Poster's note: I had mentioned on another thread that I would be posting this. I received a PM from another member who was interested in homesteading from a community point of view. I sent her a draft copy of this and suggested that she was welcome to add her comments to this thread if she wished. She never responded.
As one of the doomier members of this forum, I'm only posting this thread as a heads up for the few members who think they will move to the country when the going gets rough. My guess is that almost all city people underestimate what goes into establishing a homestead. And, most importantly, how long it will take - if you start today, you should be ready for the peaking of petroleum some time in 2010.
No doubt someone is going to look at the following time line (a total of 7 years - 2 years getting ready for the move and 5 years actually building the homestead) and believe they can beat it, I wish you the best.
I also have no doubt that other people might do things differently or in a different order. That's fine with me. Nothing is written in stone. Post your own plan if your disagree rather than bitching about differences.
I lived in the country until I was 12 and moved back to the country 30 years ago. However, I sure as hell don't know everything and some of my suggestions are guesstimates. There are thousands of others out there who live far more self-sufficinetly than my wife and I.
The purpose of this plan is to allow you to continue to live in the 20th century for 10-20 years in the event of total disaster. We rely on a lot of technology and the technology has a given lifespan. However, this timeframe can be extended indefinitiely by the simple expedient of incorporating generational/sustainable technologies reight from the start. I've touched on this in other threads.
This plan assumes that you will be starting with raw land with no improvments. The advantage is that you can tailor things specifically to your needs while allowing time for your skills to develop. Yes, you could buy an old farm. However, I believe that old farms will ultimately cost you more and require significantly more time to rehabilitate than starting from scratch. Further, trying to fix up old stuff is far more difficult that new construction.
The plan assumes that all property is woned by a single family and that the work will be done by that family. I know a lot of people believe that a sharing/commune-type structure is the way to go. That's fine if that is what you want to do. But a community timeframe will be little different from that of a family. In fact, it is likely to be much, much longer.
The plan below gives a time line that allows time to devlop necessary skills, spread out the cost and, most importantly, allows a long enough period to be certain country living is for you before investing everything in something you hate.
There are tow approaches to establishing your homestead. The first is to establish the physical framework without acatually attempting to live totally self-sufficiently. The idea is to have the framework in place so that the family can rapidly transition from reliance upon the "outside" to self-sufficiency. My wife and I fall into this category. We currently can provide for all of our needs with the exception of food where we woulod have to increase the size of our seasonal garden and re-introduce animals.
The second approach is to bite the bullet and go right for self-sufficiency. This is how the plan is designed.
Let me begin with the psychological aspects since no one seems to ever discuss them. Not everyone has the personality to survive truly rural living. The vast majority of city relationships in my area break-up within 5-7 years because one of the partners absolutely hates everything. It might be the isolation. It might be the mud or having to put the chains on everyday to get through the snow. It might be that there is never any time when there isn't work to be done. It might be the two one hour trips to the school bus stop. It might be personal growth. It might be the lack of cultural events. Or, it might be the difficulty of shopping or onl being able to afford thrift store clothes.
There are also sex specific landmines: For men, it is the loss of image/status. There is no business card with the grand title. They are just one more guy in jeans and work boots driving an old pickup truck. For women, it is the loss of support structures/friends.
So, here goes:
First, before you do anyting - how much money do you have? Unlike buying a functing place, starting from scratch means you can't spread the cost over the period of a mortgage. For example, a septic system in my area of northern California costs between $8-10K including engineering, permits and construction costs. This money has to be paid out front.
Be sure you have enough money to cover all your living expenses fro a minmum of two years in addition to money for construction, etc. Forget about medical insurance. In addition, you should have enough food for at leat a year. This is a good way to learn about food preservation.
Second, you need to gather information. You need to know about rights of way. You need to understand CCR's. Are there any local or state ordinances or laws that may impact you? You need to find out how much things cost. For example, real estate ads might say "power nearby" or "power available" but it's not at all unusual for the power lines to be more than 1,000 feet away (in fact miles isn't that unusual). A thousand feet is 50 grand or, more likely, putting in an alternative system.
Third, you have to realistically assess your relationship and whether you both share the same vision. Don't even think about a country move if there are any problems.
Fourth, you need to assess your marketable skills and whether you and/or your partner are willing to take any job. Jobs are hard to come by in the boondocks. It is not terribly unusual for men to live where they work and come home on weekends.
Fifth, you need to begin to learn needed homestead skills at least two years before you move! These inculde things such as engine mechanics, wiring, plumbing, carpentry, animal husbandry, crop production, food preservation, etc. You do not want these kinds of things to become on the job learning experiences. You will go broke if you hire people for work you could learn to do or buy food you could grow.
Although you may begin using motorized equipment for fieldwork, it is assumed you will use animals once you are established.
You need to learn that there is no such thing as "man's work" and "woman's work." I can sew if necessary and my wife can run a chainsaw. I taught myself to sew on a treadle sewing machine when I was 8 or 9 so I could make packs for my trap line. And, I also do most of our cooking today because I love to cook and my wife hates cooking.
Sixth, if your kids are going to regular school, it might be a good idea to begin to transition them to home schooling (if that's your plan).
