I just purchased
land in NB, Canada. Basically, we would be looking for as many as 3 tiny homes to move into out forested 9.4 acres (4 including our family). Satellite internet is available in the area and we plan to clear the main road to our property as well as three other roads branching off into the very back of the mostly square property. I hate the idea of renting land while trying to live off the grid. We decided to buy the land and crafting a five-year plan to prepare before we took the leap and moved in. Because We hate the idea of paying rent on land we figured a trade for labor instead of charging other like-minded tiny home adventures would be a much better deal. Our thoughts for this trade, in order of importance, would be....
1: Land clearing. For our site, we would need
trees cleared. sounds easy enough and the majority of the hardwood on the property is on the smaller end of the scale so a chainsaw, while it would take time, is viable. We would be putting in
solar so not only does the home site need clearing but the surrounding trees as well to take full advantage of the sun during all seasons. (kinda a bigger job)
2: fencing. We knew we wanted to
fence and with all the clearing needed the smaller diameter trees could make for a good perimeter
fence around our homesite. (not the entire property) Nothing crazy fancy needed. A nice rustic looking fence with some waves in it would add some charm in my opinion.
3:
Gardening. Ok, so we're not the greenest of thumbs. Of
course, we are doing what we can here in Calgary with our small garden but after clearing the land we would, of course, need a sizeable garden between the 4 of us. (kids 7 and 11) Basically producing
compost and weeding along with maybe some pro tips throughout the growing season would be simply amazing.
My question, is this something people would be interested in? I like the idea of trading the work for a chunk of forest to call there own. To better make it in an off-grid situation the small amount of money people would pay for renting an area could go a long way for more important things. we defiantly want to go the full legal route so, permits are needed for living in a tiny home. talking to the county and the company that sold us the property it seems to be an easy and welcome process in the area, (35 min drive northeast to Sussex). This includes rainwater collection, the home its self,
solar, land clearing,
composting toilet, chickens, the whole package.
At the moment the land can be developed but not lived on. The payments for the land need to be paid in full before we can even think of setting up shop BUT... we plan on paying this off within a year (at least).
Thoughts regarding the plan? would you personally make any changes or have suggestions regarding any of it? Shit, would you even be interested in the future?
Leaving the rat race behind and planting roots in the unknown can be a bit overwhelming. It's my opinion that working with each other can be beneficial.
- Side note. Watching YouTube videos on tiny homeowners has been fun and there are tonnes to learn but one thing I never understood is the building or buying a tiny home without having a spot to drop it in. We decided to grab up the land first and go from there. To each their own I suppose.
Thanks for taking the time to read about our ideas and plan.