Homesteading with a Shipping Container House, Part I - Truth is Treason. Posted on Apr 26, 2010 in Alternative Energy & Architecture , Blog, Editorials, & Thoughts Kevin Hayden Years ago, I saw a picture of a shipping container house. I knew right then that I wanted to build one myself. Shipping containers are roughly 40 feet long and 8 feet wide. They are wind-proof, fire-resistent, water tight and provide a perfect “shell” in which to start with. Here I am, years later, and I am just now starting my project. I know there are many people out there who will say, “That’s to ensure others against a poorly made structure…” “That’s so that a uniform safety standard is achieved.” So through my searches and aggravation, I finally discovered a small plot of land north east of the Oklahoma City metro. After talking to the land owners (a small, local real estate company), I discovered that they imposed building restrictions, too.
With this land company, they even offered to finance the cost of a new septic to be installed. So far, my initial costs will include: </b>*} Homesteading Info ::Building a Home::
Project Homestead. The Rural Independent – gardening, alternate energy, cooking, homesteading, home schooling. Urban Homestead. Untitled Document. Mother Earth News 1970-2008 rapidshare, torrent download. The Owner Built Home & Homestead. Ken Kern, author of The Owner-Built Home and The Owner-Built Homestead, is an amazing fellow and everyone interested in decentralist, back-to-the-land, rational living should know of his work. Back in 1948 he began collecting information on low-cost, simple and natural construction materials and techniques. He combed the world for ideas, tried them and started writing about his experiments. Eventually, Mildred Loomis started publishing Kern's articles in The Interpreter, Way Out and Green Revolution.
Ken has also issued a three year series of pieces (called Technic) on his own and a greenhouse-sun pit design of his has been featured in Organic Gardening. This installment of Ken's work is taken from The Owner-Built Home. I'll be featuring never before published material from The Owner-Built Homestead in my No. 7 issue. The Homestead Building Site: Introduction to Building I am intending this to be a how-to-think-it as well as a how-to-do-it book. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Thoreau said: Home-based Business Opportunities. Home-based businesses in the town, suburbs or on the farm can be just as lucrative as office or factory jobs. Whether you are interested in gardening, crafts, DIY projects or personal service jobs, home based businesses offer the freedom to work from home at your own pace and to be your own boss. In the articles below are stories of home business successes in many fields — gardening, home repair, office work, teaching, and arts and crafts of all kinds.
There are also a few tales of home business failures and bumps in the road to learn from. And the advent of the Internet age has ushered in a whole new niche for online home-based jobs. With a modest investment in time, energy and money, you can work from home and own your own business. Garden Green Earn Cash With your Own Garden-Grown Nursery Our 3,000-square-foot garden produces about three-quarters of the vegetables we eat in a year — and a bumper crop of nursery stock that brings us up to $1,000 of extra cash annually.
Crafts for Cash. Homesteading resources. Don’t put it off any longer! Here is a list of homesteading schools that can help you learn the skills you need to be self-sufficient. We have the bases covered; below are contacts to assist you in everything from growing your own food to building a cozy home. Plus, use the map at the bottom of the page to locate all the homesteading schools that are in this list, plus other places where you can learn homesteading skills. If you know of a school that is not listed here, please click "View Larger Map" and follow the instructions on the page to add the resource to the Homesteading Schools map. View Larger Map Aprovecho Education for Sustainable Living 80574 Hazelton Rd. EcoNest 1131 Paradise Lane Ashlad, OR 97520 EcoVillage Training Center 184 Schoolhouse Road P.O.
Emerald Earth SanctuaryP.O. Fox Maple School of Traditional Building P.O Box 249, 65 Corn Hill Road Brownfield, Maine 04010 207-935-3720 Great Lakes School of Log Building 1350 Snowshoe Trail Isabella, MN 55607 House Alive! Plan the Perfect Homestead. Ever since 1970, when MOTHER EARTH NEWS was founded, readers have been writing in with questions about homesteading and stories about their own experiences with rural living.
We get calls and e-mails every week confirming that thousands of Americans still dream of going “back to the land” to learn to grow their own food, build their own homes, generate electricity from renewable sources and live a self-reliant lifestyle. Often, people ask us “What should I do first? How can I learn what I need to know?” To answer these questions, we’ve gathered advice from people with decades of experience with different kinds of homestead living. Many of their suggestions are included in these pages, and you can read the entire discussion online in our Homesteading forum.
Where to Start Although many people dream of buying several acres in the country, you can start homesteading wherever you are. In fact, many aspects of homesteading work as well in the city or suburbs as in the country. Making Ends Meet. Homesteading. MODERN HOMESTEADING. A Plan for Food Self-Sufficiency Planning a garden in advance can help you enjoy local, homegrown food year-round! Estimate how much to grow or buy and learn how to achieve food security with these guidelines. Backyard Chicken Facts - 5 Things No One Told Us A few facts that might help you decide whether or not to get chickens for your backyard.
Best Guard Dog for Your Homestead Read guard dog training tips and advice on guard dog breeds best suited for your needs. Build This Predator-Proof, Portable Chicken Coop Our newest low-cost portable chicken coop plan makes raising backyard chickens easier for just about anyone. Deep Litter Chicken Manure Management Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of the deep litter system and how you can manage a small flock’s manure easily and efficiently. Home Cheesemaking: From Hobby to Business Artisan cheesemakers who aspire to make their passion a profession will face many challenges on the way to establishing a successful business. Live on Less!
Home Building, Construction, Design. Sustainable Living Skills: Stone Masonry, Log House, Alternative Construction. Build your own home! Building on a Budget "Our house may look expensive, but the reality is that we only have about $10 a square foot into it. The whole house cost about as much as the average new car. Yet I have seen some million dollar homes that looked like junk. Appearance, like energy efficiency, is more a product of design than of cost. You can take the same materials and arrange them poorly or arrange them well. " "With a combined income averaging $10,000 to $12,000 a year we lived simply and invested everything we could in building materials. Construction proceeded slowly throughout the process, due to our chronic lack of money.
--Thomas J. Thomas J. Log, Timber Frame, Strawbale and Earthen Construction Resources -Log House Construction, Overview and Books -Timber Frame Construction Books -Strawbale Construction, Overview and Books -Rammed Earth Construction Books -Terra Tiles -Earthships, Tire Houses -Earth-Sheltered Homes -Earth Bag Construction Looking to buy or sell land in the West? Tom,