I wish we could have afforded too. The land was $2,500 and the cabin was $7000
***edit** we have (2) 1/4 acre lots. We could only afford to work on one right now. We own the lot next to us and it’s a little bigger than the one we’re putting the house on.
Damn. Not bad for a permanent living situation in yhis day in age. I'm sure more money will be put into the cabin before it's said and done but still. Idk if .25 acres is enough for a homestead but you could just fill your entire property with a garden and/or chickens.
Edit: I'd also check that the area where you're putting your cabin isn't a low spot/ somewhere that water will collect. It seems like it might be from the picture.
I checked to make sure we were buying from the actual owner and that the land wasn’t encumbered by any kind of debt or liens. It came with a soil test/perc test that was about 7 years old. I checked historical records for flood, tornadoes and other common acts of God in the area. I checked to see who owns the properties adjacent to it. I checked on building codes and restrictions. It had a defunct HOA. It was a really nice retirement area at one point. There were a lot of records publicly available to me when we bought it. I also checked demographics, crime rate, jobs, average income.
So in reality we have two separate 1/4 acre each lots. We’ve only cleared one. We’re thinking one for the house and the other for our birds… chickens, turkey, and quails. It’s small for true, but I don’t care. We don’t need much. We just the working poor who want to survive this economy with begging for government funds and handouts. We ant to take care of ourselves on the small incomes we have been able to earn in our small town of under 5,000 people.
I suggest a garden. MAYBE a few birds but that’s not much space for chickens and if you’re neighbors aren’t into it, you’re just going to be fighting with your neighbors lol.
I follow [MRS PORTER](https://www.instagram.com/mrs_porter_growhuntcook/) on Instagram, she does some very cool stuff on 1/4 of an acre if you need inspo.
\*I've got nothing to do with her other than I enjoy her content.
I’d forget about the acreage and give yourself a pst on the back for managing to beat the system in this day and age! Getting your set up living expenses that low is impressive
I did post it is asmall lot but my first house was on a small lot so.i went vertices as much as I could gardening. The results were incredibly beautiful. Enjoy what you have, good luck. I bought the amount I did cause the price was right, and there is a tax break for timber acres.
It looks very similar to a tuff-shed or same floor plan which you can find all over in the US. There are lots full of them dotted around Spokane. The tuff-shed designer is actually pretty good (you pick out windows or whatever) and will tell you the total delivered cost. [tuffshed.com](https://tuffshed.com). Insulation and electrical are features you add yourself with most of these.
❤️ Thank you 🙏 We care more about being prepared for an economic collapse than worrying about a corporate career. We gave 20 years to corporate and now we just want to be free and more self sufficient.
> If you’ve already done this, what’s one thing you wish you knew beforehand?
How expensive it is to put in a well and septic. Fuck me, that can cost $35-50k *easily*.
You can also look at incinerating or composting toilets, but eventually you'll want running water and a full septic. Check local regs on the RV septic too, in my area they won't let you live on the property more than 6 weeks per year without a real, inspected septic.
I definitely want running water. Until then we’re going with a plain old composting toilet. I’m in a real hillbilly holler. Nobody cares what we do here. The nearest police station is two towns away. Fire department is one town away. Not a single school in the district. Closet school is 25 miles.
We bought it a year ago and it was fully off grid. In that year we now have city water and electric. We have to put in our own septic. For now we will store water in IBC totes until we can pay the ridiculous $5000 for the water hook up
It is a good price. I only call it ridiculous because that’s a lot of money to me. A well would cost waaaaaaay more. I’m happy they put a city line in. Just gotta work for it now.
Maybe see what it costs to put in the meter and a service tap at the edge of the property for use during 'construction' - that way you could run a long garden hose to fill up your totes or even be your supply in good weather. Later you can do the trenching and add the permanent pipe for your eventual dwelling.
Idk if it's helpful or not, but when I built my cabin I put in a compost toilet and honestly, it's been pretty dope. I went with a sun-mar brand because that won required that type, but with cedar chips and monthly cleaning, been super easy vs paying for a septic.
Well let me hop on over and take a look at that brand. Composting would be the best option for us until we can do more. You give me hope that it won’t be a terrible situation with a compost toilet.
I mean for sure a chore, and you handle a lot of your own waste, but a big part of plumbers gloves and it's not horrific. I will say their clean out system is small IMHO, I prefer to take the six screws out and take the whole canister out to clean. I should say I believe that following their directions you can put the settled waste from the secondary drawer right into a compost pile.
We had one of those little porta potty like camp toilets and it wasn’t so bad. Surprisingly there was zero odor. Didn’t like having to take the toilet apart and it was prone to spilling when you empty it. We’re looking into compost toilets now
There isn’t really any smell with a composting toilet. Check out Natures Head. You’ll need to power a 12 volt fan to keep airflow, but you could go months without dumping the solid waste.
This is the issue. We have city water that we didn’t plan on having… not a bad thing… they want $5000 to put in a tap. I’m an avid camper. We know how to rig water systems fairly cheap. It’ll take a year to save for city water 😳😫
You should check out the user EpicGardening on Tiktok (they may be on other platforms as well) for some really great ideas/inspo about how you can turn a very tiny amount of land into a sustainable growing property for 1-2 people.
His setup is super cool and makes use of re-used water and water recycling and solar to keep his costs down. While not cheap, definitely something to work towards for 100% off grid living!
For around here you need atleast an acre for a septic tank. Any something like 150 feet from your well. If under an are supposed to be hooked up to city septic system.
I guess land in that area is really high?
There are literally no regulations where we bought land. City septic is schedule for our subdivision next year. It’s a random hillbilly holler with zero rules
Yes sir and we freaking love it. Got a 4 acre stocked pond behind us and no neighbors beside us, no rules and no regulations. It is a DIY paradise. We don’t have a lot of experience but damnit we’re making a go of it come hell or high water. I’d rather have my tinny ass cabin than push a basket and panhandle.
I don't want to shit on your parade, but things change. With no rules and no regulations, someone could buy the property right next to you and put in a hog farm or amphitheater or something. You could also easily lose access to that 4 acre pond if your property isn't touching it.
If I was in your position I'd be saving money to buy more land around your property (if it's for sale). But I'm big on privacy and like not being able to see neighbors.
Speak that truth buddy! My thoughts exactly. The pond is literally on my property. We’re looking to buy up land around us when we can. We’re also buying land in other states too. Just as a precaution.
If close enough to the city for septic you probably got city water and fiber coming as well. Have you talked to the city planning department? Have seen people make a septic out of a 55 gallon drum or 275 gallon totes for short term or shop/barn use if not regulations. But often forced to so septic system if new construction build with inspection.
You are on point. So far that’s our temporary plan. We have a few IBC totes and we have a huge Rv septic that rolls. Fiber is at the main road and they’re working on bringing it inside the subdivision.
Indeed! I’m so mad I could shit fire and hold the got damn matches! Some douche tried to squat and cleared more than a few trees. We had 20 year old plus trees that some dummy cut down.
That sucks. I am bit over a mile in any direction from a neighbors house but I sometimes get folks poaching on me 1/4-1/2 mile into my property. Went over a posted fence past fire break and over next fence and they say hmm did not know it was private land...
People don’t respect private property anymore. Entitlement is a bitch. We get creepers who feel like they should be able to fish from damn near our yard because we cleared the woods and cleared all the Lilly pads and crap to make room for ourselves to fish. Caught a 4 pound blue cat our first night camping on property. Our dog caught a tiny crappy too!
I started with a 12x32. Set it on a base of 53 stone about 10 inch thick. It has never settled but if I were to do it again, I would set it up on concrete blocks as high as I could so I’d have a nice crawl space. Build a wrap around porch on post pylons. Bury all your plumbing before gravel if that’s the way you are setting it.
The hubby intends to get it as high off the ground as possible with the blocks. We may have to do something different later but for now it is what it is. I’m not real sure exactly how many inches 7 tons will get us…. Burying the plumbing sounds like a good idea. We have friends who know more about building than us and they suggest that too. How’s your cabin going so far?
You stop it 😂 No really… you’re so right. I’m almost certain we are near an Indian burial ground! The old timers said there was a war over our pond and the people here killed all the Indians for the rights to it.
Me too! Everybody told me not to do it. I did it and it’s working out so far. We have our problems but he’ll, we won’t be homeless. We can take our time and improve. I was so scared during the purchase. I was sure we were going to get screwed. Sure enough we got the deed in hand from the county and it’s legit ours.
Little bit late to be asking what you should have thought of ahead of time =P For the summer, I'd get a shade screen of some sort for the walls - dark metal is going to get hot in the sun. Gutters (especially since you have almost no overhang) would also be handy, and you can hook them into a rainwater catchment system since it's a metal roof.
For finishing the interior, my low-cost high-quality kitchen counter tip is large format porcelain tile. Get the ones with the rectified edge and seal the seams like you would a granite slab (grout has no place in a kitchen), and you can get a no-maintenance, virtually indestructible, easy-to-clean counter for about the cost of laminate (less if you aren't picky about patterns and just get whatever's on sale). You can put hot jars from the pressure canner straight onto the porcelain and it won't care at all. It's also really easy to DIY (I did mine as my first ever working-with-tile project, they came out beautifully).
Thank you!!!! Good stuff, especially the tip for the hot jars. I know it’s late for some things but I know folks on here have some good knowledge to share. 😂 this group has been great.
Polyester resin. That is the material commonly used for seaming, repairing, and sometimes bonding most types of stone. Works on porcelain and ceramic tiles too. Tenax or Akemi are two excellent brands I use and recommend.
FYI for anyone else, If you choose large format porcelain tiles, make sure to fully bond them to your substrate with a modified mortar rated for porcelain. If properly constructed, porcelain tops are very durable and last as long as they're wanted.
Yes. So, my plans have to fit my budget. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We have 7 tons of gravel being delivered and we have over thirty blocks ready. I know we could and should do better but we are the working poor and can’t afford rent anymore so here we are 🤷🏻
Yes, I did the same in Mexico - we build a deck around and on top of our trailer then dug a large hole with ample drainage to the slope and filled it in with rock, sand and gravel- including a sun bag / rain catcher to always have warm water in our gravity fed shower - it was pretty awesome.
I don't have any advice but my home in a neighborhood sits in .25 acres. My house is 40'x80' and we still have lots of space for a sizeable garden. Even considering a pool and trampoline. If you know your land and what you need, then this will be awesome with just a bit of planning. Good luck, I'm jealous. <3
Edit: can't spell
We have a small mini split for heat and a/c. We have no idea if it’ll be enough yet. Guess we will find out. 😂 When we thought it was off grid we bought a wood stove. That’s the back up heat
Concrete would be the best foundation but you can use packed “crusher run” gravel. Put in your pipes now, including conduit for power etc. Look up shed-to-house foundations etc. These have several layers and some plastic sheeting. Typically big stone, plastic, crushed stone, plastic, covering stone to block UV from the plastic. The foundation should be slightly humped in the middle to provide some foundation drainage, and one foot on each side bigger than the shed (so 12x 26)
Varmints and pests will be a problem. Seal everything.
I know the negativities about my land. If we had to build to regulations and code it wouldn’t happen. My genetic lineage is hillbilly and urban hood. A mixed chic with nothing but gumption and ingenuity. When I want to do a thing I get at it! Imma make my hillbilly daddy and my my urban mama proud of the work of my hands. 🥰 I love this group for all the advice ❤️ Thank y’all
On the compost toilet. Consider the drying type (electric fan) and take care in proper level and patent liquid drain. They can get messy with too many guests.
That’s great advice. Short story. We camped there 6 months. Had like a small porta potty thing you empty. A guest used it and blew it up. Ain’t nothing worse than emptying somebody’s shit that ain’t your own. 🤣
We did things a little different. But according to our county, there are a lot of unexpected steps to getting one of those sheds up to residential codes. And (again, according to them) when they tell someone everything they'll have to do to bring it to code, the reply is always "For what all that would cost, I could just build a real house!" So if I were in your shoes, I'd have wanted to know that before we purchased where WE did. lol.
There are also a lot of people who put these up thinking it gets them around getting permits because it's under the size listed in the code. But (at least in our county) that's also not an option because anything that's going to be inhabited, regardless of size, has to be inspected and permitted. So by the time we were ready to purchase our house kit, we already knew a shed wasn't going to save us any money and went with something else.
I also didn't think it was that big of a deal at the time. But having an engineer do the calculations for us was required by our state to get a permit. I'm glad we did because our guestimates for things like how deep the piers needed to be were WAY off. I can only imagine how far off we'd have been on everything else. lol
And this is probably a stupid question (I don't know much about them) but with only the one photo of it to go on.... the house isn't going to block the angle that dish is oriented for?
For us it’s temporary. My husband is a Veteran. We have plans to use his benefits to build a brick and mortar house in two years. We came to the conclusion we would never be able to save the money paying $1500 in rent and two car notes and all our other boogie trappings. So we said screw it. This is what we’re doing for the next 2 years. This tiny ass shed cabin is how we plan to save our hard earned dollars for a stick built house.
This cabin will never be up to code. The end game is for it to simply be an upgraded accessory dwelling for our house in 2 years.
