Man I am 42 and just realized this. I have been in the plants since 19. I am done people say I am nuts but I am starting to live like what your saying no cable no lights no running water. I am done!!!!!!!! The he'll with that gold watch. Kids are grown just me and the wife. Land is set up already been gardening for years i have cows all animals. I grew up like that off grid hunting fishing and farming. I lost my way at adulthood but I figured it out like you said wasting time working for other people. I am done!!! Iam doing this at 42 i think this will work.Great video thanks God bless .
I totally get the "I'm done" feel. I was right there with you. I'm 56 and just moved off grid into my tiny home. There are challenges for sure, but very rewarding. No more "what am I doing here" in the corporate job living in a place where all I did was watch my money go to mortgage, insurance, utilities and services.
i agree with you, i work a dead end job and regret the debt i out myself in. I'm climbing out now...i bought 40 acres and paid it off, now im trying to pay off my house. maybe then i can quit my job...
As the father of three, I kind of get what you are saying about babies but also kind of not. My wife and I and 9 month old moved into a home that needed EVERYTHING remodeled. My wife was able to carve out time to do any painting, sometimes with baby in a backpack, but everything else I did on my own, along with working full time at another job. Several hours most evenings, all of most weekends, for seven years. Yes, seven years. I built like an artist, not a carpenter, so pretty slow. Still took time to enjoy life, and found the presence of children (eventually two) wasn't an impediment to building the house we were living in. I say building because just about everything that could be seen was changed, inside, outside, and on the property. I started out a total novice and taught myself everything through magazines and books (no internet those days.) Loved the process, loved the house, loved my family. Baby number three meant a bigger house, so we did the whole process a second time, my wife painting, me doing the rest. Took several more years. I respect your decision and know you did what was best in your circumstance, but I wanted to mention a different experience in case young couples get scared about the baby thing.
I guess we were just lucky. After I got through with grad school and while my wife was finishing, we bought some acreage in S. Florida and built a log home. Unexpectedly, I took a job in the local public school system. It took a few years of Summers and weekends, but we eventually finished it. Well maybe not exactly finished. It'll probably never be finished. But, 20 years later, we have a 2 story, octagon shaped log house with about 2500 sq. ft. under air with 2500 sq. ft. roofed porch wrapped completely around it. It's very strong, the eye of Hurricane Wilma passed directly over it with zero problems or concerns, and very energy efficient. The highest electric bill we ever had was about $110. That's the only expense, as we have a well and septic system and, of course, no mortgage. Every morning, I wake up looking up into the 18 ft. vaulted ceiling and think, "It was totally worth it!"
Jimichan ...that is a great story sir! The hurricane didn't touch it, that house is somehow alive or you and your family breath life into it. Very inspiring, thank you for the story.
More than a year after my first viewing and I'm watching this video again. I think this is probably one of Noah's most important videos. To me the message is loud and clear all over again: figure out how to add the most value to your homestead and focus on that thing first! It is probably the home that'll be the greatest asset but it could be something else. Figure that out and go do it. Don't get distracted by all the other things that may be fun but won't pay you back in the future. Thanks again for the great advice, Noah!
I raised a child in a converted truck ...we were and still are wonderfully happy ...I just don't understand what your saying ...home is a roof over your head and the love of your wife surely 😊👍🙏❤️
Thanks for sharing! My intent with this video was not to judge others for their lifestyle... to each his own. But rather to share my experiences and reflections looking back on my own life so far. There is much to be admired about a minimalist lifestyle... one filled with travel and adventure. For several years of my life I did the same. But the majority of my life, and the focus of my career, has been on creating wonderful homes in the countryside where one can live peacefully, while raising children (and a garden), enjoying nature, and appreciating the simple pleasures while avoiding the trap of working in a cubicle for the majority of their lives. There is a middle ground... a place between living in truck, a tepee, or a shipping container... and being trapped into a 30 year mortgage of a vinyl covered house... and that' s where you'll will find me... living in a home of wood and stone, crafted by hand. My calling in this life has been to build... and now at this point, to share my experiences and what I have learned.
You are bringing me back to the "good old days" and Mother Earth News and all the rest... Never did it back then but now it's TIME! Thank you so much. You are giving me a reason to live. Gracias, amigo! Thank you Noah, for inspiring me again and again with every single video you make.
Those back issue of Mother Earth News can get a person in trouble! Back at the time it seemed that everyone I knew thought that I was nuts... but it's amazing that now many individuals approach me and tell me how they too had the urge to homestead, or build their own home, when they were young and now they so regret not having gone for it! So that's my mission at this point in life... to try to encourage folks, regardless of their age, or their dream, to go for it... now! Regrets for the dreams we never tried to achieve are miserable things to live with. Something tells me that you have some great adventures awaiting you in the near future!
I so much appreciate what you are saying about when "baby's happen". It's great to hear it from someone else too for a change as most people tend to trivialize it. But if you want to be part of the family and be there for your kids as a dad, the "free time for other things" simply vanishes - at least for the first several years. Thanks for sharing!
My advice in homesteading, look for a young Noah who has become disenchanted with his property and you will have a lot of work done for you. You can do that with rebuilding old cars, house renovations and so on. The homesteads are widely available now in the remote areas. Look here on RUclips for some advertisements. Also, especially for the young, when you buy or put money in your homestead be mindful that you might want to sell it one day. No, it will probably will not be the property you will stay at forever. I thought that with my first piece out in the country but sold it a scant 3 years later. Got another place and sold it within 4 years. I thought that one was perfect. I know now that I am kind of a nomad at heart but, there are a lot of you out there who might not realize it yet. In addition, you just might make enough profit if you buy and sell right, to afford a property even more suited to your dreams. I am in my 60's and on my 8th country place now. Best one yet.
Good advice, Mr. Bradley. We are in a different stage of life and have had many years to consider what we want out of our later years. We are preparing to build an off-grid adobe and straw bale home in the Intermountain West and we are allowing each idea to simmer while we plan. But after securing the basic lot needs of water and wastewater, home completion will be our only goal. When that is done we can concentrate on other things. We subscribed! Love your videos!
Thank you very much for your sincerity. Great videos. Regards from Spain, I'm thinking to build a cabin in Slovakia. They have an old tradition building cottages. Let's see, but this information will make the difference. Thanks again 😊👍
Noah, I have passed on this video to more friends than maybe any of your others. Not that those videos aren't great too, but your advice here is absolutely golden. Thank you!
that's what 'homesteading' IS! it's not putting a garden on land you didn't clear, or renoing a house you didn't build... that's not homesteading any more than a person with a normal city lot doing the same thing is. it is a lifestyle, and certainly not for everyone... you did it! i work harder than i've every worked before, mostly because i live alone, so everything needs to be well thought out before hand for physics, safety etc. but i'm working for me... my effort is my reward, and frankly, my joy... there are bits that suck, but would i trade the sound on loons on the lake in the morning, for traffic and sirens before my 1 hour commute to work... not a chance.
Mother Earth News - great magazine. Let's not forget the great contribution of the catalog of catalogs for the 60's and 70's hippies (i.e., Stewart Brand's THE WHOLE EARTH CATALOG). Keep up the great videos.
I think that is good solid advice. Infrastructure creates so many headaches. We’ve also found as we age we specialize more and more. It’s too much to do it all. Better to exchange specialty products with one another.
I just happened to stumble upon your channel and I really like the real time information. My wife and I have raised 4 children and now have grandchildren , and we have built a couple of places and had to start over a time or two . But I just wanted to say , THANKS.
Love this... I think you are best to follow your dreams because I wouldn't want to regret half my life. I think my kids were always fine living in isolation... they had grandparents and they used to alternate weekends so they didn't miss out on anything.
4:39 "Winter arrived, and that winter we stayed in and we enjoyed it..." 4:50 "...and then the baby appeared." It is almost as if these two facts were connected somehow.
What exspences appeared that couldn't be handled by not creating more expenses by moving to a college town and paying rent utilities etc...I'm confused.. was the baby sick ?wife sick?.. I mean you get washable dippers and make baby food.. I think you copped out. And dont want to admit it.
i had that life changing event three times in my life and can tell that it was always a point where my life changed. a baby will always change your life. no matter what you do. i do understand Noahs decision to go into a city as well as the people who will stay on the land. thank you for sharing this truely intim detail of your past. hopefully your advise will help not only one couple.
Thank you. If I can make just one persons life a little bit better then all of the effort in putting together these videos will be well worth it to me.
No doubt about it... you are correct. They say we learn a lot more from our failures than from our successes... and our recoveries from failures makes for a more interesting life story. Failures are also a good indicator that one has take risks... rather than taking the taking the easy path.
Yes indeed! I dreamed of homesteading... of living a different lifestyle... so much that I likely read those magazines more than once! I am SO thankful that I took action, that I gave it go... it didn't quite turn out the way I expected... but it did alter my life's path to a much better place.
Pure wisdom. I have friends back east in New Hampshire who, 12 years ago, bought 80 acres and had great plans. They were both retired in their early 50's with good pensions, healthcare, grown kids. Other than not having the energy of youth, that's about as good as it gets. They did the wall tent with no utilities thing, and planned to have a house up in 3 years. They got burdened by acquiring animals, starting a 2 acre garden, building fences, dealing with mud and snow, constructing a better driveway into their land, building shelters for the livestock.... Long story short, they are now living in a glorified shed, and have not started the house yet. They are in their mid 60's with less energy. They love and enjoy their life, but I fear they will never actually see the amazing house they designed get built. The sad part is that they HAD the ability to do it first, not being strapped for cash or time as many potential homesteaders are. But as you say, they got excited by all of the potential and spread themselves way too thin to manage it all and also build the house.
Julie, I just turned 61 and am starting to develop my raw land in Az. with a Timber Frame shop and home. My wife and I both said "Sure wish we could have done this in our 40's" But we didn't/couldn't. The adventure we're on now is nothing but miraculous. I've decided that I'm going to live Centuries! So far so good! Ha!
80 acres is way too much for two people to manage. I've seen houses on a city lot where the residents were able to grow most o their food via permaculture. 100+ people could live off of 80 acres.
Thank you so much for sharing. I just found your page but I am in love with this. I would have done exactly as you except I have already had my children. But my focus isn't always on my home. Perfect time to find this video. Subscribed. Can't wait to see you on Wednesday.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful story, your jury and experience, I always wonder about leaving the hectic life in the city and going homestead. Stay safe out there everyone
Will all the poisonous food piling up in the grocery stores, Orwellian security state, flouride in the water and even milk now, etc- I think it would be a good idea.
Thanks for telling about your experience. It is fascinating. Good advice. I watched several of people of our generation subscribe to the lifestyle you went through. It is tough. That's why mankind has embraced the 30 year job, etc., because it is less difficult in the long run. Not always, but usually it works better.
Just passed 36 years on our place. 70ac of raw Tn mountain land, now a showplace for homesteading. Did build the house first (and have since remodeled about every corner ahahhaaa), all the rest came later as time/money permitted.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It was hard earned and will no doubt help others. I've noticed that around central Virginia--where I live too--wood tends to rot from all the moisture... So the chinking was necessary, I guess. I had thought before that maybe chinking was used to space the logs out (to save the labor of having to process so many). This is the first of your videos I've watched, but I'll watch the rest too. Great resource!
