The perfect homestead??? (Bangor, Liberty: houses, buyers, construction)

[manwithgills]

In the near future I will be starting a homestead. It is amazing at how dependent we are to corporate interests in our day to day lives. This really makes the idea of living a more simplified life a lot to grasp. There are a couple of things that I have been thinking a lot about lately. They would be what type of home should I build that would be durable and affordable for the Maine climate.

Does anyone know of homes that are made from Cob, Straw Bale, or Cordwood?

Secondly, I want to live in a manner where I work for myself raising animals, growing crops to feed my family, and to sell to the general public. I have been thinking about Bees for honey, Chickens for eggs and meat, rabbits for meat and hides. How competitive is the honey market in Maine? Where would you suggest selling rabbit hides?

I am really looking forward to your replies.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by manwithgills

In the near future I will be starting a homestead. It is amazing at how dependent we are to corporate interests in our day to day lives. This really makes the idea of living a more simplified life a lot to grasp. There are a couple of things that I have been thinking a lot about lately. They would be what type of home should I build that would be durable and affordable for the Maine climate.

Does anyone know of homes that are made from Cob, Straw Bale, or Cordwood?

Secondly, I want to live in a manner where I work for myself raising animals, growing crops to feed my family, and to sell to the general public. I have been thinking about Bees for honey, Chickens for eggs and meat, rabbits for meat and hides. How competitive is the honey market in Maine? Where would you suggest selling rabbit hides?

I am really looking forward to your replies.

Id be looking in the town of Argyle

you will have some instant homestead neighbors

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Cobs, cordwood and straw bales are best used as fuel, not homes.

Distinctive Timber Building Kits Inc..

You can have a home that will last centuries and actually have value for your heirs when the time comes for you to depart from us on this journey.

There was a guy who lived in a straw bale house. It caught fire. The fire department could not get a truck there and when the firemen showed up the barefoot former homeowner and the barefoot rats were standing in the snow looking at the fire. The firemen joined them and they also watched the fire. It couldn't spread due to the snow.

Save yourself the aggravation. Go post and beam.

[kellysmith]

Stick built with Mooney wall construction. The Mooney wall eliminates most of the thermal bridging that occurs in normal construction. The dense pack cellulose eliminates drafts. In my eyes clearly the most efficient, cheapest construction technique available today.

Mooney Wall -- A low cost, high R value wall

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by manwithgills

... Does anyone know of homes that are made from Cob, Straw Bale, or Cordwood?

A few years ago, I kept listing wood on a website called 'Freecycle'. I offered to anyone who wanted to cut and haul their own wood, to come on my land to do so. On condition that they leave the maple trees untouched, and they stack any unwanted brush.

One of the families who responded was building a cordwood house, in a UT that borders Liberty Maine

I never did go down to see it though, I should have.

... Secondly, I want to live in a manner where I work for myself raising animals, growing crops to feed my family, and to sell to the general public. I have been thinking about Bees for honey, Chickens for eggs and meat, rabbits for meat and hides. How competitive is the honey market in Maine? Where would you suggest selling rabbit hides?

I am really looking forward to your replies.

Eggs, poultry, rabbits, goats, sheep, hogs; and all fairly common. Raised on homesteads and marketed in local Farmer's Markets.

Farmer's Markets in Maine are growing. I see ads for established FMs seeking more vendors; as well as folks starting up new FM very often.

This weekend, we attended the Garden Show in Bangor. One of the speakers was a fellow poster here on this forum. She spoke about greenhouses and hoop-structures to extend the growing season. In the audience was a grouping of seven fellow CD posters. It was like a mini-CD meetup. And some of us went out to supper as a group afterward.

Among that group, there were three households who market produce to FMs.

My Dw is the produce manager in a grocery store in Bangor. She buys produce from local farmers whenever the connection can be made.

I rub elbows with a good many homesteaders who might 'only' work a 2 to 5 acre patch with row crops, and then supply either FMs or restaurants.

Last year we attended a meetup in Bangor that included area schools cafeterias, major restaurants and grocery stores; along with maybe 20 farmers. The 'institutional' consumers were all looking for local connections with small scale farmers.

[Submariner]

The first responded to the OP. Now looking at the other responses, I will ad that when I was looking at home construction. I focused a lot on price-per-square-foot. We went with a steel warehouse structure. Preengineered to withstand nearly every possible force of nature. I insulated it to R-60, and it seems to be working out okay for us.

