DIY * OFF GRID * PERMACULTURE * PROJECTS ON A BUDGET. Follow along on my solo journey as I begin to build my off-grid homestead on 7 acres in western NY state.
Nice to see someone do this where I live, most are in Alaska or Canada so when you said Western NY, wow. More time there would surely help, hope you can make the dog feel settled then you will be happier. Lots of luck.
Thanks for the nice note! I live in Buffalo and it’s so nice to have a country getaway in Allegheny County. Just hoping the anxious dog will get used to it, he can’t wait to go home after just one night there. And now I have wasps trying to make a home inside the cabin, and he’s obsessed with flying bugs. Definitely a long term project!
You have come so far in a short period of time, Kate. You are badass! It hasn’t even been a year since I was there and now you have a house, garden, outhouse and more - congratulations!! 💜
Hi Kate, good to see another video from you. I was only the other day wondering how you were getting on. It looks like you are making great progress despite the lack of time and money. The stained glass windows look fabulous and I'm looking forward to seeing the larch cladding up! Keep up the great work and don't beat yourself up if things take a bit longer than you expect. It always does!
A tiny house builder in Tennessee also hires the Amish to build and he said that he could not film them at all. I don’t know if the Amish all over the USA have the same rule, apparently the Amish that you hired don’t mind being on camera
Bowie would have hated all that shit. He died quietly, no real ceremony, committed privately. People project so hard. He was an artist. He made his road to passing a performance.. but the passing itself was private, just like the man. A quiet Englishman at heart, a shining star on the stage. Talk about "artistic persona" covering up the inner man..
It can be daunting at times…things will go much more slowly now that I’m almost out of cash. Slow and steady. Thanks for your comments and best of luck to you!
What state is this and are these guys still around ? With only one exit to the place id probably not put flammables by the front door. Small shed for batteries would be nice. Nice land congrats.
I’m in western New York and live 15 minutes from a sizable Amish community. They sell affordable lumber, metal roofing, custom furniture, plants…very cool to do business with them! I am adding a second door. Thanks for the tips.
Hi Gerald, the plan is to have the Amish do the roof only. My brother and I are building the rest, but depending on how that goes, I may enlist the Amish for other things too. They quoted me $800 to put on the metal roof. Thanks for the kind words.
Hi Greg, I found the land by staying glued to the Zillow app. Every day I searched for 5+ acres under $35K within a 90 minute drive south of me. Once I saw one I liked, I used Google Earth to explore the property, then I would do a drive-by. I made one other offer before I found this one but it turned out it was owned by a former gas company in the 70's and was rumored to have buried gas tanks right where I was going to build/garden. I snuck onto the property and took soil samples to a lab-the chromium levels were off the charts, super toxic, I dodged a bullet with that one. The key there was taking to neighbors before I sealed the deal. I wrote letters to adjoining properties and asked them to call me. That's how I found out about the buried gas tanks. Also on Google Earth, you can go back decades and look at former land use, which is a nifty feature. Lastly, don't rush anything. Take your time to find the right place for you.
Nice video! -- It has beauty, humor - self-depreciating - , and is back-to-the-land. ( - Subbed.) -- & Greetings from a whole other place (Bay of Plenty, New Zealand), but similar: - my own land, growing my own food, inspired - and "a certain age". Best wishes for your on-going "adventure".
