Vince Edwards is an off-gridder who’s creating a model for a network of self-sustaining communities. He’s got 20 acres in Colorado and has written a book about it called, I’m Leaving Civilization: Wanna Come with Me? 110 pages, Kindle ebook for $9.99 at Amazon.com. Not surprisingly he’s come under attack by local authorities for his outspoken opinion on excessive building codes and regulations. He’s currently running for local sheriff to turn this situation around.
building codes
DIY Steel Frames for Tiny Houses
This email exchange is from Cliff, a long time reader from New Zealand who’s designing a strong, lightweight tiny house that will meet strict building codes and withstand earthquakes. The cost of labor is very high there so he’s looking for do-it-yourself options to save money.
Couple Facing Arrest for Living Off-Grid on Their Own Property
“A Huntsville man joined the military to fight for our rights, but now he says his own rights are being threatened. A veteran and his girlfriend said their home was deemed ‘unsafe’ by city officials because they choose to live by self-sufficient means.
Areas With Few or No Codes: Ozark Plateau
We’ve had a lively discussion for years here on our Natural Building Blog about the best places to live with few or no building codes that make it easy to build a home out of low cost natural materials and create a homestead. In my opinion the Ozarks is a top choice for natural building and homesteading in the US due to many factors.
Best Places to Live: Scenic Byways
As a young man, I traveled across Nebraska on Highway 20 that parallels the main east-west interstate across the state. It’s very beautiful country. The scenic byway was far more interesting than the interstate which I had traveled many times going back and forth to Colorado on vacation. Places like this would be a great place to homestead.
CodeNEXT: Nightmare Agenda 21 Building Codes of the Future
This is a new building code system that city planners are trying to implement in Austin, TX.
“CodeNEXT is a plan is to effectively do away with old fashioned things like neighborhood zoning and building use restrictions. Those are too complex and burdensome. Now that Austin has become a “destination city,” we shouldn’t live in houses on blocks in neighborhoods. Instead, we should be divided into “corridors,” “nodes” and “transit hubs.” While this may work for designing certain sectors of undeveloped land, it should not be imposed on existing neighborhoods against their will.