All you need to go off-grid

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Communities

Tiny home tour

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Julie Olson needed a traveling home for her mobile dog training business. With no architecture training, she drew up plans for exactly what she needed and sent them to Jason Dietz of Molecule Tiny Homes. Over a couple of months he built her home to her specifications: a fold-out porch, storage stairs, 2 lofts (1 for sleeping, 1 for storage or 2 sleeping quarters), a slim closet, and a bathroom with tub, composting toilet, tiny sink and escape window/door for viewing nature.
https://youtu.be/PZ7JINuGT2Y

The 136-square-foot home can run completely off-grid with rooftop photovoltaic panels, solar batteries, a propane tank and a tankless water heater. Total cost was $45,000, but Dietz says you could bring that down by about half if you built it yourself. Part of the reason small homes on wheels cost more per square foot is because they require structural support to survive on the road. The home was built in Santa Cruz, California and it made its first trip over 3,000 miles to Maine where Olson moved in with her cats and dog to travel and study.

Molecule Tiny Homes: moleculetinyhomes.blogspot.com…

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July 17, 2016 No Comments
Communities

Handy hacks

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Modern technology is an amazing thing,  once open a time,  if you wanted to read about something,  to learn about something,  you had to go to the library,  when they were open and do your research from there.  Or you could go to the book store,  if either place for didn’t have what you needed,  they might be able to order it,  perhaps within a week or two you could get what you wanted…

Of course today is different,  with the internet,  computers,  tablets and smart phones,  knowledge is just a tap or click away,  any time,  day or night. And now with the ability for everyone to create and upload videos,  you have even more tutorials available at your fingertips.  You still need to be discerning, not everyone who claims to be an expert is truly an expert,  you will find lots of garbage,  misinformation and outright lies,  but if you are careful,  come at this with some common sense,  you can find a world wide library at your disposal.

Here are a few interesting and handy YouTube videos about handy hacks:
https://youtu.be/JdYksVGKBZ0

https://youtu.be/ZK8874icTbk

https://youtu.be/lc7-0ZxXgJw

Who is your favorite YouTube life hacker? Comment below and let me know.…

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July 16, 2016 No Comments
Communities

Misconceptions about off-grid living

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Yesterday, while surfing Facebook, one of my friends liked and shared a photo link,  I’ll not say what the page was,  I don’t want to embarrass anyone,  but the gist of the graphic was:

Off-Grid,  no mortgage or rent,  no electric bill, free water, grow your own food, total self sustainability, be with nature, and still have every modern luxury. 

Hmmmm,  sounds really good,  appealing in every way,  there is one teensy little problem,  it’s not free.  Living off-grid does not alleviate you of bills or responsibility,  it in fact gives you even more to be responsible for.

I wrote a reply to each bullet point made above,  I’m not knocking living off-grid,  we have lived this way for near 10 years now and love it,  I just get annoyed when major misconceptions are bandied about.

Welllllll, you still have to buy a property where you are allowed to live off-grid, find a cheap one and you can pay for it up front or you will have a mortgage (or loan payments),  you could squat illegally,  but that will only last as long as you aren’t caught. Or you could ask a property owner if you can stay on their land,  good luck.

NO electric bill is right, but there are expenses involved, those photons don’t collect or store themselves, there is also ongoing maintenance.

Free water, maybe, you either have to drill a well, that is expensive, there is equipment involved, storage, pumps, or you can collect rain water, again there are up front expenses…

Yes, you can grow your own food, again it’s not free, there are expenses involved in that.

Self sustaining, hardly, you can be more self sufficient but it’s impossible to be fully, 100% self sufficient.

Yes, you can be with nature,  that’s probably the truest statement in the list.

