The Making of a Modern Homestead
Our first time on our property. The house was not liveable and would need to be knocked down.
An increasing number of people have been leaving cities and heading to the country to start homesteading. Some of these people see the writing on the wall and want to ensure their families’ health and safety as the fate of our country continues to be in question. Others have been farming for generations, and some just saw it on YouTube and thought it would be cool.
For my family, as we watched non-elected officials become dictators during COVID-19, the corruption within our government, and the corporatization of our food supply - our goal has always been to become as self-sufficient as possible. Meat continues to be demonized, and the climate agenda continues to be used to control people and the food supply. We want to rely on as few systems as possible to ensure our health and freedom.
While we have a long way to go before we are mostly self-sufficient and producing a significant portion of our own food, it’s not the destination; it’s the journey, and we enjoy working towards this goal.
For anyone else looking to move on to some land, live closer to nature, and become more self-sufficient. Ours is just one example and by no means “the way.” We enjoy sharing our journey and hope it sparks an idea or epiphany for your journey.
One of our first purchases was a 40-foot shipping container that would serve as a base camp when we came to work on the property. We purchased it from Container-One for around $5K delivered.
My wife and I purchased the property with my brother and his wife, and our parents also plan on joining. Anyone who thinks owning land or a homestead is financially out of reach should consider teaming up with family or friends. Everything is more affordable when you’re splitting it two or three ways. We previously talked about how to buy land here.
This barn was over 100 years old, but it was falling apart and severely rotted in spots. It was taking up valuable real estate, and it had to go.
Some precise cuts from our father. We cut out as much of the barn as possible before bringing it down.
Time and again, the shipping container has proven to be a great investment, serving as tool storage and a place to sleep and eat. Our property already had a well and power, so we were able to bring electricity and water to the container.
None of us ever brought a barn down, but we figured it out with some imagination and minimal passionate discussions about the best way to do it.
Our next objective was to upgrade from the Connex box to a garage with an apartment. This foundation is where the old barn was and one of the few projects on the property we had someone else do.
While this was happening, Jesse was already living on the property as a geo-bachelor, as detailed in “A Rewild Story” Parts One and Two.
Each family member brings a different background and skill set that makes them valuable members of our team. Our father has been working in construction for over 40 years, and we worked with him from the time we were toddlers, allowing the three of us to build the garage/apartment ourselves. One more benefit to starting a homestead with others instead of alone - combining knowledge and skills.
We used some variation of this method for every truss we placed by hand. Being strong is never a weakness. Shout out to Mark Bell.
This is going to make a great workshop, tool storage, and gym one day.
We managed to get the structure under the roof before everyone had to return to their day jobs. The framing took under a month for three people to complete, and there were no cranes or boom trucks. We set every truss by hand and carried every sheet of plywood up the ladder. Keeping it real, we did hire a gang of 15 Mexicans driving Honda Civics with compressors in the trunk to do the shingles.
Some trips to the property are only a few days and we often find ourselves working from morning until night trying finish projects needed to move to the next phase.
After eight months of living with his family nearby, my brother and his family are the first to move onto the property full-time. He tore the old blue house down and parked an RV in it’s place where they will live while they build their forever home. The process was not as glamorous as the RV living videos on YouTube would have you believe. He’s been on a generator for two weeks while he jumps through hoops to get power brought to the RV. - Notice the new pole going in the ground right next to the already perfectly good pole - silliness. Shout out to our neighbor Johnnie for his help bringing power to the RV.
If you’ve been with us since we started, you know we believe in being prepared. No homestead would be complete without a “survival library.” Books on hand are great for getting ideas and gaining a more in-depth understanding of topics. And if the internet or power goes down and doesn’t come back up for some time, you’ll already have all the information you need.
On our last trip, we planted two apple trees, two peach trees, and companion plants. Fruit and nut trees with companion plants and perennial herbs will be a vital part of our homestead.
We trimmed a long-forgotten apple tree last year. After years of neglect and no compost, it was still producing so many apples that we had to give them away. We can’t wait to see what it does this year after we cleared around its trunk and surrounded it with compost and mulch.
The Moms demonstrate the most significant benefit of bringing family together on a homestead - sharing the responsibility of raising and teaching our children.
During our last visit over spring break, we stayed a little longer and got to relax and reflect on why we decided to build a homestead in the first place—sitting in our field and watching the sunrise over the mountains with only the sound of the birds and the wind.
One day, we’ll wake up here every morning, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
We’re carving out a life prioritizing health, family, self-sufficiency, liberty, and freedom.
This is the way.
