A Simple Life in the Woods 

I am a 83 yr old man who was raised by mother who was and remains my hero. Her favorite motto was "Anything a man can do, a woman can do - better!" I grew up believing that because she demonstrated it everyday. Watching you lovely young ladies has confirmed her motto and I have enjoyed it very much. You work hard and seem to enjoy doing so. Chrystal is the smilingest person ever. You girls are fearless and proceed undaunted, into areas that would deter many people. You have taken on many tools to use, including the table saw and most of all the Kubota grader, shovel and whatnot. I am so impressed and in some funny way, very proud of you. You are the living embodiment of what my mother taught me. Here's to you!!!!

I used to be a self reliant person that would attempt any house upgrade/repair. But when my brother moved in, he criticized everything I did. So I stopped. Then I started watching you gals a while back. And you two inspired me to stop waiting for someone to come and help me and just do it myself. It may not be perfect, but I no longer wait and am proud of myself once again...THANK YOU

Triangles... You ladies need to incorporate a triangle in your wooden structures. Squares can shift and become unsquare but a single triangle in each face makes everything ten times more stable. Aside from that, I love watching you ladies tackle projects. Keep up the good work

Cosmetic Formulator here. Essential oils should be diluted with a carrier oil. I could not see which one, but do be careful. Sim can make you more sun-sensitive. Jojoba oil is a great oil to dilute the essential oil. Essential oils are oil-soluble, so water-based toners would not work. A tingling sensation is not a good thing. Also a friendly reminder to wear sunscreen. There is ALOT of misinformation out there. Just use one that you like. Be sure to reapply. Skin cancer is treatable but it mean they have to take a chunk out of your skin. If you have any questions or anything let me know! Love you videos!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

I got up, cup of coffee, watched Vanwives doing so many projects it wore me out. You two have so much energy! I'm 60 years old and I'm starting to move toward a plant based diet. You girls are an inspiration. Keep up the good work, your place is coming together beautifully.

You ladies make my day! My life has been tough lately, & lonely. I looked up van life a few months back, found Hannah Lee Duggan, & isabel, then yours was suggested. I don't feel so lonely as I vicariously live through you guys & your adventures. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely life, it means more then I can express🥰

Life in the woods is definitely a different feeling altogether which is not possible to experience elsewhere. This vlog is a reflection of the life that you cannot find in concrete jungle

Please keep in mind if you have bears out there and they smell food you may have bears coming close to your house. You might want to move it a little further away. Love what you guys are doing to the house. It just goes to show that girls can do all things. Love you both ❤️

Watching you two be passionate and positive when it comes to doing all that hard work is awesome. You're super inspiring.

I am in the process of building a house with my partner just outside Antigonish, NS and also just learned about Joist hangers and screws not having shear strength! Such good knowledge to have as women, being able to build something and understanding how things we take for granted are built 💚 so cool you guys moved to my province! I grew up 3 mins away from Lawrencetown beach

FYI on metal roof from property adjuster for 26 years.....you can put in top of old shingles. However, metal will sweat (condensation) and water will drip on the underside and find any exposed holes to leak into which can eventually rot decking. So if any shingles are off, be sure and seal around any exposed nail heads/holes.

You ladies are awesome! As a young girl my dad taught me lots of practical skills when girls weren't 'supposed' to do things for themselves but you two take it to the next level! I am in awe and can't wait to watch your videos every week. Well done x

The compost bin is a fantastic ancient process. Remember you don’t want that bin close to your house move it far enough away so it’s not a smell you want to waft into your house but close enough it’s not a hassle to get to in the snow. Keep up the great work my wife and I love your vlogs!!

It's super important to strap your roof so that the steel isn't directly against the old roof. The steel gets a lot of condensation on the underside and without ventilation it will deteriorate. The strapping also gives you an opportunity to adjust for straightness. Love the channel. Andrew from Waterloo

Over and above the joyous life you seem to be living I gotta say the quality of your videos from a technical standpoint is phenomenal. I can't help but think you guys have had training in video production! Great job as ever.

I am a 75 year old man that lives in Amherst NS, I have 5 children, 8 grandchildren, and 5 great grand kids. I love your channel and your ability to enjoy life as you wish, Thank you for coming to NS.

