R Scott

They are great but quirky, my son invested in the special mechanic skills and tools so we all had them for a while. They are not nearly as cheap as they used to be around here.

That era of BMW had a limit (of 3 or 4) of number of keys that can be programmed for life. So don’t ever buy an old German car unless you know you have at least one good key.

There are no cheap new options these days.

The last one I built was from a new base I found at a habitat restore.

My first impression is to make rock wall raised beds to match the existing, but lower.  But….

Any concern about driving into them by missing the driveway?

Any hoa/town rules about clearance from the sidewalk?

Is there a walking path you want to keep?

I second everything Jackson said.

As to the turning pasture to garden, it depends!  The type of grass really makes a difference in timing and method, but don’t expect your first try to work—you might kill some of the weaker species but your soil seed bank is probably so full you will need multiple cycles to get to a manageable level for weeds in a veggie garden.  The YouTube channels no till grower and advancing eco agriculture are the top two I can think of for details.  

Are you going to have any machines? Tiller, tractor, riding mower, etc?  Are you solo, have a partner, going all in 24/7, still have a job, etc. ? A homestead will suck 120% of all available time and money, so plan in small steps so you don’t have a thousand half finished projects (learning the hard way).

There isn’t an always cheap way—it depends on finding a deal on the fittings. The screw on fittings are hard to seal so the cam locks are the better option. They will still leak if you don’t get that foil seal area smooth—either all the foil still there or completely removed.

Johnny’s sells seeds. They need stratification, or fall planting.  A few seeds are expensive, but buying a bulk bag isn’t much more. We bought a big bag and planted anywhere we thought it had a chance. Hasn’t been long enough to know if it worked.

It’s picky about soil and light—they grow where it’s so shaded almost nothing else grows. Northern or eastern slopes.  Often the same areas that fiddle head ferns grow.

Search on YouTube for wildcraft simulated.

That vent flashing doesn’t look bad—I have seen a lot worse.  Could be the problem, but I would look elsewhere as well.

I would get in the attic with a good flashlight and a roll of toilet paper.  Look for any water trails or wet nails, you can use a piece of TP to confirm it’s wet.

You say an upper roof drops onto that roof, is there a roof to wall joint there?  Those joints are notoriously bad for re roofs because to do them right you need to remove the siding.

You can take a crop and still leave behind extra for the soil.

Agree that getting it off the ground is more important than under cover, in most cases. Some equipment will get rain down into crevices and gears/chains, but all of them will rust from the bottom up if left in the dirt or grass. Setting them up on pallets, tires, logs, railroad ties, landscape timber, etc will be a great start.

Carport or loafing shed both work, it depends what fits in your space and access better. Make sure it is tall enough to lift your loader most of the way up—high enough to lift equipment with a chain from the bucket.

Riley Hall wrote:…I just need to find someone that will ship to Alaska without doubling the cost 🙁

Good luck with that, ouch.