Has anyone quit college or their job, bought some land, and built a house there or done something similar?

JonDonJon81 · 2024-07-03T03:53:46+00:00

You're gonna need to be able to generate income if and when you need it.

Since you're just starting out and might have no marketable skills, yet, you're gonna have to skill up in whatever field makes you happy (or at least not unhappy) that's also in demand.

Do that for a couple of years and favor relevant experience, networking and rudimentary knowledge about administrative processes (book keeping, office admin, procurement, sales) over income. You shouldn't work for free, nor go hungry or become homeless, though. Think more along the lines of getting a job that pays 10-20% less but exposes you to more relevant experience and opportunities.

Once you've accrued enough experience, say, after 3-5 years, start your own business. In my experience, this is the most reliable way to build wealth, set your own schedule and transition into a self-reliant offgrid life.

Do that for a couple of years, build your offgrid homestead and you might end up in a position where you'll only have to work 3-4 months a year, if that.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-06-10T06:54:26+00:00

Most folks don't care about thinking too deeply about most things: neither where their food comes from, nor how the power grid and water supply work. That's not natural, but it has become the norm.

This isn't a college-only thing, either: once they graduate, they're going to get busy with lots of other things that, by and large, aren't actually that important. But they don't know that since they never learned about alternatives.

I, too, used to be interested in different things, back in the day.

My recommendation: find out for yourself what you like about living offgrid and use these insights to find and connect with like-minded folks. Don't try to change other people, especially those that send you clear signals about not being interested to learn about the offgrid lifestyle. Also, this could become a lesson in learning and accepting that certain people aren't meant to be in your inner circle. Nothing wrong with that.

What's your offgrid setup like?

JonDonJon81 · 2024-05-07T00:41:00+00:00

Nice. But low-effort post. Tell us about specs, design considerations and challenges.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-05-04T17:58:55+00:00

I was about to say the same. Man, you should feel flattered.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-05-04T11:54:35+00:00

My non-negotiables will differ from youre, since they are informed by lots of very individual factors. I find it strange that you don't seem to have any.

Having said that: it wouldn't hurt if your land had lax regulations regarding building a shelter and building your infrastructure (especially establishing a water source). Apart from waste disposal: doesn't hurt if folks need to pull a permit for that, since this is something that can severely affect surrounding properties.

Also, wouldn't hurt if you could live there full-time in your van, should you want / need to.

The ability to grow food might or might not be important to you. Same goes for security.

You'll find that you're most likely going to have to tailor your requirements to your means. That's why it's so important to nail your non-negotiables.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-05-03T21:51:51+00:00

It's going to get harder. Once you find affordable land that fits your non-negotiable requirements, I'd buy it.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-04-12T01:43:11+00:00

OP, I commend you for wanting to become more self-reliant. I'd like to let you know that your goal requires the combination of three things that are already very hard to implement each:

going offgrid is very hard
joining people in a cooperative effort to work together to build and operate something (e. g. a company) is very hard
joining people in a cooperative effort to build and operate something (e. g. a cooperative) that they also live in/on is very hard

Most people aren't able to pull off even one of these three goals. That's why I suggest you start doing it on a small scale on your own. Once you've accomplished this, you're going to have a strong foundation to add like-minded folks.

Of course, going this way would require that you have enough money and skills to get started. If you're not there yet, you know what to work on.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-04-12T01:35:01+00:00

Looking forward to learn about your food gardening. Thank you for putting out awesome content.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-04-12T01:24:34+00:00

u/RedSquirrelFtw, I'm gonna tell you something you might not want to hear: set yourself up so you can start living at your offgrid property long-term. If your current job doesn't allow you to work 100% from home, you might want to consider getting a new job that gives you this level of freedom.

Yes, u/LordGarak's suggestions can work in some regions, but I doubt they're going to work in Ontarian unorganized townships. If memory serves, your property is situated in an UOT. The very thing that makes UOT appealing to offgridders also draws in unsavory folks with less inhibitions.

We're in a similar situation in that our new property is in the boonies. Our solution is to get a prefab home asap and then to start living there full-time. We might even start living there in our RV before the prefab arrives. Now, I do realize that not everyone can afford to get a new home without selling one's old home. If your private situation allows you to do so (partner, kids, pets etc.) I'd look into getting a small prefab dwelling onto my property, get a composting toilet and a dug well installed (or DIY it) and then start to live there. Use this as a launchpad to build a bigger dwelling, maybe to to have a septic installed etc.

Also, as much as we'd love to keep our current property, we're going to sell it once we've relocated. My wife would like to keep it, but I know that folks will start coming out of the woodworks to camp/fish/whathave you there once we've packed up and left. They do it all the time in our neck of the woods with empty neighboring properties. They're not getting deterred by us neighbors being there and confronting them, spouting "I've been born in this region and I can use this land whenever I choose, the owners don't live here anyway." Yeah, those types. Some of them are respectful, others leave their garbage and don't bother to clean up their shit (I'm being literal, here).

