Lifestyle Alternative Living Arrangements

nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
As I have said in a previous post the house we have been living in for a while is being sold and we have a little less than 10 months left on our lease. I am tired of having to move and I have access to family land. I am very seriously thinking about move to the land. The only thing that has been done was a clearing I had done in '05 a week before Katrina; I have had it bush hogged about once a years so its pretty much still cleared. Next month I am going to look into getting a little road cut from the highway.

I am either thinking a camper (if I can put the money together to get one), a couple of sheds and/or a small cabin. I checked earlier in the year about getting a temporary pole to the new camper we no longer have (had it when I checked) and was told I need a septic tank if there is running water 500' away. There is running water where I was asking about, but not this piece of land. I just have to look further into that. Initially I am thinking of using a homemade composting toilet so I can save up for the septic a little later down the road. They have "city" water that we can get hooked up to (even though this land is a bit remote from the nearest neighbor (maybe a mile away). And then I could do a well too or not.

I would love to get all this done yesterday, especially with all the impending doom out there. But in reality it will take a few months. Seeing as how we lost everything in Katrina, I am not at all considering getting rid of anything. A storage unit about 20 miles away is $50/mo for a 10x20. To me that's cheap. I would not take absolutely everything cause DH still works but he can come there on weekends, right now he only works 4/10 hour days. As for DH, well, he's not real crazy about the idea, but he is tried of moving and we can't afford to buy a house or build one for that matter.

I have looked at this little cabin for years

http://www.countryplans.com/cottage.htm

The price mentioned was for 1999, but it shouldn't be a heck of a lot more. I am thinking about building a series of the little cabins, one at a time. I'd like to start with two, separated by a covered deck between them. Combine that with a small camper, then I think we'd be in good shape. There are Fema campers that have been refurbished that have a bedroom on one end and bunks on the other end. I could put my food storage in the bunk area and DH could sleep in the bedroom and I could use one of the cabins for my bedroom, he snores and I get as far away as I can.

Anyway, this is what I am thinking about as alternative housing. My great grandparents lived on this land and so did I off and on when I was growing up. If I remember correctly eating the sand was a paticular favorite of mine. (only when I was really little LOL).

Judy
 
B

Baja SS

Froze Member
A campers sure not a bad way to live. I've been living in mine for a little over two years. It can get a little cramped and an outhouse sure would help. But overall it's great to sit in my toasty camper listening and watching the winter blow with the thermometer hanging right about 27 below 0. ;)
 
Hfcomms

Hfcomms

EN66iq
This is exactly what I did. I purchased my land for cash and built a small rudimentary cabin and then over time have added an outbuilding at a time. All the storage is in the outbuildings and only what I need from day to day is in the cabin to keep the clutter down. I count my blessings every day to be out from under a mortgage and the threat of being homeless. A small place can be snug and sturdy, easy to clean and take care of. And after doing this for about ten years now I really don't desire anything bigger. The peace of mind a small foot print brings is worth more than thousands of square feet along with the bills and worries. Add to that buying an older used vehicle which is in good condition and either paying cash or a very small loan. I had people kind of make fun of me for doing this a number of years ago but they are not laughing at me any more. I know one thing, I sleep very soundly at night. Can't put any price on peace of mind.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Hfcomms said:
This is exactly what I did. I purchased my land for cash and built a small rudimentary cabin and then over time have added an outbuilding at a time. All the storage is in the outbuildings and only what I need from day to day is in the cabin to keep the clutter down. I count my blessings every day to be out from under a mortgage and the threat of being homeless. A small place can be snug and sturdy, easy to clean and take care of. And after doing this for about ten years now I really don't desire anything bigger. The peace of mind a small foot print brings is worth more than thousands of square feet along with the bills and worries. Add to that buying an older used vehicle which is in good condition and either paying cash or a very small loan. I had people kind of make fun of me for doing this a number of years ago but they are not laughing at me any more. I know one thing, I sleep very soundly at night. Can't put any price on peace of mind.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I needed that. Most everyone else thinks I nuts, except one long time friend that I met on another forum before y2k. She moved to her land 10 years ago and is 77 now and loves living with a small foot print and no rent or mortgage.

Judy
 
Freeholder

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
I don't think you are nuts. You are doing exactly what I would do if I had land to go to. And we've done it before, more or less as you are thinking about doing it -- with three small children. Some things are hard if you don't think through how you are going to manage before you start, like how are you going to do laundry? That kind of thing. Think of each regular chore that you have, and make sure you have a way to do it.

