I show the new toys that I bought for the project and get the #2 greenhab ready for plants. Peter's videos: vimeo.com/peterthethinker Help me make videos by donating here: / codyslab SubReddit: / codyslab Xitter: / codyslab
Cody, I used to volunteer for a planning and zoning commission in a rural county in CO. I'd encourage you to take another look at your zoning codes. From my experience, your building plans only need to be stamped by a PE, which is much cheaper than having them do the design. Also, many rural places only care about structures meeting wind and snow loading requirements, and maybe also meeting fire code. They won't care about the non-structural fiddly details like what your walkway is made out of. Since you're essentially using mass manufactured prefab structures (the tanks) you might be able to find a firm that'll stamp a drawing showing that these prefabs can withstand the required wind/snow loads and have the required egress points (doors). RE water: you might not have to dig a well. You might only need a cistern of a certain minimum size and to file a plan to tote water from off site or have it delivered by a company. Hopefully that alleviates some of your permitting headaches about Chicken Hole Base. From an ease of life perspective, I'd encourage you to get a "home" that is off site in a nearby town. This will allow you to take your time on CHB, and potentially move there someday when you feel things are ready. Last point: try to befriend someone who works in the county zoning/planning department. There's almost always a way to get things done, it just requires some creativity and someone who knows the details to help you think through things. I spent a lot of time talking through hypotheticals with my planning department. If the office is slow, they'll likely welcome the distraction! Finally, you might be able to go down the "variance" or "special permit" route which will allow you to sidestep certain permitting requirements. If your county is reasonable, I'm sure you can work something out, especially if these structures won't be occupied and aren't permanent (no foundation). From the county's perspective, these are just sheds and greenhouses using recycled prefab structures!
Adding onto that. After water and sewer put a dwelling on the property (tiny home /singlewide/ minimal sized stick built whichever is approvable) that takes care of residency. Treat everything else as storage farm structures etc.
Your last option - getting somewhere else as "home" and commuting to CHB sounds the most practical and kicks the can down the road. You can always change things in the future and move to CHB if you get the paperwork in place. Stay happy and safe.
Also, Having somewhere else where you aren't filming will give you privacy. Also give your family privacy. I think the last option is your best one here as well
@@babalonkieI wondered this too. And/or apply for a single permanent building on the land, and do all this clearly outside (legally outside) the thresholds for permits etc. Either way, sadly, I feel it appropriate to counsel “not talking about it much on RU-vid”. I’ve seen so many YTers have their videos used as evidence by the gov against them - it might be wise to keep stum (and hope that the “tourist attraction” doesn’t get out of hand - to the point that anyone starts sniffing around). Maybe you (Cody) will be able to eventually spin all this as a “positive thing for the local community” - a science project which puts the local area on the national map. 50/50 chances at best - but it might suddenly make them sympathetic to your cause!
Sorry, but it's dumb. Assuming we ever go to mars on a permanent basis, Cody is not likely to see it because it is not likely to happen in the foreseeable future. There are endless hurdles without a solution.
@@tarstarkusz Many people don't get to see their inventions or ideas get used to their fullest potential. To me its not dumb, and some of what he documents could be applicable if we were to try and colonize mars. Also he seems to really enjoy it and puts a lot of time and effort into it. I honestly don't see how you could see this as dumb, but to each their own.
Cody-- leverage RU-vid. Go for collaborations. I know there are engineers that have channels. I know there are people with the resources to drill wells. If you make it all content for you and content for them... Win-win. Audiences LOVE collaborations.
Seconded. Also, it's more than an audience thing. No one in their right mind is designing a Mars base for one person to live in, let alone build. Space travel requires cooperation, and pretending it can be done solo changes it from a Mars-analog base to scifi. Continued collaborations -- like the pressurised suit build -- will bridge that gap.