Yes, you can do all of this and have every modern convenience, but it’s NOT FREE! Anyone who tells you that is either lying or naive. Living off-grid is attainable, I do it, but it’s no cake walk, I love my life but would never tell anyone lies about it…

I’m not trying to bum anyone out,  but reality is real, you don’t get something for nothing,  you have to work for what you want,  if living off-grid is the thing you want to do,  then go for it,  make a plan,  set goals,  work and save your money, learn as much as you can about living off-grid,  get some hands on skills in building,  electricity,  survival, medical, small engine repair…  You get the picture now,  so what are you waiting for? :)…

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July 10, 2016 3 Comments
Communities

What are we going to do?

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We live off-grid, on a mountain side in the high desert of far west Texas, since December 2007, we have embedded ourselves quite deeply in our little community, one of the issues out here is getting rid of refuse, we have turned that to our advantage, the community out here knows, if they have any potentially useful junk, they contact us first to see if we want it. The alternative is to take it to town, some 20 miles away and pay to dispose of it. As a result, we end up with lots of useful materials, it’s not like driving to the hardware store and getting first quality, new stuff, but we end up with things we can eventually use.

One of the local builders out here (who is also a good friend) was tasked with getting rid of a bunch, a huge bunch of papercrete blocks on another property out here. These are made of pureed paper and Portland cement, there is also some other material in the bricks, I recognize perlite and possibly Styrofoam pellets.

Whoever made these, made a bunch of them for some purpose and for whatever reason, never got to use them. So now we benefit from this windfall.

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PB took possession of them without knowing what he might use them for, perhaps making a short (height) wall… I took one look at the stack and had only one idea, a Keyhole garden!

I had been wanting to make at least one Keyhole garden ever since I’d learned about them, our biggest resource out here for making such a thing is rocks, I just hadn’t had the time or will to collect that many rocks and make one, but now we have an abundance of these papercrete blocks and can make several Keyhole gardens, I even have PB excited about it.

I have lots of cardboard to use as a base layer, the benefits of being a merchandiser and more recently being a reviewer. If anyone is interested in learning more about becoming a reviewer, let me know in the comments below and I’ll do a write up about it.

PB and I are already talking about what to play the in the Keyhole garden, I want one just for salad type greens, lettuces of all sorts. Of course we will have to protect it from the critters, they constantly eat our food and decorative plants, but it’s part of living out here.

I’ll post updates as this happens.…

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July 9, 2016 No Comments
Communities

Off-Grid 4th of July

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This year,  we had the best 4th of July celebration,  the SkyCastle has become quite the destination spot for our friends,  so PB (Primitive Bob) created a party spot down by the road.  A few years back when my son came out for a visit,  he and PB built what was supposed to be a garage…  Well you know what garages are for,  not for vehicles,  they become a place to store junk…

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Over the last few months,  PB has transformed the garage/junk room into a clubhouse.  He installed a small solar system,  a few solar panels,  charge controller, an older (but still good) deep cycle battery, and an inverter.  With this,  PB was able to string some white LED Christmas lights and a radio for music. Add in some chairs and we have ourselves a fun spot for our friends to drop by and hang out.

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As with everything else in our lives,  this is a work in progress,  I’d like to have a small cooler to keep drinks cold in the summer,  maybe even a way to have ice and a bit of running water.

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PB did take our propane grill down,  we had hotdogs and sausages. It was quite the fun day. We chose not to go into town,  it was much better to stay home :),  I certainly hope you had a great holiday.

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Images courtesy of my friend Laurie. …

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July 4, 2016 No Comments
off-grid home in California desert to rent
Communities

3 Taster Locations To Try Unplugging

Curious about what living off-grid would be like but not quite ready to give up the mortgage? Thinking where to live out the rest of your days in idyllic peace but not quite sure?

Not to worry, if you’re considering the big leap into the unknown, you can try a short break disconnecting from the big brother system — renting an off-grid home from Airbnb.

In Chelan, Washington State, for example, there lies a hobbit hole which any Lord of the Rings fan would die for a night in. Upon a mountain hill, surrounded by rabbits and deer is the perfect place for someone on a quest for off-gird living to start their journey.