[Maine Writer]

Secondly, I want to live in a manner where I work for myself raising animals, growing crops to feed my family, and to sell to the general public.

What experience do you have?

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Eggs, poultry, rabbits, goats, sheep, hogs; and all fairly common. Raised on homesteads and marketed in local Farmer's Markets.

I was told at the garden show by a man running for congress that Maine is losing slaughter houses that deal with small animals faster than it is adding them. I don't know if it's true. He spewed a lot of manure and was telling me what he thought I wanted to hear during much of the discussion.

Farmer's Markets in Maine are growing. I see ads for established FMs seeking more vendors; as well as folks starting up new FM very often.

The number of small farms in Maine grew by 8% according to the 2002-2007 ag census. It is expected to rise more than that when the census is taken again this year. According to the growers, buyers and people who keep track of these things, supply is not keeping up with the increasing demand for locally grown, responsible raised food.

This weekend, we attended the Garden Show in Bangor. One of the speakers was a fellow poster here on this forum. She spoke about greenhouses and hoop-structures to extend the growing season. In the audience was a grouping of seven fellow CD posters. It was like a mini-CD meetup. And some of us went out to supper as a group afterward.

If I hadn't forgotten something in the auditorium and had to find a way to get back in after the doors locked, we might have made it to supper.

I'm working on resizing photos to make the presentation small enough to upload. If I can get it down to under a couple of megs I'll add narration and upload it to my website. I think I have it down to 6 mgs so far.

I rub elbows with a good many homesteaders who might 'only' work a 2 to 5 acre patch with row crops, and then supply either FMs or restaurants.

If anyone is serious about using season extension to harvest year round and is planning to make the financial investment in the equipment, and would like to know what I net on an acre annually, you can DM me. I have a heated greenhouse and 2,500 sq ft of unheated high tunnels (3 tunnels).

Last year we attended a meetup in Bangor that included area schools cafeterias, major restaurants and grocery stores; along with maybe 20 farmers. The 'institutional' consumers were all looking for local connections with small scale farmers.

I sold to a high school and two elementary schools. If you have the patience and knowledge it takes to work with school cooks, it's a good market.

manwithgills, run the numbers on meat rabbits very closely. When I raised meat rabbits for a processor years ago I sold them for $1/lb live weight. The price per pound has barely gone up but the cost of feed, gas, etc. has risen tremendously. Check out the legalities of selling meat. I didn't deal with hides but think the fur market in Quebec might buy them.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

... I was told at the garden show by a man running for congress that Maine is losing slaughter houses that deal with small animals faster than it is adding them. I don't know if it's true.

There does seem to be a shortage.

... He spewed a lot of manure and was telling me what he thought I wanted to hear during much of the discussion.

Typical.

... The number of small farms in Maine grew by 8% according to the 2002-2007 ag census. It is expected to rise more than that when the census is taken again this year. According to the growers, buyers and people who keep track of these things, supply is not keeping up with the increasing demand for locally grown, responsible raised food.

I can see that.

... If I hadn't forgotten something in the auditorium and had to find a way to get back in after the doors locked, we might have made it to supper.

I'm working on resizing photos to make the presentation small enough to upload. If I can get it down to under a couple of megs I'll add narration and upload it to my website. I think I have it down to 6 mgs so far.

The presentation was GREAT, btw

... If anyone is serious about using season extension to harvest year round and is planning to make the financial investment in the equipment, and would like to know what I net on an acre annually, you can DM me. I have a heated greenhouse and 2,500 sq ft of unheated high tunnels (3 tunnels).

As always you are a Regional Resource.

[halfabuck]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

The first responded to the OP. Now looking at the other responses, I will ad that when I was looking at home construction. I focused a lot on price-per-square-foot. We went with a steel warehouse structure. Preengineered to withstand nearly every possible force of nature. I insulated it to R-60, and it seems to be working out okay for us.

Forest-How did you insulate to R-60? Is it regular fiberglass? or did you add some styrofoam, spray??

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by halfabuck

Forest-How did you insulate to R-60? Is it regular fiberglass? or did you add some styrofoam, spray??

I sprayed two inches of urethane foam [which is really cool stuff to play with. At the end of the project I discovered how to get it to basically double it's output]. Then nine inches of fiberglass batting.

Foam has it's own qualities which balance out those of fiberglass. It is structural, sound deadening, stops drafts, but expensive.

I found a New England supplier that markets a generic formula at half the price of the DOW product.