That's what I'm thinking, make it all temporary / removable, then commute. I don't know how remote CHB is, but hopefully keeping cameras up is enough to stop too many unwanted visitors. Moving and starting somewhere new would be a PITA, but could be worth it depending on how much money he got / expects to continue getting. There's got to be some nice property close to CHB somewhere to call home if he wanted to stay there.
Imagine some nosey mutt walking up on this. What do you suspect they would think it was? They would be so puzzled. He does have cameras, I know. He's shown surveillance before.
@@williamkane IRS regs. Business expenses are deductible. One of Cody's businesses is making RU-vid videos, therefore all expenses related to that are deductible. Duh!!!
Having a pressurized kitchen where residents can cook in a mostly traditional method would be very helpful for psychological health. Cooking and eating together are vital for family and community bonds.
You can really feel how much happier and more excited Cody is now that that Google Ad disaster is out of the way and it's contagious. I'm looking forward to finally see things pick up even with these new permit problems and whatnot.
@@shane3363 his account was hacked, when it was sorted his payouts were in a permanent state of 'on hold' and nobody at youtube / google could or would do anything about it, ended up staying that way for years. He was still earning money from his videos (thousands of $ per month), but there was no way for him to withdraw the money and his complaints and appeals were falling on deaf ears despite his fans kicking up a stink, no doubt this was a difficult and despairing situation for Cody. I don't know how, but eventually the situation was resolved.
I don't think it's just the Google ad fiasco, though that may have been the catalyst for it. Cody seems to have found his whole mojo again and it's great he has.
For the property question, maybe do a mix (over time)- get an engineer to sign off on a tinyhome with septic and water and a mailbox, but for the "base" leave it all spaced and temporary enough to squeeze through the loophole. For the Iron Kitchen, remember in that closed space the iron will eat your oxygen like the chain locker on cargo ships. Without good airflow it'll rust to anoxia so only RoboCody can work in there.
re: Paperwork: - 'Designed by an approved engineer' just means a P.E. stamp -- i.e. an engineer licensed in the state reviewed and approved your plans; it _doesn't_ mean they need to have drafted the plans themselves. - Remodeling and redecorating work doesn't usually require plan approval if you're doing it under an owner-builder exemption, especially if it doesn't significantly change the footprint of the structure.
This is the way, be careful with engineering firms, they will try to upsell you on the design process and take twice the amount of hours to design than what is really needed. You need a stamped drawing. My brother regularly gets his in house designs stamped by third party engineers.
100% agree. You can do the drawings and then get a pe to review and stamp them. You can definitely find someone who has a 9-5 job who stamps stuff as a side hustle. In my area it is about $150 an hour.
It may be difficult to find an engineer to approve the use of non-standard and obscure building materials and methods where the structural load calcs needed are not going to be from standard load tables and engineering books. It helps greatly when there are systems & materials with known compressive strengths, connection details that are pre-tested by independent manufacturers, and methods that have been used previously, and documented as such. This adds up to using more standard and more expensive martials. Also in my state, there is no homeowner self build option for drilling wells, one MUST be a licensed well driller, no exceptions.
@@CBound If you read between the lines, what I'm suggesting is that he draft it up like that and get it approved, and then just deviate/remodel/redecorate/"as built" from there to what he actually wants to build.
(As long as it costs less to get a school permit) Chicken hole base is clearly a school where you do remote teaching. Cody is everything from the caretaker to the principle.
Cody - If you do end up looking to relocate the base you'll want to come to Cochise County Arizona and use the "Owner Builder Opt-Out". If that should come to pass please reach out and I'll give you a hand and info. This is one of the few places in the country where you can build basically anything (and only pay a tiny fee to have the right). If you poke around on RU-vid you'll notice there's a ton of off-grid homesteaders here. That opt-out is the reason.
Unfortunately they are trying to roll that back. The contractors and planning people don't like being made obsolete and are actively lobbying to repeal the opt out option. Also the elites at all top levels in the country don't want to support rural development. They want everyone to live in tight packed cities due to environmental concerns they say but I'm sure there are lots of reasons they don't like self sustainable rural communities.
