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I really like the idea of having some small camper out on an acre or two in some remote area, have no problem going solar, trucking my water, and all that. Plenty of free wi-fi spots nowadays too. But I do wonder about the security of the whole thing, both when I am at home, and when I leave to go to the far away town for some reason..Would there be anything left when I got back??!
If you are in a place where people live full time, the neighbors will watch out for each other. It should be at least as safe as living in town. It also doesn't sound like you are planning anything fancy, which further reduces the likelihood of attracting thieves.
If you really want to keep it simple, consider the system I used. My vehicle was my home and I could move it around where I liked. No need to buy land... you can camp on most public land and move with the seasons.
Her electricity comes from a couple of boat batteries, water from a collection of one-gallon plastic jugs, and her home is a travel trailer covered in frayed blue tarpaulins. Liz Owens lives in an unincorporated part of Sandoval County. Her one-acre lot is about five miles west of the Rio Rancho city limits down a bone-shaking dirt road, beyond the reach of utility poles and water lines. Owens admits it's tough living without amenities considered standard in 21st century New Mexico. She's 57, suffers from chronic fatigue, fybromyalgia and arthritis — and it's a pain to haul water. Her lifestyle is not unique. Sandoval County planners estimate that between 200 and 300 dwellings lie dotted across the rolling mesa land west of Rio Rancho known as Rio Rancho Estates. The area consists of nearly 50,000 acre and half-acre lots platted decades ago by Amrep Southwest.
I had some wonderful times out on the mesa. Crawling through old wrecked commune houses and remains of who knows what as the red sun fell and spirits moved across in the breeze. Fields of cars and trucks and piles of clothing and materials. Friendly cattle and a dried up riverbed west of that. Climbed into a little cave there and found the heel of an old rotted shoe with tiny little nails still punched into the leather. 14 years ago and I still can't shake the place. I plan on possibly moving to NM to live sometime this next year. I would love to find a reason to justify at least visiting the place once again.
pathosnaegelle, the only reason I can think of that you might use is because it's there and you want to go. It can be a great place to be as long as you are careful.
Of course I don't really neeeed a reason. But I'm older now, with a lady and a 7 month old (a hearty wee boy, lol). There are too many practicalities swimming around my head now. My skill sets are limited in income level too. I've explored as much of the ins and outs of the local economies and socioeconomic stuff; rent seems pretty high, jobs seem scarce but I'd like to risk it. Nothing lost is nothing gained. I know better than to look for jobs on craigslist or housing for that matter. It's just feels pretty big to me, to up and leave the comforts of my established life here in Mpls. and I want to make it count. As well, I want to help contribute to the fabric of life where I go. I'd love to go on trash collecting missions. I found a bunch of cool clothes out there once. There's vintage in them there hills.
It would be a bit difficult to uproot a family already established to go out there. I am an older disabled veteran now and I am moving back. I will be building a house out of sandbags with a stucco finish but I am counting on having some help doing it. As a young man I could do it by myself but at 53 with spinal damage I am physically limited on what I can do. Unless you worked from home via the internet it would be quite a drive everyday to work in town if you can even find work. You can buy 1/4 acre lot's there for $300 to $400 at times and could improve those lot's for annual camping trips though.
Yeah, I'm thinking if I ever actually made it out there it would be via a series of calculated career moves. I would have to have some viable application to the environment there. In other words, it would be ideal for me to have something to contribute to the people and places around me. It wouldn't make sense to drop in as i did before when i was younger. I don't have the same resources available to me. I don't know anyone out there anymore and that went a long way then. Here, I have been a part of revitalizing a neighborhood by helping create an atmosphere for restaurants and other businesses to come back to a dead part of Mpls. I'm used to contributing to help others and in turn I'm used to having it benefit me as well. On the other hand, making the effort to be there is the first step in figuring it all out. lol. Thanks for listening to me babble. I'd love to learn to make earthship houses and learn how to sustain-ably live without much assistance from local utilities and maybe export some of that knowledge up here. Unfortunately, most of that learning would require unpaid internships.
I have a place in Wyoming-- It's similar to the The Mesa place. Composting toilets are gross, just get a shovel (pick ax) and build the septic system. My neighbor drilled a well-- the drilling company said it would be about 400 feet, but it ended up being 750 feet! All of my other neighbors get their water trucked in. Most bought 500 gallon livestock water tanks at JAX farm supply and get them filled every two weeks. In Laramie, water trucks line up at the supplier-- Last I heard it was 5 cents per 100 gallons. And yes, go somewhere more fertile (I wish I had). 35 acres runs you $15,000 out here by the way. I think it's against the ordinances to subdivide the subdivision (35 acre parcels) so finding 2 or 3 acres is very rare in this area. You can make a deal with one of the landowners-- look up "lifetime lease". Cheers, Snow
Good for you. It takes a lot of guts. I am a retired general contractor and know a thing or 2 about building houses. A few years ago I remember looking at cheap land around Pie Town and Quemado. The real estate agent told me their county did not require building permits. I believe it is called Catron. Yes, there are still a few counties like that in the lower 48. But as was mentioned earlier, if you want water, power, and sewer, you will need a bit more money. Quite a bit actually. I don't want to discourage you, these things can be added later. You can haul your water, but will need a cistern or large containers to hold it. If you need power to build, you could pick up a used generator on Craigslist, along with a lot of other good stuff. Maybe even a chemical toilet. Most counties require a septic permit along with your building permit. Just tell the powers that be that your cabin is there for recreation. There are a lot of folks in Catron county that do not have indoor plumbing, power or phone. Forgive me for raining on your parade, but what will you do for food? Counties that do not require building permits are usually pretty remote and do not have much in the way of jobs. Catron does not receive enough rain to grow your own food. Even if you drill a well ($5,000-10,000) you may not be allowed to irrigate. New Mexico has strict water laws. But the bottom line here is, if this is something you really want to do, just do it! Feel free to email me if I can help. Good luck and God Bless.
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off grid
