How many people on this forum are doing it or have done it the hard way? You know, moved on to a piece of land with nothing there and just started building. Living in a tent, hauling water, no electric. For those of you that have, is it worth it?

Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@calinet.com), June 19, 2000

Answers

My husband and I move into a 500sq.ft.house w/ no running water,electrical or plumbing! We had three small children(2,3 &7). We lived in the house and worked on it. It was very hard and sometimes became heartaches. BUT now that they are almost grown: these are the "good-ole days"for my childern!They talk about all the time. My son who is now 21(he is our youngest)said one day that he wished we had never moved! "I loved the house and the farm" he said. My girls are always talking about it to their friends. "The hard times" they call it! Now my husband and I have purchased that very farm from other family members and are starting to "build" our retirement homestead! So maybe one day I will have grandchildren, who will love to come to that very farm! In short---yes, it was worth every tear,drop of sweat and smile that was spent there!

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), June 19, 2000.

We moved to our 13 acres before the road was all they way down to our property. We lived for 2 months in the back of a pickup camper 3 kids, 2, 4 and 8. I wish I knew about homeschooling 14 years ago! We bought a self contained trailer, husband charged batteries at work and brought them home for DC lights, we had propane for heat and cooking, and a propane/electric fridge. No air conditioning, in East Texas!!! And I will admit there were a few Saturdays after working on the house all day, that we got a hotel room, to lay on the bed naked in front of the AC! We hauled water from the local store, in 50 gallon plastic barrels and then syphoned it into the holding tank. We bucketed the toilets holding tank out into the woods, and also had an outhouse. We have pictures of the kids bathing in a stock pot, and us showering in the rain, and believe me it rained that first year. We were exactly 1 year with no electricity and water. When the well water was hooked up and it was just to a hose, I was in heaven! When I flicked on the electricity it was like Christmas. We built our home, shop and diary barn out of pocket, we have no mortgage, and I don't work out of the home. I raise goats. Husband is now Handyman Serives and we have a thriving business, a beautiful home, and a herd that I am proud of. Kids are now 16, 18, 21. None so far have any interest in continuing their very profitable show careers, and though I will catch the kids out playing with the 4 legged kids, they are sick to death of chores, and picking vegetables! They want to live where there are no dirt roads dirtying their cars. It was definetly worth it, but we barely made it, 3 years in that trailer was 3 years to long, you have to have a very strong marriage, and you both have to have a clear view of what you are doing this for! A sence of humor and you have to sacrifice to come up with the money to build, which means no bills, and for us no phone, electricity (which also encludes a well) I wish we had known all the stuff we know now, we now have the well hooked up to be used without power now. We also would have built a 4 car garage and lived in it while building our house. Would have saved us a storage fee and given us a structure to use after we moved into the house. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 19, 2000.

This post is for Vicki, and all of the Countryside women like her, BRAVO. I know you weren't looking for a standing ovation, that's why I gave you one! I whined camping for 7 days, on a fresh water lake. Admitted whimp!

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), June 19, 2000.

We have done it twice. There were bad things, but it was definitely worth it. When we were in Alaska after my husband got out of the Air Force, we weren't camping in a tent (close to it, though, as my brother's cabin was never meant for a permanent shelter!!), my brother let us live in his little cabin rent free -- we really weren't well set up to take care of things like laundry -- in fact, I think the laundry was my biggest bugaboo. But it sure was nice to have no rent, no mortgage, no utility bills -- our old Travelall was paid for, too! Your children will probably love it -- children seem to take really well to an adventure like that, if the parents are approaching it with the right attitude!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), June 19, 2000.