Yeah, but then you have to be in Arizona and southern Arizona at that. Most people, normal people, don't want to have anything to do with such a vile place.
I believe the solution to get a place in a nearby town as official residence is the way to go. It gives you a place to call home if something unexpected happens. A place where you can take a break if needed.
Government and councils always get the way of private life and enjoyment and seem to do as little as possible to fix ,repair public roads,areas etc ! This is a fantastic educational opportunity for them to support and really appreciate your not in the middle of town,g'day from Australia power on robot Cody
Cody you are an amazing person. You sparked my interests in Chemistry, Bee keeping, and homesteading. Watching your videos while growing up definitely had an effect of the type of man i became. Thank you.
Cody Cody Cody Cody PLEEEAAASE use that giant insulated "keep the chickens warm" container as part of a huge heat exchanger setup! I got so excited when I saw it; The opportunities presented are amazing (And you can absolutely have martian-applicable setups too!). ChickenHole Base is already more luxurious than the majority of the rented accommodation I've been in!
Cody loved you for many years. Since you asked for advice, how about building a small structure out of mud and sticks, get that approved as a permanent residence, which can be next to chb, and then continue with the habitat building. You could just buy an RV (?) and place it there, and in the meantime continue building the hab (mabey?). Just trying to think outside the box. Best of luck either way.
Hey Cody, loving the Mars homestead vibes at Chicken Hole Base! Your ingenuity and dedication to making this dream a reality are genuinely inspiring. It’s fascinating to see how you tackle each unique challenge with practical solutions, especially transforming everyday materials into essential parts of your Martian habitat. Regarding the building permits dilemma, why not consider becoming an engineer yourself? It might sound a bit out there, but with your knack for problem-solving and creativity, you could potentially navigate the regulations in a more cost-effective way. Plus, it would be an incredible addition to your already impressive set of skills. Imagine the possibilities of applying engineering principles directly to your projects, not to mention the awesome content it would make for us viewers. Keep pushing the boundaries, Cody. Can’t wait to see where this journey takes you and Chicken Hole Base next!
I think the New Mexico idea is better than it sounds at first. New Mexico doesn't just have lax laws for Earthships, it also has Earthship communities. These are places with people interested in Earthships, a community you'd get along with. A lot of these people are also skilled in building these structures, and you could ask for their help when needed.
In the UK any building that is on wheels counts as a temporary structure that doesn't need planning permission. Not sure if it's the same over the pond but might be worth looking at.
In the US the rules are often county specific. There are 3,143 counties so it can be hard to predict! Some counties have rules that restrict land owners from permanently living in RVs. Others might have rules that are more intent based, so if you put a shed on wheels but it’s obvious you have no plan to ever actually move it on those wheels, it would require a permit.
@@beefchicken Yeah, in my area, you don't need the wheels. As long as it's not a permanent structure (ie: has a foundation connected to the ground), you can build anything under 12ft x 18ft, I believe is the restrictions
Yeo, hunting lodge loop hole. Then the wheels get boarded over so they can't been seen. Then it gets lived in full time on private record. Then a few years down the line it gets made into a permanent structure bypassing planning permission.
With the logistics of having a family, you’ll want to live in town anyway. Even if you homeschool, you’ll want to be near a hospital, a pharmacy, a park with other kids, etc.
Cant comment anything about the local laws, but the current town house+CHB setup seems to be ideal. You would have a place to unwind away from CHB, host friends/family, and knock on wood if you're sick or injured be closer to care facilities. Its great to see so many upgrades pending now for CHB, overwhelming even. I look forward to seeing the new greenhouse and corridors take shape. Really nice visual aid with the water containers!
