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My farm. In the past ten years, I have built the following things here (to name a few that I can remember): 1. three small creek-fed ponds (bonus: one has an

My farm. In the past ten years, I have built the following things here (to name a few that I can remember): 1. three small creek-fed ponds (bonus: one has an island), 2. numerous outbuildings for various kinds of livestock, 3. a pair of portable outhouses, 4. several miles of perimeter and cross fencing, 5. two large greenhouses (20x50 and 30x90), 6. a built-in oak storage bench for the farmhouse entryway, 7. a portable covered milking stanchion that can service a cow or two goats, 8. a semi-permanent lumber mill capable of milling logs up to 30" around and 24' long, In addition, I have performed endless upgrades and repairs to existing structures and equipment: 1. rewired and plumbed the wellhouse, adding new storage tanks, 2. maintained my fleet of trucks, heavy equipment, and dozens of other machines that contain small engines, 3. finished out the farmhouse basement to use as a dairy parlor, I still have a few projects on my TODO list: 1. more outbuildings, 2. a 20' wood bridge across to the island in the lower pond, 3. hot tub (made from cedar that will be cut and milled here on the property), and 4. so much more.... It will never be "done".

bradly 3y ago
Are you milling with an alaskan mill or are you using a horizontal band saw? I'd really love to have space and money just keep a wood-mizer around. Do you have a kiln as well?
- voakbasda 3y ago
  It's a bandsaw mill, but I occasionally need to use an Alaskan style mill to square up logs that are too big. I have small foundry capable of casting aluminum, and I have plans to find a spot to build a proper cupola furnace that enables casting iron.
  - bradly 3y ago
    Sorry, I meant a kiln for the wood :)
    - voakbasda 3y ago
      Lol... I should have got that.... I do not have a wood drying kiln, but I have a small shelter where I stack boards over the winter. It ends up bone dry by the next year when I am ready to use it. I have thousands of board feet waiting to be milled, so I plan on building a larger lumber drying "shed" at some point with some of the resulting boards.
      - bradly 3y ago
        My fear with strictly air drying is bugs, but wood usage is primarily indoor furniture and fine woodworking. Have you had any issues with that?
codq 3y ago
You're playing Stardew Valley IRL. Fantastic.
appplication 3y ago
What approximate physical location are you in? This is my dream, but right now I’m wasting away in SF. I’ve been looking for properties with a stream but they seem pretty far between.
- samtho 3y ago
  I own 4.2 acres in the Sierras north of US-50 between Kyburz and South Lake Tahoe at 5,600ft elevation. It was not easy to find, but there is a seasonal creek that runs through it fed by snowmelt. I had to drill a well 600ft down to find water year round, there are no utilities so I had to dig out for septic, get propane storage for generator power, and I have a gravel path via an easement into an adjacent property to link to a forest service road. As remote and unconnected it was, it still fetched an amount that I am not super happy with, but I acknowledge even that price I got it for was cheap. I knew what I was getting into, specifically buying it after the major fire up there two years ago and was able to get a wide open tree-cleared area that I didn’t have to gain authorization to remove. I fully intend to build a cabin up there and then probably resell it because it’s too remote to AirBnB. I think you should carefully consider your goals and what you want out of a location (must haves vs nice to haves and a list of dealbreakers). There are a few things you probably take for granted. If your are considering an off grid or at least remote location, some things you should keep in mind: - More than ten miles is a long way to get groceries, especially if primitive roads make part of the drive. - It gets dark when you’re outside of civilization, don’t leave lit areas unless you must. - Carry extra fuel at all times, you should also have a working, spare vehicle that you actively maintain. - If you are settling in an area with snow, both your vehicles need to be AWD with snow tires and you should carry chains at all times when it’s season for snow. - The spare vehicle should have a full tank of gas and spare fuel treated with an enzyme to keep it stable. - You should have spare parts for your home and car, be comfortable with doing a lot of stuff yourself. - Know the fastest and slower but more reliable route to the nearest hospital. - Get a cell phone repeater from your cell company (they often even do it for free if you power it). - Make sure your house has a power inlet so you can use a portable generator in case your permanent one fails or have a very beefy car inverter so your spare card can power your house. - Have backup fuel for your generator. - You should have one week of food, water, and generator fuel on reserve at all time. - Your firewood pile should be sheltered, covered from the elements, and easy to get to from your home. - Maintain a sat phone (one with minimal minutes is fine, this is backup comms). And be sure to remember that shit gets or feels weird for us when we live in remote locations. You will start to see things if you let it get to you. If you plan on exploring, be prepared to come across (and avoid) carcasses, wild animals, poison oak or ivy, strange or out of place structures, people walking around who don’t answer or acknowledge you when you call out, trust your gut and fucking bolt when things are just not right even if you can’t put your finger on it. I have hallucinated people that disappear when you try to approach them, full and partial structures that seem to dilapidate when I approach them. I’ve seen brand new cars driven out miles off the highway left with their door open as if someone just got out and walked away never to return, burnt out cars miles out in the wilderness, heard children laughing in the distance at midnight in the pitch black, heard the moaning of someone in pain but nobody to be found. Maybe the most unsettling thing is when you walk into a specific area of the forest and, as if all the air is sucked out, it goes so quiet enough that you can hear your own pulse and rumbling of blood flowing through your ear. You feel, not hear, this low, intense hum, a sense of dread falls over you, as if you are being watched or hunted. This happened to me back in May when I ran across a set of poured, concrete stairs in a clearing as if built for a porch, but no foundation where the house should have been. Nobody told me this lifestyle would cause me to become afraid of the dark again. I used to camp up there but now I don’t go up there unless it’s light and I can be back on the highway well before nightfall. Honestly, this experience has given me a huge appreciation for the game Don’t Starve.

