Breaking ground on our future self sufficient homestead!

[kabri]

blog/ We've finally started on our off-grid homesite! This is pretty remote, even our contractor needs directions when he comes to check our land clearing progress. Pictures of our cabin in the woods too, well stocked as a short term bug-out spot. New house and barn will be off-grid with solar, wind and back-up generator. I've learned so much from reading all the posts here about preparedness, Thank you! DH & I are could not wait to get started and last weekend we found a little spot and planted sprouted potatoes we had forgotten about, left over from last year; we felt like squirrels, putting up a stash of potential survival food at the new place. I just hope we can get this project completed and moved in the current economy. Everything hinges right now on our ability to sell our current house & 5 acres.

[CowgirlGloria]

Congratulations!

Good luck on selling the old place!

[AngieM2]

Congratulations on the start, and sure hope your place w/5 acres goes to someone who needs it soon.

Angie

[kabri]

Originally Posted by AngieM2

Congratulations on the start, and sure hope your place w/5 acres goes to someone who needs it soon.

Angie

Thanks Angie! The current house has a small but productive garden, totally fenced pastures and barn with 3 stalls and 7+ton hay storage. Biggest problem is - 16 homes share 1 well, no way to get approval for drilling a private one. DH and I really want the security of control of our own water source! Water availability does not allow for any more irrigation than we already do with the small garden. We know of only 1 other house out of the 16 (all on 5 acres) that grows a garden - none raise any sort of livestock and our poultry and sheep have always been viewed as cute, quaint, and maybe even odd. Never as a food source. Many neighbors are shocked that we actually eat our lamb, so we keep that quiet. Being surrounded by so many neighbors who don't prep - who move to relative/friends house when the power goes out - don't show their faces to help when the road is blocked by storm-damaged trees - there are so many reasons why it's time for us to move on! Best case scenario is we find a buyer who lives in the city and wants (or needs!) more room to grow food!

[Michael Kawalek]

Kabri
Congragulations! I still remember the way my wife behaved the first time she walked on the land that we finally bought. Her reaction, just like mine, was "Yes, this is the place"!

Our views took divergent paths from that point forward. I would look at a view and say to myself; I want trees to be planted here, I want garden space there. My wife would look at a view and say "I want my kitchen to face this view, My living room to face there. How we complement each other.

Now you get to take those afternoon walks and talk about want you want to do. Things like where to plant your trees, and which way the kitchen should face.

We got a place somewhat like yours, surrounded by National forest, but with oaks and pine instead of fir and alder. Your land is so wet, my number one worry is water availability. You very much have the right idea, self-sufficency is the way to go today. Good luck selling the house.
Michael