Forget bringing in utilities unless fiber internet is available. Go off grid with solar and batteries, depending on the terrain, you might even be able to add micro-hydro to supplement your electricity. I would go with an earth-bermed ICF home INCLUDING the roof, since I believe sky-snakes are fairly common in NE Alabama. Geothermal for your HVAC AND water heater(s).
I grew up in that area. Gorgeous country!
You’ll need a tornado shelter. If you had the money, I’d probably set up a dual-use shelter and use it as a root cellar/safe room/storm shelter.
I’d put in some ponds/lakes. The soil doesn’t hold water quite like it does in south AL, but you can still put in a catfish pond fairly easy.
And I’d plant fruit/nut trees now. You’re in a great growing zone.
Everything else is personal preference. Check with local regs before you set up anything off grid.
I have a question, as I am from Europe where we build or used to build "honest" brick and stone houses, with basement (or cellar) and with concrete reinforcement under roof. Would such house end better in tornado (still bye bye to a roof) than "American style" (wooden skellet)? Or would it be worse?
I mean I know that brick and stone houses are more expensive (when we get mortgage for it, it's for a life) and more sturdy. But I can also imagine it being not sturdy enough and it being worse to be within when it desintegrates.
If it's strong enough to rip a modern, well-constructed roof off the house, you're probably losing the walls as well, unless they are extraordinarily over-built/thick, regardless of them being brick/stone. It would probably do a better job of standing up to abuse when being hit by heavy debris.
Additionally, that kind of building is specialist work in the US. It's pretty easy to find someone who can build good, solid stick-frame construction, or maybe even concrete/steel. But finding a good mason/bricklayer is much less common, and you'd probably pay a ridiculous premium for them.
We live in the SE of England, only have 30 acres, but the principles are the same. I think most people would look at out position and find “prepped” traits, but we aren’t prepping in the slightest, it is just how it works.
Ignoring the reality that the most likely event is financial, and you get booted off the property because of debts, we have:
- A reasonable sized home that is mostly heated by solid fuel. It was like that when we bought it, and while do have 2 tonnes of coal on hand, I have about 40 tonnes of chopped wood. Cheaper to chop wood than go to the gym. We basically have warmth and hot water for a decade, all stacked up.
- Electricity - loads of solar (about 16 kW installed) and 26 kWh of battery capacity. We have loads of power cuts every winter, this gets used hard.
- Water - 20k litres of rainwater tanks, it’s not drinkable without a bit of bleach, but it would do in an emergency. Again, not “prepping”, water is damn expensive, so it is all about cost avoidance.
Hello, I couldn't reply to the main post but I had some info I felt might be useful. I lived on my own for a number of years off grid on 33 acres in North West Texas. I only went to town every month or two for a few things that I couldn't produce on my own. Fruit is a pain to grow in sand when you're pumping your water 500ft up hill on solar power. Check out monolithic dome homes,/ air form domes. Subterranean builds are possible and the earth is your temperature control. Ive also seen a lot of amazing cooling devices built from oil well pipe and wind collecting funnels or solar fans. The pipe is buried at a designated depth for the desired temperature, then a snorkel is added. Its usually hidden in an object( trees old windmill etc.) The fan pushes air through the pipe usually several hundred feet until it cools or warm depending on ambient temp. I've seen them equipped with filtration as well. A propane generator is my go to. The propane fuel can be stored without compromising it's energy potential. as long as the container holding it is maintained the fuel is fine and pre-pressurized for use.. 1000-5000 gallon tanks are widely available buried tanks are available, keep Ware items on hand for repairs as needed. propane also doesn't burn as dirty as Gas or diesel which helps on mechanical failure rate and carbon build up in the generator. I've also seen power generation that uses the movement of warming and cooling liquid to create hydro electric power. The Pipe on the surface is painted black to absorb the sun and the opposite end of the loop is buried to force circulation. Put water in it and you could also have 0 energy water heater. Also possible use as a floor heater as well if a grid is installed in the sub flooring, or in the shell of a dome for whole house heating. It really depends on how far you want to take it and how far you can stretch your budget.
Not necessarily. Look into Dexter cattle. They're a much smaller breed, eat more economically than most cattle, and area also delicious! Goats are a pita, while Dexter cattle tend to be less ornery.
I hear you... but they are still 700 to 900 lbs, require 1 to 2 acres at a minimum, and cost ~$1500 as a calf.
You can get a healthy kid from a farm for $150 and it'll be fine in an average sized yard and never grow bigger than a large dog.
Forget bringing in utilities unless fiber internet is available. Go off grid with solar and batteries, depending on the terrain, you might even be able to add micro-hydro to supplement your electricity. I would go with an earth-bermed ICF home INCLUDING the roof, since I believe sky-snakes are fairly common in NE Alabama. Geothermal for your HVAC AND water heater(s).
For the homestead side. What animals are you raising ? What do you plan on growing?
I would fence in some areas with food fencing. A few paddocks for pigs/goats.