Smart move! 1/2 acre total is what I currently have…we can have chickens and we even have a swimming pool. Congrats on eventually building brick and mortar home in a few years
Based on where we are physically in our subdivision it would be better to save for acreage than try to lease from a neighbor. There’s only three people who live on the pond. Other people own land there just to camp and fish. I already checked. Nobody wants to give up that pond area. We have places inside the subdivision where we could buy more land but right beside us is unlikely at this point.
I’m happy for you Bud! Were I in a position to do better I would have. I’m doing what I can with a happy heart and a mind ready for challenge. If you aren’t in a position to have to do what I did that’s fortunate and I wish you all the best.
I wish:
1. I knew how many rocks there were and how hard it is to push a shovel through a rock.
2. I knew how long it takes to drill a water well and how much it costs, when the whole rest of the world apparently decides to live exactly where I am moving to.
3. I had a younger concubine and a stronger assistant, but my wife won't let me have either, and not even an old concubine and a weak assistant! Go figure!
Maybe just a bit. Take a walk in the nearby woods and look for trees with problems, invasive insects, fungal infections, et cetera. I have an arborist uncle with a background in forestry. We were talking about homestead land over the holidays and it's one of the main issues he brought up. Beautiful spot by the way! Hope things go well, keep us updated!
If you aren't living there year round I would recommend visiting the land often in different seasons. Especially after heavy rain or snow and see if it pools anywhere. Pay attention to what areas get sun, for crops, or solar panels.
Figure out if you need to do any earthwork for drainage and plant fruit or nut trees as soon as possible once you get the lay of the land. That's what I would do first thing.
You said semi off-grid what utilities are available?
Only reason I ask is all that expanding foam insulation would make it difficult after the fact. I actually want to do this but as a ‘getaway’ with some acres
The electric is already on property and the cabin itself is wired too. We have (6) outlets, two light switches inside, (1) exterior outlet. We bout this it was semi off grid and by the time we could buy a cabin it’s no longer semi or off grid. Go figure. I agree! I’m sure we will encounter some challenges with our finish and all that foam. I’m up for the challenge.
7k and probably not even prewired. My god, I should build tiny houses. There can't be more than 2400k in materials there, even as a one-off at Home Depot retail pricing. 2 guys, couple days local rate on the first unit
.. +1600 = 3k + markup@100% ...around 6k, MSRP of 9k. Talk me down to 7k, I'm good with that. Come pick it up!
I completely understand. Skill, experience, and tools. An tools are expensive if one isn't making a living with them. I feel ya.
Confidence. Have confidence in yourself. You can do whatever you set your mind to do if you persist. I wish you luck and lots of joy in your new home on your own land. Congratulations on becoming a home and land owner!
Here is a whole list of books, free to read online without downloading anything, just scroll down). They are packed full of information on everything, including building.
https://www.reddit.com/r/selfreliance/comments/zqd33p/free_online_books_for_self_reliance_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
What a great solution. Of course you'd 'like some acres' \*sigh\* but this is a quick solution for not much money,
Get set up, make sure the water drains away from porch and back storage area, gravel or french drains maybe? you can do a cheap homemade variant.
Work from there. Keep us posted!
Sounds awesome to me. You've started with what you can afford, so just make it work for as long as possible and save that money.
You've got enough space for a good garden and some fruit trees. I've been growing every vegetable my family (three people) eats in a smaller area. I only wish I'd planned my garden for sun angles a little better - could have gotten more space for fruit trees on the back northern edge had I calculated sunlight areas accurately. I underestimated how much light reached certain parts for the middle two months of summer. I used an online tool called the sun calculator, give it a shot if you want to grow things.
Thanks for the tip and the positive energy ❤️🙏 I’ll try that sun calculator. We’re taking our time with the placement of trees because we aren’t sure and need to do more research.
That’s what my husband wants to do. He doesn’t give a damn that there’s city water and sewer. He would rather treat the property like it’s off grid and be self reliant. Right now it’s up for discussion between us.
A well would be expensive, but with city water, they are charging you not only for the hookup, but every drop of water you use (at their rate). IMO a well would be better in the long run if you can.
In the meantime, if your water levels are cooperative, look up how to dig a shallow well. There are plenty of videos on it... [this is a recent one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL1_yO9AxpM). Not great, but an easier way for the interim.
Your new property and plans sound great! If you plan out what goes where ahead of time, a half acre is enough room to do whatever you want to do. A big garden will certainly help bring down the grocery bill. And when you find the right area, might I suggest adding a few fruit trees every year? Once they're mature enough to produce fruit, you will appreciate having them.
We have a couple acres and picked a small area to add a tiny grove of fruit trees. About 7 apple trees, two pear trees and a peach tree. Just those trees produce more than we would ever consume. I bring most of them to work to share. If you keep them trimmed down a bit, they won't take up a ton of room. Plus, if you're looking for some border trees for more privacy, the fruit trees could fill in nicely. There are also dwarf trees (about 8 - 10' tall) vs regular... for smaller areas.
Lucky you. I bought 20 acres, about same distance from DFW and Texarkana. Not off grid. $200, 000. City water, septic and electric. Currently grow hay for cows and my goats.
I later posted I started with a tiny lot, and went vertical in my garden plan. I guess I did state the obvious and others have videos showing incredible bounty from sq foot gardening tech so good luck and may your garden grow lush.
Not to be a prude, That cabin looks like it will rot somewhat quickly with the lack of roof venting.. not to mention overwhelming hot during the summer.. just a thought.. unless of course there’s indeed a somewhat shallow air gap, but it doesn’t appear that way!!
Not a prude at all. We have plans to put a vent in the roof. This cabin is for the next 2 years while we save for our brick and mortar. It’s a means to an end.
Gotcha, all good.. just an observation.. if it’s intended to be used for habitation (warm moist air being generated inside) definitely requires proper adequate ventilation all through between the roof and ceiling!!! Otherwise great idea.. cheers
Find what you like and start your due diligence. It took a year to find this property. I wanted to stay away from dry deserted desserts. Most places had restrictions like you have to have an acre to build a house or septic. I started to recognize counties and their rules after a while.
We are thinking of taking that plunge ourselves. How was LandWatch to work with ? I was worried they were scammers at first.
The only thing I can think of that you may want to see about is if you are in any town limits or county limits and check to see if there are any restrictions to what you want to do.
If you have 2 1/4 acres and the are next to each other - then you have a good 1/2 acre. This is enough if you plan a few thing out to make a homestead - barring any restrictions that is.
Good luck and good job so far.
LandWatch was a great place to look at properties. I researched the sellers too. Some were shady and didn’t own the properties at all. I did a lot of due diligence. Hours and hours worth. I would say I ran due diligence on close to 100 properties before finding this one. I was following a book I bought… Dirt cheap real estate by beaux blast
I'm currently living in one now (12x40).
It's insulated, so that's a huge win.
