Starting a Homestead - It starts in the Mind and ....

Well Seeing that I have to have 10 Tread for my Scavenger Hunt. ;) I start at the beginning.

To make the decision to live off the land, or to start a homestead and or intentional community. Ok BIG Decisions to be made, once discovered.

It's may seem easy to make the decision to change to this lifestyle. Then to think where too?

I'm from Newfoundland, Canada. An island of the East coast of Canada, where we have winter for 6-8 months of the years. So long winter and short growing seasons. I live next to the ocean, so fishing is a resource. Lots of forests to get building materials. Land can be made fertile, yet need to build a winter Greenhouse in the snow (I have the plans ;)  to have year-long food production.

Land in NL, One can get of Gov from a remote cabin lot, $200/year up to $30K for 1acres lots to lease. Yet get Agriculture leases for $4/hectare/year. Gov of NL has 64,000 hectares for development.

Yet Costa Rice, calls. A beautiful place and opportunities to live and farm all year round. The idea of getting land in the mountain jungle, overlooking the Caribbean sea and 10-20 min from the beach. Can become a reality :)

Here in NL, the Gov has 64,000 Hectares for Agriculture lease. $4/ha  

https://www.gov.nl.ca/ffa/faa/agrifoods/land/obtaining-land/requests-for-proposals/

I have looked at most maps are areas. If you want to learn more and get land, let me know and I can assist

Cheers,
Craig :)

Craig, yes those scavenger hunts are quite motivating. :)

So you are in Newfoundland, Canada, and seem to have good ideas on getting as start on a northern homestead, but you dream of possibly living in Costa Rica. What a contrast! I take it you see benefits for both places and are still in the location decision making process. Is that about right?

Leigh Tate wrote:Craig, yes those scavenger hunts are quite motivating. :)

So you are in Newfoundland, Canada, and seem to have good ideas on getting as start on a northern homestead, but you dream of possibly living in Costa Rica. What a contrast! I take it you see benefits for both places and are still in the location decision making process. Is that about right?

Hi Leigh,

Thanks for responding :)

My life is a contrast LOL Being born on the land, gives one a greater love for the birth land. Yet being a world traveller, I have love for many lands. Being that I have Canada and Australian Citizenship, I can live in either. Canada can be too cold and long and Australia too hot and dry at times. They are both great places to live, yet too far apart for travelling regularly. (Big Family) So the next best place is Central Americal So Canada and Cota Rica or Panama :)

So Why not have two sites :) One that I can start on now and for the summers Months (May to Oct in NL. Then in the winter months Nov to Apr in Costa Rica. :)

In time my idea will be to transition to living more in Costa Rica and retiring there :)

Sounds like a very good plan. There is something to be said for not having to endure harsh, cold winters when one gets older. It seems that transitioning will make for an interesting challenge because the ecosystems are so different!

This looks like a great property in CR :)
https://www.point2homes.com/CR/Home-For-Sale/Limon/Puerto-Viejo/Paraiso-Bribri/198-ACRE-FARM-IN-PARAISO-TALAMANCA-LIMON-COSTA-RICA/95158949.html

For Costa Rica, as we have no bamboo in NL lol ;)
What to build?

Ok so we have the land (a wish @ this time ;)  and now we need shelter.
We have little time and less money, and what is the best way to get a shelter.

So if we have bamboo we can build a Geodesic Bamboo Stardome :)

Cheap, Fast and Sturdy.  
https://www.permaculturenews.org/2020/09/01/geodesic-bamboo-stardome/
https://simplydifferently.org/Star_Dome

Basically, 15-20 bamboo poles, plastic string and trap/plastic sheet can build a simple, fast and cheap shelter

Plastic String Make your own :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSBh77bjz_Q&t=528s&ab_channel=AdvokoMAKES

Once we have basic shelter we can then look at building Bamboo Huts for better accommodations :)
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bamboo+huts&atb=v219-1&iax=images&ia=images

Once we have Shelter we can build the food forest and gardens and start a community:)