We are in the process of creating our own homestead. We bought a large piece of property to retire on. We are debt free and we already have a Pacific Red Cedar log deck full of logs waiting to stack and build our real log home/s. Something that takes "zero" prior experience. Our chosen style of log home will be as a member of the Loghomebuilders.org . We hope to learn as much from your experience as you have offered. Thank you. The building of our homes is covered, now we need to learn to make our property pay our future families to keep.
Congratulations Ed on living the dream! I am familiar with the organization you refer to... they are big promoters of the "butt and pass" method... a topic I've written on before and has drawn many comments... handmadehouses.com/butt-pass-log-homes-cabins/ (I intend to do a video on it in the near future) I admire a lot of those within the butt and pass community... who wouldn't? they promote the construction of one's own home with big pieces of wood! My goal here online is to share my perspectives and help people discover their dream home... if I'm helping you with these videos, my mission is a success!
You built your home without building permits? If you build a home with permits then you could sell it as a home not such vacant land. At least that's how it works in Canada. Is that how it works in your State?
Some states require permits, others do not. The reason I sold the house at a loss was because... well... it wasn't much to look at. I'd recommend you to check out the free video I have here to learn more about it... noahbradley.leadpages.co/handmadehouseacacemysignuppage/
Great advice! I've been thinking if I'm blessed to start a homestead, I'd have to discipline myself to do one thing at a time like you suggest. I would naturally have a tendency to start a garden, buy several animals, etc. before I finished the home. Thanks for the great advice!!!
We can't be too hard on ourselves, we were making it up as we went along. We knew there had to be something better than what was on offer but we only had a vague idea what that was and nobody else in our 20th century culture had done this. We've left current generations with a wealth of recorded knowledge thanks to people like you. Well done on a life well spent.
This guy is wise and speaks from experience. Homesteading is doable. Homestead and living a comfortable financial life is difficult. If you aren't starting with a large sum of money (like inheritance) you will likely struggle to make a go of things. Having extra money for things like traveling while homesteading? forget it. You are going to be absolutely married to your homestead.
When the baby comes life changes for sure sir , you reevaluate your life , and everything changes especially your priorities , your main priorities are now your wife and the babies life , yours doesn't seem to matter , at least it didn't for me , and as it ended up it was just my son that mattered , you will give up everything for them , and be dame glad to do so , it's a feeling inside , you change as a person , I think for the better
my dream to live that lifestyle but i was an alcoholic and like any addiction it -doesn't slow you down IT stops you -but now I'm into my older 50s no addictions so I'll start late .
Just subscribed to your channel. Great content, I respect you. I am a 23 year old young man about to buy land in the Pine Barrens of new Jersey, hoping to do what you did.
You are right! I'm three years in and still trying to build. I will say, doing it this way is sure a looooong process. My children are all grown and don't plan on ANY MORE unexpected human babies. lol
good stuff. building a hose working non stop work and house destroys relationships as well. lil your self and burn out .. be smart have fun . good advice .. my property may get barn first to generate money or cabins for college students / maybe a horse student rental .
8:47....Yeah....i put a lot of my effort into growing food ( my house is done)....including potatoes. Today I bought a 15 lb bag of yellow potatoes for $2. why bother?
I enjoyed your video immensely about the value of having land. I bought a handbuilt rock cabin in North Georgia with five acres of land. It was very inexpensive. My question is about granite as a material for building a fireplace. I live near a town that has many granite businesses and free granite culls from tombstones they make. If a granite fireplace was lined with firebrick, would this be safe? I know granite can fracture or explode at high temperatures. Your cabins are so pretty. I struggle in my Little Rock cabin but the beautiful wooded land and God's creatures everywhere make it an amazing place to live life. Thanks again.
Granite is a wonderful stone to use when building a home... chimney... or fireplace. Congrats on having such a wonderful source! And thank you... for the kind words about these videos. :) Any stone which contains moisture can explode when heated with a roaring fire (typically it is a lot less dramatic than exploding though... often more like a pop that wakes one up quickly if lulled into a trance while enjoying the fire) When building a fireplace out of stone it is best to season it... the first year only small mellow fires. A fireplace built using firebrick and faced with stone will never give you any problems... at all. Make sure and check out my video here on RUclips with regard to stone fireplaces. And think about signing up with my upcoming Stonemason Academy! ... noahbradley.lpages.co/stonemason-academy-countdown-page/
Just found your channel and subscribed! Love the channel and looking forward to many more videos! We are located in Rhode Island. "Rhode Island, the home of unpredictable weather and very, very, high property taxes!"
when I started it was just me and mom. I had to save her SS payments and did everything in the summers. The garden was another thing I was doing durring that time. What I suggest is starting out small. Learn how to do things and grow slow but surely. Also not to get too many animals at once. I suggest people start with rabbits
Putting the house first over a garden does make sense. If you think about it people spend only a fraction for food of what they pay for housing. Secure that first and eliminate your most costly expense. Then work down the list of outgoing expenses you want to eliminate in order of cost.
Yes indeed. There is something very alluring about gardening... about the smell of fertile soil and raising ones own food... it tends to pull us in. Or at least me, and many others that I have known. But to be honest if I factored in the amount of labor and money I have put into raising produce, with my brown thumb, I've likely eaten some hundred dollar servings.... whereas more often than not I've benefited from the use of a hammer and eventually gained a financial return.
Thank you! For me, I found that my place of contentment was halfway between the extremes of off-gird homesteading on one end and on the other end... stuck working in a cubicle for life... in order for me to discover that I had to live in the woods for a few wonderful years. Make sure and enjoy the journey as you find your path out of the rat race!
I am sorry I came off as critical. I was more addressing my own idiosyncrasies, and providing a simple guide for someone with my disorder. I think you will realize that if you re-read what you said. I'm pushing 60, originally from the South, but transplanted. good to ya' !
Hey Tom! We are good! I appreciate your post! This "getting in front of a camera" is all new to me... and I appreciate every comment that I get! well... maybe not every one... lol ... (some are just mean, and offer me no insight... I can learn from constructive comments like yours and use it to get better. )
I enjoy watching your videos and thanks for sharing your knowledge. What are the best species of wood to use for a log home...? And what species of wood should be avoided and why...?
The best species to use is the straightest, widest, knot-free wood available in your area. Every species has it's pros and cons, so is there is no single best one... or worst one... if you can meet these standards you'll have some nice logs to work with.
You mentioned you lived near a college town in central Virginia. Was it Farmville, VA? I only ask because I live near there and know a gentleman who has been in the reclaimed wood business for many years, which you alluded to as a skill that helped you get employed there.
Yep, you nailed it... I was too distracted trying to do everything at once. The way things turned out for me I would have been so much better off trying to make the house as nice as I could get it before life changed.
Hi Noah, It was nice to hear your homesteading story in such a candid way. Do you feel like the mistake was not being prepared for having a child or building the home incorrectly or not having a productive garden? Lots of the videos I see on youtube of homesteading include children on the homestead.
I don't know if anyone is ever fully prepared for having children. lol Certainly one can have children on a homestead. What a great environment for children to grow up! But the productivity level of a couple with a newborn baby to care for is less than half of what it was prior to the event. But the issue really isn't about having children in particular... it is about how life can suddenly change direction... and if it does, if things are brought to a halt, where does one want to be? Half way through five things? or with one thing done well? A lot of folks give up on homesteading because it's simply too hard of a lifestyle, while a lot of others quit because of unexpected events... a job offer, an illness, a death in the family, a desire to live closer to a family member, a need to care for someone else, having a baby, etc (the list is long) and these things don't just happen to other people... as I found out. For some, it's just simply a matter of freedom of choice, the same inner desire to homestead might a few years later turn into an desire to travel, or discover the energy of urban life. I loved my experience at homesteading. Some of the best years of my life. And I adore each and everyone of my children. I do not look back on those days with any regrets, but I have often pondered "if I knew then what I know now... what would I have done differently? " And the answer for me is... beyond a doubt... I would have been laser focused on building the nicest handmade house I could have. My only regret with regard to my children is that I wish I had had more... three is great... but four or five would have been better!
I tell people a lot about this too. I think possibly there's just no way to explain to people how it really is to have a baby. They imagine still doing everything with baby carried along in the sling, etc. No matter what, it's hard, and some babies are harder than others, with either sickness or allergy issues, the mom having possible depression/anxiety after baby comes, financial hardship, etc.
Noah, Hi I'm Bill. I have thought of getting land from Billysland and starting with a quonsette hut. Building land and hydroponic food. But still be close enough to civilziation to Buy food. What's your input. I'm 74 and crazy.
Man I am 42 and just realized this. I have been in the plants since 19. I am done people say I am nuts but I am starting to live like what your saying no cable no lights no running water. I am done!!!!!!!! The he'll with that gold watch. Kids are grown just me and the wife. Land is set up already been gardening for years i have cows all animals. I grew up like that off grid hunting fishing and farming. I lost my way at adulthood but I figured it out like you said wasting time working for other people. I am done!!! Iam doing this at 42 i think this will work.Great video thanks God bless .
I totally get the "I'm done" feel. I was right there with you. I'm 56 and just moved off grid into my tiny home. There are challenges for sure, but very rewarding. No more "what am I doing here" in the corporate job living in a place where all I did was watch my money go to mortgage, insurance, utilities and services.
i agree with you, i work a dead end job and regret the debt i out myself in. I'm climbing out now...i bought 40 acres and paid it off, now im trying to pay off my house. maybe then i can quit my job...
Sounds like you are taking some major steps in the right direction...that's awesome!
My dad and his father built our house. They never had a mortgage. Always had a wonderful vegetable garden. Lots of lessons learned in my childhood.
As the father of three, I kind of get what you are saying about babies but also kind of not. My wife and I and 9 month old moved into a home that needed EVERYTHING remodeled. My wife was able to carve out time to do any painting, sometimes with baby in a backpack, but everything else I did on my own, along with working full time at another job. Several hours most evenings, all of most weekends, for seven years. Yes, seven years. I built like an artist, not a carpenter, so pretty slow. Still took time to enjoy life, and found the presence of children (eventually two) wasn't an impediment to building the house we were living in.
I say building because just about everything that could be seen was changed, inside, outside, and on the property. I started out a total novice and taught myself everything through magazines and books (no internet those days.) Loved the process, loved the house, loved my family. Baby number three meant a bigger house, so we did the whole process a second time, my wife painting, me doing the rest. Took several more years. I respect your decision and know you did what was best in your circumstance, but I wanted to mention a different experience in case young couples get scared about the baby thing.
"We rose when the sun came up and went to bed shortly thereafter." That line really made me laugh.
Great video.
I guess we were just lucky.
After I got through with grad school and while my wife was finishing, we bought some acreage in S. Florida and built a log home.
Unexpectedly, I took a job in the local public school system. It took a few years of Summers and weekends, but we eventually finished it. Well maybe not exactly finished. It'll probably never be finished. But, 20 years later, we have a 2 story, octagon shaped log house with about 2500 sq. ft. under air with 2500 sq. ft. roofed porch wrapped completely around it.
It's very strong, the eye of Hurricane Wilma passed directly over it with zero problems or concerns, and very energy efficient. The highest electric bill we ever had was about $110. That's the only expense, as we have a well and septic system and, of course, no mortgage.
Every morning, I wake up looking up into the 18 ft. vaulted ceiling and think, "It was totally worth it!"
Now THAT is a great story! thank you for sharing! And... congratulations!!!!
Jimichan ...that is a great story sir! The hurricane didn't touch it, that house is somehow alive or you and your family breath life into it. Very inspiring, thank you for the story.
in the next ten years nothing except our faith will be mire important than food(concentrate on your garden) and safe shelter...God bless...doug
More than a year after my first viewing and I'm watching this video again. I think this is probably one of Noah's most important videos. To me the message is loud and clear all over again: figure out how to add the most value to your homestead and focus on that thing first! It is probably the home that'll be the greatest asset but it could be something else. Figure that out and go do it. Don't get distracted by all the other things that may be fun but won't pay you back in the future. Thanks again for the great advice, Noah!
I raised a child in a converted truck ...we were and still are wonderfully happy ...I just don't understand what your saying ...home is a roof over your head and the love of your wife surely 😊👍🙏❤️
Thanks for sharing!
My intent with this video was not to judge others for their lifestyle... to each his own.
But rather to share my experiences and reflections looking back on my own life so far.
There is much to be admired about a minimalist lifestyle... one filled with travel and adventure.
For several years of my life I did the same.
But the majority of my life, and the focus of my career, has been on creating wonderful homes in the countryside where one can live peacefully, while raising children (and a garden), enjoying nature, and appreciating the simple pleasures while avoiding the trap of working in a cubicle for the majority of their lives.
There is a middle ground... a place between living in truck, a tepee, or a shipping container... and being trapped into a 30 year mortgage of a vinyl covered house... and that' s where you'll will find me... living in a home of wood and stone, crafted by hand.
My calling in this life has been to build... and now at this point, to share my experiences and what I have learned.
You are bringing me back to the "good old days" and Mother Earth News and all the rest... Never did it back then but now it's TIME! Thank you so much. You are giving me a reason to live. Gracias, amigo! Thank you Noah, for inspiring me again and again with every single video you make.
Those back issue of Mother Earth News can get a person in trouble!
Back at the time it seemed that everyone I knew thought that I was nuts... but it's amazing that now many individuals approach me and tell me how they too had the urge to homestead, or build their own home, when they were young and now they so regret not having gone for it!
So that's my mission at this point in life... to try to encourage folks, regardless of their age, or their dream, to go for it... now!
Regrets for the dreams we never tried to achieve are miserable things to live with.
Something tells me that you have some great adventures awaiting you in the near future!
Total teacher vibe! I love it ! Great advice! Love the content!
Thanks for sharing your experiences God bless you sir.
I so much appreciate what you are saying about when "baby's happen". It's great to hear it from someone else too for a change as most people tend to trivialize it. But if you want to be part of the family and be there for your kids as a dad, the "free time for other things" simply vanishes - at least for the first several years. Thanks for sharing!
yes indeed!
the carefree days of youth vanish overnight... it's a shock to the system... but it leads to wonderful new phase of life.
i am fifty and basically waiting to die life sucks for some people
I'm sorry to hear that John.
I've found that life is hard for most people... it takes real drive and determination to see the brighter side.
Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley building your own home might come back into fashion when your videos catch on to the younger generations.
My advice in homesteading, look for a young Noah who has become disenchanted with his property and you will have a lot of work done for you. You can do that with rebuilding old cars, house renovations and so on. The homesteads are widely available now in the remote areas. Look here on RUclips for some advertisements. Also, especially for the young, when you buy or put money in your homestead be mindful that you might want to sell it one day. No, it will probably will not be the property you will stay at forever. I thought that with my first piece out in the country but sold it a scant 3 years later. Got another place and sold it within 4 years. I thought that one was perfect. I know now that I am kind of a nomad at heart but, there are a lot of you out there who might not realize it yet. In addition, you just might make enough profit if you buy and sell right, to afford a property even more suited to your dreams. I am in my 60's and on my 8th country place now. Best one yet.
Great post! Thank you for sharing!
Great inspiration and material to consider at any age…
Thank you Jett!
i follow your favebook posts on log cabins and just love all of them thanks noah
Thank you! I really appreciate your support!
Good advice, Mr. Bradley. We are in a different stage of life and have had many years to consider what we want out of our later years. We are preparing to build an off-grid adobe and straw bale home in the Intermountain West and we are allowing each idea to simmer while we plan. But after securing the basic lot needs of water and wastewater, home completion will be our only goal. When that is done we can concentrate on other things. We subscribed! Love your videos!
Thank you very much for your sincerity. Great videos. Regards from Spain, I'm thinking to build a cabin in Slovakia. They have an old tradition building cottages. Let's see, but this information will make the difference. Thanks again 😊👍
You are welcome Mauricio! It sounds like you have an awesome project ahead of you!
A fitting story for a fellow named "Noah". All good. I enjoyed it.
Yeah... lol... I get a lot of comments about building timbered structures on mountaintops... most often on rainy days. :)
LOL!!!
Very good point, to not spread yourself too thin. Thank you for your honest sharing
Yep, it's one of those things that make so much sense... and yet we humans... this one in particular... seem to mess up on. lol
Noah, I have passed on this video to more friends than maybe any of your others. Not that those videos aren't great too, but your advice here is absolutely golden. Thank you!
that's what 'homesteading' IS! it's not putting a garden on land you didn't clear, or renoing a house you didn't build... that's not homesteading any more than a person with a normal city lot doing the same thing is. it is a lifestyle, and certainly not for everyone... you did it! i work harder than i've every worked before, mostly because i live alone, so everything needs to be well thought out before hand for physics, safety etc. but i'm working for me... my effort is my reward, and frankly, my joy... there are bits that suck, but would i trade the sound on loons on the lake in the morning, for traffic and sirens before my 1 hour commute to work... not a chance.
Mother Earth News - great magazine. Let's not forget the great contribution of the catalog of catalogs for the 60's and 70's hippies (i.e., Stewart Brand's THE WHOLE EARTH CATALOG). Keep up the great videos.
Thank you!
Yes indeed... there are some fine publications out there to inspire us!
HOPE that THINGS are MUCH better in Your lives now! BLESSED BE!
I think that is good solid advice. Infrastructure creates so many headaches. We’ve also found as we age we specialize more and more. It’s too much to do it all. Better to exchange specialty products with one another.
I just happened to stumble upon your channel and I really like the real time information. My wife and I have raised 4 children and now have grandchildren , and we have built a couple of places and had to start over a time or two . But I just wanted to say , THANKS.
Love this... I think you are best to follow your dreams because I wouldn't want to regret half my life. I think my kids were always fine living in isolation... they had grandparents and they used to alternate weekends so they didn't miss out on anything.
Thanks for sharing your thought and story of your amazing adventure through we called LIFE!
I really appreciate your honesty Noah. You are a humble man and it's refreshing. I look forward to viewing more videos. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you. I appreciate that.
1 For The People agree
focus and prioritize is very important yes
4:39 "Winter arrived, and that winter we stayed in and we enjoyed it..." 4:50 "...and then the baby appeared." It is almost as if these two facts were connected somehow.
:)
I'm blushing.
Winter or power outages can lead to babies! The statistics are there. Check on power problems ( in winter) and then the birth rate 9 months later.
I think that was implied in a very sly wry humor. Wry humor has almost become extinct in this day and age.
What exspences appeared that couldn't be handled by not creating more expenses by moving to a college town and paying rent utilities etc...I'm confused.. was the baby sick ?wife sick?.. I mean you get washable dippers and make baby food.. I think you copped out. And dont want to admit it.
@@roberthill4239 I kind of wondered about that also. what about all the poor people with kids living around you? They made it somehow.
Thanks for your sharing of your personal experiences.
Thank you!
I need a place in the woods!
HAPPY TO FIND YOU HERE!
Peace To All!
Thankyou for your journey.
i had that life changing event three times in my life and can tell that it was always a point where my life changed. a baby will always change your life. no matter what you do. i do understand Noahs decision to go into a city as well as the people who will stay on the land.
thank you for sharing this truely intim detail of your past. hopefully your advise will help not only one couple.
Thank you.
If I can make just one persons life a little bit better then all of the effort in putting together these videos will be well worth it to me.
It is SO TRUE that hindsight is 20/20...but those experiences (+ & -) have been worth it...at least that's the way I see it.
No doubt about it... you are correct. They say we learn a lot more from our failures than from our successes... and our recoveries from failures makes for a more interesting life story. Failures are also a good indicator that one has take risks... rather than taking the taking the easy path.
I am not interested in homesteading but that is great advice about focusing energy on the house first and foremost. Thank you.
Very honest ...... lot of respect for you Noah .
"in my mid twenties I read far to many copies of Mother Earth News..." LMAO a lot. so true for so many even today no doubt.
Yes indeed!
I dreamed of homesteading... of living a different lifestyle... so much that I likely read those magazines more than once!
I am SO thankful that I took action, that I gave it go... it didn't quite turn out the way I expected... but it did alter my life's path to a much better place.
And I bought a book on Underground Houses in the mid '70's...and Mother Earth News ! Fun times.
For me it was Mother Earth News, then Backwoods Home, and then Homepower.
Me too
TMEN was a good mag in the 70's and part of the 80's . Just ignore the articles about Tofu every other month.
Home Made Homes. Thanks for your vids.
Such valuable wisdom and experience!
Thank you!!!
Pure wisdom. I have friends back east in New Hampshire who, 12 years ago, bought 80 acres and had great plans. They were both retired in their early 50's with good pensions, healthcare, grown kids. Other than not having the energy of youth, that's about as good as it gets.
They did the wall tent with no utilities thing, and planned to have a house up in 3 years. They got burdened by acquiring animals, starting a 2 acre garden, building fences, dealing with mud and snow, constructing a better driveway into their land, building shelters for the livestock....
Long story short, they are now living in a glorified shed, and have not started the house yet. They are in their mid 60's with less energy. They love and enjoy their life, but I fear they will never actually see the amazing house they designed get built.
The sad part is that they HAD the ability to do it first, not being strapped for cash or time as many potential homesteaders are. But as you say, they got excited by all of the potential and spread themselves way too thin to manage it all and also build the house.
Julie, I do believe you said better than I did!
Thanks for sharing that.
Julie, I just turned 61 and am starting to develop my raw land in Az. with a Timber Frame shop and home. My wife and I both said "Sure wish we could have done this in our 40's" But we didn't/couldn't. The adventure we're on now is nothing but miraculous. I've decided that I'm going to live Centuries! So far so good! Ha!
80 acres is way too much for two people to manage. I've seen houses on a city lot where the residents were able to grow most o their food via permaculture. 100+ people could live off of 80 acres.
Thank you so much for sharing. I just found your page but I am in love with this. I would have done exactly as you except I have already had my children. But my focus isn't always on my home. Perfect time to find this video. Subscribed. Can't wait to see you on Wednesday.
Love your humility and down to earth advice💯
Thank you for sharing your wonderful story, your jury and experience, I always wonder about leaving the hectic life in the city and going homestead. Stay safe out there everyone
Will all the poisonous food piling up in the grocery stores, Orwellian security state, flouride in the water and even milk now, etc- I think it would be a good idea.
Just found you. Subbed and liked. Looking forward to viewing more of your videos. I love this topic. So much a matter of the heart.
I love your videos very much and i gained a lot of information about construction.
thanks for sharing. you are very smart and tell a good story. respect.
Thank you.
Thomas Smith agree
Good words of advice. Thanks for sharing.
And thank you for the kind words!
Thanks for telling about your experience. It is fascinating. Good advice. I watched several of people of our generation subscribe to the lifestyle you went through. It is tough. That's why mankind has embraced the 30 year job, etc., because it is less difficult in the long run. Not always, but usually it works better.
Outstanding advice.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this insight. We want a small homestead.
It's a wonderful goal to have... and an amazing experience. I am SO thankful for it.
We are in East Tenn also. However, we are finding it very hard to find affordable land.
Just passed 36 years on our place. 70ac of raw Tn mountain land, now a showplace for homesteading. Did build the house first (and have since remodeled about every corner ahahhaaa), all the rest came later as time/money permitted.
love your video. Thanks
New subscriber...super cool videos! I love learning from people like you!
Thanks for sharing your experience. It was hard earned and will no doubt help others. I've noticed that around central Virginia--where I live too--wood tends to rot from all the moisture... So the chinking was necessary, I guess. I had thought before that maybe chinking was used to space the logs out (to save the labor of having to process so many). This is the first of your videos I've watched, but I'll watch the rest too. Great resource!
gibrigg agreed
We are in the process of creating our own homestead. We bought a large piece of property to retire on. We are debt free and we already have a Pacific Red Cedar log deck full of logs waiting to stack and build our real log home/s. Something that takes "zero" prior experience. Our chosen style of log home will be as a member of the Loghomebuilders.org . We hope to learn as much from your experience as you have offered. Thank you. The building of our homes is covered, now we need to learn to make our property pay our future families to keep.
Congratulations Ed on living the dream! I am familiar with the organization you refer to... they are big promoters of the "butt and pass" method... a topic I've written on before and has drawn many comments... handmadehouses.com/butt-pass-log-homes-cabins/ (I intend to do a video on it in the near future) I admire a lot of those within the butt and pass community... who wouldn't? they promote the construction of one's own home with big pieces of wood! My goal here online is to share my perspectives and help people discover their dream home... if I'm helping you with these videos, my mission is a success!
Thank you my new friend. I will be here learning everything you have to offer. Thank you. Stay safe and warm.
You built your home without building permits? If you build a home with permits then you could sell it as a home not such vacant land. At least that's how it works in Canada. Is that how it works in your State?
Some states require permits, others do not.
The reason I sold the house at a loss was because... well... it wasn't much to look at. I'd recommend you to check out the free video I have here to learn more about it... noahbradley.leadpages.co/handmadehouseacacemysignuppage/
Great advice! I've been thinking if I'm blessed to start a homestead, I'd have to discipline myself to do one thing at a time like you suggest. I would naturally have a tendency to start a garden, buy several animals, etc. before I finished the home. Thanks for the great advice!!!
Yep, digging in the dirt first is my inclination as well.
cool we are in nw ga thank s for sharing
We can't be too hard on ourselves, we were making it up as we went along. We knew there had to be something better than what was on offer but we only had a vague idea what that was and nobody else in our 20th century culture had done this. We've left current generations with a wealth of recorded knowledge thanks to people like you.
Well done on a life well spent.
Thank you!
Thank you Noah
I see my largest bills as being Insurance related. /Taxes and gov. required stuff are the big obstacles to living a happy life.
thank you for your insight
As the years go by I discover more of us had that same dream when we were young.
Very logical advice. Thanks for sharing your story. I really loved the photos that went with the story as well.
Guildbrook Farm | Simple Sustainable Living agree
i guess it's kinda off topic but does anybody know of a good site to stream newly released movies online ?
@Bowen Marco i would suggest Flixzone. You can find it on google =)
@Bowen Marco i watch on flixzone. Just search on google for it :)
We'd love to see you do homesteading videos, excited to see what's to come!
Thank you so much!!!
You found quite a gal willing to live in that "tent" :)
This guy is wise and speaks from experience. Homesteading is doable. Homestead and living a comfortable financial life is difficult. If you aren't starting with a large sum of money (like inheritance) you will likely struggle to make a go of things. Having extra money for things like traveling while homesteading? forget it. You are going to be absolutely married to your homestead.
Great advise. Thanks
thank you!
Amazing how good it feels, when we wake up to the game.
Thanks for a great video. I'm trying to do something similar on the coast of S.C.
Hey that's great Winston!
Enjoy every day!
When the baby comes life changes for sure sir , you reevaluate your life , and everything changes especially your priorities , your main priorities are now your wife and the babies life , yours doesn't seem to matter , at least it didn't for me , and as it ended up it was just my son that mattered , you will give up everything for them , and be dame glad to do so , it's a feeling inside , you change as a person , I think for the better
very interesting !
interesting life noah great stories for grandkids
my dream to live that lifestyle but i was an alcoholic and like any addiction it -doesn't slow you down IT stops you -but now I'm into my older 50s no addictions so I'll start late .
Just subscribed to your channel. Great content, I respect you. I am a 23 year old young man about to buy land in the Pine Barrens of new Jersey, hoping to do what you did.
In other words it's not the destination it's the journey.
YES!! dang... I wish I had said that! The simple and obvious often slip by me when a camera is focused on me. lol
The journey is the reward.
You are right! I'm three years in and still trying to build. I will say, doing it this way is sure a looooong process. My children are all grown and don't plan on ANY MORE unexpected human babies. lol
Oh how the kids change everything :-)
good stuff. building a hose working non stop work and house destroys relationships as well. lil your self and burn out .. be smart have fun . good advice .. my property may get barn first to generate money or cabins for college students / maybe a horse student rental .
8:47....Yeah....i put a lot of my effort into growing food ( my house is done)....including potatoes. Today I bought a 15 lb bag of yellow potatoes for $2. why bother?
Great stuff,,,,,
Nice video all of it is true
I enjoyed your video immensely about the value of having land. I bought a handbuilt rock cabin in North Georgia with five acres of land. It was very inexpensive. My question is about granite as a material for building a fireplace. I live near a town that has many granite businesses and free granite culls from tombstones they make.
If a granite fireplace was lined with firebrick, would this be safe?
I know granite can fracture or explode at high temperatures.
Your cabins are so pretty.
I struggle in my Little Rock cabin but the beautiful wooded land and God's creatures everywhere make it an amazing place to live life. Thanks again.
Granite is a wonderful stone to use when building a home... chimney... or fireplace.
Congrats on having such a wonderful source!
And thank you... for the kind words about these videos. :)
Any stone which contains moisture can explode when heated with a roaring fire (typically it is a lot less dramatic than exploding though... often more like a pop that wakes one up quickly if lulled into a trance while enjoying the fire)
When building a fireplace out of stone it is best to season it... the first year only small mellow fires.
A fireplace built using firebrick and faced with stone will never give you any problems... at all.
Make sure and check out my video here on RUclips with regard to stone fireplaces.
And think about signing up with my upcoming Stonemason Academy! ... noahbradley.lpages.co/stonemason-academy-countdown-page/
Just found your channel and subscribed! Love the channel and looking forward to many more videos! We are located in Rhode Island. "Rhode Island, the home of unpredictable weather and very, very, high property taxes!"
when I started it was just me and mom. I had to save her SS payments and did everything in the summers. The garden was another thing I was doing durring that time. What I suggest is starting out small. Learn how to do things and grow slow but surely. Also not to get too many animals at once. I suggest people start with rabbits
A lot of wisdom there. thank you for sharing!
Putting the house first over a garden does make sense. If you think about it people spend only a fraction for food of what they pay for housing. Secure that first and eliminate your most costly expense. Then work down the list of outgoing expenses you want to eliminate in order of cost.
Yes indeed. There is something very alluring about gardening... about the smell of fertile soil and raising ones own food... it tends to pull us in. Or at least me, and many others that I have known. But to be honest if I factored in the amount of labor and money I have put into raising produce, with my brown thumb, I've likely eaten some hundred dollar servings.... whereas more often than not I've benefited from the use of a hammer and eventually gained a financial return.
Wish I had done this 40 years ago.
Fantastic story. Im facing the same situation with the "rat race"
Thank you!
For me, I found that my place of contentment was halfway between the extremes of off-gird homesteading on one end and on the other end... stuck working in a cubicle for life... in order for me to discover that I had to live in the woods for a few wonderful years.
Make sure and enjoy the journey as you find your path out of the rat race!
Sounds like the value you earned from owning your homestead, even selling it for what you paid for just the land, was priceless!
So very true!
I had a great time. And what I learned from it was life changing.
I am sorry I came off as critical. I was more addressing my own idiosyncrasies, and providing a simple guide for someone with my disorder. I think you will realize that if you re-read what you said. I'm pushing 60, originally from the South, but transplanted. good to ya' !
Hey Tom! We are good! I appreciate your post!
This "getting in front of a camera" is all new to me... and I appreciate every comment that I get! well... maybe not every one... lol ... (some are just mean, and offer me no insight... I can learn from constructive comments like yours and use it to get better. )
thanks
Learning experiences start at 7:30
I enjoy watching your videos and thanks for sharing your knowledge. What are the best species of wood to use for a log home...? And what species of wood should be avoided and why...?
The best species to use is the straightest, widest, knot-free wood available in your area.
Every species has it's pros and cons, so is there is no single best one... or worst one... if you can meet these standards you'll have some nice logs to work with.
You mentioned you lived near a college town in central Virginia. Was it Farmville, VA? I only ask because I live near there and know a gentleman who has been in the reclaimed wood business for many years, which you alluded to as a skill that helped you get employed there.
I live outside of Charlottesville. Thanks for asking!
Noah
Did I get it right? Your mistake was not focusing on building the house?
Yep, you nailed it... I was too distracted trying to do everything at once.
The way things turned out for me I would have been so much better off trying to make the house as nice as I could get it before life changed.
Hi Noah, It was nice to hear your homesteading story in such a candid way. Do you feel like the mistake was not being prepared for having a child or building the home incorrectly or not having a productive garden? Lots of the videos I see on youtube of homesteading include children on the homestead.
I don't know if anyone is ever fully prepared for having children. lol
Certainly one can have children on a homestead. What a great environment for children to grow up! But the productivity level of a couple with a newborn baby to care for is less than half of what it was prior to the event.
But the issue really isn't about having children in particular... it is about how life can suddenly change direction... and if it does, if things are brought to a halt, where does one want to be? Half way through five things? or with one thing done well?
A lot of folks give up on homesteading because it's simply too hard of a lifestyle, while a lot of others quit because of unexpected events... a job offer, an illness, a death in the family, a desire to live closer to a family member, a need to care for someone else, having a baby, etc (the list is long) and these things don't just happen to other people... as I found out.
For some, it's just simply a matter of freedom of choice, the same inner desire to homestead might a few years later turn into an desire to travel, or discover the energy of urban life.
I loved my experience at homesteading. Some of the best years of my life. And I adore each and everyone of my children. I do not look back on those days with any regrets, but I have often pondered "if I knew then what I know now... what would I have done differently? " And the answer for me is... beyond a doubt... I would have been laser focused on building the nicest handmade house I could have.
My only regret with regard to my children is that I wish I had had more... three is great... but four or five would have been better!
I tell people a lot about this too. I think possibly there's just no way to explain to people how it really is to have a baby. They imagine still doing everything with baby carried along in the sling, etc. No matter what, it's hard, and some babies are harder than others, with either sickness or allergy issues, the mom having possible depression/anxiety after baby comes, financial hardship, etc.
Noah, Hi I'm Bill. I have thought of getting land from Billysland and starting with a quonsette hut. Building land and hydroponic food. But still be close enough to civilziation to Buy food. What's your input. I'm 74 and crazy.