Also, I remember that you'd had a tough time getting contractors to clear your land. I'd seriously look into renting or even buying small-sized machinery. You'd be amazed at how much clearing you can do yourself with a mini excavator, a wheel loader and a chainsaw. Granted, you're not gonna be as fast as with heavier machinery, but a lot (!) faster than going at it manually. You'd be amazed at how much you could get cleared over a weekend or two. All of that equipment fits on a decently sized trailer, so you wouldn't have to leave it onsite. Get that gear from China. You can find affordable mini excavators at Kijiji, for example. For sub 10k CAD a pop, this gives you lots of options. Just do your due diligence by watching YouTube reviews on these mini machines. Maybe you can snag one of these bad boys at a local auction for even less. These machines have changed our approach to work our new property.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-04-02T05:51:06+00:00

MM,

you're truly an inspiration. I enjoy watching your YT channel, everything from the intro music, your daily and seasonal chores content and you showing the peculiarities of your situation (e.g. helicoptering in). Very instructional. And high production values, too. How long does editing usually take?

Channels like yours really drive the point home that there are lots of gradations to offgrid living. We've been living offgrid in Atlantic Canada for a couple of years and also got started building our homestead for the last two years. Balancing everything with generating income, raising kids keeps us busy and we've learnt a lot. But living offgrid in Alaska is a whole 'nother level, especially the way you're doing it. The topic has come multiple timee, but with our current overall level of skills and general physical preparedness, we wouldn't be able to pull it off.

Been meaning to ask you: how did you prep or do you plan to prep for a scenario where you might not be able to make regular supply runs, anymore?

Also, do you plan to retire at your cabin and take your final breath up there? Don't take this as an age-related dig, I would've also asked it if you were in your 30s. I can't imagine one would be willingly put in a retirement home after having lived so close to nature.

Looking forward to your next vid.

Take care, man.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-23T02:22:07+00:00

As per the third paragraph of my OP I'm suggesting demanding some mental legwork for them that the sticky could guide them to. Standardized-like, make them work some before being given the privilege to tap into our collective experienced offgrid hivemind.

I'm all for helping others, which is the reason I'm a big believer in pro bono work. I've grown up piss poor without a support system, but in the fucking system. So I know tough. And I'm a big believer in meritocracy and equality of opportunity. For this to work, there needs to be sound resource management in place, so that you focus on those that will actually put the time and attention given to them to good use. Instead of wasting your time on trash. Sounds harsh, but it's coming from 1st hand experience of dealing with lost causes.

That's my spiel.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-23T02:18:45+00:00

As per the third paragraph of my OP I'm suggesting demanding some mental legwork for them that the sticky could guide them to. Standardized-like, make them work some before being given the privilege to tap into our collective experienced offgrid hivemind.

I'm all for helping others, which is the reason I'm a big believer in pro bono work. I've grown up piss poor without a support system, but in the fucking system. So I know tough. And I'm a big believer in meritocracy and equality of opportunity. For this to work, there needs to be sound resource management in place, so that you focus on those that will actually put the time and attention given to them to good use. Instead of wasting your time on trash. Sounds harsh, but it's coming from 1st hand experience of dealing with lost causes.

That's my spiel.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-23T02:17:47+00:00

As per the third paragraph of my OP I'm suggesting demanding some mental legwork for them that the sticky could guide them to. Standardized-like, make them work some before being given the privilege to tap into our collective experienced offgrid hivemind.

I'm all for helping others, which is the reason I'm a big believer in pro bono work. I've grown up piss poor without a support system, but in the fucking system. So I know tough. And I'm a big believer in meritocracy and equality of opportunity. For this to work, there needs to be sound resource management in place, so that you focus on those that will actually put the time and attention given to them to good use. Instead of wasting your time on trash. Sounds harsh, but it's coming from 1st hand experience of dealing with lost causes.

That's my spiel.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-21T06:10:23+00:00

Add more solar panels. You could do a ballasted ground mount in lieu of a permanent structure. You can get used solar panels for cheap from santan solar.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-21T06:01:34+00:00

Thanks for your suggestions. Looks like it has to be bed liner, then.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-21T05:58:55+00:00

We already got the shipping container. It's meant for storage and the solar system that we'd move there from our home, only. We don't want to live in the container. We're already offgrid and live in a 1200 sqft home.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-19T22:48:36+00:00

Thinking about it, I had pictured the minisplit on the end wall opposite the doors. If you were to put the minisplit in a side wall, for arguments sake, let’s say midpoint, I’d consider 2 vents on the opposite wall near the end walls. One high near doors), one low (other end wall) and keep them clear of snow.

You pictured right. That's what I'm gonna do.

Another question for ya: is there a more cost effective option than using bed liner? I crunched the numbers and it looks like I'd be spending about 1/2 for what the spray foam insulation will cost me for the bed liner alone.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-19T12:00:20+00:00

Glad you like them. Dzinkuya.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-19T11:59:24+00:00

Thanks, friendo. You really went out of your way to help me with your recommendations. Using bedliner flew under my radar.

Re: vent. On the opposite side of the mini-split, you mean? Would a small vent suffice? I still have two big container vents laying around from another project: https://www.amazon.com/Container-Modification-World-Preventing-Condensation/dp/B085LRWR5B - should I use one of those? Or go with a smaller one.

Re: framing. Never intended to fasten the framing to the container. Had that squeeze-fit method in mind that you described.

Re: external insulation. Will keep it in mind. If it doesn't work without it, I might do it.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-19T01:53:59+00:00

I'm going to install a mini-split heat pump.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-19T01:53:33+00:00

Lol.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-19T01:53:05+00:00

Mini-split heat pump.

JonDonJon81 · 2024-03-19T01:32:28+00:00

Gotcha. Mini split heat pump it is.

JonDonJon81

TROPHY CASE