Homesteading and Country Living
"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe,
we shall become as corrupt as Europe." --Thomas Jefferson. Rural
America now accounts for just 16 percent of the nation's population,
the lowest ever. In 1910, the population share of rural America was
72 percent, with rural areas holding a majority of Americans until 1950.
"A prudent man sees danger and hides himself; but the simple go
on, and suffer for it" Proverbs 22:3.
Notes and resources
- Building
a $15,000 house. Also has YouTube videos here.
- Kokoon
house. Super insulated steel home kits using SIP steel framed
structural insulated panels. Very affordable.
- How
To Find Your Ideal Country Home: Regarded as a beginner book.
- Strategic
Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places, 3rd Edition,
by Joel M. Skousen.
- Precipitation
- http://www.csrees.usda.gov/.
National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
- Shrubs
for shade.
- Groundcovers.
Alternatives to the usual low-growing junipers.
- Biodegradable
plastic bags. Information on compostable and biodegradable bags.
Only those that that conform to compostability standards ASTM D6400
or EN13432 are truly biodegradable. Others are merely plastic with
a chemical additive. Vendors: NaturBag
and BioBag
- Sawmills. Two manufacturers recommended: TimberKing
and WoodMizer.
The cheapest WoodMizer is the LT10 (price $3k), but requires a lot
of bending over. The LT28 is the more versatile medium level sawmill
(price $10k). Here is a video
on the LT28 sawmill. The TimberKing 1220 is the low end (price $6k).
The TimberKing 1400 (price $12k) is comparable to the WoodMizer LT28.
The better specs for the 1400 justifies the slightly higher price
over the LT28. Here is a video
on the 1400.
- Wood-drying kiln. How to Process
Tress to Lumber using a solar kiln. Other solar wood drying kilns
are found here.
The drier the wood, the stronger but also the more brittle it is.
There is research to suggest that air drying can result in a stronger
and more elastic product. The Encyclopedia of Wood cites a 40% greater
modulus of rupture (strength/hardness) without heat and or moisture
from kiln treating and up to 15% greater modulus of elasticity (can
expand and contract with changing equilibrium moisture content conditions
without splitting or cracking at glue joints).
- EnergySavers.Gov
(PDF). Tips on saving money & energy at home.
- How
to Increase the Energy Efficiency of Your Existing Home.
Dome homes
- InterShelter
Dome. FEMA-approved dome home. It's a hurricane resistant dome
shelter, made of a high-tech aerospace composite material. Insulated
to stay warm or cool in extreme weather. One Dome can be assembled
by three people in two hours with nothing more than a screwdriver,
wrench and step ladder. See pricing here.
- AmericanIngenuityDomes.
Made of concrete and insulated on the inside. Cheaper than the above
InterShelter Domes.
- EconoDome.
Has some cool floor plans. See here.
The 30 foot diameter, 2-story, 1400 sq. ft. floorplan is the most
interesting to me, with room for 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, kitchen, utility
and living room.
- NaturalSpacesDomes.
- TimberlineGeodesics.
The "Birch" 35 foot diameter, 2-story, 1994 sq. ft. home
kit will cost from $37K to $57K depending on add-ons. However,
you have to add costs for foundation/slab, plumbing & electrical,
roofing, interior partition walls, insulation, flooring, septic syste,
etc. See here
for a breakdown of one homeowner's estimated costs. It may take another
$50-$60K or more to finish it.
Solar power - Solar panels, etc.
Consider going partial-solar. That is, stay connected to the grid,
but use solar to handle 25% of your needs. For example, use solar
to take care of your lights and low-power demanding appliances (e.g.
computers, refrigerator, etc) and use the grid for the heavier appliances
such as washer, dryer, electric stove, etc. In Tennessee, for a single-family
home, such a system would require a 2 kWp (kilowatt-peak) system size
taking 200 sq. ft. of space. The estimated cost is $14K or $9K after
incentives (i.e. credits and rebates from state and federal). If you
want to go completely "off the grid", you are looking at
4 times the power and cost. (Each kWp generates 105 to 135 kWh of
electricity each month.) So, in this example, we estimated 900 kW
per month usage. This calculator
from FindSolar will give you a more accurate idea, since it's
based on your actual zip code (so they can tell how much sun you're
getting) and how much you're paying for electricity each month (so
they can tell how much electricity you're using). Here is another
calculator
from Sharp with more information on costs, savings, etc. Of course,
the above says nothing about a DIY project.
Passive solar heating/cooling
Solar lighting/heating
Solar heating/air conditioning using pop cans or aluminum downspouts
Concrete or ICF (Insulating Concrete Form) Homes
House plans
Wood burning, Gasifiers, etc.
Security, self defense, firearms
Home defense starts with the outside perimeter. You don't want to
wait until bad guys are inside your home and next thing you know,
your in a shootout, Putting you and your loved ones in danger. Cameras,
motion detecting lights, attention grabbing strobe lights, a guard
dog, robust locks and doors, provide multiple layers of security/deterrence.
Guns should be the last resort. If you shop around wisely, you can
put up multiple security layers for pretty cheap.
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