DO IT YOURSELF
HOMESTEADING
Y
ou may may be wondering about the ongoing global economic collapse and the unemployment, frustration, and the big question of “How am I going to make it?” that comes along with it. Or perhaps you’ve got the high profile job and you’re paying for the tiny high profile apartment and you’re starting to realize this isn’t the life you wanted after all. Whatever the inspiration, you might soon join a growing group of people who over the past decade have been busy moving into forgotten places, building their own houses, producing their own food, generating their own energy, and making their own jobs. DoItYourself homesteaders are on the march and they are championing creative and sustainable practices that could prove to be just what many of us have been lacking in our lives. 12
You may be wonder how it could possibly happen, from the idea to the actual radical life changing move. Going from city person to DIY homesteader takes time, in fact, it can be a bit of a process. The first phase in this process which propels young couples (having company seems to make the process more appealing) is when you reach the point that your urban or suburban life is barely affordable and simply does not resemble anything of who you are and how you want to live. It is also at this stage that you grow tired of circumstances that do not allow you to do or make things for yourself. Whatever the combination of factors, it is here where the decision is made to escape the conventional path and set off to create a life that is closer to the life which you always wanted. Where to go then, to create your own space that does not require piles of money? ne Hodson and Jay Dedman moved from New York City, to San Francisco, and eventually looked to a rural town along the Shenandoah river, in Western Virginia, where Jay’s family has some history. A place where most people are in their golden years and their children have left farm life for the allure of the big city – Washington, DC. As Jay explains it, “In America, if you’re outside of an urban area, there’s nothing out here. It’s a social desert. And if you’re willing to put up with a little bit of isolation and maybe not so great coffee shops, you can get land and homes, really really cheap.” Jay and Ryannene don’t have the same amount of friends they had as young video production professionals living in San Francisco or New York City, but the pair have a knack for keeping busy and challenging themselves, whether it is through making something they’ve never made before, participating in local community projects, or taking a work trip to a foreign country. When the story of today’s DIY homesteaders is told there will always be comparisons to the hippies of the 60’s and 70’s who moved to remote areas to live collectively, to be more in tune with the earth. Few, if any of these communities lasted, so the same will be assumed about what looks like the next wave of people dropping out of society. But Ryannene is
fully aware of those who have tried to do similar and failed,“The difference between them and us is – the internet,” she explains, “I still feel very connected to the world and my friends thanks to the internet. I want to be able to skype with people and do my job as a video editor online, even from out here.” A very important aspect to homesteading is of course the house or whatever structure you choose to build or renovate that will become your home. Unlike suburban homesteaders who might use the term “build our own house”, the DIY folks mean this quite literally. With help from sources like the aforementioned internet as well as friends or neighbors, they often learn as they go, building a house for the first time, step-by-step. Wendy Tremayn and Mikey Sklaar moved from New York City to an old RV park in New Mexico, where the only structure on their one acre was an old trailer. “We came out here, I had never done dry wall or tile work, we hired a local guy and he showed us how to use the tools and we went and got the same tools and then just did the rest ourselves,” Mikey explains. The two have since added structures for different functions and even created their own building material made of recycled material – papercrete. They go to great lengths to build using materials and designs that take into account and make sense for the hot-dry climate of the American South West. In an era where energy independence is such a political catch phrase, this motivated group of people have been doing their best to live the dream. Cars that run on vegetable oil or electricity, solar power systems, geothermic water heating, rain water collectors, and even good old fashioned fire wood are among the methods incorporated into some DIY homes. The practice is by no means completely successful, for example, your region might be hit by a drought, nullifying your rain water system or water well. But part of the adventure is to keep tinkering with your setup, trying to find better and sustainable solutions for everyday life. As one might expect, moving to places with more open space and unspoiled land means the 13
option to grow food. In fact, a significant amount of the DIY homestead’s food intake, as much as 50%, is home grown or produced. This includes a wide range of fruits and vegetables, and everything you can imagine deriving from them. At Holy Scap Hot Springs in New Mexico, Mikey and Wendy make their own wine, fruit drinks, tempe, and honey, just to name a few. In rural Virginia Ryanne and Jay have even joined the local bee keeping club which got them started with their own colony that now produces an impressive amount of honey each year.
