Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am looking for a house in rural area and would like to know how you chose/would choose your homestead/prep/survival (circle one ) property. Let's assume that work and schools are not an issue. And I am not afraid or bored by myself. I also possess a few usefull skills so making it in the country will not be an issue. We're a small family of 3 (and a few 4-legged family members). Basic/minimal plans for the country home: garden, orchard, chickens.
Every time I look at real estate listings I keep wondering what would be better: isolation or small town? House in the middle of the woods with 10 acres or a house in small town with 1-2 acres?
What would you prefer or already have and why? Any regrets? What would you do differently?
All pros and cons please.
20yrsinBranson, thanks again SCGranny, thanks for your stories about small towns, they really got me thinking.
Last edited by IndigoLight; 04-15-2010 at 01:03 PM..
Oh, this one is easy -- isolation within an hour's drive from a small town. We already have our 80 acres (only plan on 5-6 acres for the actual farm part) out in the middle of nowhere. We're 30 minutes from two small towns, and that's it for 4 hours until you get to the "big city" of Fairbanks.
Pros:
1) No neighbors to get upset about anything that you're doing on your homestead (not even the smell or sounds of livestock)
2) Plenty of room to do more than one thing if you want to without packing everything on top of itself -- or you can just leave some of your acres wild
3) More acres mean you have a better chance of maintaining a *sustainable* woodlot for heat and building materials
4) Usually little or no regs, so you can build and do things a little differently (like composting toilets and greywater reclamation) to conserve resources without a lot of bureaucratic hassle
5) Reduces the amount of people and pollutants that could potentially harm your livestock or garden
6) Minimal time wasted on "neighborly chats" -- you can lose an entire afternoon of work when someone just stops in
7) People are less nosey -- they might speculate on what you're doing and gossip, etc, but most of them aren't willing to make the trek to come out and really get in your business (another pro to this is that if you don't show up at the post office like normal, someone *will* come out and check on you, if only to satsify curiosity)
8) more security on your food and water supply (less contaminants and competition), even personal defense is easier when you're remote if it comes to that (no one knows your woods like you do!).
9) If you're an introvert who doesn't need/want much human interaction, then the peace/solitude/quiet is heaven.
Cons:
1) If there's an emergency, you're on your own unless you can make it to a neighbor's or into town
2) Less people to help you get big projects done, unless you have a few good relationships with the town folks no one may be willing to help out even if you ask
3) You have to travel long distances whenever you need anything you can't provide for on your 'Stead... means you have to plan really far ahead, stock up, and pray you didn't forget anything. Otherwise, you might end up having to make a really long drive in really bad weather.
4) Getting supplies is always a big ordeal that takes a day or longer, and there are just some things are that extremely expensive to get out to your place if you can even find them anywhere even vaguely close
5) Your family and friends freak out when they don't get an email every few days... they think you're lying dead in the woods somewhere because no one could possibly survive out in the wilds hahaha
6) If you're an extravert who needs and craves frequent human interaction, or if silence and solitude freaks you out, you will be miserable.
7) No phones - landline or cell reception - and some businesses and family just don't operate online yet (which BLOWS - I hate phones).
Things I'd do differently:
1) Get an appropriate utility trailer/sled at the same time as you get your truck, ATV and snowmachine
2) Get any hard-to-find or speciality tools and equipment before heading into the Bush
3) Get the Internet satellite hooked up before winter set in (we were lucky that the installer is our neighbor and he didn't leave until after Thanksgiving, or we'd have been SOL and out of contact for a long time)
4) Stock up twice the amount of firewood than you think you'll need -- nothing sucks more than collecting firewood when it's -40 and the chainsaws will barely run.
I am looking for a house in rural area and would like to know how you chose/would choose your homestead/prep/survival (circle one ) property. Let's assume that work and schools are not an issue. And I am not afraid or bored by myself. I also possess a few usefull skills so making it in the country will not be an issue. We're a small family of 3 (and a few 4-legged family members). Basic/minimal plans for the country home: garden, orchard, chickens.
Every time I look at real estate listings I keep wondering what would be better: isolation or small town? House in the middle of the woods with 10 acres or a house in small town with 1-2 acres?
What would you prefer or already have and why? Any regrets? What would you do differently?
All pros and cons please.
10 years ago I bought 10 acres in NE GA, if I'd known now what I needed to know then, I wouldn't have bought it. I will be 60 years old this year and have developed health problems. It's a beautiful property that is now for sale (hint), but it's too much for me, I've developed heat related problems so I'm stuck inside too much of the year, Allergies and other health related issues that I didn't have when I bought.
Being single, I don't want to be any more isolated than I already am. I live outside the city limits of a very small town surounded by large and small tracts and about 20 miles to medium size towns. I stay connected via phone and email to my friends and family. Like you schools are not an issue, but employment and healthcare is.