You might be the kind of person that people will try to figure out wherever your Mars base is and unfortunately visit you without your permission. I think you should be prepared for the eventuality of becoming a tourist attraction. Long time follower, good luck on your fun building project! Sending love from the East Coast
Cody, changes to the design after start of construction is something that happens on all construction projects. As far as starting construction, the county only cares that the design you start with is certified by a PE. Which also technically means that the PE doesn't have to make the design, only sign off on it. (Much cheaper). The PE stamp means the engineer is taking on certain liabilities if the home fails structurally or mechanically with any other parts of the permit required details. What actually gets built is the subject of what we call as-built drawings. Which your particular county may or may not require be submitted.
Hey Cody, my recommendation is talk to some of your contacts at the university or universities and ask about how they would go about getting permits to build an experimental project of the size you are planning. You could also ask a university if they would be interested in funding an experiment of this nature, or assisting with the paperwork to allow this kind of a project to move forward, in exchange for documenting your findings and research. Not sure that last idea of mine would work, but I'm sure the government has special permits available for scientific projects of the size you are planning. It would be illogical if they didn't, because it would mean innovations would not be possible. I also read elsewhere in the comments that you might be able to build another house on the property that meets the basic requirements, and then continue your experiments elsewhere. I don't think that would fly in Canada, but maybe in the States it's a thing?
Water well considerations, Cody: Talk to a couple of local water well drillers and find out how deep they have to go for sustainable water. Then, if you have one dug, collect some of the drillings every ten feet, or so, to log your sub-surface rock/minerals. Your soil log is your business, so keep it to yourself. Unfortunately, you may learn most wells in that area need to be much deeper than you originally considered. 500 feet deep may be an average, for example, and well drilling can be an expensive unknown, so have a back-up plan before you dig.
I want to second what others have said - if you decide you want to live a CHB, build a small, standard design (tiny house, manufactured home) to get the place approved as a residence. After that, build all your homebrew designs, experiment, go wild! Unless you're living there - and you're not, you're living in your tiny house / mobile home - they'll be sheds, greenhouses, chicken coups, etc - which usually don't require permits. That doesn't address your privacy concerns, of course. But regardless of what you decide, consider living near where you work! Spending less time driving is good for your quality of life and good for everyone else too.
I have a friend that had a similar dilemma. He ended up parking a trailer that was falling apart at the seams on his property and hooked up a basic septic field and that was his legal dwelling. Then he had a shipping container dropped off which he finished and furnished and with the help of a friend he tapped into the septic so he has running water and a full bathroom inside it.
I was thinking that when you have the whole system closed you are going to need a dehumidifier, otherwise the humidity is always going to be almost 100%, you could have one running on solar panels and dry out the whole environment. plus you would get a lot of "rain" water. Although it wouldn't really need to be a dehumidifier, just something very cold that condenses the water, as occurs in the upper layers of the atmosphere, it could be an ammonia based heat pump heated by the sun or something like that.
@@jaredlancaster4137 Not really, I have described an air conditioner that as a side effect also dries the air. A dehumidifier cools and heats the air, and the result is that it comes out a little warmer than it went in. And the air conditioner cools it.
You don't need a building permit. You're just cutting holes in a bunch of plastic tanks, and filling them with soil, water, etc. It is clear to everyone that you only use the place for recreation, and that you sleep in the camper, when you are there. Nothing illegal about that.
I can't help but be reminded of Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti project, the prototype Arcology which inspired the Simcity 2000 ones. He was of course an architect and lecturer, and that was Arizona... But when it comes down to it I'm sure the county is going to take issue with everything you do for building code reasons, which are of course written in blood.
Cody, I think that what you're doing is important; the channel, this project, following your curiosity... it's really valuable and I just wanted to say so.
You made that comment about CHB being your backyard, what if you literally do that, I am sure your plot of land is big enough that it probably reaches a main road. What if you build an "intake module" that would allow you to comply with all the government regulations to do the proper paperwork, but would probably be cheaper to build than up there at the base since services are usually close to the road. Then the base would literally be the backyard of your Legal government residence.
if you have enough funds, i would suggest a combination of a few options. build a structure on site away from the base you can use as a permanent resident. you can keep this area as is to build and play around as your backyard. i don't know what your thoughts are of putting up a fence around your perimeter is. it may deter people from visiting but won't stop everyone. imagine this was in town, you'd still have people looking and pointing at your house and taking pictures. as long as you can accept that i think tourist attraction is fine so long as you're setting boundaries. i'm glad you're back making videos. good luck cody. -random fan.