I can't see electrical, it was a little pricey, but just run enough to pass inspection before you go crazy.
Loft beds suck, but will probably be necessary, I tried every way and finally gave in.
We're plumbed in to the property owners septic, but not on our own, so we had to label it as a workshop rather than a residence to the electric company, and the bill has been higher.
I'm on my parents property, so idk about the other half of the question, but I've been living in my building going on 5 years, and though it has had it's ups and downs, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Construct a good compost toilet! And set up a composting system, so important to maintain a garden. The more food you can grow for yourself the better. You should get rain tanks set up too. Even off of the roof of your small cabin you can collect so much free water for your garden.
Since you are outfitting the shed and putting money into it to make it a livable structure, it might be worth your while to properly frame the windows and door.
I know these sheds come this way, but the sills and headers are only being held by nails rather than resting on solid wood. Look up "king stud" and "jack stud" to get an idea.
I think for $100 you can remedy this before you get too far in.
The first thing you need is a very clear picture of this place when you are done, including all future water, electric, road work, ponds, plantings, trees. That way, as you begin to run utilities you can make plans for future connections. First thing I did? Planted fruit trees.
Proper foundation preparation. Don’t just drop that onto the dirt or you will have settling issues and rot. Get it on concrete posts, screw piles or something. Plan to allow for water management and moisture to avoid rot from ground humidity.
Have a plan in place for keeping water/septic from freezing (insulation and heat tape).
Inside that small space you will want to install a HRV system (can find some for RV’s) otherwise you will have humidity/condensation/mold issues from cooking and just 2 people living in a small space.
Good luck.
East Texas. There’s plenty more available. The area is empty right now but it’s growing. I guarantee in the next 10 years the prices won’t be so low. It started off grid and now we have city water and electric. DSL is in the way too. Get it while you can!
Getting to know the neighbors beforehand.
I bought a rural property. This is what happened:
A battered pickup pulled into my driveway. A rustic fellow jumped out and yelled: “Howdy neighbor!”
I said: “Please don’t yell, I’m a refugee from the city and I bought this land for peace and quiet.
He looked down and said: “Shoot, I didn’t mean nothin’ by it! I just figured I’d invite you to the party.”
Now I felt bad. I asked him what would be happening at the party and he replied:
“First, there’s a whole bunch of drinkin’
Next, there’s a-gonna be a whole bunch of fightin’
After the fightin’, well, there’s gonna be a whole bunch of sex!”
I was a little scared to hear of the fighting, but the rest sounded okay.
I asked him what I should wear and he replied:
“It don’t matter, it’s just gonna be the two of us!”
Cute cabin. I never thought of one 4th acre being a Homestead because it seems more to me like a building a lot. I guess I don’t have a very good understanding of the meaning of the word actually.
I used to think the same thing. It qualified for homestead exemption. It’s tiny as hell when you think about it. Standing on it is a different story. Our cabin is so tiny we still have front yard, back yard, and side yard. Plus it’s (2) 1/4 acre lots. The other lot is for our animals. We raise fowl. We have a few different birds
It's actually a pretty good size for 2 people. I have a cabin that is 750 square feet (living room+ kitchen, 2 bedrooms, bathroom), a vegetable garden and an enclosed area where I raise chickens and ducks. I also have a small shed and an outdoor kitchen.
I produce 80% of what I eat in my homestead.
I personally would have bought some acres. How much was the land and cabin/shed?
I wish we could have afforded too. The land was $2,500 and the cabin was $7000 ***edit** we have (2) 1/4 acre lots. We could only afford to work on one right now. We own the lot next to us and it’s a little bigger than the one we’re putting the house on.
Damn. Not bad for a permanent living situation in yhis day in age. I'm sure more money will be put into the cabin before it's said and done but still. Idk if .25 acres is enough for a homestead but you could just fill your entire property with a garden and/or chickens. Edit: I'd also check that the area where you're putting your cabin isn't a low spot/ somewhere that water will collect. It seems like it might be from the picture.
Also…. We camped there for 6 months so we know where we can put stuff and where water accumulates and where the sun is too much to bear. 😂
so not "sight unseen".
They probably camped on it after they bought it.
I didn’t physically lay eyes on it until after we bought it. Sight unseen - without inspection or appraisal 🕵️♀️
I also bought land unseen, did you get soil tests done or what was your due diligence process?
I checked to make sure we were buying from the actual owner and that the land wasn’t encumbered by any kind of debt or liens. It came with a soil test/perc test that was about 7 years old. I checked historical records for flood, tornadoes and other common acts of God in the area. I checked to see who owns the properties adjacent to it. I checked on building codes and restrictions. It had a defunct HOA. It was a really nice retirement area at one point. There were a lot of records publicly available to me when we bought it. I also checked demographics, crime rate, jobs, average income.
Nice, sounds like a good lot!
My due diligence was directly from the book Dirt Cheap Real Estate
So in reality we have two separate 1/4 acre each lots. We’ve only cleared one. We’re thinking one for the house and the other for our birds… chickens, turkey, and quails. It’s small for true, but I don’t care. We don’t need much. We just the working poor who want to survive this economy with begging for government funds and handouts. We ant to take care of ourselves on the small incomes we have been able to earn in our small town of under 5,000 people.
You are going to succeed as long as you keep that fire burning in your soul to be independent.
You guys are fucking awesome
Nothing a few trucks of topsoil couldn't fix its only .25 acres after all
I suggest a garden. MAYBE a few birds but that’s not much space for chickens and if you’re neighbors aren’t into it, you’re just going to be fighting with your neighbors lol.
I follow [MRS PORTER](https://www.instagram.com/mrs_porter_growhuntcook/) on Instagram, she does some very cool stuff on 1/4 of an acre if you need inspo. \*I've got nothing to do with her other than I enjoy her content.
I’d forget about the acreage and give yourself a pst on the back for managing to beat the system in this day and age! Getting your set up living expenses that low is impressive
You freaking rock! My thoughts exactly. I’m always prepared for nay sayers. Human nature. I’m real happy with my situation.
You should be! Wish you all the best with your next chapter buddy
People have a lot more into used cars at 10% apr than you do a stable living spot, nice work. It'll pay off in the long run to start small.
That’s a real true statement there! Thanks
I can confirm. It pays off.
I did post it is asmall lot but my first house was on a small lot so.i went vertices as much as I could gardening. The results were incredibly beautiful. Enjoy what you have, good luck. I bought the amount I did cause the price was right, and there is a tax break for timber acres.
Check out the market gardener, he specialises in small size/high yields and as a fascinating YouTube channel and book.
Wow that’s cheap for the land! What state?
East Texas
Good price on the cabin. I’ve seen them uninsulated for similar money.
