. I have seen some at 10x10 but that is really small to me.

Did not read all the replies so someone might have already posted this stuff.

Remember your not in a town or city any more. The power can and will go out from time to time some times for days. Have a way to heat the home, Cook and lights that do not require power.
Also remember if your on a pump that if the power goes out so does your water, So a way to have a day or 2 of water stored is always a good thing to do.

if you are building from scratch first plan your home really well..most of your windows should face south, tip in for cleaning and be low e glass double pane. if you don't have entries, make sure there is a closet with room for boots and shoes by at least the front and back doors so shoes and boots do NOT pile up in front of the door, mudroom in the back is a really good idea like was mentioned above. Yes on the freezer, and remember the heat comes off the top and sides of new freezers so give it air circulation..don't cram it in..same for refrigerators.

we have heated with wood for 38 years, have at least wood supplmentation and if you can have it in the form of a circulating boiler OUTSIDE so you don't have to haul that mess into your new home..but a nice fireplace is fun too...and wood to cook on is great.

not only put in your fruit trees first..on the top of a slope if you have one..but put in a couple large shade trees to the south and evergreens along your west and north sides to cut the wind in the winter..if possible attach a greenhouse on the south, or east..a laundry room exit is a great place for a green house and for a mud room.

you may find some good buys on trees and shrubs yet this fall..watch for things like fruit and nut and shade trees and berry plants right now...

put your berries in a hedgerow so you can use trellis wires to hold them upright.

bring in as much manure as you can right now and put it in a pile to rot, you'll need it in the spring.

also save your ashes and coals from your stove in a safe place in a metal container outside..for putting on your garden..test your soil for ph..if it is acidy you might need those to sweeten the soil in some areas..but the acid is good for blueberries and evergreens.

when you plan your kitchen plan for lots of drawers and make sure your bottom cabinets have pull outs built in..and blind corners have blind corner access..or they might become unusable as you age.

try to not overbuild too much house..enough for the number of childlren you plan to have as well as what you need, but not too much..as you'll have to heat that and clean it.

if you plan on crafting or hobbies you might want a hobby area inside or outside in a shed.

i've always suggested keeping the area where your cars will be parked to the road side of your home and keep your driveway short..but have a drive that will go to any barns or outbuildings as well..in the midwest where we get a lot of wind and snow..shorter drives to your garage means less snow removal to get out of the property..ours used to be several hundred feet long..now it is 60 to 70' long and much easier to clear.

consider children waiting for the schoolbus also..esp in -20 temps..a garage near the road will also offer protection for them..maybe with a door with a window they can watch for the bus from ..inside and dry.

plan for your animals and what they will need for shelter and food..

plan for as many energy saving things first and early..like front loading washer and dryer..clotheslines..s facing windows..air locks by often used doors...greenhouses attached if possible..well placed lighting..window use for tasks ..rather than using lights..low flow showers and toilets...alternate water heating such as solar or wood boiler..etc..think it through really well..and think about what you hate about where you have lived and where others have lived and eliminate those problems now

As far as a house goes, I strongly recommend that you learn about passive solar design. Keeps your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Also, keep your home as small as is practical. The more space you have, the more it's going to cost to build, the higher the taxes, and the more energy it's going to take to keep the interior comfortable.

Think about the way your ancestors lived 2 - 3 generations ago... my grandparents raised 2 kids in a 800 square foot house. Today people think they need 800 square feet just for their living room! More space = more energy to heat. Double the cubic footage of your inside space and chances are you are doubling the amount of wood you'll be buying and chopping each year.

Another suggestion that I frequently give folks is this: visit other farms and homesteads before you start designing and building your own. Look at how things are arranged... how the owners work... I've seen folks show up out here that haven't the first idea of what a small farm even looks like and they start designing their place. They often wind up with water lines 200 feet away from the barn, etc.. Then they are carrying water in buckets because they don't have the money to trench the 200' to the barn.