Seventh, your plan needs to be designed to do things in small steps so that failure won't be a disaster. Start with 10 chickens not 100. Start with a small garden not half an acre. Build a small building before you tackle a major building.
Year one -
Buy land
Buy basic tools
Clear land
Buy used mobile home
Establish domestic and Ag water systems
Establish power or bring in power
Fence future garden and orchard
Plant permanent crops (trees, vines, etc.) in fenced area
Have someone custom fit and drill a high organic matter cover crop into future pastue and crop areas
Build a combination chicken coup (and/or goat shed) and firewood storage area
Build a summer kitchen
Cut firewood
City people seem enamored by quantity rather than quality. The land will be your lifeblood and you cannot skimp on it. It is far better to have 20 acres of well-drained land with Class 1 soils thatn 200 acres of land with Class 3 soils that lays low and needs tiling.
Further, since wood will be of major importance for heat, cooking, future construction and, perhaps, wood gas, the land muc currently support a sufficiently large wood lot to supply all your needs into perpetuity.
The mobile home is the key to your firt year's success. It provides instant dry housing and a bathroom. Don't buy a camper or fifth wheeler! They are too cramped and cost too much.
Fertilizer costs money and may not be available. Although a great deal of increased soil nutrition can be achieved with legume crops, you really need animals for their manure. You will never make enough compost for the total growing area required.
The chicken coup/goat shed/firewood storage building and the summer kirchen will give youi a chance to practice your building skills.
The cost of tools is likely to be an issue. I'm not talking about little home stuff like a couple of screw drivers. I'm talking about big, expensive stuff that you will have to buy. How do you deal with the reality of saying it is imperative that you spend close to a grand for chainsaws when your family can't afford new clothes?
Year two -
Look for work and get a job
Assess finances
Build barn/shop
Fence pasture into paddocks
Begin working fields on your own
Plant full garden and preserve crops
Get chickens/milk goats
Complete house design and any final clearing
Build cold cellar
Decide whether you are going to use corn silage, green chop/haylage or hay along with grains for animal feed; How you plan on harvesting them and how you plan on storing them (hay stacks, bins, silos, bunkers, Ag Bags)
Cut firewood
This is the make or break year in many ways. You've had your fun playing in the country. You are starting to talk big bucks to build the barn/shop correctly - anything less than 30x40 or 40x40 is a waste of time. Be sure the door is high enough to get large equipment in and out (Know what equipment you might buy. Some equipment like combines require a 13 foot minimum opening - and, yes, I have heard of ground drivem combines.).
I'm going to close Part 1A here and will start Part 1B tomorrow. My wife has been gone for a few days and she will be home soon.
Todd
As one of the doomier members of this forum, I'm only posting this thread as a heads up for the few members who think they will move to the country when the going gets rough. My guess is that almost all city people underestimate what goes into establishing a homestead. And, most importantly, how long it will take - if you start today, you should be ready for the peaking of petroleum some time in 2010.
No doubt someone is going to look at the following time line (a total of 7 years - 2 years getting ready for the move and 5 years actually building the homestead) and believe they can beat it, I wish you the best.
I also have no doubt that other people might do things differently or in a different order. That's fine with me. Nothing is written in stone. Post your own plan if your disagree rather than bitching about differences.
I lived in the country until I was 12 and moved back to the country 30 years ago. However, I sure as hell don't know everything and some of my suggestions are guesstimates. There are thousands of others out there who live far more self-sufficinetly than my wife and I.
The purpose of this plan is to allow you to continue to live in the 20th century for 10-20 years in the event of total disaster. We rely on a lot of technology and the technology has a given lifespan. However, this timeframe can be extended indefinitiely by the simple expedient of incorporating generational/sustainable technologies reight from the start. I've touched on this in other threads.
This plan assumes that you will be starting with raw land with no improvments. The advantage is that you can tailor things specifically to your needs while allowing time for your skills to develop. Yes, you could buy an old farm. However, I believe that old farms will ultimately cost you more and require significantly more time to rehabilitate than starting from scratch. Further, trying to fix up old stuff is far more difficult that new construction.
The plan assumes that all property is woned by a single family and that the work will be done by that family. I know a lot of people believe that a sharing/commune-type structure is the way to go. That's fine if that is what you want to do. But a community timeframe will be little different from that of a family. In fact, it is likely to be much, much longer.
The plan below gives a time line that allows time to devlop necessary skills, spread out the cost and, most importantly, allows a long enough period to be certain country living is for you before investing everything in something you hate.
There are tow approaches to establishing your homestead. The first is to establish the physical framework without acatually attempting to live totally self-sufficiently. The idea is to have the framework in place so that the family can rapidly transition from reliance upon the "outside" to self-sufficiency. My wife and I fall into this category. We currently can provide for all of our needs with the exception of food where we woulod have to increase the size of our seasonal garden and re-introduce animals.
The second approach is to bite the bullet and go right for self-sufficiency. This is how the plan is designed.
