My Homestead Plan! Please Review! | Construction and DIY projects | Forums

I Plan on starting a small 1 acre self sufficient farm. I have heard many mixed responses regarding whether it's possible to actually be totally self sufficient, and what that really means.

Here is MY plan to start my homestead. Please review it, and tell if there is anything that won't be possible, or suggestion:

Before I Start:

After my secondary education is complete, I will get a job that will serve as a means of collecting the funds required to construct my homestead. Here is a Google Drive document roughly outlining my plans thus far:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IeQSVSMgwm7ChKp-hFnXkpefeUIJH8uCL9ZWINDtS68/edit

After I have gotten all the money I need, I would then begin construction of my a 200 - 350 sq. ft home on the 1 acre plot of land.

Building my Homestead:

1. Firstly, location is something I have yet to figure out. I need suggestions of locations that have low property taxes, relaxed homestead exemption laws and zoning codes, and also receives plenty of rainfall with long growing seasons.

2. The home I have in mind to build would be no smaller than 200 sq. ft and no larger than 350 sq. ft on a 1 acre plot of land.

3. Other structures I might add would be a small chicken coup (big enough for at least 6 chickens), and a small goat pen or barn (big enough for at least 2 goats).

Living on my Homestead Self Sufficiently:

1. In order to live on my farm self sufficiently, I have decided I must meet the following needs: Food, water, energy, communication/entertainment-, heat/cooling, income, hygiene, and transportation (in the above link to google doc I have a better break down of these categories.)

2. Water - I was thinking that if I'm able to get water from a clean water supply (such as a clean river and rainwater), filter and purify it, I could get my water from there. As long as I am able to effectively purify it, is there any problem with this? Other ideas i had would be constructing a well.

3. Food - For the most part, growing food is what living on a farm means. I would of course dedicate almost all of my 1 acre plot to do so. I would also get eggs from my chickens and cheese and milk from my goats.

4. Energy - This is very essential to living self sufficiently. On the above google Drive link, I break down energy consumption much more neatly. I have found solar panels online for roughly $300 that can generate as much as 300 watts of electricity. With two solar panels, I could run house hold appliances which would include; 1 internet router, 5 CFL lights, and 1 computer, with enough spare electricity to run small central cooling system such as a whole-house fan, and a refrigerator. For growing, I would definitely generate my own compost, as well as have my goats to produce manure.

5. Income - Because I would need to pay for internet service (as well as any other things that will inevitable come up), I would have to have some sort of income. Selling produce at the local farmers markets, as well as making money over the internet (also explained on google Drive).

6. Communication/Entertainment- A cheap pay-as-you-go phone would be more than enough. As long as I have internet, I would have access to communication services as well as entrainment in the form of movies and TV shows.

7. Hygiene - This one is perhaps that easiest. I have always made homemade shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and toothpaste. Bathing in lakes and rivers with sulfate-free products is also nothing I am a stranger too.

8. Transportation - Still working on this part.

9. Heating/Cooling - As I stated above in the energy category, I could cool my house using a whole-house fan. For heating, I would have a wood burner, and some serious insulation (although I'm not too worried about heating due to the fact I would only homestead somewhere that doesn't get very cold).

If you have an answer to my initial question about location, or any suggestions, corrections, or comments about my plan please reply! and feel free to make any comments on that google Drive document! Thanks for your time.