Kirstie Wolfe built the 288-square-foot rental into a hillside on a five-acre tract of land she bought in Orondo, a small town between Chelan and Wenatchee along the Columbia River in central Washington. After burying the structure, she went all out decorating the space with an obsessive attention to detail. “I try to make it as authentic as possible,” builder Kristie Wolfe explained. She succeeded with flying colours, visitors walk past a small outdoor garden through a big circular door — just like in the books and movies. The rustic interior uses reclaimed wood, hanging lanterns, and circular arches and windows to evoke a fantastical feeling, a point underlined with small charms like a cobbler’s workbench and several subtle “Lord of the Rings” touches inside.

As well as being the perfect place to let your imagination run free, it is also a fully functioning off-grid home with its own septic tank and solar panels, you can unplug in style and comfort. To see the photos and more details on the hobbit home, click here!

 

For those in Europe – nestled into the mountains on the quiet North-West side of Mallorca it is the perfect place to turn off from the outside world and relish nature as it is.

It is a 30-minute drive down the mountain to a beach or an exhilarating hike away, which in turn, gives you the most breath-taking views of the blue Mediterranean. It’s located inside a national park which means you will live side by side with exotic birds and wild flowers. The house comes complete with a water tank which collects 40,00 litres of rain water which you can then filter into drinking water and use to flush the toilet and wash with . Also, it is furnished with two flushing toilets, solar panels a shower, a gas fridge and hob and a fireplace and wood burner for the winter months. There is an outside kitchen with a BBQ so you can cook cooley in the breeze whilst taking in the glorious views.

If you’re not so keen with the cooking, you can hire a cook who will show you how to use the outdoor facilities and make …

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June 29, 2016 No Comments
Communities

SkyCastle upgrade

 

SkyCastle Upgrade

The SkyCastle is getting a facelift, or an upgrade, however you wish to look at it. This all started out from PB needing to repair the roof over the laundry room, it has leaked pretty much from day one, that’s one of the drawbacks of using used/recycled materials, sometimes it works great, other times, not so well.

The big round tower is actually a water tank, PB converted it into a storage closet, put a pointier roof on it and placed it on the 3rd floor deck over the laundry room. He had to break it loose and move it out of the way to replace each roof section. He pushed it over the front about 2 feet and decided he liked it there, it gave us more space on that deck area and he could make it look more castley (I know that’s not a word, but it is now LOL).

PB has worked the last few days to cover the area where we will be able to walk around the tower, I have another edited picture of what the west side will eventually look like.
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I would say Photoshopped, but PB uses Paint to do his Photoshopping :)  Now we will have to get PB to work on the other side of the SkyCastle, it’s starting to look lopsided……

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June 26, 2016 No Comments

The truth about solar

A current and interesting look at solar power today,we have truly come a long way. Of course battery technology is still pretty far behind, prices for solar panels have dropped significantly over the past few years making it affordable for more and more people,and the solar panel kits make it simple to get exactly what you want to get started.
https://youtu.be/nabM5MGq_NY
…

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June 24, 2016 2 Comments
Food

Por Qué No Comprar Grano para Gallinas

Cuando me imagino criando pollos, siempre es de campo libre (¡por supuesto!), Veo a un granjero caminando por una bandada de hackeadores hambrientos arrojando puñados de grano al suelo para alimentarlo. Parece que Karl Hammer ha descubierto cómo criar pollos, más de 600, sin tener que comprar ni una sola bolsa de grano. Al ver este video, es increíble ver a todas estas gallinas vagando libremente, revolviendo y cavando montones de compost altos. Karl es un rey del compost, tiene varias (y enormes) pilas de compost ubicadas en lugares estratégicos para canalizar y capturar el lixiviado que fluye de un montón a otro. Esto está diseñado para que ninguno de los nutrientes se pierda y no terminan contaminando su fuente de agua potable ni las propiedades vecinas.

