“In this video, we meet Jeff, Rose, and their 5 girls who are living completely off grid on a 40-acre piece of land in Northern British Columbia, Canada. They built their own off-grid house for less than $25,000 with cedar posts sunk into the ground like a pole barn, log rafters, plywood, foam insulation, and a living roof. The house was so affordable to build because they didn’t have to excavate or pour a concrete foundation, dig a well, or install a septic system.”
off grid
Gardening WITHOUT Fertilizers
“Experts (sic) seem to beLIEve that vegetable crops cannot be grown efficiently without fertilizers. They debate whether composted animal manures are better than chemical-based fertilizers, which is worse for climate change, more ethical, sustainable, or profitable. This is a false debate rooted in antiquated beLIEfs. In this video I show how vegetables can be grown WITHOUT fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, etc.
Areas With Few or No Codes: East Tennessee
Message from a reader: “Just wanted to add my experience as an example if it helps someone (not selling anything). I bought 75 acres in Blaine, Tennessee (20 minutes east of Knoxville) back in 2014 for $146K. Rural, forest and hills, 4 seasons, but close enough to bigger cities. No building codes. TN has no state income tax. I pay around $100 a year for property tax because it is designated as “greenbelt.” The surrounding counties are the same and are very open to alternative building.
Homemade Potting Soil
This blog post describes two types of homemade potting mix that I’m currently experimenting with. The first mix is for growing potted plants such as herbs, vegetables and flowers. A second mix for growing trays of microgreens is described lower on the page below the photo.
Minimalist Couple Living in a Tiny Camper Trailer That Cost Only $1,800
“Kathleen and Greg from Tiny House, Tiny Footprint decided to downsize their lives from a downtown apartment in Denver, Colorado to a 140 square foot camper trailer / mobile home. For the first year of their tiny house experiment, the 1969 camper trailer was parked in a friend’s backyard until they bought a piece of land where they could park the trailer and grow their own food.
Few or No Building Codes in Rockcastle County, Kentucky
“Just wanted to chime in that we (Joana, Michael & Loren) are building in Rockcastle County, Kentucky and there are no building codes or regulations. We asked at the courthouse where the building regulations department was when we were thinking about buying the piece of property we are currently building on….they said with a certain measure of pride “Do you see a codes and regulations department in this courthouse? The people don’t want it!”