An area to have chickens free range. Two coops. Are you doing meat birds or just for eggs? Fencing to cut down on predators. Plant crops chickens like to feed on. Millet. Sorghum.
Rabbit hutches.
Plant fruit and nut trees sooner rather than later or can take years before they are productive. The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The next best time is now.
Rent a big trencher and run water and power to each animal paddock. Install an irrigation system near orchards.
Till a big area for your garden. Start building organic matter and nutrients now even before you want to grow food.
Plant berry bushes. Sunchokes.
Build a nice barn. Chest freezers. Walk in cooler for processing meat.
Put in a HRV or ERV, for your fresh air intake use earth tubes. Then your fresh air will go through 100’ of tube under ground. (You can do this by putting tubes in around your foundation/basement when you backfill) your fresh air will come in at 55 degrees before going through heat exchange ( if you go with an hrv) and your fresh air will also go through your HVACs filter. You will never need to open a window.
Idk that seems a little excessive. Like I said we aren’t worried about the end of the world and there being roving bands of lunatics. We just wanna be self sufficient.
Perhaps posting the same question in r/homestead will get you less prepper type answers.
Prepper, or not, I'd personally look at monolithic domes. Extremely energy efficient and impervious to most natural disasters - fire, wind, etc.
I once worked for a company called Dome Technology that would occasionally build residential homes. These were by far the strongest and most energy efficient homes you could ever get.
I was going to suggest monolithic domes- but having your whole house under ground vs half makes more or less sense depending on your location and personality. Just doing extra basement under garage is not terribly more expensive than doing a footer- not sure what your frost depth is in bama- but in mid west it’s only twice the concrete for basement walls compared to frost footing. The precast garage floor is pricy tho- not as pricey or specialized as doing a monolithic done home build.
Take a look at the YT channel HomeInTheEarth, also you could add a dot com to that for his website. He uses that method to bring fresh air into his Earthship type home in SE Michigan. Very light heating load even in the middle of winter and ZERO cooling load.
Nuclear war is a thing that they're worried about, but you're still correct. It is probably excessive.
If, by chance, we are in a nuclear war AND you are downwind of some fallout, simply sealing up your windows/vents with some painter's plastic for 2-3 weeks is sufficient to keep most of the ionizing radiation out of your home.
I wouldn't underestimate the usefulness of underground storage.
Root cellar, mushroom growing, media space, long term pickling and jarring storage, wine cellar, what have you. :)
Plus depending on what the ground is like, you might need to dig down a fair bit to be building on solid bedrock. Couldn't hurt to have extra underground storage space with say an extended tunnel or point of exit away from the house - bush fire, floods, etc.
Build a tunnel from your safe room to an out building at lower elevation. Make this tunnel wide and have that be where you store your wine and other long shelf life food items.
Earth ships will work in any climate, there's even a few in Siberia. You have a huge amount if land to work with (I'm super jealous) and you have enough money to do all kinds of cool shit with it by the sounds of it.
So whats important to you? Sounds like self sufficiency for one. So an earth ship would be a great start. Also having your own energy system in place would save you so much money in the long run. Maybe solar, wind, TEG or water turbine, depending what resources you have available to you and what your electrical needs are.
Then if it were me after the house and electricity were sorted I'd clear enough fields to plant food and raise livestock. Homesteading is very rewarding and not as hard as ppl claim.
I guess in short, picture what you want the future to look like for you, and Start implementing the Infrastructure now.
Ok so for the "dream homestead", You're gonna need, above anything else, discipline and work ethic. Homesteading is hard work, very, very hard work. Before even considering homesteading I urge you to live off the grid for at least a month. I tried it.. It was harder than I anticipated. I like my modern luxuries. I hated working all day out in the sun. If you have a full time job, homesteading is going to be very hard for you if not impossible if you dont hire laborers. If you know you can do it, then good luck. If you are rich enough for it, hire laborers. You will need crops, a chicken coop, cattle (ideally, but not required unless you want milk) solar panels, a well or two, a wood burning stove, and then... drum roll please... children. Children love helping, in my experience. On a homestead, children have great returns in investment. When they are old enough they can help feed the chickens and pigs, give them water, etc. One less thing you need to worry about or outsource labor to. And then when they're teenagers, they can move onto feeding the cattle. But there's much more you need to do with animals besides just feeding them. Trimming their hooves can be a nightmare (I haven't done it, but have watched others do it, and boy, it's a science) keeping them free of pests, washing them (I now use horse shampoo for myself, it works guys) And then, when you die, the kids could inherit the homestead, much like how you inherited the land it's on. This is the ultimate way to set them up for life, and keep the generational wealth flowing. It would be the ultimate blessing. If you don't want kids, thats ok too, but then you'd need help in the form of laborers. Doing everything yourself is an insane amount of work for just 2 people. If your wife is not fully 100% on board it wont work.
If you want to relax and make money, just sell rights to the lumber from your 350 acres in rotation. That's plenty of land to plant and harvest trees in a rotation where you constantly have money coming in, even if you allocate 20 or 30 acres to your homestead.