Dear Cody, thank you for sharing all you do. This governmental issue will likely not go away ... as long as there are people who don't understand the brilliance you have. You are trying to solve a simple problem: How to live in a hostile climate, or perhaps a hostile environment, safely. This sort of safety is supposed to be conducive to human procreation, just as you mentioned. You are a true pioneer. Your pioneering spirit should be protected, not your buildings or your methods. You have over 2 million followers. The local government which is preventing your success needs to be changed into a local pioneering community once again. It is a simple electoral issue. You are doing Great Works, and your community will support you and change the local laws to allow you the freedom your mind needs. Sincerely, Andrew.
This could be a cool opportunity! Perhaps you could create a restriction for Chicken Hole base where every problem needs to be solved within the same cylinder sizes. This constraint would probably create entertaining/interesting solutions and it would solve the permit issues.
great video! especially enjoyed your comments on the nuances of building permits. guess i'm at that stage in my life where I find those kinds of dilemmas interesting. I also really liked the accelerated timelapse of the burn pit at the end. It looked like the shrubs were actually melting!
I think you are the right track on all of this. It's obvious you've put a lot of thought into this, and you know the one you prefer. Follow your preference. Congrats on all the new supplies!
it really comes down to what the county deems a permanent structure. you can probably get blueprints made up for a ball home or dome house (thanks to alot of the older housing initiatives there are now several designs that would match your planned motif that are now considered "traditional home" designs). or you can just build a tiny home on the edge of the property that meets code and the base itself can be classified as a series of out building separate from that "main house"
There's got to be a gray area in the laws. Something that someone overlooked and didn't consider. Maybe try a semi subtranial living habitat. Only have the largest of the items protruding through the surface and tunnel systems underneath.
I really hope you can work this out in a way that feel satisfactory to you Cody! I absolutely love this project and appreciate you sharing it with everyone!
Excited to see you scale up your chamber process experiment from years ago! You consistently come up with the most interesting and varied projects, glad RU-vid finally paid you! Love to see you living the dream of building your Mars base and experiment farm.
Keep faith Cody! I'm sure there is a way forward, and if anyone can find it, it's you! Your creativity and deep thinking have always been evident. There is no doubt in my mind the ChickenHole Base series will continue to grow, inspire and amaze me and many others for a long time to come!
A interesting collection of barrels and tanks Looking at all of those small poly barrels brings back a sort of nightmare When I bought my house The guy that owned it before me had the septic tank plug up So he used 8 of the poly barrels to make a new septic tank He just dug the holes and sat the barrels in the holes He then drilled 4" inlet and outlet holes in the top of the barrels Stuck PVC street 90's in the holes and caulked around the PVC With PVC between the barrels and the house A house inspection saved ME from having to pay for that mess
Love these Chicken Hole Base videos, and I've been invested in the outcome from the beginning. The 3rd option of building such that permits aren't required seems best. I recommend keeping some separation in your life. Make CHB so it's livable like a camping experience for yourself and future family or short missions trips to mars. Also if you put signage and a gate for tourist you can set specific rules for what not to do, but also set fun rules for what people should do. Ask for donations through a QR code if people are entering your property and have a suggested structure for what they should pay depending on what experience they want (photos, overnight, collect flammable brush etc). You can even warn people they are recorded and put them in these videos if they are willing to help Robo Cody with task or something like that. Just an idea. Also I agree, don't but heads with the gov't cause they may just make it annoying for you to set a more public example.
hiya cody thanks for the great video. want to add that low pressures would have negative effects on the human body even if oxygen content was sufficient. at low pressure the rate of gas exchange in our lungs decreases, oxygen binds to hemoglobin less effectively, and ATP production is reduced also. also if we were to have some rooms at higher pressure than others, the trauma of going from one pressure to another would damage our lungs.