Estas pilas de compost consisten en muchas fuentes diferentes de material, desde estiércol de vaca y burro, desperdicios de comida de varios restaurantes de la ciudad y otras cosas que podrías encontrar en una pila de compost. Están CALIENTES, lo que significa que están activos, de hecho, Karl está produciendo su primer lote de ajo negro en una de las pilas calentadas. Nunca había oído hablar de ajo negro, pero es algo en lo que estoy muy interesado ahora, puedes obtener más información al respecto aquí .

Empecé a ver este video pensando que solo iba a aprender sobre pollos y compost, pero Karl tiene mucho más en la manga que eso. Él cría y usa American Mammoth Donkeys (Jackstock), parece que fueron muy importantes en la historia, en los Estados Unidos y en otros países, uno de sus ancestros se remonta a un animal que fue entregado al Presidente Washington por el Rey de España, otro regalo vino de la isla de Malta. ( LINK ) Estos animales no solo proporcionan estiércol valioso, son animales que trabajan, tiran del equipo y son guardias para el otro ganado en la granja.

…

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June 21, 2016 No Comments
solar shed
Energy

Cobertizos Solares en Venta

UNITY, Maine – 11 de abril – Para Joas Hochstetler, gerente de Backyard Buildings , propiedad de los Amish , la idea de fabricar un cobertizo solar equipado con paneles solares siempre estuvo en el fondo de su mente.
Después de todo, como parte de su misión, la familia de Hochstetler y otras personas de la comunidad Amish que se han asentado en Unity utilizan la tecnología de energía solar de varias maneras, desde encender las luces de sus vagones hasta cargar las baterías de las herramientas eléctricas.

“Solar es bastante pasivo, no tiene partes móviles, no es necesario alimentarlo, no consume gas”, dijo Hochstetler. “Ya hemos tomado la decisión de no estar en la red […] así que los beneficios de la energía solar para nosotros son infinitos”.

A pesar de las percepciones de que las comunidades Amish desconfían de la tecnología, la tecnología de energía solar fuera de la red ofrece una forma para que los miembros de la comunidad permanezcan fuera de la red eléctrica principal de una manera que sea mínimamente intrusiva para su estilo de vida. Hochstetler dijo que los Amish fueron algunos de los primeros en adoptar la energía solar.
Así que cuando Matt Wagner de Insource Renewables se le acercó en enero sobre la formación de un cobertizo que estaba equipado con la misma tecnología solar que se encuentra en los sistemas tradicionales montados en el techo, se vendió Hochstetler. Después de todo, los cobertizos que fabrica ya tenían energía solar, en el sentido de que la energía solar es su única fuente de energía.
“Ya hablamos de eso pero no teníamos una compañía confiable con la que colaborar ni la experiencia solar”, dijo Hochstetler. “Me gusta el principio de la energía solar, así que con mucho gusto trabajaré en un campo que generará más energía solar para el estado”.
Durante los últimos seis años, Backyard Buildings ha estado fabricando una amplia gama de estructuras portátiles que incluyen almacenes de diferentes tamaños, refugios para animales e incluso pequeñas cabañas. En algunos casos, Insource Renewables fue contratada por clientes de Hochstetler’s para instalar bombas de calor en grandes cobertizos que habían comprado con la intención de utilizarlos como campamentos fuera de la red.
Wagner inicialmente propuso la idea de simplemente colaborar en la instalación de bombas de calor en algunos de los edificios antes de que se vendieran, y la idea se transformó rápidamente en estructuras tipo almacenamiento con paneles solares montados en el techo.

