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…
Running Electrical Wiring In or On Cordwood Walls
There are many options to consider when running electrical wiring in your cordwood house. Here, we’re going to examine your common options, as well as what WE chose to do, and why. For those who haven’t followed us yet, we built our own off-grid home out of cordwood masonry. We did the majority of the…
3 Hard Truths About Buying Homestead Land (and how to deal with it)
Shopping for rural land can be tough. You’re dreaming about building your perfect homestead from scratch. You’ve been saving house plans, garden layouts, and homestead info on Pinterest. You have big visions and big dreams for what you want your life to look like. But as you search and search for your perfect property you…
How to Get the Best Recycled and Reclaimed Building Materials
Building an ecologically friendly home of your own is a great opportunity to use recycled and reclaimed building materials. Not only can you often get these materials for cheap or free, you’re saving a lot of materials from being tossed in a landfill. But before you go out and grab a bunch of free pallets…
The Honest Meaning of Modern Homesteading
The phrase “modern homesteading” has different meanings to different people. History and lost skills are experiencing a revival in modern society, but what does it really mean? What does a modern homesteader do? And how can you do it yourself?
Reader Feature: Dead-Simple Advice to Build The Life You Want with Andy and Stacy
One of the coolest things about sharing our story through our blog has been meeting other people who are on the same kind of path as us. I wanted to share some other perspectives on homesteading, home building, and what living a self-sufficient life really looks like. You can catch up on all of our amazing…
What Couples Need to Know Before Building a House
It’s been just over one year since my husband and I moved into the house that we built by hand. We’ve had many opportunities to reflect since then about our experiences. One of the things we keep coming back to is how lucky we were to have survived the experience. I’m not just talking building…
Reader Spotlight: From Townhouse to Off the Grid with Teri French
One of the coolest things about sharing our story through our blog has been meeting other people who are on the same kind of path as us. I wanted to share some other perspectives on homesteading, home building, and what living a self-sufficient life really looks like. We’re big fans of being owner-builders (heck, we even…