Homesteading Lessons Learned: If I Could Do It All Again
From planning your home to laying out garden beds, a long-time homesteader offers advice 20 years in the making.
October/November 2009
By Steve Maxwell
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The author’s family.
STEVE MAXWELL
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Wise plans are the most important thing you’ll ever have on your homestead. That’s because wisdom creates the framework within which good things happen. More than 20 years ago, I cut through a tumbledown wire fence at the edge of an empty pasture, rolled up my sleeves, and began applying a big homestead vision to a quiet piece of farmland and forest I had recently purchased not far from the middle of nowhere (more specifically, 91 acres on Manitoulin Island in Ontario). My family and I have been blessed with plenty of success ever since, but looking back, I can also see how I could’ve done better if only I’d had more wisdom. What you’re reading now is the article I wish I’d read in May 1986.
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Start with a Four-season Building
If your land has no buildings, then a tent might be your first homestead home. I lived under sometimes-leaky canvas for many months as I began developing my property, and this experience left me eager to get under a proper roof. Too eager. My enthusiasm prompted me to hastily build a 10-by-20-foot wood frame toolshed as my first home, and while it seemed like a luxury hotel at the time, I would have saved money and improved my effectiveness in the long run if I’d built a fully insulated, properly plumbed four-season cabin just a little bit larger and on a permanent foundation.
These days, my kids are talking about someday finding their own land and living their own homestead adventures. If I’m lucky enough to see that happen, one of the first things I’ll recommend is a design for a small, cozy and economical cabin — just the thing I’d put up today if I were starting all over. I’d use structural insulated panels (SIPs) for the walls and roof structure, all resting on concrete piers set below the frost line. (To learn more about SIPs, see Innovative Insulated Panels.) I’d insulate the floor with 2 inches of polystyrene foam with a second plywood subfloor on top, and put in hot and cold running water. If you’re not patient enough to build such a place while living in a tent, then consider a small, temporary house trailer. Any kind of structure that’s capable of keeping you warm, dry and well-rested year-round is a big advantage.
Keep Your Agriculture Enthusiasm in Check
Many of us choose the country life because we love gardening and raising livestock. Trouble occurs, however, when you try to grow vegetables, raise rabbits and get a couple of riding horses at the same time you’re making a driveway, building a house and sinking a well. I see now that I let my agricultural enthusiasm dilute my focus in the early years. Don’t underestimate the time, money, creativity and energy it takes to build the infrastructure of a good homestead. Trying to do it all at the same time is too much.
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