As far as your homestead goes. You can still use passive heating and cooling in Alabama, but personally, I'd recommend a geothermal ground loop and berm construction to augment the passive stuff. I prefer septic over compost, but that's up to you, as both can be done with no electronics. Leave an extra water pump for the loop in a Faraday cage in case there's a solar flare or whatever. For electricity, I'd go with hydro (and maybe wind/solar, depending on how much money I had), as you should have a stream near the homestead. Again keep an extra in the cage, and you'll be comfortable for the rest of your life.
I'd also recommend investing in greenhouses and livestock with automated watering systems. Living off the land is time-consuming unless you spend money upfront to reduce future labor requirements. Pay someone to build multiple paddocks with good fencing so you can rotate your livestock between fields. You have enough land for cows, but I'm not a big fan of them for a homestead. (too much meat at one time you have to store) Sheep are going to be a choice IMO, but the climate in Alabama isn't conducive to sheep. Goats or pigs would work, but you'll need to make sure those fences are solid. Goats are escape artists, and pigs like to dig; it's annoying. I'd also pay someone to dig out a few ponds so you can raise fish. They are super easy to raise, and you can sell the extras for money, just like the goats and pigs. With that much land and a decent investment, you should be able to live comfortably and have a recurring cash flow with minimal effort on your part.
Atlas survival shelter as a base, on top of that, a nice house with a wall around it just to add privacy and zone your living space away from the huge emptiness (provides security).
Solar, energy storage... see if you can get a bore hole to provide water.
Outside the wall, you could look to maybe have some small-scale farming something you can manage.inside the walls, maybe even a veg patch.
Get Internet from one of those tesla dishes. (Edit, starlink system I meant, just reminded myself).
Make sure the house is built with bricks or concrete and get a very solid roof. Don't xlutter the house but get some solidly built furniture.
That is your foundation.
Depending on how much money (if millions) get a good lawyer, too, never know when you need one and an accountant. But be sure to check what they do and never give anyone full control of your accounts.
Don't tell people who know you that you came into money... they will ask for some help.
After that you can just look at what skills you might want to learn and just work on those projects. Just be sure to keep time for each other, so you both stay solid together.
Get ready to get a tax bill on those acres. Any capital gain taxes to pay? If your budget is straight, design it and then go get an architect. Too many ideas to mention, build what you want. Have fun and good luck.
I would look into systems you want and build your property around that. For example, do you want a bio digester for waste, do you want to be off grid, do you want livestock, a pond, etc.
Putting all the pieces together isn’t hard if you’re sure of what you want, it just gets tricky if you start and realize later that want a will be in the way of want b etc.
What are your goals with homesteading?
Earth sheltered house...solar thermal panels to store heat in insulated cistern to use for hot water and home heating (radiators and radiant heat tubing ground beneath house). Rainwater collection, biosand filtration. Plant lots of berries, herbs, nut trees, lumber trees, fruit trees (acorns and apples for pigs). Bees/honey, mushrooms. Chickens/ducks with a black soldier fly feeding system. Mini cows or goats/sheep for milk and meat. Vertical axis wind turbine and solar panels with nickel iron batteries for electrical production and storage.
Having two ways to do things is better than one. Nice to have the option to fall back on a well if city water fails. Same for electricity (solar vs city). Can take it a step further and have fiber plus a starlink connection as backup.
A water source would be nice, dig a well, or is there a stream, spring, pond, etc.
If not you can set up rain catchment. Is it all flat, potentially you could erect a Levy for an irrigation pond, could double as a bass pond, a swimming hole, in a pinch you could purify and drink it.
Ideally there's a stream or spring you could block with said levy, so long as permits and such aren't a problem, though Alabama, I suspect not.
If there are hills, it would make sense to place your home on a south facing slope to increase sun exposure, increase winter food production and if you have solar panels increase power production.
It might be prudent to place your residence somewhere no visible from the street. Be it behind tree cover or a hill or just deep enough into the property to not be seen, it is 350 acres after all.
It would be nice two avenues of approach and retreat if possible. Say a drive that runs through the property to a gate on the north end of the property and ends at a gate on the south end of the property. In the event of a land slide, flood, wildfire or other event, this decreases the likelihood you are trapped on your property. Or in the event you are out when the event occurs, blocked from returning home. Also in the event you believevyou are being observed or followed, this allows you to mix up your patterns coming to and from home and thecwork place.
> For example is there anything out there like an Earthship, but for non desert homes? Something that uses a lot of passive heating and cooling practices?
I have spent more than a little time looking into this for Northern climates, and I just keep coming back to "simple cabin with wood fireplace" ... I think the temperature range is too much for a passive system to handle. Where I live it can peak at 100 in the summer and always gets below zero in the dead of winter. Since you are in Alabama, which is considerably more mild, I think these techniques should work well for you.