COSTS OF LIVING When the conversation gets to the question of money, Jay lays out a basic truth about homesteading: “The central idea here is being a scavenger. We live in a society with such abundance that if you have just a little bit of time, you can live really cheap and really well.” Indeed using traditional as well as modern tools, like thrift stores, Craig’s List, and even Freecycle, you can tap into this world of abundance and find whatever it is that you need in exchange for very little, if not (in the case of the online give-away-stuff tool Freecycle) – free. Yet even DIY homesteading can have its initial costs. Although land and supplies might be affordable, initial investments in infrastructure, like building a new foundation for a house, can be very costly at first. Erik Nelson, who played professional basketball in the Netherlands for several years, 14
used his offseason over the course of 3 years, to build his home on a mountain known as Camel’s Hump in Vermont. “I spent a summer clearing the land, burying power lines to the house site. Then I went back to the Netherlands and played another season, eventually breaking ground the next summer,” he recalls, “After improving the land, I was running out of money, so it was a fortunate thing to have a job where I could still be paid during those summer months working on the house.” Like many of his fellow homesteaders around North America, Erik had never before built his own house, but learned along the way. His wooden frame house has a simple, traditional design, with an interior filled with unique attributes, which meet the needs and wishes of he, his wife, and their 4 children. When asked about what their greatest cost is, across the board telecommunication remains the most significant bills these trail blazers face. The need for internet at home, for work, reference, communication, and more, means quality internet is a must. Unfortunately, especially for those further away from urban or suburban hubs, good connectivity can be costly. The United States is, after all, world famous for its poor national broadband access, and those who live in forgotten places feel it most. WORK LIFE Without access to the internet this new generation seeking to build their own lives in their own way would not be able to have the income they need while doing work they enjoy. In fact it is the knowledge that they can have good internet access while living in these somewhat off-the-grid places that appeals to them in the first place. So while working from home is not an uncommon situation for people in cities, the appeal here is the combination of working from home while also being able to work on all your other DIY projects in and around the house.
members are often pleased to see young faces, especially when they’re interested in old traditions as well as new ideas. City dwellers and those fond of their concert halls, clubs, theaters, and museums will surely scoff at the idea of escaping their world of culture. Sure you can grow your food and have space to do things, but you’ll lose the sights and sounds that the remote places don’t offer. Erik Nelson has found that this isn’t the whole story, “It’s a different version of culture,” he explains, “For example, I have neighbors that play live bluegrass in local cafés. And every other week there is a potluck dinner, so you get to know everyone on this mountaintop.” For those who don’t have music or a local café, there is always your broadband connection, a constant gateway to culture and entertainment. THE FUTURE IS NOW
MEET THE NEIGHBORS As they move into communities where they are far below the average age and have a limited or nonexistent history there, creative homesteaders attract a good amount of attention. In the town of Truth and Consequences, New Mexico, Mikey and Wendy say their neighbors are very interested in their projects and even come back when their have some of their own knowledge to share. “Fundamentally all the issues we’re confronting in our own exploration of how to live independently are issues that everybody reckons with. Plus we are transparent about and share everything we do ,” Wendy explains, “so people feel welcome to come see what we’re doing, share information and ask questions.” It can even get to the point that local governing bodies try to recruit their new young neighbors to run for office or fill a volunteer administrative vacancy. Longtime community
The ideas described here which make up some of the characteristics of a DIY homesteader will probably still written off as crazy or undesirable. Most people will keep their nose to the grindstone, even with the rapidly plummeting value of our currencies, our dwindling income, and our bloated cost of living. Though millions suffer from emotional or mental sickness, some of it brought on by the environment and high stress careers, they will still insist there is no alternative. So for the time being, even a long list of benefits and a growing population of inspiring successful makers, is probably not enough to change the preconceived notions of how life works. Still, the world of predatory lending, don’tstop-shopping, and instant cuisine is approaching a breaking point, and a fresh approach to the old idea of getting back to nature and finding our true selves might be just what we needed. BY MARK FONSECA RENDEIRO
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