I am in process of creating, building a new Zero Cost Living (ZCL) homestead. This new homestead will be built cheaply, showing how folks with little money can do it too. My experience will be the basis of a new book.
You will need a source of some money to go ahead, not that much, a few thousand. You will have to come up with this money somehow. You will have to save, or borrow, or sell something, or start a business that brings in more than it costs (many do not). Not easy for poor folks in this economy of minimum wage service industry jobs. My book Zero Cost Living describes ways to cut living expenses and save money, as do many other books and webs sites. Look into them!
If you have some $ already or a decent paying job then, consider going ahead so you have a refuge, a secure place, against future disasters or crashes in our unstable economy. Personally, for folks without much money like me, I cannot think of a better way to spend money: not on education, or investments, or a business, or whatever. All of these have uncertain futures. (Sure you can get a good education like I did, but can you make it pay? I could not). A secure homestead will always be there for you. Sure, move where the jobs are for now (Like Dakota oil and gas ranges) , but then save your money and put it into something permanent, where you can live in ease and comfort whatever your job situation.
To make a ZCL homestead really secure it must be built so it is almost indestructible, and this is entirely possible, and at low cost. And it must be built at a location NOT subject to natural or human-made disasters, or wars, etc.
I have already purchased land in the best location I can find in the United States for a ZCL homestead, after a nationwide search on the web (including Alaska). I will tell you where and why later. And I will describe what I will do, step by step, and how I will do it. Thus, you can try it too. Someone bolder than myself might consider other countries: Belize, or Panama maybe, but (despite survivalist fantasies), the United States remains the most secure place on Earth for the foreseeable future.
Location criteria:
Here is what I look for in a location:
Not subject to natural disasters: tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, volcanic eruptions,
By building right, you can be secure from SOME of these disasters, but possibly at great cost and inconvenience.
Not subject to human disasters: wars, invasions, revolutions, riots, nuclear power plant failures, etc.
Low cost of living: low taxes, low costs for food, energy, etc.
High 'quality of life': Things to see and do, places to visit, culture, history, scenic vistas.
I will go into these in detail later.
Places exist that meet some or most of these criteria. I think, if money were not the issue, Southern France would be an excellent choice, but, of course, money is the issue, and language, and an Ocean, interfere (though these could be dealt with). A ZCL homestead in Southern France? Someone must try it sometime.
Location I have chosen:
North Florida : specifically Interlachen Florida for these reasons:
Incredibly Cheap land: almost an acre for $2,000.
Benign climate: mild winter, comfortable spring and fall, hot summer (But I won't be there then)
and well inland from the hurricanes and tsunamis that can hit the coast.
Sandy hill country: no florida swampland.
Long growing season.
Plenty of solar energy with many sunny days even in winter.
Low taxes and basic but adequate public services: library, schools, police, etc.
No salted roads, so cars last and don't rust, and also no salt air from the ocean to cause rust.
Near a University Town: Gainesville Florida 25 miles west.
Things to do in the region: Ocala National Forest, St. Johns river system, Ocean beaches, Space Coast, Orlanda area attractions 2 hours away. St. Augustine 1 hour away, (oldest city in America).
Near where Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings author of The Yearling lived. The novel takes place in this area.
She wrote many other books about the people and culture of the region.
Because I will be here only seasonally, I must have a house that is everything proof; proof against fire, wind, vandals, theft, termites, floods (not on a flood plain), etc. A house entirely or in part of ferrocement can meet these criteria.
A money saving bonus: the sandy soil of the site can be used as the main ingredient ( by volume) of the concrete mix used to make ferrocement. The other ingredients are Portland cement, water. This mix will be trowelled onto a chickenwire and rebar frame.
I am going for a rainwater collection system and pond rather than a well. The first task on the site will be to build this collection system to have water for the ferrocement mix. Tarps, perhaps old swimming pool liners could be used for this. These would be buried a few inches deep in the sand, to keep rain water from being lost into the sand. Later, I will create a pond and rainwater collection system of ferrocement.
I have explored a series of design options, including designs that don't use glass windows (subject to vandalism and poor barriers against heat and cold (some winter nights get below freezing). A courtyard house: all rooms opening into an inner courtyard or two is especially appealing.
OCCUPY FLORIDA!
Update June 2014: Design and construction criteria and steps:
Initially, in December 2014 I will be camping on the land, setting up a sleeping tent, a fire ring, a tarp covered food preparation area, and a porta potty tent so all the basics are at hand. The benign climate of North Florida, even in winter makes this possible. Average temperatures - 40's at night and 60's in the day are entirely comfortable tent camping with a sleeping bag. Also: rain is less in winter, and humidity is lower.
The first project will be a water collection system consisting of tarps laid to hold water - buried a few inches under the sand to protect them from sunlight and rips or holes. I expect rain to collect in these useful for washing, bathing, making ferrocement, and drinking after being run through filters and adding bleach to kill germs. The bleach will dissipate out of the water by letting it sit for a while or by agitating it. I am considering a device, perhaps a very small windmill to agitate the water automatically.
