A SPOT FOR MY LITTLE HOUSE

One of the first things that comes to mind when I think of building an off grid house (or any house) is where to put it.  Simple process, right?  Find a spot you like and go for it, right?  Well, not so much!  Many factors have to be considered, including things like flooding, water supply, air flow (very important without AC), and distance to workshop, cellar, barn, etc., just to name a few.

Just such a spot is available.  Some years back, I was married to a woman who enjoyed horses and competitive riding.  For this purpose, she needed a horse barn, which obviously had to be in the perfect location.  It had to be close to water, elevated so that no flood water would ever enter and it had to be close to the house so we could hear any sound the horses made.  The ideal location (though not my favorite) would take a big chunk out of the vegetable garden.  The only problem was that in really wet weather, water could run across the location.  No problem really, just haul in several truck loads of drain rock and top it with clay and gravel to make an elevated pad.

There were, of course, delays in getting the pad materials hauled in.  By the time it was all leveled and ready for building, my wife had become my ex wife, leaving me with a smaller garden and a barn pad.

Years have passed, ideas of what to do with the "barn pad" have come and gone, and nature has somewhat taken it's course.  Bushes around the edge have become trees and begun to work their way toward the middle.  The platform in the foreground of the picture is the floor of a storage building which belongs to my former fiancé.  We had thought to re-assemble the building and live in it, at least temporarily, but it never happened.  As you can see, moving it from the pad revealed a mass of rat nests filled with trash.

A bit of clean up and trimming and what I have is a nicely elevated, flat area 30ft x 30ft.  That should be plenty of room for a 20ft x 20ft cabin, set back in the far corner with a nice porch on two sides.  I do realize that 400 sq. ft. is a small cabin, but in my world, where most of what I do is outside, the large porch space can actually be considered living space.

With all the requirements reasonably well met, it is time to get it cleaned up and trimmed,  ready for breaking ground.  The only drawback is the distance to the cellar which was excavated a couple of years ago and is at a standstill (long story for another time).  Not too much distance, only about 50yds.  As an added bonus to this building site, the vegetable garden will only be a few steps from the front porch.  That one makes me smile a little.

Progress will be slow, as time and money allow.  Updates will be posted as this adventure unfolds.  Thank you for your time and as always, I look forward to your questions and comments.