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16.5 acres and an entire lotta chutzpah.
That’s what we began with after we started this off-grid homesteading journey again in 2015.
It took us over two years to construct it by hand. We’ve been residing in it for 5 and counting, and I can truthfully say I wouldn’t commerce it for something. We’ve constructed one thing great and I really feel blessed to have the ability to name this place house.
However it’s not a mattress of roses.
Most folk who’re actively looking for to off-grid homestead know this behind their minds, however nonetheless. It’s one factor to observe YouTube movies of men establishing their photo voltaic panels and fairly one other to do it your self.
When you’re pushed by the thought of homesteading and residing off the grid, listed here are NINE issues it’s essential know earlier than you dive in.
9 Issues to Know About Off-Grid Homesteading
1. It’s a whole lot of work.
Properly after all. You most likely learn that and rolled your eyes as a result of, I imply, you KNOW it’s going to be arduous work. That is likely to be one purpose why you’re drawn to it. The thought of constructing one thing significant with your individual fingers. Getting your fingers deep into the grime. Sweating it out whilst you protect the harvest.
All of these issues are nice. I don’t like to sit down down and am normally happiest when my fingers are lined in grime. However there will likely be occasions that can check you.
Instances once you’re unrolling PEX tubing at 3 am to have it prepared for an 8 am inspection. Instances once you’re frantically attempting to stack the massive pile of firewood you simply completed splitting earlier than the rain hits. Or occasions when your energy abruptly cuts out and also you’re the one one who can troubleshoot it.
There are moments that make me ponder what life could be like if we had stayed in suburbia. I’ll assume, “Man, it could be nice if I might simply have the warmth on as a substitute of getting to construct a fireplace within the wooden range.” Or, “Certain could be good to have a giant electrical fridge and A/C with out worrying about how a lot energy we’re utilizing.”
But when I replicate truthfully, off-grid is an effective way to reside. It simply isn’t instantaneous or simple.
Associated: What resides off-grid anyway?
2. Shopping for land or an current homestead generally is a irritating course of.
When you don’t have already got uncooked land or an current house, tiny house, or small cabin, shopping for property could be daunting. Land costs and the housing market writ massive have been in a relentless state of flux and uncertainty. Perhaps it makes you marvel if that is even a great time to attempt to purchase property.
Then once more, perhaps the fixed flux and uncertainty on this planet is precisely why you wish to go off-grid within the first place. Maybe preparedness is high of thoughts for you.
If that’s the case, there are a lot of issues it’s essential know before you purchase your individual land. For starters, uncooked land purchases sometimes require a a lot greater down fee for those who aren’t shopping for it outright for money. You might also should deal with surveys, environmental research, soil testing, easements, or verifying the possession of water, mineral, or timber rights.
Shopping for land is a large subject by itself, so I invite you to take a look at these associated posts:
I additionally invite you to take a look at The Homestead Land Purchaser’s Guidebook for a complete walkthrough of the land-buying course of.
3. Sustaining your property can get costly.
From the surface, this entire off-grid homesteading factor may look fairly quaint. As for those who don’t want some huge cash to make it work. Simply give up your day job and keep house and reside off the land, proper?
That’s technically doable, however it isn’t the norm.
A small solar energy setup can run $5,000-10,000 on the low finish. Even then, you’ll nonetheless probably must pay for a generator and ongoing gasoline prices to run it when there isn’t sufficient solar to maintain the batteries full.
Associated: How a lot solar energy do I want?
For water, you’re a number of thousand {dollars} for a cistern with a pump for rainwater catchment. Similar for those who select to dig a effectively and run a line from there.
Don’t overlook the septic system and the price of pumping it each 3-5 years.
Lengthy driveway like ours? You’ll probably spend a number of thousand {dollars} each few years when it wants new rock. Oh, and don’t overlook the tractor and grader blade to keep up the driveway within the meantime. You’ll have ongoing gasoline and upkeep prices on that too.
We would not have energy and water payments, however we’ve got different bills that we wouldn’t have if we have been nonetheless residing on the town. Think about it in your finances as you’re planning.
You’ll be able to seize our free PDF planning and budgeting sheets right here:
4. Think about your meals sources.
One factor many off-grid homesteaders typically aspire to do is develop as a lot of their very own meals as doable. Even for those who’re a seasoned gardener and have plenty of expertise with rising and preservation, having a plan in your meals is essential.
- Will your land be capable to accommodate the scale and kind of vegetable gardens you wish to develop?
