Cerridwen Philemon

Doug Mac wrote:I have had some minor issues with the building dept. in northern California but we worked them out. They are not the 'Evil Empire'. They are cautious because developers have lied to them before. Treat them with the courtesy you would expect to be treated with, make sure you understand exactly what their objections are and be ready to explain your project with facts not intentions. Inspections, building codes and zoning laws are a hassle sometimes, but they are also what makes your property saleable if the unforeseen happens and you have to sell and protects you from a neighbor that decides to generate power by burning tires or opening a quicky mart.

Doug, where in Northern California did you build? My husband keeps talking about some land in Hornbrook as being a possibility for us.

Jeremiah wales wrote:

Cerridwen Philemon wrote:I support our family by sewing reusable cloth menstrual pads and selling them on various websites such as Etsy (www.mothermoonpads.etsy.com) DiaperSwappers, ClothDiaperNation, Facebook and others. My husband has dreams of turning his welding/brazing skills into a bicycle framebuilding business. We do not have a homestead yet, but it is part of our 3 year plan.

Reuseable? Wow.

If your Husband has not checked out some of the Custom Bike Sites, He should. Some of those people are Crazy with the prices. But if he does it right he could get a lot of work from those guys. Has to figure out the shipping. Pm Me if he wants a few names of sites for Bikes.
Good Luck

He has gone through a frame building course (as well as technical school for welding) and has a lot of friends in the business. He has spent the last 2 years working up to the point where he is now. Thank you!

Peter DeJay wrote:I'm from New Mexico, which is a rather well known "mecca" of sorts to unconventional buildings, especially in the northern part where the EarthShips are situated. I've noticed that the places with the lax building codes/restrictions tend to be somewhat featureless and dry. Not that that isn't beautiful in its own ways; I fully miss the high desert of my birth, but here in Oregon for example, when resources are more abundant restrictions tend to be higher.

However, there is a rather large middle area as far as just how unrestricted you need it to be. If you are willing to work with local jurisdictions and have a well thought out design you might be surprised at an areas bureaucratic willingness. Jackson county, OR for instance, while listed on the "pockets of freedom" map on the EarthShip website as a "red" zone, which is true it does tend to have some strict building codes, also has quite a few strawbale, cob, and light clay-straw type structures. But if you wanted to have zero restrictions/meddling then I would suggest northern NM. I guess in the end it depends on the climate you want to live in, and the type of structures you are looking to build.

I am in Medford, so I am happy to read your post. Where do you find the strawbale, cob and clay type structures in the area?

Darrin Goodman wrote:The more I visit, the more I love this website and forum. There is so much useful information on here. I'm still mostly in the process of trying to figure out how to get my wife on board with selling our house and moving into the country to start up more of a homestead lifestyle. Suggestions are welcomed.

Mostly this message is in excitement over the possibility of winning a copy of Anna Hess's "The Weekend Homesteader"!
https://permies.com/t/19059/homestead/Anna-Hess-blogger-Walden-Effect

Thank you!

I have been working on my husband for a year or two now. He is finally getting excited at the prospect of purchasing land and letting me have at it. He has been really supportive at helping (okay, doing it for me!) me build raised bed gardens this year. It's baby steps for us!

I support our family by sewing reusable cloth menstrual pads and selling them on various websites such as Etsy (www.mothermoonpads.etsy.com) DiaperSwappers, ClothDiaperNation, Facebook and others. My husband has dreams of turning his welding/brazing skills into a bicycle framebuilding business. We do not have a homestead yet, but it is part of our 3 year plan.