You all are such a bright light to my week. You seem to have boundless energy and a passion for life that is infectious. Thank you for sharing your lives with us.

You should build (or buy) some sawhorses, with a sheet of plywood you have a movable, collapsible table to build all your projects on. No more working on the ground

As it may sound strange to most people you should know the proper way to fasten a metal roof is in the flat channel, not through the ribs. When fastened through the ribs the expansion and contraction will loosen the fasteners. There are "stitch" screws which are short screws used to fasten the overlap by going through the 2 overlapping ribs. "stitch" screws are short and do not go into the wood.

I LOVE how you ladies have changed it up. I started watching your van videos, and the cabin vlogs are so peaceful and fun! 💕💕

I don't have any expertise advice so I will give you encouragement. I'm seriously impressed at what you two are doing to make your new home functional and comfortable.

Strong, capable women building stuff and living life….it doesn’t get better than that!!

Fearless Freddie here. You 2 are so awesome. I love nothing more then people who inspire others. One of a kind and originals. You 2 do and are that.

Just a suggestion when you get your compost bin in place dig a trench about 8" deep around the perimeter, cut some chicken wire into strips wide enough to go into the trench & staple to the frame then fill in the trench. This will prevent pests from digging under & up into the bin. I would also suggest a latching lid on each box. this can be made by building the size of the opening cover the frame with more chicken wire, Hinge it on the back & to the bin, a latch on the front to hold the lid tight, This will also keep unwanted visitors yet still allow the rain. Love your adventure.

You are both so inspiring to me. I don't really have anyone to help me with things and I see all the stuff you two build which gives me courage to try too. I am smart and can cook and clean and I am artistic with paints and crafts, I can garden and am adventurous and athletic but when it comes to wood and power tools or knowing how to build something out of wood..........well I am a bit clueless. Watching you both gives me hope that I might be able to fix things myself rather than find someone to do it for me. Thanks you guys. Love to Bella and Izzy.

NEVER LAY METAL ON COMP SHINGLES!!!!!!! I have been installing metal (copper, bonderized, galvanized and enameled) on roofs for 43 years. The gravel on the comp shingles will destroy the coating on the back side of the metal causing premature rust through. ONLY install metal on NEW FLAT 40# tar paper. (AKA felt paper). When laying panels use this method to keep them straight and do not rely on the highs of the panel to trick you into thinking they will be straight. "Height X Width × 1.415 (the hypotenuse). Use cleats instead of screws to hold the panels down. Use "Standing Seam" type panels instead of Corrugated panels this way there no screws to leak and it much easier to seal. Reply for more tips that will make your install MUCH easier drop me note :-) Cheers,

You guys make Sundays SO MUCH better!

When we built our house, we used a climbing harness to avoid falling off the roof. We also used a clamp with a leather glove (wrapped over on the edge for grip) and rope to hoist the metal up on to the roof one by one, be so careful of the person below. You can go over the shingle roof, but best practice would be to take it off. Noticed the shed has the hinges on the outside of the doors which I guess if you lost your key would make it easy to access inside, but also easy for others to access inside too. If you are thinking of painting the ply wood at any point use a stain block paint like zinsser, I believe it can be tinted too. Otherwise the glues in the ply tend to leach out and discolour your paint job especially with light colours. Does your roof package come with drip edge? I think it is important. This might sound like a whatever, but I would put a railing on the stairs before the snow starts to fly and snow blowers are amazing. Consider covering the outside in metal too because of forest fires or at least partial way from the ground up. All the best!

Carriage bolts don't get washers on the head side. The square part is supposed to be hammered into the wood to keep the carriage bolt from being free to turn.

Glad to see the catchment system has been beefed up. A handy tip; when drilling large hole to a depth, it helps to pull the bit out occasionally and get rid of the waste in the flutes of the bit, It will prevent it from heating up and the bit will cut faster and stay sharper longer. Glad to see you making so much progress.

