As we’ve waded into the world of homesteading, we’ve gotten a lot out of YouTube videos and blogs. But above all of those things the most important resources we’ve had? BOOKS. A few weeks ago, I got an email from one of you in our Accidental Hippies community asking: ”Emily- do you have recommendations on…
Beginner’s Guide to Building Permits and the Code for Owner-Builders
5 years ago, we began the process of building our own home from scratch. The initial phase was just research and exploration. We’d find a parcel we liked, and we’d start calling around to see what we could and couldn’t do on it. We downloaded zoning guides from the county it was in. We’d view…
Keep Your House Cool Without Air Conditioning
When we built our off-grid home, we knew we wouldn’t have enough power to run air conditioning for our whole house. We did a lot of research on how to stay cool without air conditioning before we moved in. That said, NOTHING has taught us better than actually living here. To be fair, this isn’t…
Homesteading When You’re Completely Overwhelmed
Update Spring 2020: Wow I wasn’t expecting this post to be so relevant in light of a global crisis. We’re all overwhelmed on some level right now. That’s true for beginning and veteran homesteaders alike. This is the story of what happened to us LAST year in our own family crisis and the advice I…
How We Get Inexpensive Internet Off the Grid
Going off the grid is a dream for many folks, but “off-grid” doesn’t have to mean “primitive”. The internet is more than a luxury. For us, it is a means of making money for our family as much as it is a source of education and entertainment. Our property is pretty far removed from grid…
17 Real Life Tips for Buying Land Without Getting Burned
Buying land is a huge dream for many people. While you might want to buy your perfect spot on this earth and build your forever home, actually doing it is anything but easy. How can you anticipate problems before they happen? What do you need to know to avoid huge headaches down the road? Our…
7 Things We Should Have Done Building Our House
2025 Update: This post still holds true! We have since expanded our original homestead, added more solar, and completed many projects that make daily life off the grid easier. But it still remains that some of our early planning could have been better. While we’re still VERY happy with the way things have turned out,…
What Is An Accidental Hippy: Sustainability for “Normal” People
Sitting down to write lately has been an exercise in focus. There are so many ideas I have swirling in my head at the moment ranging from unconventional homebuilding to our off-grid systems, but none of them have really come to the fore. Why? Partly because there are more ideas in my head than hours…
Ultimate Guide to Radiant Heat in Our Off-Grid Cordwood Home
Radiant heating systems can be a comfortable and efficient way to heat a home. We’ll walk you through the basics and show you how our radiant heating system works in our cordwood home.
5 Ways to Build a House on a Tight Budget
I remember the days when we were sitting in our little suburban ranch home dreaming of building a house. There were many nights where I’d stay up late looking at passive solar home plans and ways to build on the cheap. I had Pinterest boards full of homestead and cabin ideas! And then we actually…