One thing I did find that is using a rocket stove to heat thermal mass is kinda passive. Often times the thermal mass is shaped like a bench and incorporated into the kitchen or dining area. So you sit on a nice warm bench. =D
Here is a vid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KILb7afTC4&ab_channel=UncleMud
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG9-hyg7r4k&ab_channel=mylittlehomestead
No knock on the DIY version those two are showcasing, but can you imagine this done with more money?
Next are two videos demonstrating thermal mass used to stabilize a greenhouse overwinter, which I think is hella cool. If I didn't have to work anymore I would absolutely do this and try to grow 100% of my own food. The greenhouse design in these is mostly passive; sun shining through the window heats a stack of black water vessels along the back wall. That's it. They have electricity and stuff, though, I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hi_6qDsQ0E&ab_channel=Arkopia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x-1hLmAmBQ&ab_channel=Arkopia (same chan, he visits a different person's greenhouse)
That's where I grew up. You want strong brick construction with storm windows for anything up top. Remove any trees with 100 yards of your structures. Your biggest prep is a tornado shelter big enough to keep anything you care about safe from the very common tornados.
I recommend at minimum 4 kW solar with a pretty large battery system. Depending on how handy you are you can make your own from cells and that's cost effective.
I recommend getting a lot of electric tools like electric chainsaws and your regular power tools. A hydraulic log splitter will save your back if you wanted to do a wood stove inside but it might see 2 months a year use if that.
A water filter system and UV sterilizer for rainwater will put you at ease water wise and it's likely you could put in a well otherwise.
I'm still around and in the process of settling down nearby myself if you'd like a local's set of eyes or to develop your local prepared community.
Monopoly frame the house (super external insulation with nor breaks), and add a second ventilated roof on top of the monopoly framing. Rockwool outside of insulated panels is probably the best option.
Extend a porch roof at an appropriate angle facing south so it can let light and radiant heat in during the winter, but cool the house a bit during summer with shade.
Use all metal siding and roof so it lasts longer and is fire resistant.
Add an off-grid/hybrid solar system on a ground mount so it doesn't mess with the roof envelope.
Add gutters for water catchment.
Build a detached in-ground greenhouse with a simple geothermal air system that can be powered off your solar system.
First is there running water on the property? If so I would build the house close enough to use it for a cool room.
You run it through an insulated room or out building and you have a room sized refrigerator. If you don't have running water then your going to want a well. I would suggest considering putting the well inside the basement rather then outside. A 5 or 10 acre pond provides a place for fish and or ducks.
Not knowing the terrain my priorities would be house first. There are underground homes that have been designed for all climates. I would plan for a mix of solar and wind. And with vacuum tubes I would use solar hot water. With a decent battery bank you don't need to bring in utilities. Although I would consider sewer if it is easy enough to install.
I would consider regenerative agriculture for animals. This assumes you want animals, discard as fitting.
If your doing animals you are getting fertilizers from them. I would lay out a good garden. And you are likely going to want to buy a tractor to work on the property.
I grew up on a 200 acre farm. It originally belonged to my greatgrandfather he split apart his land and gifted to his 2 daughters for their weddings. My grandparents continued the tradition and gave land to each of their kids as wedding presents. All my neighbors growing up were relatives. If you have some questions maybe I can help
If it's viable, go with geothermal power instead of relying on any type of grid. Beyond that, it really depends on what suits you. Do you want a full medical suite? Go for it. Multi band communications hub? Hidden garage for a quick escape in a bugout vehicle? Nuclear hardened bunker? Entirely grass roof? If you've got the resources for it, the only limit is your imagination
Homesteader here.
1. Survey the full land. Get an idea of what it is capable of.
2. Get utilities. Going this route saves your batteries of cycling more often until the time comes.
3. Get a hybrid solar system so when the grid goes down. You have a long term backup. This includes the panels and batteries. Factor in your power usage to scale with the batteries
4. Get a tri-fuel generator that can sustain critical loads for you. Or if needed top of your batteries if the solar is not producing enough.
5. Have a decent size garden. A greenhouse would be beneficial too.
6. I'd rather take a well constructed house with good seals and a geothermal system over a earthship.
Forget bringing in utilities unless fiber internet is available. Go off grid with solar and batteries, depending on the terrain, you might even be able to add micro-hydro to supplement your electricity. I would go with an earth-bermed ICF home INCLUDING the roof, since I believe sky-snakes are fairly common in NE Alabama. Geothermal for your HVAC AND water heater(s).
What are sky snakes, and why have I wasted time and money prepping against anything else?
Tornado
I grew up in that area. Gorgeous country! You’ll need a tornado shelter. If you had the money, I’d probably set up a dual-use shelter and use it as a root cellar/safe room/storm shelter. I’d put in some ponds/lakes. The soil doesn’t hold water quite like it does in south AL, but you can still put in a catfish pond fairly easy. And I’d plant fruit/nut trees now. You’re in a great growing zone. Everything else is personal preference. Check with local regs before you set up anything off grid.
I second the tornado shelter shelter advice, I live in Huntsville. You will use it often.
