Ben Brownell

Some big questions tied up in that inquiry! Without knowing a lot more personal particulars, I'd be curious what sort of local community and broader ecological landscape you would want to be a part of? And where do you see yourself on a general learning curve of the skills/experience needed to reach your goals? If those things aren't real clear, you may want to consider allowing yourself the opportunity of a lower commitment 'test run' or self-directed apprenticeship in a space/setting that provides informal support, while familiarizing with a wider region that you can eventually home in on optimal long term living situation with lots more confidence, and more time to scan for uniquely suited properties.

Another route might be working with a capable consultant who can convey lots more personalized insight and advice to avoid unwelcome surprises and course corrections. *raises hand* ...which is something I can probably offer if interested, reach out to discuss!

Without heavy equipment, options seem rather limited on that scale. Dealing with not just trunks but stumps there is quite a challenge, if you want to convert toward meadow conditions. I'd be inclined to consider large pit burning to further reduce woody material into charcoal, and slowly work through the area in patches. It sounds like it's pretty flat topography, or I'd consider stacking log segments into any gullies or depressions and burying. One more thought is just playing with some creative "snow fence" lines of log poles to create a bunch of minor microclimates and more protected zones (shade and browse) that also catch winter snow drifts for additional hydration.

Timber frame construction, which generally has wider spacing between supports like rafters/joists, typically uses 2x6 tongue and groove for decking on roofs, sometimes floors (especially lofts). Pricier than ply, but maybe worth it for certain advantages.

I don't have specific pointers, but a couple additional considerations: for one, the water table or depth to standing water in your well may be much shallower, for purpose of your pump rating calculations. There is always some standing 'water column' in the bottom of the well that can fluctuate a bit seasonally or based on use, but may average 100' or more of total well depth. Your neighbors or the well driller may have local insight on estimating that. Second, the pump will need to be suited for a particular water system design and usage. There are different ways to set things up, like using a cistern/tank and gravity feed (how far above well head?) vs pressure tank that's more 'on demand'. What kind of water (volume) usage do you expect, and when (daytime & season)? What's the power supply going to be - standalone unit, or connected to house/other system? No need to elaborate here, but those are things you probably want to get clear on to discuss with a professional or installer.

I would offer that one helpful way to approach a big reset / relocation like that is to leave yourself some options to reorient again to an even better situation in a few years' time after you've given yourself a practice run and chance to test the waters somewhere new. Basically, don't get hung up on needing to find the perfect happy-ever-after home right away, and pick someplace that will allow you the flexibility to a) try a bunch of new things out on a small scale while you learn and build your confidence, and b) give you the option to resell easily at a modest return for your efforts if you choose to in a few years.

Rural real estate is not as reliable financially as more conventional city properties that have a much bigger buyer market behind them. But that also means you can find some great deals out there if you know what to look for and what kinds of improvements you can manage on your own. There are a few more pitfalls to avoid as well, when it comes to assessing what's there and potential liabilities, so it's good to have a trustworthy professional on your side before finalizing anything. Feel free to ask more questions here as you search, and good luck setting yourself and a little patch of earth up for satisfying growth ahead!

How goes the excavations, Josh?

I've gotten sucked in down the hand-dug rabbit hole myself, slowly but surely, for similar reasons (or, arguably, lack thereof)! Mainly due to combination of good workable geology that's near a sweet spot of carveable X stable, desire for bulk fill material supply, and the appeal of year round passive climate control.

So far about 15' into an exploratory tunnel just to see how goes, and what's possible, but starting to dream bigger as the potential utility + feasibility expands. Not really thinking in terms of living space so much, but I suppose having a manageable 'bolt hole' in case of emergency (like fire) could be a real life saver. Originally thinking more for root cellar and general cool (non-freezing) storage. Currently most excited about the prospect of large volume underground water storage, since I can fairly easily channel a good amount of winter surface flow down in there, and the substrate is pretty near impervious to drainage as is. It's pretty slow going so I'm sure I'll be able to experiment and adjust over a few seasons to home in on good long term plan for it. Fun side project anyhow, especially during hot weather! Amazing to just climb in to 20-30F cooler temps like that.

Photo of current "R&D" status here:

Lots of different ways to think about and weigh the tradeoffs, for a variety of contexts and conceptions of what the future holds (or could). Transportation systems really are a huge determinant of lifestyle/quality/sustainability, and the western US is pretty deep in the hole of car-oriented living and widely spaced more-than-human-scale landscapes.

New Urbanism is a worthy response for city dwellers; some of which can translate to more rural or exurban settings. Personally I'm most excited about the prospect for "e-bike-able" eco-district development patterns, where several low density neighborhoods/hamlets and some busier town centers or hubs are linked with bike/cart-friendly or dedicated alt transit networks. The best example of this I know of is in the mid Hudson Valley of New York, where a few intersecting rail trail routes link several small towns and farmland surrounding the city of Kingston.

There's a lot of potential for innovation and proliferation of versatile compact efficient electric vehicles in between bike format and enclosed cab vehicles that I expect will take off here in coming decades, with corresponding push toward dedicated travel routes. Even as is, I can get around pretty well within 10-20 mile radius on all manner of surfaces via fairly comfy fat tire bike that I charge free from the sun. Eventually I want to build out or buy into a semi-wild co-homesteading arrangement with a couple shared larger utility vehicles as needed, but most local and on site traffic via light electric conveyance. So many upsides, it's hard not to see an exponential trend going that way! But choosing the right location - and neighbors/community who support the needed broader infrastructure - will be key.

Not a notably bad year here for numbers, I rarely see them around (versus some years they are hopping everywhere) but they have demolished several chestnut seedlings so far. Not much at all that's green this time of year so any lush leaves are a beacon. I've tried visually screening some plants (also helps with shading from intense sun) and that may make them less of a target. Re: sunflowers, I have a small patch of sun chokes that got a few nibbles but mostly left alone so far. 2nd year pomegranate and black walnut are completely untouched.

I've thought about (not yet tested or implemented) some sort of rapid-deploy house shield to quickly protect at least small structures in the event of a fire emergency. A curtain system with heavier nonflammable material, or even hanging metal panels potentially - the foil wrap seems iffy due to challenge of installing well to resist wind etc, and not easily reusable. But maybe fixing it to a light frame or other custom mounting system? I'm also recalling that tight, trimmed straw bales do not readily ignite, and could possibly make a quick barrier wall at least on most exposed side of structure/space.

I went for something similar, but more 'rustic' I suppose with small-D roundwood frame pieces, offcut slabs, and salvaged roof tin - and realized I could scale up in size a bit and have a nice elevated outdoor summer bed/lounge when not in use for wood storage!