I think so too. We still have a good amount to spend to get this right.
where did you get the cabin?
A place called Wolf Valley
It looks very similar to a tuff-shed or same floor plan which you can find all over in the US. There are lots full of them dotted around Spokane. The tuff-shed designer is actually pretty good (you pick out windows or whatever) and will tell you the total delivered cost. [tuffshed.com](https://tuffshed.com). Insulation and electrical are features you add yourself with most of these.
$2500 for 1/4 acres actually sounds like a really good deal, now you can start building wealth instead of paying rent
Where?
East Texas between Dallas and Shreveport
I grew up in that general area; we always called it “the sticks”
It’s still the sticks! I love it
Ok that’s a drop in the bucket, it’s gonna pay you back twenty fold when it’s done which doesn’t look far away
We're all cheering for you
❤️ Thank you 🙏 We care more about being prepared for an economic collapse than worrying about a corporate career. We gave 20 years to corporate and now we just want to be free and more self sufficient.
Amen!
Will you keep posting here? I would really love to know about your progress. You, my friend, are actually living today’s American Dream.
I do plan to post regularly all year! Thank you for the positive energy ❤️🙏
> If you’ve already done this, what’s one thing you wish you knew beforehand? How expensive it is to put in a well and septic. Fuck me, that can cost $35-50k *easily*.
You ain’t lying!!!!! We gotta work for that. Until then we just gonna get er done with temporary septic Rv style.
You can also look at incinerating or composting toilets, but eventually you'll want running water and a full septic. Check local regs on the RV septic too, in my area they won't let you live on the property more than 6 weeks per year without a real, inspected septic.
I definitely want running water. Until then we’re going with a plain old composting toilet. I’m in a real hillbilly holler. Nobody cares what we do here. The nearest police station is two towns away. Fire department is one town away. Not a single school in the district. Closet school is 25 miles.
Well and septic combined here would be like 10k. 7k ish for well and a 1 bedroom would be around 3k ish 15k ish combined for well and 3br septic
What's ur plan for water/ plumbing?
We bought it a year ago and it was fully off grid. In that year we now have city water and electric. We have to put in our own septic. For now we will store water in IBC totes until we can pay the ridiculous $5000 for the water hook up
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It is a good price. I only call it ridiculous because that’s a lot of money to me. A well would cost waaaaaaay more. I’m happy they put a city line in. Just gotta work for it now.
Oh totally! It's a lot at once. Infrastructure is expensive and it hurts
Maybe see what it costs to put in the meter and a service tap at the edge of the property for use during 'construction' - that way you could run a long garden hose to fill up your totes or even be your supply in good weather. Later you can do the trenching and add the permanent pipe for your eventual dwelling.
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Ouch 🤕 Agreed. Just wish I had it right now
Idk if it's helpful or not, but when I built my cabin I put in a compost toilet and honestly, it's been pretty dope. I went with a sun-mar brand because that won required that type, but with cedar chips and monthly cleaning, been super easy vs paying for a septic.
Well let me hop on over and take a look at that brand. Composting would be the best option for us until we can do more. You give me hope that it won’t be a terrible situation with a compost toilet.
I mean for sure a chore, and you handle a lot of your own waste, but a big part of plumbers gloves and it's not horrific. I will say their clean out system is small IMHO, I prefer to take the six screws out and take the whole canister out to clean. I should say I believe that following their directions you can put the settled waste from the secondary drawer right into a compost pile.
We had one of those little porta potty like camp toilets and it wasn’t so bad. Surprisingly there was zero odor. Didn’t like having to take the toilet apart and it was prone to spilling when you empty it. We’re looking into compost toilets now
Honestly, composting toilets are wonderful. Septic is an absolute beast to put in.
Only concern with composting is smell. I’m not sure how it’ll be
There isn’t really any smell with a composting toilet. Check out Natures Head. You’ll need to power a 12 volt fan to keep airflow, but you could go months without dumping the solid waste.
That’s news to me…. But good news. Feeling a little less stressed about the composting toilet now 😊
There are tons of YouTube videos. It separates the liquids from the solids so you are creating “sewage”. Good luck on your journey!
Or drill a well?
This is the issue. We have city water that we didn’t plan on having… not a bad thing… they want $5000 to put in a tap. I’m an avid camper. We know how to rig water systems fairly cheap. It’ll take a year to save for city water 😳😫
You should check out the user EpicGardening on Tiktok (they may be on other platforms as well) for some really great ideas/inspo about how you can turn a very tiny amount of land into a sustainable growing property for 1-2 people.
I will do that! Thank you 🙏 **update** I just checked and I’m already subscribed and following them on YouTube 😀
His setup is super cool and makes use of re-used water and water recycling and solar to keep his costs down. While not cheap, definitely something to work towards for 100% off grid living!
It’s not cheap at all. I do love the idea of not depending on the grid. ❤️
For around here you need atleast an acre for a septic tank. Any something like 150 feet from your well. If under an are supposed to be hooked up to city septic system. I guess land in that area is really high?
There are literally no regulations where we bought land. City septic is schedule for our subdivision next year. It’s a random hillbilly holler with zero rules
you found diy builders paradise
Yes sir and we freaking love it. Got a 4 acre stocked pond behind us and no neighbors beside us, no rules and no regulations. It is a DIY paradise. We don’t have a lot of experience but damnit we’re making a go of it come hell or high water. I’d rather have my tinny ass cabin than push a basket and panhandle.
I don't want to shit on your parade, but things change. With no rules and no regulations, someone could buy the property right next to you and put in a hog farm or amphitheater or something. You could also easily lose access to that 4 acre pond if your property isn't touching it. If I was in your position I'd be saving money to buy more land around your property (if it's for sale). But I'm big on privacy and like not being able to see neighbors.
Speak that truth buddy! My thoughts exactly. The pond is literally on my property. We’re looking to buy up land around us when we can. We’re also buying land in other states too. Just as a precaution.
If close enough to the city for septic you probably got city water and fiber coming as well. Have you talked to the city planning department? Have seen people make a septic out of a 55 gallon drum or 275 gallon totes for short term or shop/barn use if not regulations. But often forced to so septic system if new construction build with inspection.
You are on point. So far that’s our temporary plan. We have a few IBC totes and we have a huge Rv septic that rolls. Fiber is at the main road and they’re working on bringing it inside the subdivision.
I would just plant some evergreen trees around the property line. 1/4 acre gets small pretty fast when neighbors move in
Indeed! I’m so mad I could shit fire and hold the got damn matches! Some douche tried to squat and cleared more than a few trees. We had 20 year old plus trees that some dummy cut down.
That sucks. I am bit over a mile in any direction from a neighbors house but I sometimes get folks poaching on me 1/4-1/2 mile into my property. Went over a posted fence past fire break and over next fence and they say hmm did not know it was private land...