Para ambas partes, la oportunidad de trabajar con otra compañía local para llevar una nueva opción de energía solar a sus clientes fue una gran ayuda. “Lo que encontramos es que básicamente podemos entregar la matriz solar del mismo tamaño que pondríamos en el techo de alguien en este edificio solar [cobertizo] por el mismo costo, y obtienes este gran cobertizo. Es una especie de pan comido “, dijo …

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June 21, 2016 No Comments
Land

Encuentro con un Siervo Canadiense

Aquellos que me han seguido durante algunos años deberían recordar mi encuentro con los alces hace unos tres años, causaron bastante daño, pero PB pudo hacer “Bobbage” y hacer que todo vuelva a funcionar. La mayor parte de mi interfaz fue “personalizada” por ese encuentro con el alce hace 3 años, el condensador del aire acondicionado y el radiador junto con todo lo demás en el área frontal se retrocedieron aproximadamente 4 pulgadas, la mayoría del hardware no estaba conectado a mucho más. Y los 2 elementos antes mencionados se volvieron cóncavos donde el cuerpo de los alces se acunó en la parte delantera de mi camión. Así que reemplazar el radiador cóncavo con un flamante nuevo plano significaba más personalización por parte de PB, también conocido como Bobbage, esa magia que hace cuando se enfrenta a un acertijo como este.

Esto es lo que una vaca alce hace a un radiador, el “encuentro” en realidad ocurrió en marzo de 2015, así que, en general, ese radiador se ha mantenido bastante bien considerando … Finalmente surgió una fuga durante el fin de semana, yo iba a conducir a una de mis ciudades más lejanas para trabajar esta mañana cuando descubrí que era más que una pequeña fuga. Gracias al Señor por encima de que no terminé en el lado de la carretera. Las casas de auto tienen 2 radiadores en stock y lo obtuve.

Después de llegar a casa, PB comenzó a trabajar en él, eventualmente la mayor parte del vecindario terminó aquí prestando sus manos, herramientas y mucho apoyo moral. Ahora puedo ir a trabajar mañana. Soy realmente afortunado de vivir en un vecindario tan cuidado. También estoy agradecido de saber lo suficiente como para poder llamar con confianza a las tiendas de autopartes de la ciudad para obtener lo que necesito. Y estoy agradecido de tener el tipo de trabajo en el que puedo despegar un día sin causar demasiados problemas. Aunque algunos podrían considerar esto una mala racha, creo que este nuevo año comienza bastante bien.…

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June 21, 2016 No Comments
Hispanic

Cuidados Sencillos para Gallinas Sanas

Es genial criar pollos:

huevos, un tipo de compañerismo áspero y, finalmente, un ave asada.
¿Pero debería cada casa fuera de la red tener algunas gallinas? Necesitan trabajo y pueden enfermarse. Pero los pollos sanos, pueden ser una gran fuente de alimentos e ingresos. Si decides tener algunas gallinas, aquí hay algunos consejos y trucos para mantenerlos sanos y felices.
HECHO DEL DÍA: ¡ Las semillas de calabaza crudas son desparasitantes naturales para las gallinas!
Parece que mucha gente pone su fe en este sabroso tratamiento. Según Sunny Simple Life , las semillas de calabaza están recubiertas de un químico que se produce naturalmente y que paraliza a las lombrices para que el pollo pueda expulsarlas.

Pero, ¿dónde obtienes tus semillas de calabaza?

Qué no dar a tu bandada

¡Al igual que cualquier otro animal, dar golosinas a su pollo es una forma clásica de ganarse su confianza y lograr que se vinculen con usted! La mayor parte de la comida sobrante será segura para su rebaño, pero trate de evitar la sal. También debe mantenerlos alejados de la comida con moho, ya que es tóxica. Los cítricos son otro alimento que no se debe dar a los pollos debido a la acidez. ¡No quieres molestar a tus pollos!
Si tiene problemas para encontrar semillas de calabaza para su rebaño, aquí hay otro artículo que le muestra una alternativa para la alimentación del pollo: Karl Hammer, el rey del compost, explica cómo alimenta a su bandada extremadamente grande con altos montones de fertilizante. El compost puede hacer el trabajo de la misma manera que las semillas de calabaza cruda. Sí, es correcto, compost.

¡Nunca vuelvas a comprar grano para tus pollos!
¡Felíz alimentación!…

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June 21, 2016 No Comments