You two are the perfect match! Being off grid together proves that you can do anything! Much love❤️

I have a similar compost bin. You don't need to move the compost from one bin to another. You just fill one, then stop adding to that one and move on to filling the 2nd. Then when that's full, move to the 3rd. By the time you're finished filling the third, the 1st bin is usually composted. You remove the compost from the 1st and start the process over again. The worms can easily move between the three.

When using noisy or dangerous equipment, be sure to protect your eyes AND ears. Whenever possible, use good fitting knee pads. Your knees will thank you years from now!

Not sure if you've heard this, but you should paint your water tanks black, or keep them covered to prevent algae. Great vlog production, I really admire the challenge that you have undertaken.

No building tips here, but just to let you know I'm so proud of you two. Every drop of sweat is a testament of how driven you are... Jazz, I work on TV, and your editing skills are getting better by the minute.

You will find that plant waste put into compost bins initially takes up a lot of space, but as it rots down the original volume gets progressively smaller and denser, taking up much less room it initially did. When you build your next set of bins make the first one about half of the total volume, then the next one about 1/3 of the volume, with the 3rd bin smaller still. You will find that composting requires an optimum heat, and moisture content. If you leave the composting material exposed to direct sunlight in Summer, you are likely to find that it just dries out, and stops rotting, until it gets wet again. Can I suggest that you use some old timber boards, placed with inch or so air gaps around the three exposed outer faces, to keep the direct sun from drying out the compost. Alternatively, use old cardboard boxes flattened out inside the chicken netting on the sides facing the sun. You will find that although green waste composts adequately. It rots much better if you can add some chicken or animal mature to the bin occasionally. The end result is much better compost, and your garden plants will like it much better than purely vegetable compost which has less available nitrogen. We have been using our composting bins for about 40 years, and it is almost like having a living creature at the bottom of the garden. They very rarely smell unless you put something like fish in it. You will find that things like Grass Snakes and Mice come in autumn and winter to make their nests in it and live over winter in the more mature compost. We have great fun looking at our "zoo" during our daily trip to add each days new contribution from the kitchen or gardening weeds. The bugs, animals and snakes will run away from you as you start to dig out the composted material to turn it over. We invite our small grandchildren over to watch the compost being turned, and they have an awesome afternoon bug hunting. Few if any bugs get hurt while this process is going on, as we put them back into the turned compost, where they are soon back to work for us.

Get a inexpensive compressor it will make things much faster and easier. Especially when you start inside. It even comes with a stapler which would have made that chicken wire even easier. Great job I look forward to seeing your new home.

I reroofed my house several years ago. In the process, I tore off 5 layers of old roofing. That was way too many layers to begin with, but after it was removed, it was a lot easier to do good work with the new materials...similar to how much easier it was for you to build your compost bin on the flat porch than on the uneven ground. In 50 years of home ownership, I've done just about every project myself...and loved all of it because the sense of accomplishment is so satisfying. You two are doing a GREAT job! Four paws up! 🐾🐾

It's so great that our community has been able to help you with the details of building your beautiful homestead! I am monumentally unhandy so can't contribute, but I love watching you every Sunday. I would have loved to do what you're doing when I was younger.

My dog Doris, a 6 month old golden retriever, eats blackberries directly from the bushes, and she only eats the ripe ones and leaves the others 😅🥰 great video as always, so fun to follow you on your new adventure!🏠

Ok now, hands UP for getting our girls driveway full of gravel!!! ✋ ✋✋✋✋✋ Cute video as always. If only all humans would be so full of Love like you guys are , there would be no Wars in this World, guaranteed.

We live on a property with no well and have a water catchment system off our metal roof too. We were buying 18 litre bottles of drinking water, but are now getting a Berkey water filter for drinking water that we can fill with rain water. Didn't know this before, but an RO water filter has 1 gallon of waste water to every 1 gallon of drinking water. Nice thing about a Berkey is it's still functional in a power outage (water pump won't work during an outage).

I would strip all shingles off, one side at a time as you work. You might need to replace plywood underneath if rotted first. Love the worm compost idea. 😊

Am so proud of you both ! Not only as faces of lgbtq , but for women! Out there inspiring people with your individual and combined work ethic and your positivity and your appetite for life! Love the channel! And Happy Happy Birthday!

