“This geothermal greenhouse design worked perfectly through our negative 17 degree winter weather here in SE Idaho. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. It is affordable and it works. Two things that I love when they come together.”
homesteading
Best Places to Live with Minimal Building Codes: Pocahontas County, West Virginia
“Pocahontas County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,719. Its county seat is Marlinton. The county has a total area of 942 square miles (2,440 km2).
Off Grid Outdoor Kitchen Tour
“The need for an outdoor kitchen became apparent during summer months and the south’s extreme heat. Hours and hours are spent canning the produce that will be the food for our family during the winter. Sorghum will be squeezed and processed into syrup for sugar in this kitchen. Jaimie gives a tour of the homestead outdoor kitchen and shows you how we have been using it since its completion.”
Things Are Coming to a Crossroads
We live in a crazy world, that’s for sure. Many serious problems are now simultaneously coming to a head: groundwater depletion, pollution of groundwater with fracking, mining, industrial and agro chemicals, risk of nuclear war, concerns over Fukushima radioactive fallout. Experts say the oceans are expected to be depleted of sea life in just 30 years. (Most people now live near the oceans and rely on seafood for sustenance and income.)
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.
11 Years Living Off-Grid
“Hélène Dubé and her partner Alain Neveu from Es-Cargo http://www.es-cargo.qc.ca/ have lived off-grid in Quebec, Canada for 11 years in a self-built earthship style home made of recycled tires filled with earth and large south-facing windows.” Note: I recommend using earthbags similar to what Jake and others who are building ‘earthbag earthships’. https://naturalbuildingblog.com/jake-vs-earthship-part-8/