My ideal is an acre or two on the edge of a moderate size town in Southern Oregon. Enough for a garden, a few trees (apples, pears, nuts) and a few chicks, so zoning is an issue. Easy commute to a job. But I don't want the size to be overwhelming where I always have to hire help and it can survive if I leave for a long weekend to go camping or to an weekend event. I will need to continue to work at least part time for the rest of my life thanks to loosing my retirement fund because of the economy.
I spend days at a time at home entertaining myself and have no problem doing it, but I do like having a fast 'net connection and satilite TV. Because of diet and now finance restrictions I don't dine out so that's not a problem.
I'd like to live "off grid" as much as possible, solar/wind ect. however, I'm certainly not into the survior mode, I like the conviences of garbage pick-up, making a phone call if the power goes out. At this time in my life it's a balancing act of convience vs "off grid". I don't want to spend my spare time at a second job of just maintaining my home to keep it livable. I want to be able to enjoy my home, not constantly doing things like cutting wood, keeping up with a generator etc.
Another thing for you to consider is what area of the country are you looking at? Is there snow/ice a lot during the winter months, that 20-30 mile commute will get real long and scary even if you have 4WD because you will be doing it in the dark going both ways to a job. It gets old real quick, been there done that. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I lived in a very rural cabin in Central Oregon, with wood heat everything including hot water and cooking...a lot of work just to feed and keep myself clean. I had one of those very old ringer washing machines...ugh lots of work and I had to have clean nursing uniforms. My commute was 50 miles one way to nursing school and during the winter with snow/ice on the ground it was not fun.
I like having my space and no desire to live in a subdivision, but I don't need much space.
I think much of what people think of 'living off grid' has been over romanticized - it's very hard work and little time left over to "smell the roses". On even a small place you'll need a tractor and attachments unless you want to go the draft horse route and I've had horses and those are A LOT OF WORK. Go to an Amish farm and watch them work from before sunrise until they go to bed - just to keep a roof over their heads and eat. You might live in paradise but you'll want enough time to enjoy it!
It is a very personal choice of what you want, it will depend on where you think you want to do this and how much you will depend on goods and services.
My suggestion is if you've never lived outside of a city, I'd suggest a "hobby farm" of 5-20 acres and see how you do for 5-10 years...then if your ready for more go for it as you will have a much better idea of what it's like and what you will need and want.
Last edited by ReturningWest; 04-15-2010 at 04:50 PM..
10 years ago I bought 10 acres in NE GA, if I'd known now what I needed to know then, I wouldn't have bought it. I will be 60 years old this year and have developed health problems. It's a beautiful property that is now for sale (hint), but it's too much for me, I've developed heat related problems so I'm stuck inside too much of the year, Allergies and other health related issues that I didn't have when I bought.
Being single, I don't want to be any more isolated than I already am. I live outside the city limits of a very small town surounded by large and small tracts and about 20 miles to medium size towns. I stay connected via phone and email to my friends and family. Like you schools are not an issue, but employment and healthcare is.
My ideal is an acre or two on the edge of a moderate size town in Southern Oregon. Enough for a garden, a few trees (apples, pears, nuts) and a few chicks, so zoning is an issue. Easy commute to a job. But I don't want the size to be overwhelming where I always have to hire help and it can survive if I leave for a long weekend to go camping or to an weekend event. I will need to continue to work at least part time for the rest of my life thanks to loosing my retirement fund because of the economy.
I spend days at a time at home entertaining myself and have no problem doing it, but I do like having a fast 'net connection and satilite TV. Because of diet and now finance restrictions I don't dine out so that's not a problem.
I'd like to live "off grid" as much as possible, solar/wind ect. however, I'm certainly not into the survior mode, I like the conviences of garbage pick-up, making a phone call if the power goes out. At this time in my life it's a balancing act of convience vs "off grid". I don't want to spend my spare time at a second job of just maintaining my home to keep it livable. I want to be able to enjoy my home, not constantly doing things like cutting wood, keeping up with a generator etc.
Another thing for you to consider is what area of the country are you looking at? Is there snow/ice a lot during the winter months, that 20-30 mile commute will get real long and scary even if you have 4WD because you will be doing it in the dark going both ways to a job. It gets old real quick, been there done that. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I lived in a very rural cabin in Central Oregon, with wood heat everything including hot water and cooking...a lot of work just to feed and keep myself clean. I had one of those very old ringer washing machines...ugh lots of work and I had to have clean nursing uniforms. My commute was 50 miles one way to nursing school and during the winter with snow/ice on the ground it was not fun.
I like having my space and no desire to live in a subdivision, but I don't need much space.