We didn’t have strawberries this year, we thought the birds ate them, no it was our dog 🐕 Ty xx

A couple of suggestions if you haven’t already heard of these or considered them. There’s a balance between brown and green waste for a proper compost pile. The right moisture is also critical. One of the best tools I’ve ever used is a compost thermometer because you don’t want your compost going over 150° or it’ll start to kill the good bacteria. But if you don’t get it hot enough then you don’t kill the weed seeds and the insects. So cool to see you two having so much fun! I lived in an intentional community for a year and a half it was also an organic farm and we raised all our food including six varieties of blueberries and strawberries raspberries and so much more. Every morning it was such a delight going out and picking berries with do still on them. Oregon grows some of the best berries I’ve ever had.

I have had my partner watch you girls and now she also wants to live off grid!!! I can’t wait for our adventure to start! Thank you for showing us that it is possible ❤️

Lord I'll be 63 in october if God sees fit...it wears me out just watching you gals! Enjoy your youth and mobility while you still have it!

Happy Birthday Crystal. I would remove the old shingles so you can inspect the sheathing underneath. As you point out a metal roof will last 50 years but if the sheathing underneath is bad, you will have problems. I also wonder what the local wildlife will think of the compost bin. Good luck with everything. Love the channel.

Love you guys 67 year old man that’s done a lot of carpentry work never stand directly in front of your tablesaw or behind it stand off to the side when you’re feeding lumber I’ve had lumber Kick back and fly across the garage and stick it into the sheet rock wall so if you’re not off to the side it can go right in your stomach be careful stand to the side same thing when you’re helping and you’re pulling the lumber take care Peace out love you guys

You ladies have so much energy, moving from one project to the next. Your ability to master your variety of tools is very impressive. The compost station is a good addition. A possible addition to the rainwater system would be a first flush to catch roof contaminants and a small on demand pump to increase the flow.when needed. Keep up the great work!

Hi there ladies! I built my house 17 years ago with reclaimed hurricane trees. I put down a metal roof with no insulation underneath. Worst mistake ever. So for 17 years I lived with the noise from rain so loud you couldn’t hear anyone talking in a normal tone. This April I put up insulation between my beautiful exposed rafters😢but covered the insulation with so sugi ban cyprus. It cut the noise by 90%. Leave the shingles , it will cut the noise. Best of luck. Glad I found you from Tyler and Todd.

I got no tips Girls. Just loving seeing you two do your thing. It’s inspiring and amazing watching you embrace the learning and attempting and completing of it all. You’ve come such a long way since watching you build your first van. Woohoo! And Happy Birthday Laurie!

Since your driveway is basically mud all the time and you do not want to get stuck, go into town to talk to the local concrete company or contractors and see what it would cost to have the old concrete crushed and dropped on the driveway to add stability. To avoid a lot of cost maybe just repair some of the worst spots first and do a little each year. It's great stuff to recycle when the ground is very soft and gets drenched by rain. Also I noticed the land has different slopes around your cabin. Maybe someone can come up there with a Bobcat and drag the pitch of the land away from home so when it rains the water runs away from your home and this ways runs to garden if you are planting vegetables. You definitely need to clear more brush away from the home as I am a firefighter. The large rocks on your property would make a great natural Fire Pit. You both great at what you do and inspire others to take more care of the environment. Keep producing the video's.

My girls!! You make me so happy. I love watching your lives unfold in this new adventure. You make me proud.

If you put a tray under your compost bin to catch the liquid that flows through you can use that liquid to fertilize your garden. That liquid is the BEST fertilizer you can get. Love your videos keep up the great work.

Wow wow wow! That's all I can say. It looks amazing. LOVE the compost bin and there is never too much compost. What a relaxing bedroom. Keep it up with the learning, exploring, and most importantly having FUN! So much fun to hang out with you guys on Sunday morning. See you next week!

Feel free to make your videos 2 hours long lol.. I’m always left NEEDING more. Y’all are fascinating 💕

You sweet young ladies have given this older woman hope in learning how to use power tools. Am so very proud of you both and thankful in being able to tag along with this new adventure.