Reminds me of the biosphere here by Tucson az . I can imagine you getting to that point plus having the process video logged! pretty cool attraction point I would say.
The soda syrup when you rinse them out, do it over soil that would be used to grow fruit and veggies... molasses is often used to enhance liquid fertilizers giving the plant extra boost of energy to make big taste fruit, probably be great for the bananas.
I haven't watched this whole episode, but I only recently watched The Martian for the first time, and these episodes now make so much more sense. What an epic movie too though.
Glad to hear that you finally got a payment from google after all there long years! That should definitely be a progress and a motivational booster! Can't wait for future CHB videos!
How about registering it as a filmset? It's quite a lengthy production, you gotta be months at a time on set, ... You potentially can sell shirts & give tours to visitors. Sell it on as a movie park when you're done. Maybe a business as easier to legalize...
You could also set apart a smaller area where you could build a small house that you could later upgrade, and place higher walls around that house for your privacy, whereas the rest of your land remain as it is. You obtain the permits for your regular house regularly, and your mars base you can build in such a way that you don't need permits. Since for now you would not need such a big house, you would spend your money on the water well and the walls around the house plot, and build only one segment of the house for now.
Cody, there is a product called boat wrap, which is basicly white shrink wrap for boats that works incredibly well for building temp buildings. It would work well for covering your walk ways I think.
I hope everything works out for you Cody! I love your drive for this hobby, and I hope you find a way to manage the difficulties in a way to minimize them, hopefully others manage to help you along with this goal as well!
Last options seems the most reasonable at least for now. Gives your chicken hole base a place to go hang out do your experiments and to get away as your "man cave".
I am glad you continue to do this despite the issues you have encountered. This series is just awesome. Wishing you good luck on solving this new problem.
Spending an hour or so cooking in the pressurised kitchen would give you the bends when you leave. You would have to use air, rather than pure oxygen in the kitchen, or the food would explode if you use a gas flame! Pure O2 would also be toxic at 1 atmosphere!
You can just build things separated and once you are happy with the design, you can make a blueprint and join the habitats together. This way you can continue your work without any setbacks and can call it a home once the main things are done. I suppose you could add more stuff to the main base after you fleshed out the design later on
Hello Cody! I had to put a new well in at my place last year. We live near the water table and don't have rocky soil. It was about $9k to dig a 200ft well. I know some arid places like Colorado require much deeper wells. Just as a point of reference.
Regarding sprinkler, do it at the root. Water anywhere but the soil is not good. Good gardening practice is to avoid water on leaves, it is colder and susceptible for disease
I'd say commuting in would be your best choice. I dont know how far the next town is but that would be the simplest. As an alternative if you really want to live the homestead life you could attempt to acquire a nearby property that either has, or could have a more standard home built on it. That way CHB really could just be your backyard project and you could live there as much or as little as you wished with the other property being your primary address on paper.
Whatever you do, DON'T stop doing you Cody! You make some of the coolest videos I've ever seen. You are very good at breaking down things you are working on so folks can understand it better. Keep it up Cody!
Problems can seem impossible if you look at the entire thing at once. If you break down the problem into smaller goals, it makes it seem a whole lot less impossible. And the benefit of breaking things down into steps is that it can be cash flowed as you go. Rent a house in the nearest town, continue to develop the outbuildings as you want. Start out with drilling a well, since having a consistent water source for your property would be a good thing to have for green houses. After that, put in a licensed septic system (most municipalities allow for one without a building) so that you don't have to poop out in the sage brush and can spend more "recreation time" camping out there and doing your work without a bunch of messing around with poop. By that time you will have build enough outbuildings to understand what works and what doesn't, so then hire an Engineer to design and finalize your dream home (and a good engineer might bring up stuff you hadn't considered yet). Sure it's a long road, but certainly doable if that's the goal you want to hit.
they use clever wording, so should you, it's all in the nuance, many people in the uk have houses rejected, but they then build a stable block and have it approved, then immediately apply to have the stable re-registered as residential, and it works every time... it's just a big greenhouse, so long as you have an RV on site there's plausible deniability, there's no reason you are staying in that structure, get the well or cistern built, get the sewage done, and have the presence of the RV certified... you could even back the RV up to one of the tunnels and have it as part of the HAB though not directly connected, afterall on mars i'm assuming the original landing craft will be present!