- Are there current fruit bushes or room to plant some?
- Do you could have a plan for perennial meals you’ll be able to plant, resembling asparagus or berries?
- Will you could have the area and assets for any livestock you could wish to hold?
- For any meals you’ll NOT be rising by yourself, do you could have a plan for find out how to get it?
- Are there any grocery shops close by?
- Have you ever recognized native farmers, co-ops, herd shares, milk shares, and many others. from whom you will get meat and dairy?
- Can you forage for wild edibles in your land?
Getting access to wholesome meals is important proper together with this subsequent level:
5. Plan your water sources.
Water is an more and more essential useful resource. In lots of elements of the world, local weather change and extended excessive warmth are altering the best way lots of people entry and handle their water. That’s true even (or typically particularly) for these with metropolis water.
Having a clear, dependable water provide is paramount to any life-style however is very vital on an off-grid property.
Associated: How Our Household Makes use of a Huge Berkey to Make Our Rainwater Secure to Drink
Our property is positioned within the Ohio River Valley area with a yearly precipitation of roughly 42 inches. Relying on the climate patterns, rainwater harvesting alone is sufficient to maintain us with no need to haul additional water. However after we DO must haul water, we’ve got plan in place for find out how to do it. We have now a big tank on a trailer that we take to the closest water filling station. (Fortunately it’s lower than a mile from our home…we acquired severely fortunate with that and we all know it).
However most of you received’t have a water filling station that’s gloriously near your home. It’s possible you’ll even be in an space experiencing excessive drought. What then? Do you could have a plan for find out how to get water? Have you ever investigated the water rights of your explicit state, county, or township? As a result of it varies and is important to know.
Associated: How We Use Roughly 1/tenth the Water That Most American Houses Use
As for us, we all know we’ve got an satisfactory provide of contemporary water, however are all the time searching for methods to enhance this. We hope so as to add a pond within the subsequent few years for backup water and to be ready in case of a hearth. Designing and digging a pond is one other expense of off-grid residing that many may not consider. Our excavator doesn’t work totally free, in any case, and farm ponds aren’t simply holes within the floor. There’s a science to it, and his data doesn’t come low cost.
6. Photo voltaic and Wind energy nonetheless price cash.
As I discussed earlier than, photo voltaic vitality is just not low cost or essentially free. When you select to put in an off-grid system, the parts alone price a big sum of money. It isn’t simply photo voltaic panels, after all. You additionally want batteries, an inverter, and a cost controller on the very least.
Associated: What We Ran on Our Small 1.14 kW Photo voltaic Energy System
Say you select so as to add wind or hydropower to that. There generally is a vital price in no matter wind turbine or hydro turbine you select, to not point out any additional parts they may require.
There are different gadgets you will get too, like remotes, shows, or battery displays. And there are quite a few configurations that, for those who aren’t effectively versed within the know-how, can get fairly difficult and develop costlier the deeper you get into your challenge. Intention to maintain these prices decrease by planning your challenge with an precise photo voltaic skilled.
Associated: Tips on how to Get Began With Dwelling Photo voltaic
I record a number of corporations that we labored with and cherished in our free Newbie’s Information to Going Photo voltaic, which you will get under:
However upon getting a photo voltaic, wind, or hydro system in place, it doesn’t simply hold working advert infinitum.
Relying on the battery know-how you select, you’re going to wish to put aside cash to switch that battery financial institution each few years.
Some battery varieties, like flooded lead acid batteries, are likely to final loads longer however require much more upkeep to maintain them working safely. Others, just like the sealed lead-acid AGM batteries we at present have, require virtually no upkeep however don’t final as lengthy. Lithium batteries could outlast both of these, however they’ve totally different upkeep necessities and can nonetheless should be changed sooner or later.
Associated: How We Went From 1.14 to three.26 kW of Photo voltaic Energy
The purpose is that this: you may not should pay payments to the ability firm once you reside off the grid, however your energy nonetheless isn’t “free”. Nonetheless, there are such a lot of good issues about not being tied to {the electrical} grid that it is likely to be price it so that you can pursue it. There may be a whole lot of freedom in having the ability to provide your individual energy. I like not having energy outages throughout storms or rolling blackouts throughout excessive utilization. However on the flipside, there’s this subsequent level:
7. When your energy goes out, there’s no energy firm to rescue you.
Certain, our energy doesn’t exit throughout storms prefer it did again on the town. However typically, issues simply occur. Most certainly is that we ran the voltage of our battery financial institution right down to its cutoff level and the system shut itself off. Answer: go run the generator to cost the batteries again up.
