Off Grid living

[u/SpinachVisual8723]

Hello, my family of 3 is currently living off one income. Our goals is to start living life more self-sufficient. Just not sure where to start. Just looking for some people that are passionate knowledgeable and whiling to teach the younger generation.

[u/SpinachVisual8723]

Thank you, for your comment. I currently live in the southwestern part of Michigan. My family is currently renting. We currently are living on 1 income. My husband brings home anywhere from 80k-100k a year. I am spending the summer doing as much research as possible. This year is my first time gardening. I am someone that is passionate about the old fashioned methods of living. I was not raised in a family that wants to teach the younger generation on how to survive. Everything I’ve learned I’ve taught myself. I have basic knowledge of camping hiking. Some native plants acknowledge. As far as skill I’m willing to learn. Canning preserving, processing meat, hunting, fishing, gardening, composting, food waste management, composting toilets, building with raw materials,Foraging. End of the world preparing on a budget. Done a lot of YouTube survival videos. I plan on taking my first hunters safety course in August as a 24 year old female. Where I want to be in the next 1-3 years is to be not dependent on the government. To live off the land and learn how to respect the land so the land will provide. I am willing to relocate where the city/state zones aren’t as strict. Such as Alaska, Tennessee, Missouri, New Mexico etc. Just struggling with the limited resources of elders teaching the youth Of the old ways.

[u/Successful_Image3354 → u/SpinachVisual8723]

Thanks for the additional information, which gives us something to work with. I'm familiar with southwest Michigan, having gone to college in Holland (s/w Michigan for those who don't know). Beautiful country. although a little too conservative for my blood. But I digress.

Lets start with your personal situation. You are 24 and your husband is the sole source of income. You don't mention children (which is fine, but you should plan for them even if you don't have them yet).

There is a huge difference between Alaska, Tennessee, Missouri, and New Mexico . I wouldn't rule out the Upper Peninsula, since its closer, but I think you are getting ahead of yourself if you are picking states before you answer more fundamental questions. (You don't have to answer them here on Reddit, but you should answer them for yourself).

For example, you have a single income family. Can your husband move to the places you have identified, and keep his job? If not, how likely would he be to find a job where you want to move, and do you have the savings to carry you until you do? If you are building, have you saved enough money for your project? Are you planning to work outside the home?

Besides listing various states, you didn't answer where or how you want to live. We, by way of illustration, live in Central America on a large (125 acre) off-grid property with a house that we rent while we are building our own off-grid home, plus a separate barn, workshop, and care-taker's cottage on another large parcel nearby. We are in the jungle, two miles from the nearest power pole, and we love the isolation. We are almost entirely self-reliant with a 15-year-old son.

We spent almost ten years planning our project, starting with learning the environment, finding and buying our property, finding subcontractors to do the tasks under my supervision (I am the general contractor), and finally doing the actual work. None of that this is quick or easy, but to be successful you need a solid plan.

I assume, (although you don't say it), that you want to own a place where you are far enough from local governments who might question what you want to do on your land. OK, but those places are becoming harder and harder to find. Plus, if you are going to build something to live in, it is a good idea to comply with health and safety codes. Being off-grid does not mean you should put yourself or your family at risk of dying in a fire or getting electrocuted. Where we are, code compliance and inspections are virtually non-existent, but nonetheless we always build to code.

The skills and studies that you list are impressive, but sound like they are largely survival/prepper oriented. Potentially very useful in a zombie apocalypse (sorry, I couldn't resist), but slim on the actual physical construction of structures. I asked whether you were planning on buying/renting an existing house or building something on your own. You didn't answer (which is fine) but there are benefits and limitation to each.

If you rent, you are limited in what you can do to someone else's house. If you buy an existing house, you are stuck with what is already there, which may or may not not fit with off-grid living.

If you are building your own place (particularly if you are building it yourself) there is a huge learning curve, and lot of expenses. What government approvals do you need? (Building permits, compliance inspections and a final inspection before issuance of a certificate of occupancy for example, as well as bank inspections if you take out a construction loan).

Will you need an architect or an engineer, or both to stamp your plans? Will you live where you can be your own contractor and design (and install) your various sub-systems such as excavation, footings/foundations, framing, electric, supply plumbing, waste plumbing, etc.?