I think much of what people think of 'living off grid' has been over romanticized - it's very hard work and little time left over to "smell the roses". On even a small place you'll need a tractor and attachments unless you want to go the draft horse route and I've had horses and those are A LOT OF WORK. Go to an Amish farm and watch them work from before sunrise until they go to bed - just to keep a roof over their heads and eat. You might live in paradise but you'll want enough time to enjoy it!
It is a very personal choice of what you want, it will depend on where you think you want to do this and how much you will depend on goods and services.
My suggestion is if you've never lived outside of a city, I'd suggest a "hobby farm" of 5-20 acres and see how you do for 5-10 years...then if your ready for more go for it as you will have a much better idea of what it's like and what you will need and want.
The other side of having more acreage is the ability to cash rent it out, have some income and some help with maintaining the place as well as someone, hopefully whom you can trust, to be checking on livestock from time to time and also knowing that you are not entirely alone if a real emergency strikes.
I've found the best way to handle dark and icy road conditions in the winter is not to drive (which is easy if you don't have an outside job)! I avoid winter driving as much as possible. Winter is long here, so that means that we have to stock up about 6 months worth of stuff before the snow starts around Halloween to make it ok until around Easter when the snow starts to melt. This winter was our first out in the boonies, we ran out of a couple of things and had issues getting my husband's medications and that forced us to drive into the city a few times... I will *definitely* fix those planning bloopers before next winter!
We did drive into the village once every couple of weeks to check the PO box, fill our water tanks at the public well, and use the public washers/dryers for laundry I couldn't wash by hand in a tub and dry by the fire on racks (like jeans, towels and blankets), but the 2 hours of daylight around noon was just enough to make that roundtrip even in the worst of conditions (as long as it wasn't too cold for the truck to start!).
We got the satellite internet hooked up to the generator just before winter set in, so we at least had communication with the outside world and had regular email check-ins with a few folks in the village who "adopted" us That's how it works out in the bush.
I've found that we have plenty of time to smell the roses... at least in the winter when you can't really do much outside LOL Summer, you definitely work from sun up to sun down preparing for next winter... and since the sun really doesn't go down here in the summer, that's some long work hours!! But it's only 3 or 4 months of really hard work, and the rest of the year is quitre manageable and we have plenty of time for more leisurely pursuits... probably because we aren't trying to maintain a city lifestyle out here in the boonies. As long as we get enough food and firewood, keep the house from falling down (or get one built in our case!), and stay reasonably clean then we're good. Bush clean and city clean are worlds apart... you just don't waste the water and time keeping immaculate out here, as long as you wash your hands a few times a day, and keep up with the dishes, the rest can go a few days (or weeks LOL!) No sense in changing clothes and doing laundry every day since you're just going to get everything dirty/muddy/flithy again tomorrow... why bother as long as you're not attracting flies and your clothes don't walk away on their own We're not slovenly by any means, we've just become less immaculate as time goes on... really, in the middle of the woods, do you or anyone else really care whether you're hair is freshly shampood, your clothes are glowing and wrinkle-free, and your kitchen floors glisten? If you're not mired in muck it's perfectly acceptable to call it good You also get other benefits, bath night becomes something truly special and a wonderful luxury... all that lovely warm water and being squeaky clean is something you learn to appreciate when it's harder to come by and you're used to a quick scrub and rinse with a washcloth and bucket of lukewarm water!
Another pro to living in "isolation" is that you have a better chance of augmenting your livestock and garden food supply with hunting, fishing and wild foraging. Even close to a smaller little town, wildlife and/or adequate publicly accessible wild land may be scarce.
You don't need to raise as many big meat animals if you can nab over a half-ton of red meat from a single moose, or a few deer... then you can just focus on a dairy cow (or dairy goats which are more space & feed efficient!), and raising a couple of bacons & hams each year rather than getting into full-out hog breeding. A couple of chickens and meat rabbits will do you for fresh white meat most of the year.
Same goes with wild fruit and veg. I'm not even bothering to plant any berries in the garden because there are a gazillion wild berries on or near my property. Fiddleheads and miner's lettuce are usually the first fresh greens we get in spring unless I baby along some lettuces in indoor pots over the winter.
You have much more time to smell those roses if you let Mother Nature do most of the work for you, and you just take care not to spoil Her plans
Humm... might be interested in your NE Georgia property. Just depends on where it's situated exactly, etc. Can you private message me some pics and other info?
We went rural, we got 150 acres of forested land with riverfrontage, 20 minutes from a city.
Very nice.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) property. Let's assume that work and schools are not an issue. And I am not afraid or bored by myself. I also possess a few usefull skills so making it in the country will not be an issue. We're a small family of 3 (and a few 4-legged family members). Basic/minimal plans for the country home: garden, orchard, chickens.
and have developed health problems. It's a beautiful property that is now for sale (hint
.
