Today I move from the city to the country...

[ixion]

Over the summer, I bought a 7 acre property, and have been building an off-grid farm. Today is moving day. The property still needs a great deal of work, and the first couple months are going to be more like camping, but it's the realization of a goal I've had since the 80's. So despite the adversity, I'm pretty excited at the prospect. I'll keep DU posted on how things go. :)

[alphafemale]

1. Do you have a well and septic at least.

By off grid you mean wind or solar power?

[ixion]

6. I'll have a well at some point, but at this point I'm using water from my neighbor's well

stored in a holding tank. In lieu of septic, I'm using dry compost.

I've got a small solar array at this point, which I'm going to expand to include more solar, wind, and power from a steam turbine I'm building.

[alphafemale]

20. Did something like that for awhile.

Here's an off the grid tip.

We used 5 gallon water jugs but you can improvise.

Spray paint them black. Put where they get sun most of day. Voila!!! Solar water heater.

Especially in FL this might work all year for giving you hot water.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Congratulations!!!! A 20 year dream realized. Wow.

I hope it goes wonderful for you.
I guarantee it will be memorable, adventurous, unpredictable, marvelous, and rewarding.

Also maybe cold????? Don't know where you are, but there is bound to be winter around there somewhere.

[ixion]

7. thanks, dixiegrrrrl!

I think you're correct in that it will be adventurous and memorable, etc.

I'm down here in Florida, so it'll be cold at time, but workable. :)

[geckosfeet]

3. Wow. Sounds like fun! Enjoy. And don't forget to write.

[ixion]

8. hopefully so... I'll keep you posted. Thanks!

:toast:

[jaxx]

4. The best of luck to you and congrats on reaching your goal.

I admire the pioneering spirit.

[ixion]

9. Much appreciated, jaxx!

And thank you for the compliment. I've been living a more corporate-urban life for the past 12 years, so it feels good to be getting back to my roots, as it were. :)

[WhiteTara]

5. Country life is beautiful

and filled with the hardest work possible. You're going to love it!

[ixion]

10. Yep, that's the truth...

I grew up part-time on a farm in Nebraska, and always loved being out away from the city. I've been working this property since July, and you're right, the work is very hard, but very, very rewarding. :toast:

[WhiteTara]

18. right back at you

:toast:

I love country life. I spend almost every minute that I can outside. I'm building a garden. It started as about one acre of grass with some hideous cedar bushes hiding the house. My project between now and spring is to build the fence around the acre. I'm tired of little baskets around things. It's hard to garden behind them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[enough]

11. What part of the country are you moving to? (nt)

[ixion]

12. I'm in Florida...

so I'm only moving a few miles from where I'm at now.

[enough]

17. Sounds like a great place to do this. Long growing seasons, and you don't have to

contend with large heating needs. Best of luck to you!

[Shagbark Hickory]

40. Heating needs, no. Cooling needs, OTOH... heavens help ya.

FLA without AC is tough. I've tried to sleep while camping there without AC, wasn't able to.
You can't just burn wood to air condition the place either, that's a lot of wattage, lot of gas, lot of PV cells.

[Saturday]

13. What an adventure. Glad your dreams are coming true. nt

[cleanhippie]

14. Please, please, please continue to post on this.

Would love to know what you have done and what you plan to do. This is also a plan I am actively working on.

Good luck!

[ixion]

24. will do... and thanks!

Glad to hear you're working on something similar. :toast:

[panader0]

15. When I moved onto my 40 parcel over 30 years ago

I lived in a tent. I had a well, but no electricity or septic. I used a generator to fill my water tank. It was over a year for the septic, and four years until I got electricity. No neighbors at all at first. Now all the land around me is occupied.
Enjoy!

[shireen]

16. that's wonderful, congratulations!

I'd love to hear more about it as you build your homestead. Please continue to post.

I had the same dream too. I didn't want as much land, but i wanted to have a large garden, see the milky way in the night sky and build a backyard observatory, get a couple of dogs, raise chickens, create a wildlife sanctuary, live off the grid, .... but i got sick and had to let go of that dream. It was, and still is, a sad feeling because i wanted it so much.

Meanwhile, i'm still stuck in an apartment.

So i need to live vicariously through you! :)

[ixion]

28. I will continue to post...

I'm documenting the whole process with photos and video, so I'll be sure to share some online. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. Hopefully I can provide you with some rewarding vicarious experiences! :toast:

[shireen]

30. LOL! you better ....

i just added you to my buddy list so i can keep up with your posts. :)

[gateley]

42. If I ever get such a place, shireen, you're invited for extended stays! nt

[FedUpWithIt All]

19. Congratulations!!! I am so happy for you!

I give you virtual bread so you may never go hungry, a virtual candle to light your way and virtual salt that you may always have spice in your life. Remember to always take a moment to *enjoy* the journey. :)


We bought our land two autumns ago and are (hopefully) moving there in the summer.