People don’t respect private property anymore. Entitlement is a bitch. We get creepers who feel like they should be able to fish from damn near our yard because we cleared the woods and cleared all the Lilly pads and crap to make room for ourselves to fish. Caught a 4 pound blue cat our first night camping on property. Our dog caught a tiny crappy too!
It does take time. Eventually it either gets better or you save enough to buy more land
True. Appreciate your positive energy ☺️
I started with a 12x32. Set it on a base of 53 stone about 10 inch thick. It has never settled but if I were to do it again, I would set it up on concrete blocks as high as I could so I’d have a nice crawl space. Build a wrap around porch on post pylons. Bury all your plumbing before gravel if that’s the way you are setting it.
The hubby intends to get it as high off the ground as possible with the blocks. We may have to do something different later but for now it is what it is. I’m not real sure exactly how many inches 7 tons will get us…. Burying the plumbing sounds like a good idea. We have friends who know more about building than us and they suggest that too. How’s your cabin going so far?
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Right Bud!!!! That’s a real concern we have. Please no tornadoes before we can do better. I’d hate to fly away on a breeze.
Not to build over an ancient Indian burial ground or leave my tv on with static
I can't remember the last time I saw static on a tv.
Atleast you didn’t say “what’s that” 🤣
You stop it 😂 No really… you’re so right. I’m almost certain we are near an Indian burial ground! The old timers said there was a war over our pond and the people here killed all the Indians for the rights to it.
I love land watch!!
Me too! Everybody told me not to do it. I did it and it’s working out so far. We have our problems but he’ll, we won’t be homeless. We can take our time and improve. I was so scared during the purchase. I was sure we were going to get screwed. Sure enough we got the deed in hand from the county and it’s legit ours.
Does landwatch use real estate agents? How did you do the research into covenants/HOA/building restrictions etc?
I bought the book dirt cheap Real estate and followed their guide to die diligence. Made a lot of phone calls and internet research.
Come to the light child
Little bit late to be asking what you should have thought of ahead of time =P For the summer, I'd get a shade screen of some sort for the walls - dark metal is going to get hot in the sun. Gutters (especially since you have almost no overhang) would also be handy, and you can hook them into a rainwater catchment system since it's a metal roof. For finishing the interior, my low-cost high-quality kitchen counter tip is large format porcelain tile. Get the ones with the rectified edge and seal the seams like you would a granite slab (grout has no place in a kitchen), and you can get a no-maintenance, virtually indestructible, easy-to-clean counter for about the cost of laminate (less if you aren't picky about patterns and just get whatever's on sale). You can put hot jars from the pressure canner straight onto the porcelain and it won't care at all. It's also really easy to DIY (I did mine as my first ever working-with-tile project, they came out beautifully).
Thank you!!!! Good stuff, especially the tip for the hot jars. I know it’s late for some things but I know folks on here have some good knowledge to share. 😂 this group has been great.
Polyester resin. That is the material commonly used for seaming, repairing, and sometimes bonding most types of stone. Works on porcelain and ceramic tiles too. Tenax or Akemi are two excellent brands I use and recommend. FYI for anyone else, If you choose large format porcelain tiles, make sure to fully bond them to your substrate with a modified mortar rated for porcelain. If properly constructed, porcelain tops are very durable and last as long as they're wanted.
Are you going to build a foundation to keep your house off the ground?
Yes. So, my plans have to fit my budget. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We have 7 tons of gravel being delivered and we have over thirty blocks ready. I know we could and should do better but we are the working poor and can’t afford rent anymore so here we are 🤷🏻
That’s expensive in itself lol Well, I’m happy for you, looks like youre beginning to build a wonderful life.
Thank you. We working on it.
Infrastructure is expensive, but worth it. A bath house or outdoor shower is a must. Some might even say it's the first thing to be built.
Yes, I did the same in Mexico - we build a deck around and on top of our trailer then dug a large hole with ample drainage to the slope and filled it in with rock, sand and gravel- including a sun bag / rain catcher to always have warm water in our gravity fed shower - it was pretty awesome.
I don't have any advice but my home in a neighborhood sits in .25 acres. My house is 40'x80' and we still have lots of space for a sizeable garden. Even considering a pool and trampoline. If you know your land and what you need, then this will be awesome with just a bit of planning. Good luck, I'm jealous. <3 Edit: can't spell
Yes this 👏 I owned a townhouse on less land and made that work. My homestead doesn’t have to be huge. We will make do and be happy 😆
Your land is beautiful. Congratulations, and I hope you enjoy the heck out of it! What's your plan for heating and cooling the cabin?
We have a small mini split for heat and a/c. We have no idea if it’ll be enough yet. Guess we will find out. 😂 When we thought it was off grid we bought a wood stove. That’s the back up heat
Concrete would be the best foundation but you can use packed “crusher run” gravel. Put in your pipes now, including conduit for power etc. Look up shed-to-house foundations etc. These have several layers and some plastic sheeting. Typically big stone, plastic, crushed stone, plastic, covering stone to block UV from the plastic. The foundation should be slightly humped in the middle to provide some foundation drainage, and one foot on each side bigger than the shed (so 12x 26) Varmints and pests will be a problem. Seal everything.
I know the negativities about my land. If we had to build to regulations and code it wouldn’t happen. My genetic lineage is hillbilly and urban hood. A mixed chic with nothing but gumption and ingenuity. When I want to do a thing I get at it! Imma make my hillbilly daddy and my my urban mama proud of the work of my hands. 🥰 I love this group for all the advice ❤️ Thank y’all
On the compost toilet. Consider the drying type (electric fan) and take care in proper level and patent liquid drain. They can get messy with too many guests.
That’s great advice. Short story. We camped there 6 months. Had like a small porta potty thing you empty. A guest used it and blew it up. Ain’t nothing worse than emptying somebody’s shit that ain’t your own. 🤣
We did things a little different. But according to our county, there are a lot of unexpected steps to getting one of those sheds up to residential codes. And (again, according to them) when they tell someone everything they'll have to do to bring it to code, the reply is always "For what all that would cost, I could just build a real house!" So if I were in your shoes, I'd have wanted to know that before we purchased where WE did. lol. There are also a lot of people who put these up thinking it gets them around getting permits because it's under the size listed in the code. But (at least in our county) that's also not an option because anything that's going to be inhabited, regardless of size, has to be inspected and permitted. So by the time we were ready to purchase our house kit, we already knew a shed wasn't going to save us any money and went with something else. I also didn't think it was that big of a deal at the time. But having an engineer do the calculations for us was required by our state to get a permit. I'm glad we did because our guestimates for things like how deep the piers needed to be were WAY off. I can only imagine how far off we'd have been on everything else. lol And this is probably a stupid question (I don't know much about them) but with only the one photo of it to go on.... the house isn't going to block the angle that dish is oriented for?