Another great video! I’m so impressed with your accomplishments, but also your love of life and each other.❤️

You guys rock!!!! I am happy to see Bella and Izzy supervising you guys to make sure everything goes accordingly.

Love watching all you’re doing each week! 💜 Please get yourselves ready for the winter, it’ll be here before you know it.

I'm seriously living vicariously through your off grid life! Your work ethic motivates me to get busy. Mine is inner city attempt at off grid bc that's my circumstance at the moment. Love all the positivity and laughter!! Happy Birthday Chrystal! 👍💘👍💘👍

Many places allow re-shingling or re-roofing over one layer of asphalt shingles but I think it is better practice to remove the old ones. For one thing you will see any damage that might be hidden. RR Building’s RU-vid channel has lots of info on metal siding and roofing. He is an expert and a perfectionist.

There are three projects that I have been waiting for. 1. sleeping in the house. 2. building out the kitchen and 3. graveling the driveway. You accomplished one of them with this video. It was so great seeing you move out of the van and into the Master. :)

Just wanted to let you know that I'm a single bachelor . I live alone by choice and I love watching your videos. They and others that I watch keep me from feeling lonely. Thanks for sharing your experiences., and for the smiles I get watching 👀 you.

Happy Birthday Crystal! Love what you gals are doing with your cabin! Can’t wait to see the transformation!

I built my compose container out of metal bars that I found & of course chicken wire like you ladies. I have had it 17 years & its still standing strong. Doing it in wood won't last. Next one you build try it my way. When drill rub the bit in candle wax and it will go in a whole lot faster & easier. I also do that with screws, plenty of the candle wax will make your life much smoother.

don't remove old roof just strap over it and install metal roof. table saw the 2 x 4 in half save money too.

Careful when picking your metal roof color. Certain colors will oil can. Very unsightly. Think crinkles in aluminum foil. Check paint warranties from Manufacturer. Buy extra panels in case of repair. If you need two panels to complete the run, use MasTec under the laps.

MAILBOX “it worked” Lol 😂 Can’t wait to see this place when you ladies are done! You two are such a great team ♥️

Found you ladies at the start of your new drive so now I’m doing catch-up on the previous videos your energy gives me a boost and I just can’t stop smiling

First ever comment on a you tube! Just love your passion, creativity, and joy in life. How good you are to each other and the pups ~ and your adventures are wonderful. Seeing you figure out how to live off grid is so much fun! Inspiring too… XOXO, Lauren.

ugh i wish y’all do double uploads for the week like Sunday and pick another day, these one videos not getting it anymore lol 😂❤️😩!

Girls you are breaking down the barriers, that exist toward Gay couples , love you and your lifestyle, what a great life you both have.

We live deep in the Mississippi Forrest nothing like the peace and freedom of this lifestyle

My girlfriend and I watch your videos. It has always been my dream to live off grid, hers too, even long before we met!! Your videos get me really excited for when we get to make that dream a reality!!

I enjoy watching your weekly vlogs. You are showing, by example, what young women can accomplish by educating themselves and then putting what they’ve learned into action. So inspiring!!!

"Curly-whirly" roof shingles.... ya'll are getting the technical terminology down pat! Thanks for another great video.

Great job Ladies ! On your steel roof, leave the shingles on. It will give you another layer of protection from any leaks and quiet the sound of the rain. The rain will be deafening with out, trust me! And the curled shingles just trim the curls off with a box knife.

Happy belated birthday, Crystal. I'm SO impressed with all you've done and able to do! XO~Cass

One of the highlights of the day is seeing what you 4 are up to. Trying to catch up on all the YT and Insta posts. Reminds me so much of a couple I was in college with before you two were even born. Never a dull moment. Place is looking amazing, keep at it. If you or the boys who keep loaning you their truck are ever in the Memphis area, you have a spot at our pond for as long as you need.

Seriously brings a tear to my eye to see how much you love each other. The two of you have something special and I think it’s awesome that we get to witness it. How awesome that you have these videos to look back on in the future when you are in your eighties and still building out new adventures. 🤪🤪

I would recommend that if you’re going to rip off the shingles you do both sides. May cause unevenness. Tips for laying tin would be to predrill your tin sheets prior to screwing them down, don’t sink your screws too deep, and it recommends the foam strips which are a pain and have found that a can of spray foam used sparingly can work just as well.