I would suggest a rudimentary boundary marker/fence of some sort with signage posted advising the uninvited to refrain from trespassing. There's an old western U.S. saying: "Good fences make good neighbors". Of course there will always be those who simply refuse act courteously, but if there's signs posted and an obvious physical demarcation, it alters the psychological aspect of crossing that boundary enough that most will not.
The dayly fine and the heart break of tearing it down just to put it up again with permission is not worth it. Build it show your design to the engender and get the engeneer to sign off and then file. The other option is to go take the test and become certified. You are smart! Your intellect is awsome. You can chqllenge the exam!
That's not how it really works. Passing a test doesn't make anyone automatically approved. It just makes you eligible to be approved. If you're not Jim Bob's brother in law then good luck actually getting approved.
Cody's solstice alignment will be interpreted by archeologists as having the same significance as many megalithic structures. And maybe they're right, but not how they intended.
As soon as you mentioned needing more pressure to cook on mars i immediately thought of pressure cookers, specifically the ones used on US Navy ships during WW2
Depending on your jurisdiction rules, usually you can also get as-built permits for things so potentially when you have it in a state where you would want to live there permanently you can do some drawings yourself and get those stamped by an engineer and that would save the revision costs.
Building codes often exempt buildings 120 square feet or less, accessory structures type U, from building permit requirements. Technically they are supposed to meet code requirements, so I would avoid exposed foam walls and ceilings, cover it all with plaster. Stuff like that. I am an old licensed architect in California but think like an engineer I have been told. Wish I could help some. Probably not eligible for licensure in CO as I have lots of experience but not a 4 year degree. I once designed installed and used a water storage tank system for a small country house during a drought for myself. Got it approved by the county health department. They required a certain chlorine residual but that was easy to meet with pool test kit and such. Had a couple ole stripped hw tanks welded together with metal in the back of my pickup that I would refill in town with a garden hose, they would automatically shut off when full.
The space suit needs safety features, Cody: if it's airtight, it's fundamentally the same as a dry cleaning bag over your head. Please tell us the dead man's switch it has.
It's much cheaper to drive an agricultural well and doesn't require any permits ahead of time. You can get a driven well down to 200" at much cheaper than 50$ a foot. Then you can have it certified for human use later after you test the water over the course of a year. You can just print out the plans for a 200" well and get it stamped as well, that will save you a great deal of money upfront. Then all you need is an accurate survey so the location of the well is accurate in the plans. edit: You should be able to rent a driver attachment for that backhoe that will more than suffice.
Nothing I love more than seeing progress being made Edit: On the topic of your building permit problem I'd suggest the whole "according to government paperwork I live in one location, but where I sleep at night is whatever location I feel like" route is the best way. That's how I have lived my life for a while, my moms house is where my mail gets sent to, where I say I live for jobs, etc. It gives me an excuse to be able to go home and see my mom every now and then in a life where otherwise I probably wouldn't step outside. Your "residence" is whatever house you buy in a nearby town but that wont keep you from sleeping, eating, and existing at chicken hole base. As if you were camping, just extremely often.
glad to see an update! I just binged the series the other day and this came out just as I finished. Good luck with permits, I hope it all works out. My goal in the near future is to get an internship out in new mexico at earthship biotecture so i've been really into environmentally sustainable architecture as of late. But the cost for an internship at earthship with Michael Reynolds is thousands of dollars, I'm hopping i can get sponsored or get scholarship.
