Comments on: On the ropes and off the grid

By: maria

maria — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:24:29 +0000

first all we want to thank you for all the valuable information you have posted, we are leaving to northern arizona to a remote area we have bought 5 acres only we hope to buy more in the future, we will leave in 2 months we leave beacause there is no work where we live, and we strongly feel that “things” will get out of control so we are hope to build a safe area for us and our girls who are in college thank you for all the valuable help

By: Margaret in Canada

Margaret in Canada — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:24:25 +0000

What an amazing story. I do admire you so much. I hope you keep us updated on your progress, in building your dream off grid home. I have been an interior designer for years, and have suddenly found myself, like you, with nothing. Luckily, you did have the land, thank goodness. I do not have any land, but I do have a treasured old Airstream trailer. You have given me inspiration after reading your story. Although I live in a nasty cold climate, there must be some way that I can make use of this asset. I have reached the stage now when I feel nauseous at some of the jobs I have worked at, i.e. kitchen renovations for $300.000 and up. All material crap. You certainly can get caught up so easily in that lifestyle.
Hope you are still having an awesome existence with your new lifestyle. Best wishes.

By: Nick Stratton

Nick Stratton — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:53:59 +0000

Hello from http://www.offgridrving.com this is a project where I am building an off grid rv to live in and save money, getting out of living paycheck to paycheck. stop by the forums and say Hi.

If you are in wisconsin in June or July 2010 you can stop by and see me at the MREA renewable energies fair and the Eco Fair 360!

By: dale

dale — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:30:18 +0000

A ferrocement dome house might be the cheapest way to go. Use them to live in or for storage.

By: Jami

Jami — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:22:06 +0000

Thanks so much for writing about your experience. You have some very helpful tips here.

One question — where did you fill your Norwesco water tank with fresh water?

By: David LaFerney

David LaFerney — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:17:12 +0000

Wow. More and more of us are thinking about the possibility of loosing our homes today, and the success of pioneers like yourself is very encouraging. You were remarkably fortunate that you already owned a piece of wilderness when disaster struck.

If your local soil is suitable you might consider building your home of adobe. With a good plaster coating inside and out as well as a good roof overhang it should make a great home which is durable as well as reasonably energy efficient. I’m a home contractor and I think that’s what I would do if I were homesteading. I would build a post frame and metal roof first to protect the site and act as a shelter while in progress (and collect water off of) and then build the walls.

Good luck, and Merry Christmas.

By: roniutah

roniutah — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:49:17 +0000

Thank you for the insight …. my husband and I are in Vernal and are about to begin our “off the grid” experience.

By: Quick Green Reads For The Weekend Volume Fifty. | The Good Human

Quick Green Reads For The Weekend Volume Fifty. | The Good Human — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:01:07 +0000

[...] “We ended up broke and close to homeless for very ordinary reasons. Many people are only a few paychecks away from being homeless. Steve and I lived a very typical lifestyle until a few years ago. We had a big house with a big mortgage payment, a couple of new cars, credit card debt, etc. We lived beyond our income, charging, borrowing, refinancing, but always spending, spending, spending. Now we live in a remote part of northeast Utah.” As much as how they got there was terrible, I am kind of envious of the way they live… [...]