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Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted December 14, 2022

I am late to this conversation, but believe we have some valuable experience.Will lead off by saying: IMO, M.E. gave some great advice on 04aug2022! We built a two-story off-grid rural family getaway in the Pacific Northwest, from the ground up, mostly our own labor. That means we did all the permitting, excavated, formed the concrete slab, framed the walls, fabricated trusses on-site, wired & plumbed the house, designed and installed the solar system and batteries, dug & installed the septic, and contracted to have a 200ft well drilled. It was a “five-year plan” that took us ten years. Because we knew (and were known in) the community we were able to find skilled labor when we needed a team to support us (installing the metal roofing!). A big plus was having a neighbor (and friend) who worked at the local lumber yard (twenty-five miles away) who would bring home “nuts and bolts” or a few sticks of doug fir framing that was overlooked (by us) in our latest delivery. Here are some thoughts you may want to consider. Having a second home is a life-style decision. We spend all our vacations in our second home; we love it there. It also consumes a lot of our “discretionary funds”: insurance, taxes, maintenance, and improvements consume thousands of dollars every year. Whether you spend one weekend or three seasons living there, your home needs care year round. Most everything your primary home needs in the way of maintenance, your second home will also need. While you’re away trees will fall, weather will happen, and “critters” (human and otherwise) may seek shelter there. If you are going to be your own “project manager” (aka general contractor) budget plenty of time, and get familiar with the concept “order of operations”. With all the challenges the distribution supply chain has you can’t count on material, labor, parts, or appliances being available when you want them. And if you don’t have what you need for “Step #7” you may be unable to move on to “Step #8”. This can have a ripple-effect on both material-deliveries and scheduling labor. Even though you don’t plan to spend the entire year there, think about all four seasons. Your plans may change, and down the line someone else will own your home; they may want (or need) to live there year round. Plan to learn the skills (and get the tools) to do most maintenance and repairs yourself. In a rural area skilled reliable tradespeople may be in limited supply (“I’m all booked up”) and their rates may be comparable to the “big city”. And they may charge for travel time! Access to rural property can be via an “easement”, a legal right to cross another piece of land. Just because a driveway leads in does NOT mean you have a legal right to use it, so double-check. Well-drillers (in our part of the world) charge by the foot; what you are paying for is a vertical shaft – NO promises of water volume or quality. We did get water! AND it needed filtration to be usable. Well driller said “never saw that before”; took about five years before it began to run “mostly clear”. To prep for winter in areas subject to freezing, plumbing must be drained (gravity) AND blown out with compressed air to avoid bursting pipes. LiFePo4 (lithium) batteries must NOT be charged below 32F, and should be stored above zero. best, Rick

Reply to: The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out Posted July 8, 2022
Reply to: The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out Posted July 8, 2022
Reply to: The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out Posted July 8, 2022
Reply to: AR-15 Maintenance Schedules and Guidelines Posted November 3, 2020
Reply to: The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out Posted August 1, 2020

Hi JB – thanks for your questions. We’ve had the “opportunity” for a lot of trial and error over the years! 1. try to imagine your typical 24-hour-cycle and pack to accomodate – details count; for example: my wife puts medicated drops in her eyes several times a day, so she needs enough to get her through at least two weeks (and meds need to be rotated to be fresh); if you think through YOUR day step-by-step you can plan ahead2. also important: do NOT “borrow” from your go-bag; we’ve done that in the past without getting burned, but it raises stress-levels and risks overlooking something important if you’re trying to get out in a hurry; now our packs are ready to go – NO borrowing As far as lugging our bags: in Scenario #2 my assumption is that you may “walk a short distance to get a ride”, but we do have a backup plan. We own a commercial-grade “garden-cart” with no-flat tires; it can hold all three of our 20-pound bags with room to spare. I’m confident that I can roll it (loaded) ten miles on roads or sidewalks in less than four hours, and the big wheels mean we can lift/carry/roll it over obstructions. (Bonus: if needed I could also haul someone who could not walk, but I might be slower.) Here is a link to our cart https://www.rubbermaidcommercial.com/material-handling/farm-garden/big-wheel-cart/?sku=FG564261BLA

The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out
10
20
Posted July 31, 2020
Reply to: Common survival myths among preppers Posted June 8, 2020
The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out
10
20
Posted July 31, 2020
Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted December 14, 2022