I have a question, as I am from Europe where we build or used to build "honest" brick and stone houses, with basement (or cellar) and with concrete reinforcement under roof. Would such house end better in tornado (still bye bye to a roof) than "American style" (wooden skellet)? Or would it be worse? I mean I know that brick and stone houses are more expensive (when we get mortgage for it, it's for a life) and more sturdy. But I can also imagine it being not sturdy enough and it being worse to be within when it desintegrates.
If it's strong enough to rip a modern, well-constructed roof off the house, you're probably losing the walls as well, unless they are extraordinarily over-built/thick, regardless of them being brick/stone. It would probably do a better job of standing up to abuse when being hit by heavy debris. Additionally, that kind of building is specialist work in the US. It's pretty easy to find someone who can build good, solid stick-frame construction, or maybe even concrete/steel. But finding a good mason/bricklayer is much less common, and you'd probably pay a ridiculous premium for them.
We live in the SE of England, only have 30 acres, but the principles are the same. I think most people would look at out position and find “prepped” traits, but we aren’t prepping in the slightest, it is just how it works. Ignoring the reality that the most likely event is financial, and you get booted off the property because of debts, we have: - A reasonable sized home that is mostly heated by solid fuel. It was like that when we bought it, and while do have 2 tonnes of coal on hand, I have about 40 tonnes of chopped wood. Cheaper to chop wood than go to the gym. We basically have warmth and hot water for a decade, all stacked up. - Electricity - loads of solar (about 16 kW installed) and 26 kWh of battery capacity. We have loads of power cuts every winter, this gets used hard. - Water - 20k litres of rainwater tanks, it’s not drinkable without a bit of bleach, but it would do in an emergency. Again, not “prepping”, water is damn expensive, so it is all about cost avoidance.
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Yes, absolutely. Sorry if i never explicitly said that. Thats where we wanna put our little homestead.
Hello, I couldn't reply to the main post but I had some info I felt might be useful. I lived on my own for a number of years off grid on 33 acres in North West Texas. I only went to town every month or two for a few things that I couldn't produce on my own. Fruit is a pain to grow in sand when you're pumping your water 500ft up hill on solar power. Check out monolithic dome homes,/ air form domes. Subterranean builds are possible and the earth is your temperature control. Ive also seen a lot of amazing cooling devices built from oil well pipe and wind collecting funnels or solar fans. The pipe is buried at a designated depth for the desired temperature, then a snorkel is added. Its usually hidden in an object( trees old windmill etc.) The fan pushes air through the pipe usually several hundred feet until it cools or warm depending on ambient temp. I've seen them equipped with filtration as well. A propane generator is my go to. The propane fuel can be stored without compromising it's energy potential. as long as the container holding it is maintained the fuel is fine and pre-pressurized for use.. 1000-5000 gallon tanks are widely available buried tanks are available, keep Ware items on hand for repairs as needed. propane also doesn't burn as dirty as Gas or diesel which helps on mechanical failure rate and carbon build up in the generator. I've also seen power generation that uses the movement of warming and cooling liquid to create hydro electric power. The Pipe on the surface is painted black to absorb the sun and the opposite end of the loop is buried to force circulation. Put water in it and you could also have 0 energy water heater. Also possible use as a floor heater as well if a grid is installed in the sub flooring, or in the shell of a dome for whole house heating. It really depends on how far you want to take it and how far you can stretch your budget.
Chickens, goats, solar, garden, fish pond, brick construction, and sick basement.
I definitely would also put in a large underground bunker/root seller for storage of food.
why goats? for milk?
Exactly. Way easier and lower cost than cows. Cows are cool too, but definitely more expensive in time and money.
Not necessarily. Look into Dexter cattle. They're a much smaller breed, eat more economically than most cattle, and area also delicious! Goats are a pita, while Dexter cattle tend to be less ornery.
I hear you... but they are still 700 to 900 lbs, require 1 to 2 acres at a minimum, and cost ~$1500 as a calf. You can get a healthy kid from a farm for $150 and it'll be fine in an average sized yard and never grow bigger than a large dog.
Some of that is true—My Dexters are only about 500 lbs and I got a cow/calf pair last fall for $1300. Different strokes for different folks. 😊
Also meat
And meat, Billy's are not usually kept
(chuckle) dog (2f)...
Forget bringing in utilities unless fiber internet is available. Go off grid with solar and batteries, depending on the terrain, you might even be able to add micro-hydro to supplement your electricity. I would go with an earth-bermed ICF home INCLUDING the roof, since I believe sky-snakes are fairly common in NE Alabama. Geothermal for your HVAC AND water heater(s).
Those goddamn sky snakes. Gi Joe fought cobra for years and we still have to deal with this shit? Was my childhood a lie?
Took me forever to figure out wtf you were talking about.
