Originally Posted by wallew (Post 1824973)

A place to start would be this book, 'The Have More Plan' "The Have More Plan" by Ed and Carolyn Robinson. It was written in 1947. While this may seem out of day it is as pertinent now as it was back then. Maybe even more so.

Hmmm, missle silo's...

Here's a TITAN 1 missle site near Denver...

That site has several others 'comm bunkers' from the east coast to the west coast. Most are underground, though one or two are above ground. ALL have wells, septic systems in place. Most have a large generator (though not all of them and definitely NOT the Titan 1 missle site near Denver).

Originally Posted by Canadian-guerilla (Post 1823589)

SHOULD THIS RETREAT SHOULD BE OFF THE POWER GRID ?

basement / ranch style / multi-floor

animals / crops / vegetables

garage / greenhouse / barn

what would be optimal acreage ? ( cleared or wooded/brush )

water on site



if i was looking for a parcel of land
one on my main requisites would be water on site
and i would also have security in mind when looking at a piece of land

not a big fan of basements, too many past problems with flooded basements
maybe a separate root cellar for storage

Originally Posted by AGRO (Post 1825233)

I think this will do us all well
http://www.indianchieftravel.com/fil...rmanCastle.png
Remember this was built in Medieval times so all those "natural" aspects where in place.

Originally Posted by simplelife (Post 1825230)

large creek would be nice for hydo power.

Originally Posted by DC7 (Post 1825155)

I'd say a place that was 100% paid for.......... Access, being able to drive onto your property. Unpolluted. Water on your land.......... but not just from the water co....... YOUR water.

Yep.....decent gravity fed spring on you place is very valuable.

I know alot of folks don't want too much land, cause they don't want to pay the price and taxes for land they won't use, but I'd go for a good amount of acreage, with trees. My hope is for at least 20 acres, but if you want space, you can go for 40 and have more trees and firewood. Where you come home and see deer tracks in your driveway.

Tracks ? How about you have to be careful driving in so you don't run the "brown woods rats" over, or have to shoo the wild turkeys out of the driveway ? Downside to widelife is they want to EAT EVERY DAMN THING you do, and you have to fence, enclose, etc them out of it.

Neighbors are good, but I want privacy too. Somewhere a good distance from the next neighbor. Where when you here a car, you know they're visitors for you, cause there's no one else around. Where I can wake up and sit on the front porch in my underwear drinking a beer (Underware ?? ) and enjoying your view of the woods. Where you can run a chainsaw, angle grinder, or generator at 2 am. Or blast your tunes. And shoot regularly. Yep,Yep, and Yep.....except "you got a chainsaw with headlights ? " ahahahaaaa

With no one too close to be bothered by any of this, except the wife and kids.

I suppose a down side is your neighbors aren't gonna spot burglars or other problems on your property for you........ but I guess personally I just like my space enough that I'm willing to find other solutions. Pick a place with natural defenses....end of the road, with timber/ravines/ridges to your sides/back.....then fence/gate the front to control access. It isn't perfect, by any means, but it certainly stops the lazy crooks. THEN, use as much of your front as a buffer as you can....build to the rear of the property, back from prying eyes of govt weenies and other crooks.

Being able to connect to the water and power grid, with the option of disconnecting when you choose, would be great. But in reality, finding a good amount of affordable land away from too many other people means you might have to do without the grid. Yep.....the one thing I would do today I didn't do on my place then was NOT connect to the grid at all....but at that time, the price of running a power line in was free ( not so now ) and it was too easy to be seduced by that...

Once you got this, the improvements like roads and buildings can be put in as you can afford if you don't have em........ this way you don't have to worry about someone showing up and wanting to take what's yours (well...... at least not some mortgage company).


If the land is yours, 100%, even if you just got a tent or a trailer, at least it's still yours. From there, when you build, you can start small with what you can afford, and build with how you'll expand in mind. Hell, if you got the trailer, maybe just start with a garage (maybe with a mom in law apt. above) or barn to put it in. Yep....exactly what we did....built a 24x36 "barn" shop with a chainsaw only ( no power/generator then ) Then moved a mobile home in for a year while we built... It can be convered into living space later. Or build a home with only half the square footage under the roof as living space......... the rest could be porch or car port, to be converted to home later.

A wood stove and lots of trees. Chickens. A garden, and deer to worry about keeping out of the garden....... and a good place to target shoot. You been to my place ?

Later, you can expand to something closer to your ideal. I'd say a basement is a priority, if your in an area that allows for it. A way to collect rainwater. A "Zero Energy" Insulated Concrete home, with a metal roof, would be great.

Those are the plans and desires that come to my mind when I think about having some property..........

Ever heard of "F*&K You Money"? It's having some money put aside, so that whatever situation comes up, like a boss threatening to fire you over something, you've got the funds to say "F- You! Go ahead and do it". For me, I guess my dream is "F- You" property. Somewhere I can go and tell the world "F- You". Preaching to the choir, brother....

There........ now I've done it........ you all got the goods to psychoanalize me and have me commited for being anti-social.

Edit: I forgot to add, within 10 miles to town.... (don't have to be a big town, but groceries, hardware, gas.......). Heck, I don't wanna be completely cut off, except when I don't feel like going into town.

Exactamundo.....town is nice in small doses.....

Originally Posted by Tn...Andy (Post 1826128)

Not medieval at all.....construction began 1869 by "Mad" King Ludwig who nearly bankrupt the State of Bavaria building extravagances like this....so he died by an "accidental" drowning.

But a good example of how the practicality a building a working homestead can get off in the fantasy of survival retreat.....ahahahaaaaaaaa

Originally Posted by Canadian-guerilla (Post 1829033)

how about members with families ?
extra rooms for the retreat