The first thing we did was put in a well pump. I bought a Grundfos 1 hp with a soft start feature so I could run it from a generator. That was a big job, with just my wife and I. I didn't take any pictures but its in and it works. I also put in a water line with the backhoe, and 3 water hydrants.

Then I cleared an area and we brought the camper to the property and fenced in an area around it for the dogs. I could let them run loose (and a couple of them I do let loose) but the two Jack Russels like to kill chickens.

Yes that is me. Yes that is a beer in my hand.

Pardon the finger!

Then I cleared more woods in an area about the size of an acre and fenced it in. I didn't want treated posts because of the chemicals, so I got untreated posts and charred the bottoms.

Then I brought out the two goats and some chickens. Notice the charred fence posts. In the background is the log cabin chicken coop/goat shelter I started.

 

Pardon the finger!

Just wanted to let you know that a black bear is on the wrong side of your fence and it apparently has made friends with your dog

 

I worked all summer on the chicken coop. I made it a log cabin because we are going to build our house that way and I wanted some practice. I used coped logs which took a long time to cut out the notches. If I had to do it again I would use butt-and-pass. My wife helped by peeling logs and she helped me put the roof on. I still need to ***** it and frame in the windows and doors.

We spent a LOT of time peeling logs. Here is my son helping out last July. He is gone to Notre Dame University now to study chemical engineering. I prefer a draw knife; he prefers a hand axe.

 

One problem was I didn't like dragging the generator to the well every time I had to water the livestock. Plus I have this really cool watering bowl fount for the chickens that I wanted to use.

My in-laws replaced their water heater because it filled up with calcium deposits from the hard water. It took me half a day but I got most of the gunk out of the old tank. Then we built a raised platform and I somehow got that 60 gallon tank up there. Now when I fill the camper water tank, I fill the water heater at the same time and have 60 gallons of (somewhat) pressurized water for the animals.

I started painting it but got distracted haha. It looks crooked in this picture, but its not. Well, mostly not.

 

When living in a camper in the woods, the question comes up: what to do with your waste? As in, poop and pee.

I've been keeping all the valves open and we were just dumping onto the ground. We didn't poop in the camper because ya can't just mix poop with pee and dishwater and dump it on the ground. I don't think dumping sink and shower water and pee (in the amounts that two people put out) on the ground would do any harm. However it did begin to smell after awhile, so I thought I should do something.

I have Art Ludwig's Greywater Oasis book and had been studying up on greywater disposal systems. Basically you divert all your greywater (sink, shower and pee) to pits filled with wood chips. This is environmentally safe, as the wood chips react with the pee to create some biological action that breaks down the nasty stuff. I did something different for my greywater.

I dug a 2 foot deep by 2 foot wide hole. I didn't have wood chips but I had plenty of tree bark from building the log cabin chicken coop. I ran a short PVC pipe to from the camper drain to the hole. Then I covered it up with the top part of a 55 gallon blue water drum I had lying around. I sealed all cracks with dirt and crumpled up a fir branch and stuck it in the hole on the plastic drum to act as a screened vent. Its been about a month now and there is no smell, even if I pull the branch out and take a big sniff. So I think its doing the job.

Shiva is like "WTF are you doing, dad?"

But we don't poop in there. So I'm building an outhouse with a composting toilet inside. I've already made the pooper, but the outhouse isn't finished yet.

 

We have a bunch of chickens. They have an acre to range in so they eat bugs and are supplemented a little bit with organic store-bought feed (more so now that winter is coming). Once in awhile when money is tight we get a bag of non-organic food.

We have about 30 layers, but also some meat chickens. I've slaughtered a bunch, but still have 4 left.

Here is the home-made chicken plucker that I built.

 

Which birds are you using for the meat birds? I know the broilers can't breed due to size.

 

We have a small wood burning stove in the camper. I put a sheet of cement-fiber backer board on the nearest wall, spaced one inch from the wall. The floor has 2 sheets of backer board set on bricks to keep them elevated. The stove goes on the elevated backer board. The stove is about a foot from the wall/backerboard. This all keeps all nearby structures from getting too hot in such a cramped space. Double wall pipe up to the ceiling vent with a regular stovepipe ceiling adapter and 3 feet of triple wall pipe above. This is not really recommended by most people because you can burn your camper down, so that's why all the backer board and double wall pipe. This will be our second winter with this set up and last winter it did fine. I often checked the walls and floor to see if they get hot and they don't. But for the record, I don't recommend anyone put a wood stove in a camper!

Yesterday I finally got around to building a woodshed.

