Building cabin with no power

Cyngbaeld · #21 06/20/04, 06:40 PM

Did you say you were going to connect to the grid when you are thru bldg or did I miss something? Can't you get a temporary pole with hookup for bldg where you are?

Ozarkguy · #22 06/20/04, 07:52 PM

Dunno yet??? Neighbors said I need the well in, or some permanent structure started (like a foundation) before they'll hook me up. Not planning a foundation (as you're not taxed if you have skid/temp buildings here). Main permanent building will come much later. The well is expected to go 800' and around 10 grand, so that will have to wait, too.

And not really sure if I'll go on-grid yet. I really like what's finally hitting the solar market now a days. If I hook up, it would only be for back up.

Any idea how long one of those temporary set-ups is good for? I'm looking at working there for a year. If a temp pole's got a time limit, then I'm back to square one?

Cyngbaeld · #23 06/20/04, 08:04 PM

If you can call the power company where you are building they will tell you. Where I was living in colorado they would put in a pole for a mobile home hookup. You didn't have to have the mobile in place first. But that was just that particular power company's policy. They would also run power for a barn or for a temporary feed for building purposes. They were real easy to get along with. You had to pay for the poles tho and unless you had a perm foundation that was cash. Where I was looking it was going to be lots cheaper to go with solar, but it was a long, long way off the main lines.

#24 06/20/04, 09:58 PM

Do you need to consider that the generator you will buy to run a few tools now will be used later for emergency power? If so, buy what you will eventually need to avoid a double purchase. How about a welder/generator if you plan on welding in the future?
Dale in Tx

BrushBuster · #25 06/20/04, 10:20 PM

i love my stihl 0 29 16" bar, built several outbuildings, 2 cabins, over 400 fence posts and i aint got no idea how much firewood, sometimes it can be a tad on the small side bar wise, but then again if it gets any bigger than i can cut, i don't really want to split it anyway. all in all i think it's a very good dual purpose saw

sisterpine · #26 06/21/04, 11:42 AM

Greetings from Montana! We have spent the last 4 years plus building our mountain home with no power. First we got a coleman 5500 , it is very very noisy and really drinks gas and oil. But it was only 550.00 in 1999. After one year the thing blew a piston out the side of the block. Got a new engine for it 400.00 and it ran for another two years just drinking away! Understand since we have no solar or wind yet all of our power for our home comes from this generator. In summer it runs 5 hours each day and in winter about 8 hours each day. So that is an enormous amount of hours to put on any generator. Anyway it finally died and we purchased a Generac 3000 watt gen with electric start. It is much quieter and easier to start. The coleman was very difficult to start when temps go around 10 degrees. We find that the 3000 generac is just fine for power tools and charging our battery bank. FYI the generac with electric start was 750.00 at home depot last fall.

FolioMark · #27 06/21/04, 11:53 AM

Ozarkguy: Im not far from you up in Laclede county and I was in a similar spot when I built. We rented a generator which was a total pain in the neck. Everytime something went wrong, back 17 miles to town. We had a power pole on the property with a meter box so we just put up a quick pole shed and put a fusebox into it and had an electrician wire it to the meter box. Power company came the same day popped a meter in the box and hooked us up and we were cooking with gas...to mix a metaphor. No muss or fuss about foundations or wells or any such like. Maybe we were lucky but they said the shed was enough building for them.
Cant hurt to ask the local power folks. Sure made future building a whole lot simpler to just plug in the extension cord in the shed and go to work.

Ozarkguy · #28 06/21/04, 04:33 PM

I was going by a couple neighbors that built around there. But maybe if the power company sees work is already in progress, they'll hook me up. I'll give em a call.

And I like the generac models and will probably get one later. Right now I don't want/have the room to haul it, and don't want to leave it there to disappear while I'm gone. :no:

Work, work, work work work. hehe But it IS enjoyable when I'm there doing my latest "projects" and fixin things up.

Thanks for your replies and suggestions folks.

Ozarkguy