Generally although, you may need one thing weirder occur. Maybe a wire acquired bumped someplace. Or perhaps a part is malfunctioning.
If for some purpose the ability DOES exit, we’re those who’ve to repair that. There isn’t some photo voltaic man we will name to come back take a look at our system for us. Most photo voltaic corporations in our area solely cope with grid-tied residential installs or massive industrial or industrial methods. They received’t even name you again for those who’re a small fish like us. So what must you do?
I like to recommend beginning with one in all Heatspring’s free on-line programs to get began. Or you would go overkill like we did and take a course to develop into a NABCEP licensed photo voltaic installer (additionally via Heatspring).
My husband, Mark, truly did this after we have been getting ready to construct our photo voltaic shed and broaden our photo voltaic system again in 2020. This was partly to appease {the electrical} inspector who needed a licensed installer to place the system in. Mark additionally needed to have a deeper data of find out how to design and implement a great off-grid solar energy system. In spite of everything, if the one individuals who can repair it are us, then we should be as ready and knowledgable as doable.
He took two courses via Heatspring and sat the certification examination, however you don’t essentially should go this far. You’ll be able to take any of Heatspring’s free on-line programs to get began. You’ll be able to all the time pursue the deeper protection of a paid class after that if it’s essential.
Both approach, sustaining your energy system is a stage of self-reliance it’s essential be prepared for for those who select to reside off the grid.
8. There are a lot of alternative ways to off-grid homestead.
Persons are drawn to an off-grid life-style for a great deal of totally different causes. For some, it’s about being self-reliant and never depending on the system or public utilities to handle your wants. For others, it’s about being linked to the land, working towards sustainable agriculture and meals preservation. Others could also be extra within the sustainable residing a part of it. They be ok with preserving our pure assets and utilizing solar energy as a substitute of being linked to an influence plant that burns fossil fuels.
Ours began out as a sensible necessity since we’re too removed from the street to achieve the ability grid, a water supply, or native waste administration. However we all the time had an itch to do issues which are more healthy and extra environmentally acutely aware. We additionally like to have the ability to present for ourselves with out counting on anybody else too closely.
Associated: What even IS an Unintentional Hippy anyway??
In brief, our motivations have been a mixture, proceed to evolve, and on the entire, we actually get pleasure from residing this manner.
The great factor is you’ll be able to create a doable off-grid homestead mainly anyplace. You don’t want a lot land and you may hold it small with out a lot work for those who solely have slightly cash to start out with. Heck, you don’t even have to start out by being off-grid. You’ll be able to have a homestead life-style in an house and even in a journey trailer.
There isn’t a proper or fallacious option to homestead; it’s a matter of private desire. What you make of it’s as much as your mindset and practices.
That leads me to the final level:
9. Off-grid homesteading will change you as an individual.
I really feel like a very totally different individual if I look again at my writings from earlier than we began homesteading.
There are such a lot of issues I’ve realized since 2014 after we first began searching for land. I take into consideration what I realized from strolling properties and going via the acquisition course of for the parcel we now have. What I realized from bodily constructing this home from the bottom up. The abilities I’ve realized from gardening to soapmaking to bread baking and extra.
I take into consideration all of the superb people within the on-line homesteading area who’ve develop into my best possible mates, and the way I by no means would have met them had I not taken this large leap of religion.
Generally I ponder if I ever would have bothered studying about permaculture, solar energy, and even homeschooling.
How probably would I’ve been to remain in a system that wasn’t actually serving me?
I’m unsure I can ever know the reply to that, however I DO know this: even for the overwhelming majority of people who find themselves NOT residing off the grid like we do, the homesteading area is massive and rising.
I see extra people now than ever on Instagram sharing nice details about gardening, permaculture, meals preservation, sustainability, zero-waste, self-reliance, and numerous heritage expertise.
Perhaps I might have stumbled into this life-style anyway given its rising prevalence. I don’t know.
However I do know that if I wasn’t actively residing in a house the place I had to consider my water and energy consumption every day, these self-sufficiency Reels would most likely hit otherwise.
This life-style has modified me and can most likely change you too if you’re daring sufficient to pursue it.
Might it change us all for the higher.
Able to study extra?
Be taught extra about our unique cordwood homestead challenge right here. And you should definitely be part of us on Pinterest, Fb, and Instagram for extra homesteading goodies that don’t essentially make it to the weblog. Thanks for studying!
