I have a little land in rural Alabama, and I was thinking about putting a manufactured home (trailer) on it, hooking up utilities, and living in or renting out to people who work for the steel mill or chemical plant. I don't want to use city water or electriciy, though, because their rates are not competitive, and might affect how much I would have to charge for rent. I wanted to keep the rent around $600 per month or a little bit lower than market prices in the area.
Here are my ideas so far.
Install a composting toilet, and leave the messy septic tank which can back up, cause a mess, hygeine concerns, and cost a ton in repair expenses.
Somehow installing a self-composting toilet that does not rely on a septic system would be much more efficient and cleaner than installing a septic system that might back up and cause problems. It would also be more efficient than having to rely upon the non-competitive rates the rural water company might charge. I would need to find a way to make the composing system look like a regular toilet, though, very clean with all of the fixtures one would normally find on a toilet. I certainly don't want to give my tennents the idea that they are using an indoor outhouse! Ideally, something like
this, with the composting mechanism hidden under the floor or in another inconspicuous place. These models are supposed to be odorless and mess-free. Although they are essentially outhouses, the unpleasant parts, such as clean-up and odor control, have been elliminated or at least greatly improved. I get the idea that it's like having a toilet connected to a septic tank, except the septic tank is much smaller, only connected to the toilet, and waterless--so, there's no chance of it backing up. Cleanliness is very important to me. The idea that sewage could wind up in my garden or in my sink is extremely unappealing
. I think composting toilets, as long as they smell okay, are a much better solution.
- Use gray water collection and filtration for home use, such as laundry, sinks, and showers.
Saniflo macerating and gray water pumping systems
This way, hopefully, I could connect a sink and shower without having to worry a lot about an ellaborate and costly plumbing system. I think I would only need a few pipes connected to a water source. This would be much easier to install and repair than a conventional plumbing system. Perhaps I could even install rain water collection barrels and gray water recycling units to ensure that even less water is used. Of course, I could also install water-conserving washing machines and shower heads.
- Wind, solar, and other natural energy
I'm sure this would cost a bit more at the begining, but how about installing small generators that run on wind, solar, and other natural energy to run household appliances instead of or in addition to energy from the grid? Ideally, I would like to find a relatively efficient way to allow the house to generate its own electricity.
- Relying upon gas instead of total electric for cooking, heating, and cooling.
I might install something that runs on propane, which is generally purchased in tanks, instead of relying upon city gas. Hopefully, it would cut down on fossil fuel usage and also cut down on monthly expenses. Propane could also be used to run heating and cooling mechanisms within the house.
Well, here are my ideas so far for creating a
clean completely self-sufficient or semi-self sufficient abode. Please tell me if you think these ideas would work, or if you have better ones, please give me your suggestions.
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