Good planning goes a long, long way towards making a successful homestead. We spent 2 years designing and redesigning our homestead before ever breaking ground. We had looked at many different visions and approaches to meeting our personal goals. We visited other farms and homesteads. Fortunately I spent a great deal of time on lots of different farms while growing up... so I started with all sorts of great references and experiences on how a small homestead operated. Don't design in the dark or with knowledge gleaned from TV shows like Little House on the Prairie.

A friend of mine strongly suggests the idea of "build the barn first" to new homesteaders. That's what we've done (we haven't built our house yet...). But we don't have kids, so living in a trailer while we build out our food production capabilities was a good approach for us. It's also given us several buildings to practice and refine our construction skills on before we build our most important building -- our home -- a 1000 square foot passive solar house. Should be ample space for 2 adults who really need and want to be outside working in the garden most of the time anyway.

Best of luck to you in your homesteading journey.

Kind regards,

Patrick Harris
http://ByExample.com

First of all, welcome. What an opportunity, starting from scratch! I would start first with the overview of my goals, then lay out the house and plot plans to make them happen. I would think in terms of “dual, or multi-purpose” things which would prevent me from becoming dependent on those things in the outside world which could easily become scarce or too expensive. Fuel, water, energy, healthiness, mobility. I would think in terms of using my resources well--those being my soil, money supply, time, and personal energy. I would think in terms of minimal maintenance. I would also think about my family’s security needs, too, in some basic storm, flood, fire, critter, and human intruder protections.

In the future, just “having a few chickens, a garden, and maybe some pigs” will soon get old unless you know why you are doing it, and that you have included those in the overall plan. Just my two cents worth. I’m an old guy, I’ll probably not see too many more catastrophes like last September’s financial meltdown, I’ll probably survive a few more droughts, and I will be able to weather a few food shortages. But I’m advising my grandkids to be much better prepared than I ever was. Expect a new roller coaster ride.

I would heartily agree with Karen about the mudroom. I'm a big fan of having a good size mud room, and if we're really dreaming it up an old beater washer in there, because you'll be tracking in all sorts of stuff that will kill a lesser machine. If you could get one off Craigslist or something for $50, you could replace it pretty easily when it gets too full of straw and nails to run. Also, a laundry sink! You should be able to fit a good size goose, puppy, or child in there (and trust me, eventually you'll need to). Other than that, a library card and some good neighbors and you're well on your way!

I would recommend you find the book, "The Have-More Plan" book by the Robinson's. It has good designs for a full homestead, a small homestead, and a good house design with a large summer kitchen. I would add porches to their home design, but that is about it. I would also recommend you looking into getting some rabbits. They are easy to maintain and their manure is great for the garden and able to be used immediately instead of composting. We butcher and eat our extra rabbits, but you should be able to sell them off if you don't want to eat them. I agree with the suggestions of the other posters listed above. Welcome to the forum and Blessings to you and your family, firegirl

If you are in an area with cold winters, I'd put the freezer in the garage or porch. Reason is if your electricity goes out in the winter (ice storm, for example), then most likely your food will stay frozen. And not having to worry about that is great if you are in that situation.

I would strongly consider putting a tiled floor and a drain in your pantry (or mud room). It would make clean up SO much easier for so many things. For example, if you do keep the freezer in there, when you clean it out it's so easy to just open the drain in the bottom and clean it out that way. When kids track into the house the dirt will stop there and you'll be able to keep it clean very easily.

Your pantry should be as large as you can make it. You could be (should be, IMO) storing a year's worth of food for your family. It can take up a lot of room. Also, you need to store seldom used appliances or large pots and pans, your pressure cooker, etc. I could fill up an entire "normal" closet with stock pots, etc. Things that I'd rather have not filling up my cupboards in the kitchen itself.

When you plan the kitchen, make sure there's room to do large jobs on occasion. You aren't going to be canning and cutting up meat all the time, but when you need to do it, the counter space to do it is great.

Make sure you have a lot of light in the kitchen, as well.