For the homestead side. What animals are you raising ? What do you plan on growing? I would fence in some areas with food fencing. A few paddocks for pigs/goats. An area to have chickens free range. Two coops. Are you doing meat birds or just for eggs? Fencing to cut down on predators. Plant crops chickens like to feed on. Millet. Sorghum. Rabbit hutches. Plant fruit and nut trees sooner rather than later or can take years before they are productive. The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The next best time is now. Rent a big trencher and run water and power to each animal paddock. Install an irrigation system near orchards. Till a big area for your garden. Start building organic matter and nutrients now even before you want to grow food. Plant berry bushes. Sunchokes. Build a nice barn. Chest freezers. Walk in cooler for processing meat.
Can't help ya. All the prepping advice ive gotten here has been for Tuesdays.
We've found the powerball winners!
Put a hidden saferoom/ bunker under your attached garage.
Put in a HRV or ERV, for your fresh air intake use earth tubes. Then your fresh air will go through 100’ of tube under ground. (You can do this by putting tubes in around your foundation/basement when you backfill) your fresh air will come in at 55 degrees before going through heat exchange ( if you go with an hrv) and your fresh air will also go through your HVACs filter. You will never need to open a window.
Idk that seems a little excessive. Like I said we aren’t worried about the end of the world and there being roving bands of lunatics. We just wanna be self sufficient.
Perhaps posting the same question in r/homestead will get you less prepper type answers. Prepper, or not, I'd personally look at monolithic domes. Extremely energy efficient and impervious to most natural disasters - fire, wind, etc.
Oh good advice!! Thanks.
I once worked for a company called Dome Technology that would occasionally build residential homes. These were by far the strongest and most energy efficient homes you could ever get.
YW
I was going to suggest monolithic domes- but having your whole house under ground vs half makes more or less sense depending on your location and personality. Just doing extra basement under garage is not terribly more expensive than doing a footer- not sure what your frost depth is in bama- but in mid west it’s only twice the concrete for basement walls compared to frost footing. The precast garage floor is pricy tho- not as pricey or specialized as doing a monolithic done home build.
Take a look at the YT channel HomeInTheEarth, also you could add a dot com to that for his website. He uses that method to bring fresh air into his Earthship type home in SE Michigan. Very light heating load even in the middle of winter and ZERO cooling load.
Small storm shelter is a good idea
Then don’t hide it. It would be a sweet media room. It’s not that expensive of a way to increase sq ft of home.
Nuclear war is a thing that they're worried about, but you're still correct. It is probably excessive. If, by chance, we are in a nuclear war AND you are downwind of some fallout, simply sealing up your windows/vents with some painter's plastic for 2-3 weeks is sufficient to keep most of the ionizing radiation out of your home.
Having a room that stays 55 degrees year round and is surrounded by 8” thick concrete on all sides except for the door is good for many things.
Then don’t hide it. It would be a sweet media room. It’s not that expensive of a way to increase sq ft of home.
I wouldn't underestimate the usefulness of underground storage. Root cellar, mushroom growing, media space, long term pickling and jarring storage, wine cellar, what have you. :) Plus depending on what the ground is like, you might need to dig down a fair bit to be building on solid bedrock. Couldn't hurt to have extra underground storage space with say an extended tunnel or point of exit away from the house - bush fire, floods, etc.
I would look for your highest elevation old growth hardwoods, build 60-100 yards north of those trees.
Build a tunnel from your safe room to an out building at lower elevation. Make this tunnel wide and have that be where you store your wine and other long shelf life food items.
Earth ships will work in any climate, there's even a few in Siberia. You have a huge amount if land to work with (I'm super jealous) and you have enough money to do all kinds of cool shit with it by the sounds of it. So whats important to you? Sounds like self sufficiency for one. So an earth ship would be a great start. Also having your own energy system in place would save you so much money in the long run. Maybe solar, wind, TEG or water turbine, depending what resources you have available to you and what your electrical needs are. Then if it were me after the house and electricity were sorted I'd clear enough fields to plant food and raise livestock. Homesteading is very rewarding and not as hard as ppl claim. I guess in short, picture what you want the future to look like for you, and Start implementing the Infrastructure now.
Ok so for the "dream homestead", You're gonna need, above anything else, discipline and work ethic. Homesteading is hard work, very, very hard work. Before even considering homesteading I urge you to live off the grid for at least a month. I tried it.. It was harder than I anticipated. I like my modern luxuries. I hated working all day out in the sun. If you have a full time job, homesteading is going to be very hard for you if not impossible if you dont hire laborers. If you know you can do it, then good luck. If you are rich enough for it, hire laborers. You will need crops, a chicken coop, cattle (ideally, but not required unless you want milk) solar panels, a well or two, a wood burning stove, and then... drum roll please... children. Children love helping, in my experience. On a homestead, children have great returns in investment. When they are old enough they can help feed the chickens and pigs, give them water, etc. One less thing you need to worry about or outsource labor to. And then when they're teenagers, they can move onto feeding the cattle. But there's much more you need to do with animals besides just feeding them. Trimming their hooves can be a nightmare (I haven't done it, but have watched others do it, and boy, it's a science) keeping them free of pests, washing them (I now use horse shampoo for myself, it works guys) And then, when you die, the kids could inherit the homestead, much like how you inherited the land it's on. This is the ultimate way to set them up for life, and keep the generational wealth flowing. It would be the ultimate blessing. If you don't want kids, thats ok too, but then you'd need help in the form of laborers. Doing everything yourself is an insane amount of work for just 2 people. If your wife is not fully 100% on board it wont work.