The first structure will be a fire ring with a 10 x 10 foot canopy over the fire to keep rain off. This canopy will have a roof of fireproof metal panels- steel or aluminum with a vent at the top to let the smoke out. Tarps around the sides, rolled up when weather is good will serve as walls of the canopy. Thus I will have a warm place to cook and hang out for very low cost.
To build this canopy, four 10 foot wooden posts, cut on site or foraged nearby will be set in the ground 2 feet and four poles will connect the posts. This is an ancient style of structure widely used by Native Americans and many others. (Recent archeological digs of neolithic villages near Stonehenge and in the Orkney Islands have revealed similar designs). The post structure will be left but the tarps and metal roof, subject to theft or vandalism will be removed and stored when the site is not occupied. I do not expect the wooden posts to last so these will be replaced with cement posts: either ferrocement (with a chicken wire lattice in the cement) or rebar encased in cement - either about 6 inches in diamater. Thus an almost indestructible frame will be in place requiring only roof and wall panels when occupied.
Next, 8 or 10 feet out from this 10 x 10 foot structure a fence and wall will be built. This will be 6 feet high. Some sections, on the south side will be of fence. North, east and west sides will be of ferrocement and any other useable materials I can forage or find (perhaps on craigslist) that are fireproof, theft proof, vandal proof, unaffected by rain. Materials such as concrete blocks, chunks of concrete, old pipes, rusty metal - even car parts will all be useful for this. These will all be cemented together. A berm of cement stabilized sand will enclose all or part of the the three side so except for sections of cement wall none of the material in these walls will be visible. When occupied, tarps from the center canopy frame will be laid to these walls. Removable poles of metal or wood every 2 feet under these tarps will keep the tarps in place.
The south wall, of posts and fence wire will be covered with 6 mill plastic when the site is occupied - to serve as a solar collection system - collecting solar energy in the day to keep the structure warm at night.
Sunlight through the plastic walls will warm the sand at the base of the walls - inside the structure during the day, and release that heat during the night. If the walls were made solid as on the other three sides this would not be possible. The tarp roofing the south side - from central frame to plastic-covered-fence might also be of clear plastic to get even more sunlight into the structure.The posts will be encased and seated into concrete so they cannot be easily pulled out or knocked over and topped with a rail where the tarp canopy roof can be attached.
The canopy roof idea is directly from Frank Loyd Wrights' house in Arizona : called Taliesin West, where he has a canvas roofed drafting studio - entirely possible in a benign climate.
Thus I will have a structure that can remain unroofed when not in use, and quickly, cheaply and easily be roofed over when in use. I should not need, nor will I apply for a building permit for this construction. Most of the year it will be an unroofed, open frame, fenced and walled structure. No building permit is required to build walls, or fences, or open frames.
I can and may elongate the structure by adding additional 10 x 10 foot frames and canopies along the east - west axis until I have a 30 foot x 10 foot central structure. I also expect to add more 6 foot walls out from this structure. The entire structure will then be about 50 feet long x 30 feet wide. Another step will be to enclose the yard area south of the structure (dare I call it a 'house') with a 30 foot x 50 foot courtyard containing a pond with rainwater collection from the house roof, plants, and an open fire ring.
Another step: a tarp roofed parking area on the west side of the house to keep sun and rain off the car.
(Sunlight is really hard on tires - every car in sunlight should have 'skirts' over tires that are in the sun when parked). Sun also affects the car interior - seats, trim, etc.
Floors will be left as sand, or covered with moveable carpets - Bedouin style where sand is not wanted. Perhaps some floor areas will have concrete tiles or bricks - such as the kitchen area - when I can get them cheaply or free (again from craigslist).
Another step: The open fire ring under the metal canopy will eventually be converted into a 'BELL STOVE' that uses wood for heating and cooking more efficiently than an open fire. See more discussion on this heater elsewhere in this blog. The bell stove, a mass of concrete, stabilized sand, and scrap metal I forage (much like the walls) and firebricks (in the burn chamber only) can be left open to the sky (when the roof canopy is not in place) in this benign climate without damage, I believe and is not susceptible to theft or vandalism - or if damaged in some way is easy to repair.
No well, no septic tank will be built, unless I decide to live there permanently. I expect to build a composting toilet system, mostly consisting of tanks in the ground where the manure, with ventilation and mulch such as straw turns to soil. 3 tank systems, common in China and once widely used in California would work. One tank is used while the others 'compost' in a rotating order over a period of a year.
I have considered purchasing and parking a small trailer on the land - but move it to storage when I leave. (A trailer left on the lot could get vandalized). But then I have to pay storage fees, about $25 a month for a 10 x 20 foot space to park the trailer. I believe a trailer would be an unnecessary expense and trouble.
I may create hidden storage - plastic bins buried and concealed. I will do this, I suppose, so no one notices the work. These would be used for tarps, tools, folding furniture, camping equipment, building materials that I do not want to carry in my car when I leave for a season, but if left unattended may be damaged, stolen, or decay in the rather humid climate.