Kathleen
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Freeholder said:
I don't think you are nuts. You are doing exactly what I would do if I had land to go to. And we've done it before, more or less as you are thinking about doing it -- with three small children. Some things are hard if you don't think through how you are going to manage before you start, like how are you going to do laundry? That kind of thing. Think of each regular chore that you have, and make sure you have a way to do it.

Kathleen
Click to expand...

There is a website that I have been looking at off and on for years that addresses many things

http://earthstar.newlibertyvillage.com/index.htm

These folks are a little new ageie but they have many good ideas on moving to a little bit of land and living on it with a small foot print.

LOL as for laundry I've gotten a Rapid Laundry Washer (its like a plunger), a wash board, and a Pressure Handwasher, and five gallon buckets, and thank the good Lord above my children are grown.

I'm also looking at a homemade composting toilet to use since I don't think I will have the money for a septic right away.

Judy
 
Freeholder

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
The sawdust toilets work well and are cheap. I've used one for about a year, and we had very little odor from it even though it was in the house. What odor we did have was because sometimes my ex would dump a bucket and bring it back in the house right away. I always rinsed them and left them outdoors to get some sun and air out for a few days before bringing them back in the house. If your climate is mild, you could keep it outdoors in a sheltered location (porch, outbuilding of some kind) and wouldn't have any issues with odor at all.

Sounds like you'll be fine on the laundry front. I got a hand-cranked wringer, a couple of scrub boards, and a set of laundry tubs (although the new laundry tubs are very thin and cheap compared to older ones -- I'm hoping eventually to find a set of older tubs and replace the ones I got from Lehmans).

Kathleen
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Freeholder said:
The sawdust toilets work well and are cheap. I've used one for about a year, and we had very little odor from it even though it was in the house. What odor we did have was because sometimes my ex would dump a bucket and bring it back in the house right away. I always rinsed them and left them outdoors to get some sun and air out for a few days before bringing them back in the house. If your climate is mild, you could keep it outdoors in a sheltered location (porch, outbuilding of some kind) and wouldn't have any issues with odor at all.

Sounds like you'll be fine on the laundry front. I got a hand-cranked wringer, a couple of scrub boards, and a set of laundry tubs (although the new laundry tubs are very thin and cheap compared to older ones -- I'm hoping eventually to find a set of older tubs and replace the ones I got from Lehmans).

Kathleen
Click to expand...

What the people, on the earthstar link, did for doing laundry is to soak clothes in a bucket for a day or so and swish them around whenever they went by and then rinse in another bucket, squeeze them out and then hang them out. And they keep a bucket going all the time.

Please tell me more about the sawdust toilet. There is a small lumber mill in the area where I am going and I bet I can get sawdust from them.

Thanks,

Judy
 
Siskiyoumom

Siskiyoumom

Veteran Member
A saw dust toilet can be as simple as two 5 gallon buckets.

One is for the solid waste you generate and the other is for the urine.

You can buy a handy dandy toilet lid made to snap onto a bucket or improvise and have a stand like what is in an outhouse. Make two holes. Have lids to keep out vermin.

Have a box of sawdust.

Put a layer in the bottom of the solid waste bucket.

Do your duty. Then cover the waste with a layer of saw dust.

You can also add to the mix ash from the wood stove (make sure it is not hot ash! or you will end up with a smoldering stinky plastic mess).

Have a designated pit compost area away from your food garden and water sources.

As needed dump your waste bucket into the pit. Cover with more sawdust or leaves/compost.

I cannot recall the reason why you are not supposed to pee in the solid human litter box. It might be due to the volitility of the mix.

Our family has used the litter box when our septic system was not yet put in and the snow was too deep to get to the out house without risking a fall.

Having the pee and solid waste made the buckets a bit heavy to carry out to the dump pit.

It will be interesting to see other folks wise advice on the subject.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Siskiyoumom said:
A saw dust toilet can be as simple as two 5 gallon buckets.

One is for the solid waste you generate and the other is for the urine.

You can buy a handy dandy toilet lid made to snap onto a bucket or improvise and have a stand like what is in an outhouse. Make two holes. Have lids to keep out vermin.

Have a box of sawdust.

Put a layer in the bottom of the solid waste bucket.

Do your duty. Then cover the waste with a layer of saw dust.

You can also add to the mix ash from the wood stove (make sure it is not hot ash! or you will end up with a smoldering stinky plastic mess).