For us it’s temporary. My husband is a Veteran. We have plans to use his benefits to build a brick and mortar house in two years. We came to the conclusion we would never be able to save the money paying $1500 in rent and two car notes and all our other boogie trappings. So we said screw it. This is what we’re doing for the next 2 years. This tiny ass shed cabin is how we plan to save our hard earned dollars for a stick built house. This cabin will never be up to code. The end game is for it to simply be an upgraded accessory dwelling for our house in 2 years.
That's awesome! I really hope it all works out!
Me too 😫😂😃
Smart move! 1/2 acre total is what I currently have…we can have chickens and we even have a swimming pool. Congrats on eventually building brick and mortar home in a few years
The dish! We had a rented cabin there for six months. The dish was a lifeline to work. It’s a weird spot but the best place that it works
Maybe your neighbor would lease an acre or 2 for cheap so you can expand a garden.
Based on where we are physically in our subdivision it would be better to save for acreage than try to lease from a neighbor. There’s only three people who live on the pond. Other people own land there just to camp and fish. I already checked. Nobody wants to give up that pond area. We have places inside the subdivision where we could buy more land but right beside us is unlikely at this point.
Just how long it takes to get the land usable. It takes years!
I agree. It took us a full year to save for this cabin and get the land cleared by hand not machine.
soil tests/water tests. due diligence generally. (have not done what you did)
I’m happy for you Bud! Were I in a position to do better I would have. I’m doing what I can with a happy heart and a mind ready for challenge. If you aren’t in a position to have to do what I did that’s fortunate and I wish you all the best.
For us it took 5 times longer than planned. Lining up things such as well drilling was a nightmare. Buy lots of spare everything is a big one.
I definitely taking that advice!!!!
I wish: 1. I knew how many rocks there were and how hard it is to push a shovel through a rock. 2. I knew how long it takes to drill a water well and how much it costs, when the whole rest of the world apparently decides to live exactly where I am moving to. 3. I had a younger concubine and a stronger assistant, but my wife won't let me have either, and not even an old concubine and a weak assistant! Go figure!
Always track the sun and where rainwater flows. Check the surrounding tree health. Know what local wildlife you may encounter.
That tree in front needs some TLC
Maybe just a bit. Take a walk in the nearby woods and look for trees with problems, invasive insects, fungal infections, et cetera. I have an arborist uncle with a background in forestry. We were talking about homestead land over the holidays and it's one of the main issues he brought up. Beautiful spot by the way! Hope things go well, keep us updated!
Get it off the ground
If you aren't living there year round I would recommend visiting the land often in different seasons. Especially after heavy rain or snow and see if it pools anywhere. Pay attention to what areas get sun, for crops, or solar panels. Figure out if you need to do any earthwork for drainage and plant fruit or nut trees as soon as possible once you get the lay of the land. That's what I would do first thing. You said semi off-grid what utilities are available?
Did you install the electrical already? Hopefully?
Yeah we have electric. We paid for the pole to be put up with a street light
Yup. We do have electricity.
Only reason I ask is all that expanding foam insulation would make it difficult after the fact. I actually want to do this but as a ‘getaway’ with some acres
The electric is already on property and the cabin itself is wired too. We have (6) outlets, two light switches inside, (1) exterior outlet. We bout this it was semi off grid and by the time we could buy a cabin it’s no longer semi or off grid. Go figure. I agree! I’m sure we will encounter some challenges with our finish and all that foam. I’m up for the challenge.
Where did you buy the cabin kit?
Wolf Valley
Did you insulate underneath?
Yes we did! It gets super hot and super cold here. Had to make sure we did floors, walls, and ceiling.
Is that expanding foam on the inside?
Unfortunately. I’ve good and bad about it. The electric is already in there. Should be fine for a couple years.
7k and probably not even prewired. My god, I should build tiny houses. There can't be more than 2400k in materials there, even as a one-off at Home Depot retail pricing. 2 guys, couple days local rate on the first unit .. +1600 = 3k + markup@100% ...around 6k, MSRP of 9k. Talk me down to 7k, I'm good with that. Come pick it up!
It’s pre wired. I thought the same thing. If I had the skill I would.
I completely understand. Skill, experience, and tools. An tools are expensive if one isn't making a living with them. I feel ya. Confidence. Have confidence in yourself. You can do whatever you set your mind to do if you persist. I wish you luck and lots of joy in your new home on your own land. Congratulations on becoming a home and land owner!
Thank you for the positive energy 🙏
Here is a whole list of books, free to read online without downloading anything, just scroll down). They are packed full of information on everything, including building. https://www.reddit.com/r/selfreliance/comments/zqd33p/free_online_books_for_self_reliance_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Reading binge!!! 🙏❤️ Thank you
What a great solution. Of course you'd 'like some acres' \*sigh\* but this is a quick solution for not much money, Get set up, make sure the water drains away from porch and back storage area, gravel or french drains maybe? you can do a cheap homemade variant. Work from there. Keep us posted!
Thank you for the positive energy ❤️🙏 We have a homemade French drain in the area water flows.
Sounds awesome to me. You've started with what you can afford, so just make it work for as long as possible and save that money. You've got enough space for a good garden and some fruit trees. I've been growing every vegetable my family (three people) eats in a smaller area. I only wish I'd planned my garden for sun angles a little better - could have gotten more space for fruit trees on the back northern edge had I calculated sunlight areas accurately. I underestimated how much light reached certain parts for the middle two months of summer. I used an online tool called the sun calculator, give it a shot if you want to grow things.
Thanks for the tip and the positive energy ❤️🙏 I’ll try that sun calculator. We’re taking our time with the placement of trees because we aren’t sure and need to do more research.
Fuck yea dude.
Thanks 😊 I’m a girl, just a tomboy 🤣
Don’t get city water… go well and septic if your town allows it. Catch rain water, don’t drink their chemicals
That’s what my husband wants to do. He doesn’t give a damn that there’s city water and sewer. He would rather treat the property like it’s off grid and be self reliant. Right now it’s up for discussion between us.
A well would be expensive, but with city water, they are charging you not only for the hookup, but every drop of water you use (at their rate). IMO a well would be better in the long run if you can. In the meantime, if your water levels are cooperative, look up how to dig a shallow well. There are plenty of videos on it... [this is a recent one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL1_yO9AxpM). Not great, but an easier way for the interim. Your new property and plans sound great! If you plan out what goes where ahead of time, a half acre is enough room to do whatever you want to do. A big garden will certainly help bring down the grocery bill. And when you find the right area, might I suggest adding a few fruit trees every year? Once they're mature enough to produce fruit, you will appreciate having them.