I love watching all of the progress you both have made. Keep up the amazing work ❤️

Completely strip the roof. Check the plywood under the shingles for rot. Use ice & water shield underlayment over the entire roof. Your roof doesn't have much of a slope to shed snow. Have fun! Looking forward to the video.

I've been watching your van videos for quite awhile and have always enjoyed them but this new project is taking it to a whole new level. You're an inspiration!!!

Your videos bring me so much joy and inspiration. You, your dogs, your lifestyle and the way you capture it - all very beautiful. Thank you for sharing and for putting a smile on my face every week.

Your videography, your B roll footage & editing is amazing. Either you are movie making wizzards??witches or you secretly you have a video crew with you! How do you do what you do???

Pre drill your roof sheets before you unstack the sheets from the skid. Use a 1/8 metal bit. Leave the shingles in place as this will act as a under lay meant. Leave the sheets 1 1/2 inch past your fascia board for over hang .Place the screws on every high rib along the eves and than every other high rib ever 36 inch above up to the ridge. Make sure all screws go in the high ribs not the flat. Might be a good idea to leave the sheets 1.5-2 inch from the ridge to allow for the roof to be cut to allow venting. With vent closure unless you are putting in gable vents. Feel free to ask any questions. I have a sheet metal shop only a stone throw from your old home base.

Love your videos! For what it's worth, I've found that using two carriage bolts generally works better than using a single bolt. The bolts will loosen over time and if you use a single bolt it's easier for your wood to rotate around that bolt. Using two bolts helps to keep things tighter, even if things do loosen up a bit.

If you put metal roof over shingles you need to put an isolation layer between the two. The grit on the existing shingles can actually wear through the paint/powdercoating in places over time due to thermal expansion of the metal as it heats and cools. The grit acts like sandpaper. Most manufacturers will state this in their installation instructions and will not honor warranties if not installed with the isolation barrier. At minimum put a layer of roofing felt down first, but ideally strip all the shingles, and you will still need a layer of roofing felt.

I would recommend keeping the old shingles on. I have a metal roof and it can get pretty noisy during a heavy rainfall. The wonky, curly shingles would actually help to diffuse a lot of that sound and help you sleep through the night. This is looking great! Keep it up!

Hey girls! I don’t know if it’s been said yet or not but when using a hammer, always hold it at the very bottom of the handle, this allows for more leverage in each swing thus creating more power. (Gripping too high on the handle is also called “choking” the hammer. I’m well aware of this as my first boss used to choke me when I was holding the hammer high and asked how I liked it 🤦🏼‍♂️) Also when hammering in the fencing nails (U nails) try to place the timber that you’re hammering them into up against something solid or lay it directly onto the decking as you’re losing a lot of power trying to get them tricky little suckers in because the timber is free and wobbly each time you hit it. Keep up the good work, you guys are doing an amazing job! I’m an avid watcher all the way from Australia 🇦🇺 😊✌🏻

So great to see two young ladies living a life they love, you both put your heart and soul into everything you do. I look forward to Sundays to see your next vlog. Hope Crystal had a wonderful birthday. Its truly great to see a couple that have so much love for each other. Best wishes and much love from the UK.

Tip & Tricks: When drilling larger diameter holes into, or through wood, or steel, occasionally reverse the drill to clear any chips from the drill bit and hole. This will keep the bit sharp for a longer period of time and leave the hole you drilled with a nice clean bottom. No one likes a dirty bottom. Hehe!! ASH

My !st Show....Smiled The Whole Time ......Well Done Ladies!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Crystal. I love watching as your new home comes together, you girls are hard workers and it is so nice to see how in love you are with each other. Take care and truly wish you all the best that life has to offer.

do you two LADIES have ANY idea how MASTERFUL your Editing is?... Hollywood couldn't afford you!!! Your selected Camera angles and style is absolutely PURE GENIOUS and TALENT!! Thank you for sharing your gifts with all of us.

For fire safety you should keep the structure, a minimum 200' clear of any combustible, wood and grasses. Just a thought.