Have a designated pit compost area away from your food garden and water sources.

As needed dump your waste bucket into the pit. Cover with more sawdust or leaves/compost.

I cannot recall the reason why you are not supposed to pee in the solid human litter box. It might be due to the volitility of the mix.

Our family has used the litter box when our septic system was not yet put in and the snow was too deep to get to the out house without risking a fall.

Having the pee and solid waste made the buckets a bit heavy to carry out to the dump pit.

It will be interesting to see other folks wise advice on the subject.
Click to expand...

This just about tells me all I need to know. I have a dolly I could use to take the bucket to the dump site.

Last year I bought a bucket and fitting toilet seat from Emergency Essentials, I just need to get a few more, so I can have a second bathroom. LOL

Don't know how long it will take me to get the septic put in, probably just that I have to save the money to do it.

Thanks for the information.

Judy
 
Freeholder

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
Judy, to get a better idea of how to construct and use the sawdust toilets, you might want to read The Humanure Handbook -- you can still find it online for free, I think. You don't have to use separate buckets for liquids and solids. It does help to have extra buckets, though, because then you can leave the freshly emptied one outside (rinsed first) to air out and get some sun before bringing it back in. To make one, you'll need two buckets (the top half or one-third of one, and the other one whole), a wooden toilet seat, three small wooden blocks, and a few screws. Set the seat down on top of a bucket and draw around the top of the bucket on the underside of the seat (easiest to put the seat upside-down on the floor and set the bucket upside-down on the seat). This will help you position the three blocks, which are to hold the seat in place. You don't want them too tight, as the seat will have to come off the bucket regularly. Attach it to the bucket with the bottom half or more cut off -- this one sits down in the bottom bucket. You can attach the seat to the container bucket without the cut one, but it makes it easier and faster to transfer the seat to a fresh bucket. Just wash things regularly and you won't have any odor.

You can use other materials besides sawdust, although if you have access to sawdust it's one of the best things to use. I've used peat a lot, because we didn't have sawdust and could easily buy a bale of peat. Shredded leaves will also work, and chopped straw. Shredded paper would probably work okay, too. You don't want something coarse, like wood chips. And don't try to use dirt. It sinks, and doesn't do a bit of good as far as preventing odors! (I tried it once.) The material that goes into the bucket has to be high in carbon (a 'brown' in composting terms), and it needs to stay on top of the deposits! You'll need more of it to cover the contents of the bucket when you empty it into a compost pile.

Kathleen
 
rugmaker

rugmaker

Veteran Member
Kathleen, this is the toilet we used while trucking, so the cover is very important! :lol: Sure don't want that stuff splashing out. You can line it with a kitchen trash bag and put either kitty litter or sawdust in it.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Publius said:
Heres a Toilet and I have posted info about this brand and model and they're not cheep but very well made and I can attest to the fact that it will last for years as I own one and bought it about 28 years ago, heres a link.
http://www.fiammausa.com/products/accessories.asp?Fam=A7
Click to expand...

I could get one of these after I get settled a bit, and get a roof over my head, but I have to be as frugal (cheap) as possible.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Judy
 
P

Publius

TB Fanatic
Publius said:
Heres a Toilet and I have posted info about this brand and model and they're not cheep but very well made and I can attest to the fact that it will last for years as I own one and bought it about 28 years ago, heres a link.
http://www.fiammausa.com/products/accessories.asp?Fam=A7
Click to expand...


Anyone thats using a camper or one of the above toilets, I have found Scot brand toilet paper works best so no need to buy that expensive stuff, also if you setting your camper up on some lot and using a septic system, you don't want to use commode chemicals that contain "formaldehyde", don't do it as it kills the biological action inside the septic! Will screw up your septic system.
Wal-Mart has a commode treatment by the brand name [TST] and its made for RV, Marine and portable toilets and it's cheep enough you can afford to stock pile the stuff and five bottles will take some time to use up.
 
bbbuddy

bbbuddy

DEPLORABLE ME
In order to do the Humanure sawdust toilet CORRECTLY you do NOT separate the solids from the urine, it all goes into the same bucket, then gets composted - NOT in a pit, which would prevent proper composting.

The Humanure Handbook is a **Mandatory!** read if you want to do this properly. Have plenty of experience at this...
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I've downloaded Humanure and am reading it now.

Judy

ETA I only use the scott 1000 sheets t/p. I am so use to the scott that the other stuff just doesn't feel right and seems a waste.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top