I am late to this conversation, but believe we have some valuable experience.Will lead off by saying: IMO, M.E. gave some great advice on 04aug2022! We built a two-story off-grid rural family getaway in the Pacific Northwest, from the ground up, mostly our own labor. That means we did all the permitting, excavated, formed the concrete slab, framed the walls, fabricated trusses on-site, wired & plumbed the house, designed and installed the solar system and batteries, dug & installed the septic, and contracted to have a 200ft well drilled. It was a “five-year plan” that took us ten years. Because we knew (and were known in) the community we were able to find skilled labor when we needed a team to support us (installing the metal roofing!). A big plus was having a neighbor (and friend) who worked at the local lumber yard (twenty-five miles away) who would bring home “nuts and bolts” or a few sticks of doug fir framing that was overlooked (by us) in our latest delivery. Here are some thoughts you may want to consider. Having a second home is a life-style decision. We spend all our vacations in our second home; we love it there. It also consumes a lot of our “discretionary funds”: insurance, taxes, maintenance, and improvements consume thousands of dollars every year. Whether you spend one weekend or three seasons living there, your home needs care year round. Most everything your primary home needs in the way of maintenance, your second home will also need. While you’re away trees will fall, weather will happen, and “critters” (human and otherwise) may seek shelter there. If you are going to be your own “project manager” (aka general contractor) budget plenty of time, and get familiar with the concept “order of operations”. With all the challenges the distribution supply chain has you can’t count on material, labor, parts, or appliances being available when you want them. And if you don’t have what you need for “Step #7” you may be unable to move on to “Step #8”. This can have a ripple-effect on both material-deliveries and scheduling labor. Even though you don’t plan to spend the entire year there, think about all four seasons. Your plans may change, and down the line someone else will own your home; they may want (or need) to live there year round. Plan to learn the skills (and get the tools) to do most maintenance and repairs yourself. In a rural area skilled reliable tradespeople may be in limited supply (“I’m all booked up”) and their rates may be comparable to the “big city”. And they may charge for travel time! Access to rural property can be via an “easement”, a legal right to cross another piece of land. Just because a driveway leads in does NOT mean you have a legal right to use it, so double-check. Well-drillers (in our part of the world) charge by the foot; what you are paying for is a vertical shaft – NO promises of water volume or quality. We did get water! AND it needed filtration to be usable. Well driller said “never saw that before”; took about five years before it began to run “mostly clear”. To prep for winter in areas subject to freezing, plumbing must be drained (gravity) AND blown out with compressed air to avoid bursting pipes. LiFePo4 (lithium) batteries must NOT be charged below 32F, and should be stored above zero. best, Rick

Reply to: The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out Posted July 8, 2022
Reply to: The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out Posted July 8, 2022
Reply to: The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out Posted July 8, 2022
Reply to: AR-15 Maintenance Schedules and Guidelines Posted November 3, 2020
Reply to: The basic model my family uses for planning to Shelter in place vs Bug out Posted August 1, 2020

Hi JB – thanks for your questions. We’ve had the “opportunity” for a lot of trial and error over the years! 1. try to imagine your typical 24-hour-cycle and pack to accomodate – details count; for example: my wife puts medicated drops in her eyes several times a day, so she needs enough to get her through at least two weeks (and meds need to be rotated to be fresh); if you think through YOUR day step-by-step you can plan ahead2. also important: do NOT “borrow” from your go-bag; we’ve done that in the past without getting burned, but it raises stress-levels and risks overlooking something important if you’re trying to get out in a hurry; now our packs are ready to go – NO borrowing As far as lugging our bags: in Scenario #2 my assumption is that you may “walk a short distance to get a ride”, but we do have a backup plan. We own a commercial-grade “garden-cart” with no-flat tires; it can hold all three of our 20-pound bags with room to spare. I’m confident that I can roll it (loaded) ten miles on roads or sidewalks in less than four hours, and the big wheels mean we can lift/carry/roll it over obstructions. (Bonus: if needed I could also haul someone who could not walk, but I might be slower.) Here is a link to our cart https://www.rubbermaidcommercial.com/material-handling/farm-garden/big-wheel-cart/?sku=FG564261BLA

Reply to: Common survival myths among preppers Posted June 8, 2020