bradly 3y ago

Are you milling with an alaskan mill or are you using a horizontal band saw? I'd really love to have space and money just keep a wood-mizer around. Do you have a kiln as well?

voakbasda 3y ago
It's a bandsaw mill, but I occasionally need to use an Alaskan style mill to square up logs that are too big. I have small foundry capable of casting aluminum, and I have plans to find a spot to build a proper cupola furnace that enables casting iron.
- bradly 3y ago
  Sorry, I meant a kiln for the wood :)
  - voakbasda 3y ago
    Lol... I should have got that.... I do not have a wood drying kiln, but I have a small shelter where I stack boards over the winter. It ends up bone dry by the next year when I am ready to use it. I have thousands of board feet waiting to be milled, so I plan on building a larger lumber drying "shed" at some point with some of the resulting boards.
    - bradly 3y ago
      My fear with strictly air drying is bugs, but wood usage is primarily indoor furniture and fine woodworking. Have you had any issues with that?

codq 3y ago

You're playing Stardew Valley IRL. Fantastic.

appplication 3y ago

What approximate physical location are you in? This is my dream, but right now I’m wasting away in SF. I’ve been looking for properties with a stream but they seem pretty far between.

samtho 3y ago
I own 4.2 acres in the Sierras north of US-50 between Kyburz and South Lake Tahoe at 5,600ft elevation. It was not easy to find, but there is a seasonal creek that runs through it fed by snowmelt. I had to drill a well 600ft down to find water year round, there are no utilities so I had to dig out for septic, get propane storage for generator power, and I have a gravel path via an easement into an adjacent property to link to a forest service road. As remote and unconnected it was, it still fetched an amount that I am not super happy with, but I acknowledge even that price I got it for was cheap. I knew what I was getting into, specifically buying it after the major fire up there two years ago and was able to get a wide open tree-cleared area that I didn’t have to gain authorization to remove. I fully intend to build a cabin up there and then probably resell it because it’s too remote to AirBnB. I think you should carefully consider your goals and what you want out of a location (must haves vs nice to haves and a list of dealbreakers). There are a few things you probably take for granted. If your are considering an off grid or at least remote location, some things you should keep in mind: - More than ten miles is a long way to get groceries, especially if primitive roads make part of the drive. - It gets dark when you’re outside of civilization, don’t leave lit areas unless you must. - Carry extra fuel at all times, you should also have a working, spare vehicle that you actively maintain. - If you are settling in an area with snow, both your vehicles need to be AWD with snow tires and you should carry chains at all times when it’s season for snow. - The spare vehicle should have a full tank of gas and spare fuel treated with an enzyme to keep it stable. - You should have spare parts for your home and car, be comfortable with doing a lot of stuff yourself. - Know the fastest and slower but more reliable route to the nearest hospital. - Get a cell phone repeater from your cell company (they often even do it for free if you power it). - Make sure your house has a power inlet so you can use a portable generator in case your permanent one fails or have a very beefy car inverter so your spare card can power your house. - Have backup fuel for your generator. - You should have one week of food, water, and generator fuel on reserve at all time. - Your firewood pile should be sheltered, covered from the elements, and easy to get to from your home. - Maintain a sat phone (one with minimal minutes is fine, this is backup comms). And be sure to remember that shit gets or feels weird for us when we live in remote locations. You will start to see things if you let it get to you. If you plan on exploring, be prepared to come across (and avoid) carcasses, wild animals, poison oak or ivy, strange or out of place structures, people walking around who don’t answer or acknowledge you when you call out, trust your gut and fucking bolt when things are just not right even if you can’t put your finger on it. I have hallucinated people that disappear when you try to approach them, full and partial structures that seem to dilapidate when I approach them. I’ve seen brand new cars driven out miles off the highway left with their door open as if someone just got out and walked away never to return, burnt out cars miles out in the wilderness, heard children laughing in the distance at midnight in the pitch black, heard the moaning of someone in pain but nobody to be found. Maybe the most unsettling thing is when you walk into a specific area of the forest and, as if all the air is sucked out, it goes so quiet enough that you can hear your own pulse and rumbling of blood flowing through your ear. You feel, not hear, this low, intense hum, a sense of dread falls over you, as if you are being watched or hunted. This happened to me back in May when I ran across a set of poured, concrete stairs in a clearing as if built for a porch, but no foundation where the house should have been. Nobody told me this lifestyle would cause me to become afraid of the dark again. I used to camp up there but now I don’t go up there unless it’s light and I can be back on the highway well before nightfall. Honestly, this experience has given me a huge appreciation for the game Don’t Starve.