In a perfect world I'd have a wood stove in the kitchen, as well. One that you can cook on if needed, and to keep the place warm in the winter. You might not heat your whole house with wood if you don't want to, but I think it's pretty important to be able to do at least some of the house that way. Again, it probably depends on what part of the country you are in.

I'm sure others will come up with more things, too.

Congratulations on your start!

Jennifer

Fruit berry NUT trees and bushes/canes. Whatever grows there.

Windbreak?

A porch.

A garden produce prep area- a sink inside or out (which won't make the area muddy) closest to the door to the garden where washing dirt off potatos etc will not get all your dishes filthy or have you tracking mud/dirt across the kitchen floor. Possibly a sink low down for rinsing your feet/boots when you come in or large produce like a melon or pumpkin you don't want to have to lift up to counter level.

Fencing and cross fencing for garden protection and livestock. And in my area to keep us safe from wandering dogs.

I like the gun suggestions, but please, learn how to use one. They can be your best friend or your worst nightmare if you lack experience with them. A good watchdog is great too. Fruit trees first is a great suggestion. We did that 14 years ago with apple trees and pecan trees and it has worked well for us.

Along with the rest is that when you get electricity put in you first put a shut off between the meter and the main breaker. This is because if you want to put in a stand by generatior you will have to shut off the power to hook it up and you can do this without calling the electric company to do it for you. It will cost you little to install a switch and will make it easier if you need to change a panel or anything that you will need to cut the electricity for.

It's worth it to have a full cellar that you can get to easily from both inside and outdoors. Not only can you arrange it so that part of it serves as a root cellar, but it gives you easy access to your utilities (water supply and drain pipes, electricity) that might need to be worked on, and a place to stash some firewood if you know you're going to have a spell of truly awful weather and don't want to have to go to the woodpile.

I am going to be the contrarian here.

Although an orchard is very desirable, don’t worry about putting it in this fall or even next spring. Take some time to see how you use the land and where the best placement for a garden and orchard would be.

In the upper Midwest shade trees should not go on the south side of the house. From the MN State Commerce Division :

• Shade west and east windows. Select a tree that can be planted within 20 feet of the window and will grow at least ten feet taller than the window. …
• Avoid trees south of windows. From an energy conservation perspective, the worst place to have a tree is in the yard south of the home. Minnesota has good solar resources, and in winter the tree's shadow will fall on the house and eliminate the potential for free solar energy to heat the home. In summer when the sun is high in the sky at midday, the tree's shadow falls directly under the tree and misses shading the home to its north.
• Create windbreaks…
• Increase tree canopy…

If you expect to have AG equipment, take some time to think where you can maneuver and park this equipment. If at all possible borrow a large tractor and wagon and try driving it around to get an idea how much space these vehicles really take.

How much snow does the area get? Plan ahead for the snowplow to pile up great drifts somewhere. Also think ahead where all the melted snow will run off. Hopefully not across the driveway.

Look at the old farmhouses for some inspiration. Often they had covered porches on 3 or 4 sides. This can serve as pre-mudroom where dirty kids can be fed, and visitors met without having to take off the muddy boots. The porches also provide great shade in the summer, and a nice place to sit in the evening to watch farm life.

Take your time, you don't have accomplish everything at once. It is better to plan out the elements that will be permanent and unmovable.

I have read some, but not all, responses. They all seem to have great advice. Since I can't remember what was said (or by whom, lol), I'll just tell you what we did over the past year and what we'd do differently if we were in your shoes. :)

We started out on 1.86 acres with a very small (1100 sq ft, plus a cellar) for our family of 2 adults and 4 little boys (a lot of activity). A small garage, but not usable for cars. We moved in December last year, and have spent the year making lots of improvements, including renovating the garage into a barn (but it's not big enough!), putting in a huge garden, and getting chickens and goats.

If we get to build a new home, whether on this site or not, we probably wouldn't build much bigger, just add a few things that are sadly lacking here. Mother Earth News has a passive solar design house in one of its recent issues that is specifically for the Midwest. I'd probably take that design and modify it for our needs here.