These 'improvements' should, I hope not have much affect on the land value or property taxes. I do not believe they violate building or zoning codes as I understand them. Local residents will not, I believe be affected or bothered by my occasional camping on my land, (trees and another lot are between me and my nearest neighbor and a dry lake is on two sides) or by the basic structures I intend to build.
This all is an experiment, however, so I do not know what could go wrong. Perhaps the authorities will frown on this and pass laws prohibiting camping on private land. (If they do let them come and arrest me - and put me in jail at public expense. I think the public will not want to pay to jail someone who is not committing any crime - or affecting anyone else).
Thus I will have a new type of nomadic dwelling, better than the dwelling of most nomads, with some parts permanent and some moveable. I expect to spend a under a thousand dollars for this dwelling. Polyethylene tarps (best if brown or green I think), 6 mill plastic, fence wire, chicken wire, rebar, Portland cement, porta potty, etc.are cheap and widely available.
A yurt type structure might be another option except it must be taken down and stored when not in use (made of cloth and wood lattice and poles), and might be a lot more work to set up than the tarp (and sheet metal) roofs needed in my plan. Yurts have walls and on my lot I believe I can build a permanent wall (I will not have to set up each time) so only the roof need be installed. The material of a yurt roof might be a good choice for my 'house' roof as it uses insulating felt.
I expect, in this project to avoid; not need the services of a host of expensive professionals who impose themselves on homebuilders: masons, carpenters, roofers, electricians, plumbers, heating and cooling contractors, drywallers, building inspectors, bankers (for mortgages)etc., etc. etc. These along with lawyers and real estate agents make owning your own home expensive and NOT AFFORDABLE for a lot of people, who then must rent and are therefore made even poorer by having to pay rent. In a cold - in - winter climate renting may be the only option, (unless you are going to live in a tent in winter), but in Florida and other warm places around the world, if you can secure a piece of land and are permitted to camp on it (which some places may NOT permit - by passing occupancy permit laws), and build your own homestead (including on-site utilities like water supply and waste disposal) you should be able to get out from under the thumb of a host of hands on your pockets: landlords, bankers, utility companies, mortgages,etc. and get closer to a zero cost lifestyle.
Update: Water supply
I originally intended to dig or drill a conventional well on the property, or perhaps build a cistern to catch the abundant all-season rainfall - with a catchment system using the house roof. In a warm climate with plenty of rainfall where water never freezes this is a viable option. Now, after careful study I believe the cheapest and best solution for water is a shallow pond or well at the lowest part of my lot, hand excavated.
Through the internet I was able to study the water table of the immediate area and determined that the water table is normally within a few feet of the lowest part of the lot. So a shallow pit (call it a pond or well) should provide plenty of water. So I'm already ahead of many dry places in the world. AND, no expensive well is needed!
The water will have to be filtered as shallow wells are subject to surface pollution from runoff. This is entirely do-able. A sand filtration system using the sand on the lot - in part - is a good place to begin.
A settling tank or pond were sediment can sink to the bottom - to be periodically cleaned out - is another step. For drinking and washing water a carbon filter and perhaps a drop of bleach could be used. (The bleach will dissipate into the air if the water is aerated a little, agitated, maybe with a small windmill driving a propeller.
Update 2: November 8, 2014
I have a well on the property! I did not know this (I have not yet been to the property) until, looking at the property with google map set on satellite view I saw power poles and a white spot that must be the well head. There are no public records on this well as I checked with Putnam County. No records were kept on wells installed before a certain date, about 1990 I think. Mapquest does not show as close up a view as google map and so I could not see these power poles on the mapquest satellite view I used when I looked at the property before. Whether the well works is another question. I can see power lines on the poles as shadows on the ground. I cannot see if wires go from the last pole to the well (metal theft has become common in recent years), or if the pump is intact. It could easily have been stolen over the years. But perhaps thieves leave pumps alone. I will know in December when I finally get there.
I expect to drive there in my ford focus getting near 40 miles a gallon on the highway (if I keep my speed down near 60 mph) so about 30 gallons of gas will be enough at near $3 per gallon now so $90 each way, will be my travel cost, sleeping in the car on the way there and back. (I have done this before and it is comfortable).
When I get there, I expect the car to be adequate to haul bags of portland cement, rolls of chicken wire, rebar and other basics from a building supply store in Interlachen. I will build as I buy so nothing is left around to steal. The process consists of setting up rebar posts every 4 feet or so, stringing chicken wire between the rebar, mixing the portland cement, sand , and water together and smearing, packing it into the chicken wire. A sheet of plywood, moved as a section is finished could be used as a backing behind the chicken wire to help the packing process.
At some point I will insulate the wall with free insulation, namely sand, as described elsewhere in this blog.
To hold the sand in place I may build a second ferro-cement wall about a foot (or maybe 2) from the first wall, or use a very weak mix (less portland cement) to stabilize the sand. I will experiment to see if this is possible.