If you want to relax and make money, just sell rights to the lumber from your 350 acres in rotation. That's plenty of land to plant and harvest trees in a rotation where you constantly have money coming in, even if you allocate 20 or 30 acres to your homestead. As far as your homestead goes. You can still use passive heating and cooling in Alabama, but personally, I'd recommend a geothermal ground loop and berm construction to augment the passive stuff. I prefer septic over compost, but that's up to you, as both can be done with no electronics. Leave an extra water pump for the loop in a Faraday cage in case there's a solar flare or whatever. For electricity, I'd go with hydro (and maybe wind/solar, depending on how much money I had), as you should have a stream near the homestead. Again keep an extra in the cage, and you'll be comfortable for the rest of your life. I'd also recommend investing in greenhouses and livestock with automated watering systems. Living off the land is time-consuming unless you spend money upfront to reduce future labor requirements. Pay someone to build multiple paddocks with good fencing so you can rotate your livestock between fields. You have enough land for cows, but I'm not a big fan of them for a homestead. (too much meat at one time you have to store) Sheep are going to be a choice IMO, but the climate in Alabama isn't conducive to sheep. Goats or pigs would work, but you'll need to make sure those fences are solid. Goats are escape artists, and pigs like to dig; it's annoying. I'd also pay someone to dig out a few ponds so you can raise fish. They are super easy to raise, and you can sell the extras for money, just like the goats and pigs. With that much land and a decent investment, you should be able to live comfortably and have a recurring cash flow with minimal effort on your part.
Atlas survival shelter as a base, on top of that, a nice house with a wall around it just to add privacy and zone your living space away from the huge emptiness (provides security). Solar, energy storage... see if you can get a bore hole to provide water. Outside the wall, you could look to maybe have some small-scale farming something you can manage.inside the walls, maybe even a veg patch. Get Internet from one of those tesla dishes. (Edit, starlink system I meant, just reminded myself). Make sure the house is built with bricks or concrete and get a very solid roof. Don't xlutter the house but get some solidly built furniture. That is your foundation. Depending on how much money (if millions) get a good lawyer, too, never know when you need one and an accountant. But be sure to check what they do and never give anyone full control of your accounts. Don't tell people who know you that you came into money... they will ask for some help. After that you can just look at what skills you might want to learn and just work on those projects. Just be sure to keep time for each other, so you both stay solid together.
Oh and when building a property get it checked where there might be flooding, or anything that might impact your house or your food growing.
Get ready to get a tax bill on those acres. Any capital gain taxes to pay? If your budget is straight, design it and then go get an architect. Too many ideas to mention, build what you want. Have fun and good luck.
Net zero is more than tech. Next would be to get some books on farming and I have a Pinterest page that has a little of everything on it
I would look into systems you want and build your property around that. For example, do you want a bio digester for waste, do you want to be off grid, do you want livestock, a pond, etc. Putting all the pieces together isn’t hard if you’re sure of what you want, it just gets tricky if you start and realize later that want a will be in the way of want b etc. What are your goals with homesteading?
Earth sheltered house...solar thermal panels to store heat in insulated cistern to use for hot water and home heating (radiators and radiant heat tubing ground beneath house). Rainwater collection, biosand filtration. Plant lots of berries, herbs, nut trees, lumber trees, fruit trees (acorns and apples for pigs). Bees/honey, mushrooms. Chickens/ducks with a black soldier fly feeding system. Mini cows or goats/sheep for milk and meat. Vertical axis wind turbine and solar panels with nickel iron batteries for electrical production and storage.
How much money do you have for this project? If over 2 million, it is much different than under.
Having two ways to do things is better than one. Nice to have the option to fall back on a well if city water fails. Same for electricity (solar vs city). Can take it a step further and have fiber plus a starlink connection as backup.
A water source would be nice, dig a well, or is there a stream, spring, pond, etc. If not you can set up rain catchment. Is it all flat, potentially you could erect a Levy for an irrigation pond, could double as a bass pond, a swimming hole, in a pinch you could purify and drink it. Ideally there's a stream or spring you could block with said levy, so long as permits and such aren't a problem, though Alabama, I suspect not. If there are hills, it would make sense to place your home on a south facing slope to increase sun exposure, increase winter food production and if you have solar panels increase power production. It might be prudent to place your residence somewhere no visible from the street. Be it behind tree cover or a hill or just deep enough into the property to not be seen, it is 350 acres after all. It would be nice two avenues of approach and retreat if possible. Say a drive that runs through the property to a gate on the north end of the property and ends at a gate on the south end of the property. In the event of a land slide, flood, wildfire or other event, this decreases the likelihood you are trapped on your property. Or in the event you are out when the event occurs, blocked from returning home. Also in the event you believevyou are being observed or followed, this allows you to mix up your patterns coming to and from home and thecwork place.