Let me begin with the psychological aspects since no one seems to ever discuss them. Not everyone has the personality to survive truly rural living. The vast majority of city relationships in my area break-up within 5-7 years because one of the partners absolutely hates everything. It might be the isolation. It might be the mud or having to put the chains on everyday to get through the snow. It might be that there is never any time when there isn't work to be done. It might be the two one hour trips to the school bus stop. It might be personal growth. It might be the lack of cultural events. Or, it might be the difficulty of shopping or onl being able to afford thrift store clothes.
There are also sex specific landmines: For men, it is the loss of image/status. There is no business card with the grand title. They are just one more guy in jeans and work boots driving an old pickup truck. For women, it is the loss of support structures/friends.
So, here goes:
First, before you do anyting - how much money do you have? Unlike buying a functing place, starting from scratch means you can't spread the cost over the period of a mortgage. For example, a septic system in my area of northern California costs between $8-10K including engineering, permits and construction costs. This money has to be paid out front.
Be sure you have enough money to cover all your living expenses fro a minmum of two years in addition to money for construction, etc. Forget about medical insurance. In addition, you should have enough food for at leat a year. This is a good way to learn about food preservation.
Second, you need to gather information. You need to know about rights of way. You need to understand CCR's. Are there any local or state ordinances or laws that may impact you? You need to find out how much things cost. For example, real estate ads might say "power nearby" or "power available" but it's not at all unusual for the power lines to be more than 1,000 feet away (in fact miles isn't that unusual). A thousand feet is 50 grand or, more likely, putting in an alternative system.
Third, you have to realistically assess your relationship and whether you both share the same vision. Don't even think about a country move if there are any problems.
Fourth, you need to assess your marketable skills and whether you and/or your partner are willing to take any job. Jobs are hard to come by in the boondocks. It is not terribly unusual for men to live where they work and come home on weekends.
Fifth, you need to begin to learn needed homestead skills at least two years before you move! These inculde things such as engine mechanics, wiring, plumbing, carpentry, animal husbandry, crop production, food preservation, etc. You do not want these kinds of things to become on the job learning experiences. You will go broke if you hire people for work you could learn to do or buy food you could grow.
Although you may begin using motorized equipment for fieldwork, it is assumed you will use animals once you are established.
You need to learn that there is no such thing as "man's work" and "woman's work." I can sew if necessary and my wife can run a chainsaw. I taught myself to sew on a treadle sewing machine when I was 8 or 9 so I could make packs for my trap line. And, I also do most of our cooking today because I love to cook and my wife hates cooking.
Sixth, if your kids are going to regular school, it might be a good idea to begin to transition them to home schooling (if that's your plan).
Seventh, your plan needs to be designed to do things in small steps so that failure won't be a disaster. Start with 10 chickens not 100. Start with a small garden not half an acre. Build a small building before you tackle a major building.
Year one -
Buy land
Buy basic tools
Clear land
Buy used mobile home
Establish domestic and Ag water systems
Establish power or bring in power
Fence future garden and orchard
Plant permanent crops (trees, vines, etc.) in fenced area
Have someone custom fit and drill a high organic matter cover crop into future pastue and crop areas
Build a combination chicken coup (and/or goat shed) and firewood storage area
Build a summer kitchen
Cut firewood
City people seem enamored by quantity rather than quality. The land will be your lifeblood and you cannot skimp on it. It is far better to have 20 acres of well-drained land with Class 1 soils thatn 200 acres of land with Class 3 soils that lays low and needs tiling.
Further, since wood will be of major importance for heat, cooking, future construction and, perhaps, wood gas, the land muc currently support a sufficiently large wood lot to supply all your needs into perpetuity.
The mobile home is the key to your firt year's success. It provides instant dry housing and a bathroom. Don't buy a camper or fifth wheeler! They are too cramped and cost too much.
Fertilizer costs money and may not be available. Although a great deal of increased soil nutrition can be achieved with legume crops, you really need animals for their manure. You will never make enough compost for the total growing area required.
The chicken coup/goat shed/firewood storage building and the summer kirchen will give youi a chance to practice your building skills.
The cost of tools is likely to be an issue. I'm not talking about little home stuff like a couple of screw drivers. I'm talking about big, expensive stuff that you will have to buy. How do you deal with the reality of saying it is imperative that you spend close to a grand for chainsaws when your family can't afford new clothes?
Year two -
Look for work and get a job
Assess finances
Build barn/shop
Fence pasture into paddocks
Begin working fields on your own
Plant full garden and preserve crops
Get chickens/milk goats
Complete house design and any final clearing
Build cold cellar
Decide whether you are going to use corn silage, green chop/haylage or hay along with grains for animal feed; How you plan on harvesting them and how you plan on storing them (hay stacks, bins, silos, bunkers, Ag Bags)
Cut firewood
This is the make or break year in many ways. You've had your fun playing in the country. You are starting to talk big bucks to build the barn/shop correctly - anything less than 30x40 or 40x40 is a waste of time. Be sure the door is high enough to get large equipment in and out (Know what equipment you might buy. Some equipment like combines require a 13 foot minimum opening - and, yes, I have heard of ground drivem combines.).
I'm going to close Part 1A here and will start Part 1B tomorrow. My wife has been gone for a few days and she will be home soon.
Todd