LBF. We moved to our present place in 1978. 24 acres with no trees, water, septic or electricity. I was working in propane at daytime and wiring houses at night. We had an old mobile home moved temporary and stayed in it for about a month untile the well, septic and electric was completed-and continued for several more years in it. Started planting trees--every year- trees. Now, I have about 5 acres of shade trees, a 24 X 42 shop with concrete floor, wired, insulated and wood heat. 5 years ago I finally got around to doing something with an old double wide i bought 10 years before-again temporary. I was getting too old and beat up to build also, I didn't want to spend that much money. Solution? We bought a brand spankin new Amish bilt modular home. $30,000 dollars and fit as a fiddle. It doesn't even compare to the old trailers we'd lived in before. If I had to do it all over again--would I? You bet! We were on OUR farm and away from the town. Kids are married and gone and now looks like we're gonna have to sell out. If and when that day comes it sure will be a sad one. This is Holy Ground that I've decicated to Jesus Christ and I certainly don't want to leave. He let us "borrow" it for a spell. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot gibson (hoot@otbnet.com), June 19, 2000.

Sheesh, I thought living in an old single-wide with questionable heating was bad (our first piece of property while we put in the improvements)...I salute those of you who lived under much more difficult circumstances!! Especially with children. Yikes!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), June 19, 2000.

Thanks for all of your posts! I hope to live without electricity when I have my own home and my Dad and I have talked about different ways to make no running water easier, as well as no plumbing. Anyway, thanks again for sharing your experiences.

-- Abigail F. (treeoflife@sws.nb.ca), June 20, 2000.

We didn't have to camp, who could in North Dakota in Feb.? We got a dinky apartment in our little town a few miles up the road. The kids got one room with all their stuff, everything else we owned that wasn't necessary for everyday was packed in the second room. We slept on the floor in the living room and argued (teasingly) about who was making the bed each nite!

Although there was a well and power pole on the property, everything had to be redone inside to make it safe and usable. So we to started with no power or water or even windows where we were working. I was greatful we could "go home" at nite.

We put on our snowsuits, gloves, stocking caps, the works, to work out at the house everyday. I liked it best when we got to rip out walls, swinging the hammer kept you lots warmer!

We started the very first of February and by the end of that May we had reroofed; cleaned and (quiuckly,sloppily) painted the upstairs enough that the rooms were usable; replumbed and rewired everything and got them hooked up and running safe and proper; an had the bathroom, kitchen, and dining room (acting living room then) done enough to move in!

That was a year ago (1 1/2 since we began). Many less necessary items are still packed and sitting in the landing ; one room upstairs is finished, a second is sheetrocked and well on it's way; The rest of the downstairs is pretty well done; there isn' much carpet and no trim around windows and such, nor much in the way of decoration. I only owe the bank about $1200 that I took out for fencing, sheep and other etc.s. Maybe a mistake? but not a huge one. The land (10 acres)is ours free and clear! The cars are too, even if they aren't to much to look at. We have 17 sheep, 95 chickens, 90 pheasants, 14 geese, 11 rabbits, 2 beehives, and a huge garden! And the kids can runn free and play without worrying so much about who they are talking to!!!I worked for $6.25 while he worked on the house so we didn't have to hire anything done. and we paid for everything a little at a time with Tax money, the little we had when we came, and a $ here or there smuggled out of the paychecks. We don't have a dime in savings but we don't owe much either so I guess we are almost even!

By the way the kids are very helpful and happy. They do miss family in wash. but they love here as much as we do! They like it that "these are our green beans we made" and so forth.

Sorry, way to long! I shouldn't have gotten started!

-- Novina in ND (lamb@stellarnet.com), June 20, 2000.

Novina, helpful, happy, kids and-I'll assume healthy and dirty- kids are supposed to be dirty, especially in the summer! Lots of animals to look after, too. Good for you! Glad you made it! ****

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), June 20, 2000.

Yes...we did it once and I loved it even tho it was hard! We were building a house on 10 acres of land and had no water and no electricity to begin with! With operated with a borrowed generator part of the time. We slept in a borrowed pop-up camper and the kids slept in a tent with our furniture!!!

We finally got a well dug and it was a pain to pump the water because we had to fire up the generator to get the water. We finally got on the grid that summer but I wasn't too thrilled there and would have preferred to go solar.

We are on another place now but I still enjoyed roughing it like we were forced to do. Kids get dirty, kids get clean. Life gets lived and the basics get done. It really makes you look at your priorities!!! Since I had lost a home totally to fire several years ago when the kids were younger I had already had a "shake up" about my priorities once!!!

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), June 20, 2000.