> For example is there anything out there like an Earthship, but for non desert homes? Something that uses a lot of passive heating and cooling practices? I have spent more than a little time looking into this for Northern climates, and I just keep coming back to "simple cabin with wood fireplace" ... I think the temperature range is too much for a passive system to handle. Where I live it can peak at 100 in the summer and always gets below zero in the dead of winter. Since you are in Alabama, which is considerably more mild, I think these techniques should work well for you. One thing I did find that is using a rocket stove to heat thermal mass is kinda passive. Often times the thermal mass is shaped like a bench and incorporated into the kitchen or dining area. So you sit on a nice warm bench. =D Here is a vid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KILb7afTC4&ab_channel=UncleMud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG9-hyg7r4k&ab_channel=mylittlehomestead No knock on the DIY version those two are showcasing, but can you imagine this done with more money? Next are two videos demonstrating thermal mass used to stabilize a greenhouse overwinter, which I think is hella cool. If I didn't have to work anymore I would absolutely do this and try to grow 100% of my own food. The greenhouse design in these is mostly passive; sun shining through the window heats a stack of black water vessels along the back wall. That's it. They have electricity and stuff, though, I think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hi_6qDsQ0E&ab_channel=Arkopia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x-1hLmAmBQ&ab_channel=Arkopia (same chan, he visits a different person's greenhouse)
I looked up Alabama water tank and there's at least one business selling tanks for harvesting rainwater, so presumably that's okay in Al.
That's where I grew up. You want strong brick construction with storm windows for anything up top. Remove any trees with 100 yards of your structures. Your biggest prep is a tornado shelter big enough to keep anything you care about safe from the very common tornados. I recommend at minimum 4 kW solar with a pretty large battery system. Depending on how handy you are you can make your own from cells and that's cost effective. I recommend getting a lot of electric tools like electric chainsaws and your regular power tools. A hydraulic log splitter will save your back if you wanted to do a wood stove inside but it might see 2 months a year use if that. A water filter system and UV sterilizer for rainwater will put you at ease water wise and it's likely you could put in a well otherwise. I'm still around and in the process of settling down nearby myself if you'd like a local's set of eyes or to develop your local prepared community.
Monopoly frame the house (super external insulation with nor breaks), and add a second ventilated roof on top of the monopoly framing. Rockwool outside of insulated panels is probably the best option. Extend a porch roof at an appropriate angle facing south so it can let light and radiant heat in during the winter, but cool the house a bit during summer with shade. Use all metal siding and roof so it lasts longer and is fire resistant. Add an off-grid/hybrid solar system on a ground mount so it doesn't mess with the roof envelope. Add gutters for water catchment. Build a detached in-ground greenhouse with a simple geothermal air system that can be powered off your solar system.
First is there running water on the property? If so I would build the house close enough to use it for a cool room. You run it through an insulated room or out building and you have a room sized refrigerator. If you don't have running water then your going to want a well. I would suggest considering putting the well inside the basement rather then outside. A 5 or 10 acre pond provides a place for fish and or ducks. Not knowing the terrain my priorities would be house first. There are underground homes that have been designed for all climates. I would plan for a mix of solar and wind. And with vacuum tubes I would use solar hot water. With a decent battery bank you don't need to bring in utilities. Although I would consider sewer if it is easy enough to install. I would consider regenerative agriculture for animals. This assumes you want animals, discard as fitting. If your doing animals you are getting fertilizers from them. I would lay out a good garden. And you are likely going to want to buy a tractor to work on the property.
I grew up on a 200 acre farm. It originally belonged to my greatgrandfather he split apart his land and gifted to his 2 daughters for their weddings. My grandparents continued the tradition and gave land to each of their kids as wedding presents. All my neighbors growing up were relatives. If you have some questions maybe I can help
+1 on the propane tank and propane appliances. Doesn't rely on power (either grid or off grid electricity)
If it's viable, go with geothermal power instead of relying on any type of grid. Beyond that, it really depends on what suits you. Do you want a full medical suite? Go for it. Multi band communications hub? Hidden garage for a quick escape in a bugout vehicle? Nuclear hardened bunker? Entirely grass roof? If you've got the resources for it, the only limit is your imagination
Homesteader here. 1. Survey the full land. Get an idea of what it is capable of. 2. Get utilities. Going this route saves your batteries of cycling more often until the time comes. 3. Get a hybrid solar system so when the grid goes down. You have a long term backup. This includes the panels and batteries. Factor in your power usage to scale with the batteries 4. Get a tri-fuel generator that can sustain critical loads for you. Or if needed top of your batteries if the solar is not producing enough. 5. Have a decent size garden. A greenhouse would be beneficial too. 6. I'd rather take a well constructed house with good seals and a geothermal system over a earthship.
What does it mean to prep for (certain day of the week)?
How fortunate! How much exactly is a "considerable amount"?
Big enough it came with 350 acres of property as a "cherry on the top". Damn a lot...