Self-Sufficient Homestead / Community

We are a couple starting a self-sufficient homestead, right now we are on 97 acres in southwest VA. We have a small mobile home, running water and electric on the land. We are in the process of building a chicken coop, maybe soon getting some goats, rabbits, and cows for cheese, eggs, and meat. We would like to build our own cabin and live alittle more off the land, solar power, wood burning stoves and water heater.


Once we have make a mostly self-sufficient homestead,we hope to turn it in to a small community of around 10 people. I will have a sawmill build by then for others to build cabins to live in. We are hoping as soon as next summer we will have some people to visit and give us their thoughts on things.

We are very open minded and open to ideas if anyone has some input. Thanks for reading

Les&Jay :2thumbsup:​

 

Good luck with your endeavors there... How hilly is your land there and what kind of building codes dose your county enforce?

 

I might be interested in working with you if you weren't in the US.

 

Thank you! The land has rolling hills and some good gardening land. There is about 50 acres wooded. Building codes, well we have about a 1/2 mile long drive way so i dont worry about codes, but the building codes are easy to follow if needed. I built house in FL. and Ga. for about 15 years and the codes here are nothing compaired to that.

 

I was mostly thinking of a partially subterranean Earthship/Cob type of deal.... southern exposure. Easy to heat and cool.

 

Nice... :2thumbsup:

 

Hi there, I love the area you speak of! I've been. Needing communal living my whole life and plan on making that a reality ASAP! I'm 29, healthy, straight, strong and hard working, also I am a wide eyed wanderer first and foremost. I find self introspection a necessity and getting out of society will only feed those attributes more. I am very open minded and am looking for a teacher/ family. Thanks for reading and please do get in touch with me! I'd love to learn more about your ideas for your land and life!

 

update! We are still cutting some trees for lumber to build with. We are both working our fulltime jobs still, so have not had as much time to work around the farm as we would like. Our plans are for her to not be employed outside the farm by the first of the year and focus all her energy to it. He will continue to work both outside and on the farm until we are closer to self-Sufficient.. It is a slow process for us but we are heading down the right path.

It is very Inspiring to see so many people interested in "Community" living.

Good luck to all!!!

 

I'm really interested, I've sent you a pm.

 

What is the weather like year round there? Sounds like a great project, I hope it all works out.

 

what is there for work around you?

 

How's that sawmill doing?

 

Weather here is not bad, warm summers ,long growing season. Winter is cool around 30-50 during the day teens at night.

The sawmill is coming alone good, still need some scrap steel to finish it. We hope to have it going by late winter.

 

Cool.
So is this parcel "fresh ground" or did the last Tobacco farmer work the soil for all it was worth? And if he did, have you looked into Terra Preta at all? Aside from the Animal wastes, it's pretty much just Compost and Charcoal.
Pretty cool stuff for being mostly just the waste byproducts of energy production from Biomass. Seems to confuse people for some reason though. Probably leaves them with unsettling questions about world hunger I guess.

And have you decided on what sort of solar setup you were going to use for the hot water?

 

We use to farm tobacco here but have not in over 15 years.. Our soil is very good now, dirt not clay... We have no problem growing what we plant. We do compost leaves, grass and corn stalks mostly.

We are going to use a woodburning hotwater heater ( using metal 55 gal drums) for winter and maybe a compost type hotwater heater for summer.

 

Sounding cooler by the minute. So it's pretty much the Family farm and you just got tired of the Urban rat-race? (Just going on your Age vs "growing tobacco 15 years ago.)
Making me wish I was ready to pack a weekend bag or something here, it's some beautiful landscape out that way.

 

Sounds like you've got a nice thing going. I'm 20, and living in Upstate New York, where the winters are harsh. I'm looking to make it to a destination by the end of the coming summer season. I will have money, and supplies to keep myself about for a while. If you need help by that time, send me a message, I'd be more than willing to work for a place to be free from all of this. Sincerely, -Rob

 

Hi -

are you still looking for folks to join you there? If so, let me know, i'd like to drop by for a week or soo to check it out and meet you.

My name's Chuck, am interested in such simple living projects. Have decent exp. in small farming, small farming animals, etc.

Am also a closet "prepper", and living off-the-grid , concerned about living in the big city, would like to get the heck out of Va, Beach and live on a small farm out there in the west of Va or Nc, etc.

Please do reply, or use my other email at ronnychindc@gmail.com

thanks, waiting your reply.

BTW, do you have any decent photos you can post? How's it going out there so far? Also, where , specifically are you, if you don't mind, I want to look at it on the map, what county, etc.

very best

Chuck

Va. Beach

 

Hello, my wife and I are doing this same thing over here in Washington state. I built a sawmill the first winter we were here and have been using the daylights out of it. We only have 20 acres, but it should be plenty.
We are very much into self sufficiency and have been raising animals for some time.
If you folks would like to compare notes/ideas, please feel free to PM me.
Good luck to you!