 

From your pictures, it looks like you have some Ponderosa pine and some red fir, so it seems as though you might be located on the eastern slopes of the Bitterroots, or maybe north of Missoula. I live on the western slopes of that range so I probably have more precipitation. I have a creek and several springs but they are in a fairly deep canyon and I couldn't get electricity that far. You are fortunate that you are young. I was 48 when I began my struggle on raw land.

After some 20 years, I still have a roof collection system. I have found that on my pole building home, a good rainstorm will give me 200 gallons of water in a few hours time. Even with an emergency backup there are about two weeks during the year when my wife and I use our outhouse. Just today I told my wife that we need to go camping this summer. Her reply, "We camp all year round!"

I commend you for your efforts. For us it was pretty rough at times, but I wouldn't trade this kind of life for anything. Pioneers like you have just about run out of time and places to enjoy this lifestyle. Be sure to record your story. I have.

 

Very cool! Sounds like you have a nice place out there!

Make sure you take lots of pictures for yourself before you change everything - you'll find it neat to compare it several years down the road when you've made lots of improvements.

 

I'm jealous. Thanks for sharing this with us.

 

Thanks for looking guys. I guess I posted this for two reasons:

1. It sucks! Its hard work. Yeah people think "hard work, I can handle that", but it never ends. I rolled a log on my big toe and broke it, so I limped around and kept working. I lost 10 lbs over the summer. I thought I was going to build a house over the summer and money and time made it not happen. My only power is from a generator. My only internet is over a cell phone that I tether to my computer. I need to run a cell phone repeater just to get a signal. I am a long way from the city. Everything takes longer to do than I thought. Things break down. The backhoe has a broken crankshaft. The goats ate the spark plug wires on the farm tractor. Feel like taking a shower? - too bad, water's low - I have to drag the generator to the well 200 ft away, start it then run around filling up tanks. Then drag the generator back so I can run the hot water heater for awhile. Money is always tight. For Christmas I got a chainsaw and for my birthday I got nothing. Winter is coming and I have to cut firewood. How am I going to keep my water from freezing? Sometimes its like camping everyday. When money is tight (often) I have very little gas for the generator.

2. Its awesome! And its paid for. I live frugally but its worth it. I look around and all I can see is my woods and my animals and mountains in the distance. Bear, elk, deer and turkeys all thrive here. I saw a moose the other day. I hear the peace and quiet. In my mind I picture my future cabin and gardens and livestock. Haha and when the zombies come they'll never find me!

In the end, I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Know exactly where you're coming from.

You have to do three of four things in order to accomplish the main thing you started out doing.

But at the end of the day I very much agree. Wouldn't have it any other way.

 

That's awesome! Keep it up , n keep the Picts coming!

 

Yup I intend to. Thanks.

...I didn't think it was possible in the lower 48, to get far enough away from the government regulators to do that.

Oh yes it is. My acreage has no covenants and no zoning, except the state wants to inspect your plumbing and septic system. That is, if I tell them when I build my house. And I will if I want them to increase my property taxes, which are less than 100 bucks, haha. But seriously, they don't go around looking and they don't care unless its a problem. Not to mention, I am so far out in the woods they have better things to do! THUS I take it upon myself to build things in such a way that they are safe and there is no negative impact on the environment.

You're absolutely living the dream, man...

It ain't always a dream, but I do feel good every single day, even when life here sucks. A good dog helps.

But at the end of the day I very much agree. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Heehee it'll be our secret!

Very very cool -inspiring.

Thank you sir!

 

Very cool. Thanks for sharing

 

What your doing is magnificent.

I didn't think it was possible in the lower 48, to get far enough away from the government regulators to do that.

 

You're absolutely living the dream, man. Money is tight here too and a lot of times I wish I could just sell the place and move on up to our place in the mountains. When you start from nothing like that it makes the view that much sweeter when you turn around and see all the work and ingenuity you put into the place. Keep it up and keep us updated. I actually just had a client who is in a very similar boat.

 

Very very cool -inspiring.

 

How does your wife feel about the whole situation? Be honest please.

P.S. My wife would give me a choice, move to civilization and get a job....or divorce.

 

How does your wife feel about the whole situation? Be honest please...

Wife understands. Puts up with me, maybe. She is into the whole thing, but not physically ready for most of it. She has a bad back but she does what she can. Keep in mind we are a little older, I am 47 she is like 39, I think. Yeah 39.

For her it might be a food thing. She feels very strongly about eating good food and we both did a lot of research about food you buy in the Super Wal-mart. And all the stuff that comes with it. So she wants good food. She is into the idea of growing it. She is why we have so many damned chickens.