[ixion]

27. thanks very much for the gifts and good advice...

they are both much appreciated. I will certainly take it to heart and try and stop and enjoy life... it's one of the reasons I want to move out there. :)

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

21. Congratulations. If you want some vegetable seeds let me know.

I have lots of lettuce seed, mustard seed, Arugula, Kale, Parsnip, turnip, and a few other things I have saved from my garden. If you send a mailing address via private message I will get them in the mail.

Many Blessings on your new life.
ADW

[ixion]

25. wow, very cool. thank you!

I'll be putting together my seed list here in the next couple weeks, and will pm you. Much appreciated! :)

[roody]

22. congrats!!

[newfie11]

23. Congratulations!!

We moved to the country 40 years ago. I was told then to give it a year to adjust. 40 years and 4 farms later we are still in the country. Due to our age we sold our place in the SD Black Hills that was 40 miles from town and bought this farm in NE panhandle. Now 6 miles from town, best of both worlds.You will not regret it.

[ixion]

26. Appreciate the encouragement

and I think you're right about giving it a year to adjust. I'm about 15 miles from town, and get there in about 20 mins. It's one of the reasons I like this property. Best of both worlds, as you said. :toast:

[ixion]

29. Here's a pick of the floating frame for the house....

and you can get an idea what the place looks like... in summer at least. :)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1536607&l=2248a5887c&id=1540913400

[murray hill farm]

36. Facebook!

Just sent you a friend request. Check out the progress of my adventure in moving to the country...moved from Georgia to Arkansas and 10 acres in the country here. Lots of pictures on my profile page. Pat.

[Tumbulu]

31. Congratulations!!!!!

Try to give yourself a little time everyday to sit and appreciate the beauty around you that you will get to watch change with you.

Enjoy!

[Inchworm]

32. Eat a lot of peaches!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cs8G_mY8jE

Awesome to hear. Not much can beat it once you settle in. Congratulations!

:applause:

[Lucinda]

34. I thought that was gonna be John Prine. :)

Fooled me. :)

[bvar22]

33. Congratulations!!!!

October 12th, 2006....My wife and I took that Leap of Faith.
We moved from the Big City (Minneapolis) to The Woods (Ouachita Mtns, Arkansas).





So far, so good.
:hi:

[Lucinda]

35. Best of luck!

We have been talking seriously about doing the same. Have friends in Costa Rica and may go there. :) Sounds like a great adventure!

[LWolf]

37. I'll look forward to reading about it!

I have a really hard time trying to manage my 6 acres by myself outside of my work day. It's not a farm, though. My neighbor? He has 6 acres of farm created out of his 20 acre plot. He's retired, though.

I just keep paying the mortgage and hoping to be able to do something with the place someday.

[ixion]

38. Update: Jan, 12, 2011

It has been nearly two weeks since I moved out here full time. The first night was very mild. Then the weather set in. Two nice days withstanding, it has been either cold or wet. The inclement weather has slowed the forward motion, but still I'm making progress. I've got the 1800 watt generator running nearly 24/7 to keep the batteries charged up. My big development laptop really sucks down the watts, and the long distance wireless power supply fails on an inverter. Hence, until I can produce at least 1800 watts of consistent household-grade current, the generator is a annoying necessity. It's good motivation to get the wattage up on my hybrid array. For right now, however, the array is lower on the priority list. With the cold and rainy weather, much of the time is spent stowing the items from my townhouse, now under the cover of a various system of tarps, and upgrading the chicken coop to protect them from the weather.

It's amazing to start to really itemize the amount of power you require daily to survive. Between gas for the generator, propane for the stove, 'fridge and space heater, kerosene for the coop heater, I'm definitely not self-sustaining and will need to produce a great deal more power. Power and water are the two main obstacles to overcome as quickly as possible. Once I've got the camp able to withstand a heavy winter storm (for down here, at least), I need to turn my attention to beefing up the hybrid array and building my cistern.

As expected, it's hard living and a great deal of work. Who says adventure is dead? ;)

[Shagbark Hickory]

41. Space heater? HAven't you got any wood?

You shouldn't be burning through that much propane on a stove either but you could conceivably kill two birds with one stone by getting a wood/pellet/corn stove.
I suggest working on insulating the place and getting some thick blankets. Space heaters are very expensive to operate. What part of florida are you in anyway? It can't be that bad :shrug:

[ixion]

44. Yeah, that's the goal, long term. Right now, I'm in a 30' Coachman

that is acting as temporary lodgings until I can finish the house, etc. Ultimately, I'll be using thermal mass to maintain a less flexible temperature in the house. For now, it's just extreme camping. :toast:

I do have a fire pit as well, but when these winter storms blow through they issue fire warnings, so I'm unable to have a fire on the cold nights.