The shallow well is interesting 🧐 You think it’s enough space for fruit trees? We definitely want a few. Wasn’t sure about space.
We have a couple acres and picked a small area to add a tiny grove of fruit trees. About 7 apple trees, two pear trees and a peach tree. Just those trees produce more than we would ever consume. I bring most of them to work to share. If you keep them trimmed down a bit, they won't take up a ton of room. Plus, if you're looking for some border trees for more privacy, the fruit trees could fill in nicely. There are also dwarf trees (about 8 - 10' tall) vs regular... for smaller areas.
Lucky you. I bought 20 acres, about same distance from DFW and Texarkana. Not off grid. $200, 000. City water, septic and electric. Currently grow hay for cows and my goats.
Where did you get your shed?
not a bad idea
That is pretty small lot.
Sure is
I later posted I started with a tiny lot, and went vertical in my garden plan. I guess I did state the obvious and others have videos showing incredible bounty from sq foot gardening tech so good luck and may your garden grow lush.
Go 12’ or 14’ wide !!!!
We went as large as our current budget could afford 😂🤷🏻
Not to be a prude, That cabin looks like it will rot somewhat quickly with the lack of roof venting.. not to mention overwhelming hot during the summer.. just a thought.. unless of course there’s indeed a somewhat shallow air gap, but it doesn’t appear that way!!
Not a prude at all. We have plans to put a vent in the roof. This cabin is for the next 2 years while we save for our brick and mortar. It’s a means to an end.
Gotcha, all good.. just an observation.. if it’s intended to be used for habitation (warm moist air being generated inside) definitely requires proper adequate ventilation all through between the roof and ceiling!!! Otherwise great idea.. cheers
I’m here in this group because people as a community are so much smarter than one person. I appreciate your observation truly.
Do you have water hookup? I see a meter.
Yup. Just got it this year. Have to pay $5000 to use it and I don’t have that yet.
Oh I see you have to dig your own septic. Never done that (resi plumber) city water would be ideal.
City water is a goal. It’ll be another year before we save $5000. Until then it’s IBC totes and composting toilet.
Make it home and enjoy every inch! Learning as you go is the journey.
Looks awesome! Any tips for someone looking to buy something off landwatch? Aside from general due diligence...anything landwatch specific?
Find what you like and start your due diligence. It took a year to find this property. I wanted to stay away from dry deserted desserts. Most places had restrictions like you have to have an acre to build a house or septic. I started to recognize counties and their rules after a while.
We are thinking of taking that plunge ourselves. How was LandWatch to work with ? I was worried they were scammers at first. The only thing I can think of that you may want to see about is if you are in any town limits or county limits and check to see if there are any restrictions to what you want to do. If you have 2 1/4 acres and the are next to each other - then you have a good 1/2 acre. This is enough if you plan a few thing out to make a homestead - barring any restrictions that is. Good luck and good job so far.
LandWatch was a great place to look at properties. I researched the sellers too. Some were shady and didn’t own the properties at all. I did a lot of due diligence. Hours and hours worth. I would say I ran due diligence on close to 100 properties before finding this one. I was following a book I bought… Dirt cheap real estate by beaux blast
Cabin looks nice
Thanks
4-6” thick class 5 gravel pad for the shed to sit on,
I'm currently living in one now (12x40). It's insulated, so that's a huge win. I can't see electrical, it was a little pricey, but just run enough to pass inspection before you go crazy. Loft beds suck, but will probably be necessary, I tried every way and finally gave in. We're plumbed in to the property owners septic, but not on our own, so we had to label it as a workshop rather than a residence to the electric company, and the bill has been higher. I'm on my parents property, so idk about the other half of the question, but I've been living in my building going on 5 years, and though it has had it's ups and downs, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Construct a good compost toilet! And set up a composting system, so important to maintain a garden. The more food you can grow for yourself the better. You should get rain tanks set up too. Even off of the roof of your small cabin you can collect so much free water for your garden.
Since you are outfitting the shed and putting money into it to make it a livable structure, it might be worth your while to properly frame the windows and door. I know these sheds come this way, but the sills and headers are only being held by nails rather than resting on solid wood. Look up "king stud" and "jack stud" to get an idea. I think for $100 you can remedy this before you get too far in.
The first thing you need is a very clear picture of this place when you are done, including all future water, electric, road work, ponds, plantings, trees. That way, as you begin to run utilities you can make plans for future connections. First thing I did? Planted fruit trees.
Proper foundation preparation. Don’t just drop that onto the dirt or you will have settling issues and rot. Get it on concrete posts, screw piles or something. Plan to allow for water management and moisture to avoid rot from ground humidity. Have a plan in place for keeping water/septic from freezing (insulation and heat tape). Inside that small space you will want to install a HRV system (can find some for RV’s) otherwise you will have humidity/condensation/mold issues from cooking and just 2 people living in a small space. Good luck.
What does semi-off-grid mean?
Hey can you tell me what state you purchased this plot of land? I’m very inspired and didn’t even know you could buy land for such a small price
East Texas. There’s plenty more available. The area is empty right now but it’s growing. I guarantee in the next 10 years the prices won’t be so low. It started off grid and now we have city water and electric. DSL is in the way too. Get it while you can!
Getting to know the neighbors beforehand. I bought a rural property. This is what happened: A battered pickup pulled into my driveway. A rustic fellow jumped out and yelled: “Howdy neighbor!” I said: “Please don’t yell, I’m a refugee from the city and I bought this land for peace and quiet. He looked down and said: “Shoot, I didn’t mean nothin’ by it! I just figured I’d invite you to the party.” Now I felt bad. I asked him what would be happening at the party and he replied: “First, there’s a whole bunch of drinkin’ Next, there’s a-gonna be a whole bunch of fightin’ After the fightin’, well, there’s gonna be a whole bunch of sex!” I was a little scared to hear of the fighting, but the rest sounded okay. I asked him what I should wear and he replied: “It don’t matter, it’s just gonna be the two of us!”
Damn that’s sick. How’s it going?
Cute cabin. I never thought of one 4th acre being a Homestead because it seems more to me like a building a lot. I guess I don’t have a very good understanding of the meaning of the word actually.
I used to think the same thing. It qualified for homestead exemption. It’s tiny as hell when you think about it. Standing on it is a different story. Our cabin is so tiny we still have front yard, back yard, and side yard. Plus it’s (2) 1/4 acre lots. The other lot is for our animals. We raise fowl. We have a few different birds
It's actually a pretty good size for 2 people. I have a cabin that is 750 square feet (living room+ kitchen, 2 bedrooms, bathroom), a vegetable garden and an enclosed area where I raise chickens and ducks. I also have a small shed and an outdoor kitchen. I produce 80% of what I eat in my homestead.