We got a satellite TV system installed out here. I don't mind cause I like it too. I think she does wish for more of a social life, but I've never been that kind of a guy anyway. No big change, there.

Also, while it sounds great what I'm doing, its much harder for a city girl like my wife. She likes parties, and something like a social life.

We have other stuff going on as well. Our son is gone in the Navy 2 years now and our other son just went to college, age 16. Its tough having your kids leave. Our daughter is second year high school and doesn't want to stay out here with us because the nearest town has about 15 kids in each grade and she doesn't want to change schools. So she's at grandma's. (I miss her terribly, but I see her at least once every couple weeks.)

Money problems plague us always. Money is the root cause of most of our disagreements. But that could be anyone.

Lately the wife has been dividing her time between staying here and at her parents, with our daughter, an hour away. I don't push for her to come out here because I know its harder for her, and there's my daughter to think about. I hate leaving her there alone with the grandparents. They're not evil or anything, but they are not LOVING either. They are kind of old fashioned.

Bottom line is this: the wife is into the whole idea. But the idea of pooping into a bucket outside in an outhouse in the winter is a horror. And like I said, we don't want to leave our daughter alone with the grandparents.

So we have some adjusting to do. And yeah, you bring up a good point. The situation is less-than-optimal.

 

Here is my daughter peeling a rafter. The goats, they think they are helping.

 

Congrats on your choices, even though the reasons you've undertaken your homesteading are less than ideal you have made the right choices. .. as to growing your own food and heating spaces.. have you looked into underground greenhouses or building an underground house ala Mike Oehler? No, not trying to change your designs - just curious as to why or why not you found something practical and/or desirable.

Thanks for the posts and the best of luck to you and yours.

Do'N

 

...have you looked into ... building an underground house ala Mike Oehler?

Funny you should mention...

I would love an Oehler underground house. But us guys can dream about Oehler structures all day long - getting the wife to sign off on it is a whole nuther ball game. The wife wants a log cabin. I live in forest fire country. So to me a log cabin is less-than-optimal. But considering everything else I've put her through, I would like to make her as happy as possible. And wives love log cabins.

But recently we became aware that we weren't going to have our log cabin done as soon as we would like. One benefit of an Oehler type structure is that it can be built relatively quickly and cheaply.

Recently the wife said, " Well maybe we can build a small underground house and then take our time building the log cabin and build it the way we want it."

I was like, "Wait... what?"

So we have a floor plan all drawn up for a small underground house. Posts on 8 foot centers. But even that requires a lot of work - excavating, cut down trees and peel logs for posts, beams, rafters and walls, build a floor, etc.

And now the backhoe has a broken crankshaft. I have the engine pulled but a crankshaft is $600. Plus I'll need gaskets and bearings. And I have to get it all back together. The backhoe is not in a shop, its out in the woods. Winter is coming, and with that, frozen ground. It looks like we will probably be stuck in the camper all winter. So at this point, it looks like it might make more sense to just go ahead with the log cabin in the spring. But who knows what will happen?

 

Ever looked at cob houses? There was an article in Mother Earth News recently about it.

 

Ever looked at cob houses?

Yup and strawbale, pre-built sheet metal, icf, slip-form , pretty much everything. I still don't know for sure what we'll end up with. Log cabin is the latest plan. I reckon we'll find out when it's done!

 

Looking good there! I was fortunate to find a place with an old log house and some outbuildings already on it before the housing boom of the '90s so we got our 15 acres for cheap. We don't live as far out in the boonies as you but we are really rural. We live on a dead end county road with our nearest neighbors being a 1/4 mile away. We still get all kinds of wildlife to include bears, coyotes, deer ,elk, moose etc. We raise all our own vegetables, chickens and eggs and next year are looking into goats for meat and dairy. Keep us posted with how you are doing. Be sure and get your wood supply ready NOW as we can have some nasty blizzards soon.

 

Be sure and get your wood supply ready NOW as we can have some nasty blizzards soon.

The wood shed is about 1/3 full now - I've been working on that for the last two days in the drizzling rain. Running out of easy-to-get-to standing deadwood now but I won't stop till it's mostly full. But my little stove doesn't take much wood.

Larry your garden thread is awesome (although it takes forever to load over my cell phone connection) I hope when I get my garden going it well be as good as yours and its nice to be able to follow a garden in the same relative area as me. Also you grew the painted mountain corn which I've been wanting to try. And you got skills, man

 

WOW - I am in awe of all that you have accomplished! And kudos to your 16 yr old son for going to college already - hugs to the baby boy, you must be so proud! And of course proud of your other children as well!