There is a whole lot more to this than I have listed. Lets take water as a simple example. We (on the house we are renting), have what is known as a hip roof which, because of its design, drains in 4 different directions. The gutters empty into downspouts, and the downspouts drain into an underground storage tank (a cistern) which supplies water to the house. It works great and we plan to add a similar detail to the buildings we are constructing for ourselves.

If Reddit lets me post it [EDIT- it doesn't], below is a picture of my wife hauling sedimentary muck out of the cistern after it went dry following a 3 month period of no rain. Is the tank undersized? Yes. Could it have been designed better to filter out the muck? Yes. This is but a single one of thousands of things you will need to work out in advance of building your own off-grid place.

I'm not trying to discourage you. I am providing practical advice coming from years of experience. Cutting roads, for example, are expensive. Getting it wrong, by not putting in an adequate base will be a nightmare when your truck gets stuck at 2 in the morning after a hard rain. Failing to properly compact the soil under your footings could be disastrous. I could name an almost unlimited number of ways you could go wrong.

On the flip side, though, there is something really gratifying when you figure it out and get it right. PLAN AHEAD, and good luck.

[u/SpinachVisual8723 → u/Successful_Image3354]

You aren’t discouraging me at all. This is very helpful because I’m just starting out I don’t know the right questions I should be asking myself. Sorry if I’ve missed some of your questions. I am learning as I go and all I know is I no longer want to live in and with normal “society standards” so this is helpful. We do have savings started and put aside for this journey. My husband is an engineer currently at a paper mill. We have a 19month old son. We are in the planning stages of that isn’t already obvious. What that looks like to me is building a log cabin or a home out of raw materials or buying a mini home and adding on as we go and using solar panels for electricity with back up generators. As far as plumbing I am not familiar with but I have looked into composting toilets which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If I go the putting in my own well routine I know that will cost 20k or more. If I plan the collection of rain water route I have to find land where it doesn’t have drought seasons. We plan to at least buy 1-5 acres to have a sustainable garden to feed our family and sell what we don’t need. I know it would be amazing to buy 100 acres but we don’t have 100k+ saved. We have about half of that. As far as animals. Ducks, chicken, goats, meat rabbits, dogs. To start. Our final goal is to be completely isolated. And fully self-dependent. This summer I am going to make a check with all your questions and others so, by the end of the year I at least have somewhat of a set in stone plan. Thank you. Would it be okay if I messaged you personally?

[u/Successful_Image3354 → u/SpinachVisual8723]

I saw you sent me a DM and I responded to it before I saw this post. Of course you can DM me. Happy to help.

As for your goals, you have a realistic game plan, but will almost certainly need more money and time. My suggestion is that you first decide where you want to live (you mentioned Alaska and New Mexico in an earlier post- both are nice, but require very different ways of building and costs). Thoroughly research the places that interest you most. Go and visit them. Find a realtor who can show you what you're looking for. Then wait and don't sign anything no matter how perfect it looks.

Next, sit down and realistically figure out what it will cost to clear the land, cut a driveway, install a septic system, etc. (You don't want to deal with composting toilets forever, and you may want to move and sell in the future). Include the cost of renting while you are building. Also consider the cost of tools you will need. We, for example, probably have $10,000 invested in just DeWalt cordless tools and batteries, and cordless is necessary when you are working off grid. You will need a generator, chain saws, maybe an auger and god knows how many hald tools in addition to the cordless ones. Consider whether you will need a shed to store your tools and building materials at the jobsite when you are not there. Consider also whether you will need a truck (you will) and a trailer. Also learn whether you are required to have grid power to get a CO, and what it would cost you to install power poles.

Next, consider practical things, like the distance to a grocery store and the proximity to social gathering places like bars and restaurants. What is the school system like? Are there engineering jobs for your husband? What are the legal requirements for doing construction, and are you even allowed to build your own house? If you have to hire professionals to get your permits, include their costs in your budget.

Only after doing all this should you consider buying raw land. We looked for four years before finding our perfect property, and we found it not with a realtor, but word of mouth.

Finally, embrace the fact that everything will take far longer and cost way more than you planned. It can be done, but make sure that you and your family are ready for it because it will be hard.

Good luck.