Our place is coming together...
 

We have committed to moving to our place in WNC and have moved ahead.

Have been going up there almost every weekend to get things planned out and to buy materials.

We now have our kitchen cabinets,all the lighting,wiring materials bought and hot water heater amongst other things.

We couldn't go exactly how I wanted to with off grid/alternative energy or insulation but at least we could be up there by the end of summer.

Now we are waiting on the guy who built the barn to be able to do some of the work we do not feel capable of and then we can move ahead.

I REALLY wish we had listened more closely to that 'little voice' inside of us as we most likely would not be in the financial situation that we are but such is life.

Kind of a sidenote but even though you KNOW your credit is going to go down the crapper,watching it happen is a different story...however it just took me a little time to realise that credit and debt was what has been holding us back.

Re: Our place is coming together...
 

Glad you decided to keep it, Oz. I saw the pictures a while back when you had it up for sale. That's kinda what we're looking for eventually.

Re: Our place is coming together...
 

We are too.

It is so funny how happy we are up there,how much better we sleep(on an air mattress to boot) how we enjoy(well kind of) getting woken up at dawn by the dogs and watching the sunrise.

We just need to get finished,our new goal is a working bathroom with shower and.....a TOILET.

Right now we use a large tote for a bath tub,a propane turkey fryer to heat the water and a porta potti for a toilet.

Works out fine except that red clay gets all over you and you need to wash a lot.

Having our own water right there is great too....no more hauling water from a gas station in jerry cans.

When things get done I will post some more pics,the bathroom should be interesting to say the least...:wink:

Re: Our place is coming together...
 

Awesome! Are you going to put in a composting toilet or are you going with traditional plumbing?

Right now, we're thinking about building a yurt complex to be completely off-grid (composting toilet, solar power, etc) here. We likely won't ever be able to move as long as my in-laws draw breath... I don't mean that to sound bad, just the way it is.

If we do that, then we can move the yurt complex to the new property and have instant living space. Hubby is up on the Nantanhala checking out yurts right now.

:biggrin:

Re: Our place is coming together...
 

Traditional septic...all the great alternative methods have fallen by the wayside due to that evil lack of money...:biggrin:

Cool....Can you heat them easily?

We have found that our uninsulated barn is VERY cold...I guess there is a reason they invented insulation.:wink:
We were going to use spray foam but again that money issue.

Right now I am selling off a few rifles and ammo to try and rustle up the cash to buy an old tractor to clear the land and a garden spot.

Re: Our place is coming together...
 

I actually got pissed off while trying to buy recycled lumber the other day... huffed out of the store saying,"I'll go green when the damn price comes down!"

I didn't know a composting toilet was more than putting in septic, though. Ouch!



From what I have read, they do heat easily and they are insulated... I, of course, do have my doubts, but I'm trying to remain open to the idea. You can put a wood burning stove in them, which is what I want.

When we get the info on them and I've had time to go through it, I'll start a yurt thread!

Re: Our place is coming together...
 

Re: Our place is coming together...
 

That was a fun read, Cortez..... a lot of their reasons for doing it are ours as well. Plus, the ability to move it if we purchase property somewhere makes it nearly irresistible.

I would still have my storage and canning kitchen here in this little house, but we plan on putting a small functional kitchen in the yurt as well as a bathroom.

I live in a Hobbit house now.... so I guess moving into a tent won't be so weird!

Re: Our place is coming together...
 

Great news OZ ! We made our move two years ago and haven't looked back. The boyz at work think I'm nuts living the way I do when they talk about their burb homes and mortgages. Da hell with that !

The first winter was tough with the sewer lines freezing up, and that mid winter power outage (I ran jumper cables to my battery bank from my truck for power). Being froze in (not snowed in) sucks but learning to stock up on supplies can turn it into a fun mini adventure.

Take advantage of the collapsing economy and buy a good quad runner to get around in, people are selling their toys ... cheap.

I finished my little shop early last winter and the extra room made a big difference. This summer I'll make an addition to my trailer and install my wood furnace to heat it all.

Next spring my greenhouse goes up.

One step at a time.