I understand your wife's view of staying in town with your daughter - that is the biggest obstacle that we have with our farm in TN with the main house in TX. One daughter is a SR this year and of course she was so busy with sports and stuff that she didn't get to come up this summer and I missed her so much. And the school systems at the farm don't have the same opportunities as they do in Houston so I have five more years until the youngest graduates and I can move fulltime to the property.

The husband can visit when he wants to because he has to "be at the office", I can work anywhere since I am "home office" as long as I have internet and phone so we will be doing that separate houses until we retire - and we are the same ages too as you guys are..

One thing to start preparing for now... when I was in HS, we lived in our camper for several months in the middle of the winter (JOY - with three siblings too - in a small enclosed box - ugh) while our house was being finished and every day we had to go out and "unfreeze" the water hose and the sewer hose with hot water to keep them flowing..

You are going to have to come up with some wrap and a type of solution to avoid the same issue for your grey and black water as well as your fresh water input to your camper in Montana...

Can't wait to see more progress - you are an inspiration! Especially since you had to overcome so much to get to this point..

 

You are going to have to come up with some wrap and a type of solution to avoid the same issue for your grey and black water as well as your fresh water input to your camper in Montana...

Last winter I didn't have much trouble with the grey and black lines freezing. But I kept both valves open all winter. It may sound disgusting but I think the nice warm pee kept everything from freezing. As far as fresh water, I don't really have a freshwater input. I just have the 30 gallon tank in the camper which I have to fill up with the well pump but I can't leave the well pump connected to a power source because I don't have one so I have to drag the generator out there and fill it up. When winter hits if I leave a hose outside full of water it will be frozen solid in just a couple of hours. So I will have to hook up the hose to the frost proof hydrant fill up the water tank and then turn off the water and drain the hose.. But yeah I'm getting ready for all that not looking forward to it though.

 

Good job Sarco2000! You should be proud of your accomplishments. Keep up the hard work and things will keep going your way!

 

Definitely keep updating it, the people who are walking the walk are the best ones to hear from.

 

Any problems with predators with having chickens and goats on the property?

 

Yeah. I've lost a few chickens. Just disappeared. I am wiring the fence with electric cause the chickens go right through or over. Two days ago I found one of my two hen-hatched and hen-raised chicks was gone, just a few feathers left behind. Could have been literally anything, here we have bears, coyotes, lions, wolves, foxes, and raptors.

I found just a few feathers, no tracks or signs.

Around here it can be creepy going out in the woods at night. Some people keep a gun on them at all times outside.

 

When I babysat in HS for our neighbors, they had an ENTIRE HOUSE full of Newfies (up in Minnesota). You learned not to bend over to untie your shoes when there were puppies (they raised champion bloodline puppies and show dogs) because you would be knocked down and drowned with slobbery kisses!

That is the dog that I would get if we didn't live in Texas - little too hot down here for them to be happy...

 

Couple of ideas to share

First, I am sure you are a wise man. As a wise man I think that you should agree with your wife and build your underground house: next summer. Something very near your cabin.. as in close enough that the kids can be ''in the house'' when they visit and if you happen to attatch a root cellar to it by accident all the better.

AS for the upcoming winter.. if you can tent your trailer with some 6mil or better greenhouse plastic it would cut down tremendously on your heat losses. Basically, living in a greenhouse would make your trailer your own heat sink. Just an oversized pup tent with 7 or 8 big logs as support (debarked and under the plastic, drying for 6 months) would make your trailer into your own thermal mass. Just an idea as it doesn't seem the cabin will be done before winter.

Cheers and good fortune to you.

Do'N

 

First, I am sure you are a wise man. As a wise man I think that you should agree with your wife and build your underground house: next summer. Something very near your cabin.. as in close enough that the kids can be ''in the house'' when they visit and if you happen to attatch a root cellar to it by accident all the better.

The older I get, I find the less I know! Just ask my teenage kids, I don't know anything! But still, underground is my first choice. We may still do it.

AS for the upcoming winter.. if you can tent your trailer with some 6mil or better greenhouse plastic it would cut down tremendously on your heat losses. Basically, living in a greenhouse would make your trailer your own heat sink. Just an oversized pup tent with 7 or 8 big logs as support (debarked and under the plastic, drying for 6 months) would make your trailer into your own thermal mass. Just an idea as it doesn't seem the cabin will be done before winter.

Cheers and good fortune to you.

Do'N

Now that is a damn good idea. I might do that.