[Shagbark Hickory]

39. Best of luck!!! You're my hero!

Similar goal.

[ixion]

45. cool... and thanks!

be sure and share your experiences. :)

[Shagbark Hickory]

48. I have similar plans but maybe for different reasons.

I want to tell my mortgage lender where they cant put their mortgage.
That means buying something to live in that I can afford to pay cash for.
I'm not looking to go off grid, especially since water and power is relatively cheap here.
But I'm looking to save money by building myself and using recycled materials if possible.

What I'm finding is right now there are so many cheap foreclosures, you could buy a pretty decent house for what it costs to buy an empty lot.

[creeker]

43. I wish you the best

But you need much more land (many acres)or maybe more to pay for the technology. have you a creek or stream? if so consider energy from it---------

[ixion]

46. no creek or a stream, but lots of sun and some decent wind

fortunately, the money for the technology isn't coming from working the land. I'm a software engineer, and that's what is funding the project. Appreciate the well wishes! :toast:

[ixion]

47. Update: Jan 22, 2011

There's another nor'wester blowing in today. I had some work to do for a client this morning, then went out an picked up two 8 foot gates to fill their designated place in the gate, in my on-going effort to keep the cows out of the site. After that, I spent the afternoon battening down the hatches and preparing for another night in the 20's. It's been a helluva winter.

I've made some progress on the fire pit and the chicken coop, and am only days away from switching to using the hybrid array instead of the generator. I'm going to bring in a 5,000 watt industrial grade inverter. No more kidding around. I've got to get the wind turbine up (I'd be cranking in the watts today!), and I've got another small solar array to add to the mix. It'll give me enough power to run the coop and my lights and computers, but I'll still have to fire up the generator occasionally to top them off until I can get more wattage in the array. My initial target is 2,000 watts of wind and solar. If I'm able to get the steam turbine working, I won't have to use the generator at all. so that's also a priority. Work comes first though, so the progress is stifled somewhat.

In any case, I'm adapting, and working into a routine. That's a start. :)

[Shagbark Hickory]

49. Where are you dumping?

trash, gray + black tanks?

[ixion]

50. I have trash pickup, and I"m going to have a septic service deal with the tanks, short term

and long term I'll have a holding pond to reuse the gray water, and will dry compost septic.

[FedUpWithIt All]

51. We're a step or two behind you :)

We have a travel trailer on our land waiting for spring (We live in a colder area) and then we will be staying in it for the summer while we (if all goes according to plan) start building the first section of our future home.

Your thread is fascinating to us, to say the least.

I was wondering if your future dry composing humanure system will be purchased or home built. I have seen some simple systems that use old barrels and the like but we can't help leaning toward a prefab version but are not sure about the expense of it. I'd be interested to hear your plan if you already have it worked out. I know for us, the planning is organic and changes constantly as we acquire new info and learn of new ways to do things.

We have an old FEMA trailer that was used in NE Ohio during the flooding a few years back. It was outfitted as a park hookup and has no tanks and has an electric fridge and a standard toilet. We plan to remove both of these and replace the toilet with a small self contained composting toilet and the fridge with a propane (or even better, biogas) model.

For waste, we have been really cutting ours down by composting and feeding scraps to our various animals but we also intend to run a black soldier fly larvae system for pet waste, extra food waste...We would use the larvae for fish bait and as an extra protein source for the chickens. We would like to try the larvae on the collected human compost as well.

We have been tossing around ways to integrate a methane digestor unit. For grey water we'd like to do a reed bed filtration system and a duckweed pond.

Tons of work, of course and we just keep inching ourselves forward ;-)

:toast: to making a go of it!!!

[ixion]

52. inching forward... that's the truth

I'm glad you're interested in my post. In the last month it's been quite a struggle, with much adapting required on my part. Even down in the (allegedly) warm south, I've spent a great deal of time lashing things down in preparation for freezing weather or wild storms. I've started doing the vast majority of my coding at night and early in the morning, and spend the day trying to gain that inch.

Regarding the dry composting: I've given a great deal of thought to this, and after using the woods for the last month, I'm set on getting one of the nicer prefab models that are entirely self contained and look (on the front end) like a regular toilet. This is to keep the maintenance and mess down, and so as to make guests who come to visit more comfortable. I've had one guest so far, and it's a little rough living for most people. I hope to have the house up by the summer, and then a Yurt shortly there after. My immediate need is power, though. Power and water seem to be the place to start. I have no well, and it hasn't been raining much, so I'm packing in water at this point. Power-wise, I've got a small array and am working on a wind turbine, but right now I'm running an 1800 watt generator about 18 hours a day to keep everything running. I look forward to having enough renewables in place that I don't have to have it running.

Please keep me posted on how your adventure goes. I'll do the same!

*cheers* :toast: