Going to go off grid on 15K, going primitive

Next year i'll have a budget of about 15K to get started and want to begin living off grid.

I want to live in the Pacific northwest, either OR or WA.

I plan on buying land and living in a tipi, small Earth home, or some other kind of structure that is cheap to make.

I plan on getting a van. So I might just live in the van too. But, I do want to get my own land to stay on. At least 3 acres.

I do not need electricity or sewer. However I will need water. I plan on catching lots of rain water. And I will have a vehicle, so I will drive into town and pick up large amounts of water occasionally.

Eventually i'd like to build it up into a proper homestead. With a permanent structure, lots of agriculture and permaculture, animals, everything. But in the beginning I will go very primitive and simple. This is what I want to do.

Anyway, i'm just curious if any of you have any tips. How to go about doing it? Where can cheap land be bought and what are some ways to get the most land for my dollar? What type of shelter do you recomend? Would it be smart to cooperate with other people or would doing it alone be alright? Which counties do not have many building codes?

I'm doing lots of research myself. But i'd love to hear the hip opinions on this.

Thank you very much.

 

I don't have much advice I'm afraid. I have been seriously considering doing something similar for a few years now. I have land, but it's only 1/2 acre, enough to get started though. I'm just trying to decide if it it what I really want to do. It could be a lonely existence. As much as I enjoy my own company, I would like to share that lifestyle with someone, and people that want to live that way are few and far between up here.

Here are some links to free resources and videos I found online. If you know of any, I'd appreciate a link too :sunny:

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/off_the_grid_life_on_the_mesa/
https://www.youtube.com/user/paulwheaton12
https://www.youtube.com/user/offgridnick?blend=8&ob=5

 

I have an idea very close to your idea. I want to get 40 acres of land in NM for about 15k, then with a couple of extra thousands I will build an earthship/underground house. I would set up rainwater catchment, a rocket mass heater for heat/cooking (when needed), a few solar panels for simple electric (internet, laptop, and lights (would be rarely used)). Set up some permaculture and turn some not very healthy soil into health soil that thrives with microrganisms (using heavy mulching (free through adds in newspaper for lawn clippings, mulch, and etc.)). I would then set up a WOOFing project to help teach people about my methods of farming. Then sell excess food at local farmers market. Go for it though I would suggest having extra money to fall back onto incase you run into unforseen problems.

 

Go to Mother Earth News and look at the land for sale it is great to find undeveloped land.

 

Good point. Unless your anti social or a hermit, settling land in the middle of nowhere could get lonely.

 

Definitely is a problem finding people who really want to live a primitive lifestyle or off-grid. Sounds good but few will actually do it for any length of time. The off-grid specific forums elsewhere on the net have very very little action....so few people even posting. A good example is sam's Belle Lea Acres in Southside Virginia...see the thread: 84 acre Virginia Commune under Communal Living...a dozen and a half have come and gone...several attracted by the big city lights and University towns versus the farm seclusion 15 minutes from town.

While sam is slowly going off-grid, her farm still has limited electricity and phone and internet. Heating is with woodstoves. A small solar project was started but solar is expensive as hell unfortunately. She's still looking for serious folks who'd like the experiment of pioneer living...rough and tumble as she calls it but with donkeys and chickens and even a rodeo horse. If you want to try it but can seriously leave the drama behind and are willing to help a mere 15 hours a week with animals and gardens in spring...then contact her, go to the thread mentioned above.

I'm wondering if there are any small communities of off-grid folks, banding together, getting ready to weather the storm...somewhere along the Blue Ridge...in North Carolina, Virginia, western Pennsylvania or West Virginia....any similar places like sam's 84 acre setup??????

With the earth changes going on now I'd definitely want to be away from the coasts and away from the New Madrid Fault Zone and outta Florida...just my opinion. :biker::sunny: