Building off-grid... How off is too off?

As I prepare to head to remote Alaska to work, I decided to browse land online to get an idea of the situation out there... Most of the affordable, nice land is off-grid... Very, off-grid, accessible by float plane during summer, or dog sled during winter.

Is the lack of vehicular accessibility a major blow in the ability to build off grid? I have a hard time imagining myself in the middle of nowhere, trying to survive while also trying to be productive and get a cabin started.

Perhaps this is a problem solved by iterative design:

- Figure out food storage -> Build simple shelter -> Harvest logs to season -> Leave -> Return next summer -> Begin building main log cabin, while sleeping in first structure -> etc...

I can't quite seem to grasp making such remoteness livable. The winters are harsh, things would need to be done promptly, efficiently, and most importantly, well. Risky nonetheless...

Jeff,

I have pondered these types of situations before.  One issue I keep coming back to is how many trips will I need to take and what will be the cost.

It would certainly be tempting to simply fly out on a float plane with your stuff and start building your dream.  I am assuming that you are building a round wood frame house.  At the very least I think that you would need:

*Tools for round wood working
*Some Cordless tools
*Some tools to clear brush (weed eater maybe)
*Chainsaw
*Various Hand Tools
*Shovels, rakes, picks, etc.
*Some device for moving logs
*Calorie dense food
*Fuel for chainsaws
*Solar panels & batteries for electrical tools
*Tent while you work
*Sleeping Bag
*Small camp stove w/fuel (before regular stove up and running)
*Clothing
*Meds and 1st aid kit
*Communication
*Buckets for carrying water

The more I think about it, the longer this list gets.  Do you think you can fit all of this into one float plane load? Two?  Do you think that you could build your home during an Alaskan winter while living in a tent?  Are you planning on doing all of this work alone?  I don’t know the answer to these questions, but this is the way I would be thinking.

If you are planning on building your home by yourself with only the materials on hand, I would say that you would need extra tools, possibly fuel, and need to devote all your time to complete your project before winter.  Therefore I would think that you would have little time to hunt, grow a garden, etc.  your caloric needs will be very high, so you will probably need to bring a LOT of non-perishable food.  This also means that you will probably not have time to gather food for winter.

If you mechanize a little, you might save yourself a lot of time, therefore easing your time and food concerns.

This is just beginning.  The variations can get fine-tuned from here.

Eric

The people who seem to do this sort of living either have heaps or cash, or were born there.

Jeff,

If I would have read more closely I would have seen the iterative design approach.  I actually like that idea.  You could build capital over years, build slowly and gradually build out your homestead.

I like your phase 1–Harvest Timber and let it season.  Then get out for the winter.

I think that Phase 2 could be a direct to the main building.  Consider living out of a good sized camp tent in the meantime.

I guess that each time you move out, you could bring more equipment, supplies, etc.  If you are flying out, weight will be an important consideration.

Out of curiosity, do you see yourself using any dimensional lumber?  Would you need a sawmill, even if a very small one?  Just FYI, the small ones can be made quite small and affordable.

Eric

Moving materials to such a place that is "most affordable" due to being "very off grid" would quickly become very expensive. Skills to use materials on site would be paramount, and that would require familiarity with the place and ecology. It's going to cost time, money, or the knowledge and experience that come from expending both. On the bright side, if it doesn't work out, you decompose in a nice wild place.

I bought my farm two years ago. It was just forest. I lived in a tent, ate a pretty boring diet and used a bucket as a toilet. That was OK, just a matter of attitude.

But I needed craftsmen, materials and a tractor to move earth. Getting that to a remote location is going to cost. It was expensive even in the middle of covilisation.

Kaarina,

I like that you mentioned the part about a tractor.  I know from experience how useful even a very small tractor can be.  I used to own a JD 2305 subcompact tractor (under 2000 pounds), and it moved mountains!

Now getting it on site will be quite the trick.  It certainly can’t go inside a floatplane, maybe can go under as a slung load but only if the ROPS gets severely modified.  The tractor, loader and one attachment (maybe a box blade) would be all that a plane could possibly carry.

And then on site, I don’t know how to unload.  We wouldn’t want to drop it into the water.  Maybe some type of floating dock could get arranged.  The transportation would be difficult, and fueling would be expensive.  I imagine that if somehow 50 gallons could be brought in with the tractor then that amount would last all season.  A small tractor would be very, very useful, but terribly difficult to get on site.  Maybe this is something that could be dog-sledded in during winter?  Quite the logistics no matter what.

Eric

Jeff -- You said a while back you had $2000-something to work with, is that still the case?