The first thing I'd build me a barn. A little bigger than what I'm needing, since we've decided that we'd like to add sheep, guineas, and geese next year, and we don't even have anything more than a tent-like structure for the goats yet. That's all they need, but we'd rather have the comfort of something more barnlike for winter mucking and milking. Not to mention a small room inside for milk processing - stove, fridge, sink, and cheesemaking stuff.

Then, for the house, I'd definitely do a pantry on the top floor. Yes, the basement will be good for root cellaring, but I want easy access to most stuff. I would put a huge mud room in, and at least have a shower and laundry facilities right there so I'm not tracking mud in the house or streaking. I'd also do inside shoes and outside shoes, since I'm constantly cleaning up the kitchen floor from boys' shoes. The boys all share a room, and it works for us. I might make it a bit bigger for when they get older (dorm-style), but not much. We only have 1 bathroom, so at least 2 bathrooms or at the very least 1.5 baths! I don't care so much for a garage, but I definitely want a carport or some sort of roof over my cars that is attached to the house so that it is easier to get kids loaded up into the van or truck.

Also, research what you want, what you need for what you want, and how much it's going to take labor and cost-wise. Our fence cost a lot more than what we expected, and it wasn't very elaborate. This all needs to figure in because it can be strapping to put it in after the fact.

Just my two pesos worth.

I would agree it depends on where you live . If a new home , put the fireplace in the center of the house . If you are thinking cattle or cows , or even pasture chickens think about how you are going to break up the pasture for rotating them ( i.e electric fence) . Take a look at Joel Salatin , books for ideal for now and in the future . Look to buy a used tractor and have ideal of what direction you want the barn or shed to face . Think geothermal or wood for heat . Put a cistern in for water ( home and garden uses ). A fuse box that is design to handle a generator for power outages .

I 3rd , 4th , 5th the mud room whatever we are on
but i would take it a step further or 10 or 20 stepps further

my ideal mud room is a cross between a locker room , a laundry room very multi purpose

it should in my opinion a door to the outside or garage , and a door to the kitchen

if i had an attached garage i would put it between the garage and the house one wall should have places for all the coats , hats , boots and so forth the floor should be tile or concrete and have a floor drian , it needs to have heat and some places to plug in boot driers it should also have the washing machine and a large set of sinks (think all that garden produce you will want to be washing , also to wash the dog

you can never have to much garage space , to large a pantry or mud room or to big of a work shop , untill you have to pay the heat bill or the taxes.

or to many sinks it would seem untill you have to clean them.
i realy wish i had more sinks and counter space in my kitchen
if you are on septic , mound , or tank plan ahead for re routing grey water after inspection.

ceiling fans in every room

where you put the house on the lot depends a lot on the lot , but i envision a house with med long drive way fenced to both sides but with room for orchards lining the drivea gate at the road and another at the house and the house surrounded by a small yard then fence then garden surounded by fence with the chicken coop positioned between the garden and the pastures and pastures fenced so that anamals can be rotated easily

run water hydrants in the four directions from the house so that they server the garden the pastures and the orchard

idealy the lawn should be small and quick to mow with a standard push mower and the anamals should be rotaited to keep the rest down

leave the trees far enough apart to run chicken tractors between the rows



now if most of it is wooded this may not fit but it is in my head

We didn't put in permanent fencing for awhile. We used temporary at first. Moved it to meet our needs better as we learned more. Then moved it again, lol. Then we finally put in permanent fencing based on how we really ended up using our land.

Pigs are the easiest and fastest way to produce meat for the homestead. Don't be afraid of them. They took us the longest to try and were the most rewarding meat project.

Home butchering is another skill we were intimidated by and wish we would have done ourselves sooner. We are pro's now. It saves the most amount of money per pound as far as input into your meat supply.

Our livestock guardian dog is worth his weight in gold. Chickens and goats don't have a prayer against predators. Good fencing and a livestock guardian are invaluable.

An essential for any home is peace & quiet.