We have a 110'000 liter water tank and two concrete slabs, one which is part of a proposed split level homestead (half of it), the other a proposed garage, 10 x 10m each. Plus a 10x10 rammed earth shed, no floor, no roof. Two dams, and a 6000 liter septic tank. This is all approved by council. Also, numerous building materials: giant stone tiles, 1950's cement mixer, substantial road, piles of granite, sand, topsoil, timber and whatever is in the trash in the creek.
Mind you, this wasn't just luck. We've been looking at property, some very nice, for the past two years. We've done lots of research and thinking about where we want to live. This one seemed right for us.
Timing is everything. We didn't want to be 60, retire and then go bush as many people seem to do. Then, be isolated, and have something to look after that we don't have the health or fitness for. Living out of town is expensive in petrol and at times, rather inconvenient. These are all things that need to be taken into consideration when deciding on a tree change. Also, your kids can't just pop over to their friends house for a play after school. We're lucky that India is very keen on riding horses and already has contacts in the Valley. She's now 13 and would normally be most interested in hanging with friends at this age but it seems she would rather hang with a horse at. I think this will affect her more than what she realises. However I'm encouraging her to continue making her contacts. She's also organised car pooling to and from the school bus. Good for everyone, and the environment.
Our plan is to build a simple two bedroom accommodation on an existing garage slab by November 20. This gives us a time frame of about 12 full days to build. Pat has hired the help of labourers every Saturday varying from 1 to 3 guys, depending what's on for the day and who's available. The garden isn't a priority until we get back, but in saying that, I would like to prepare it at least ready for planting for winter. I'll post plans for that in the near future.
Storage is our first priority. I have the house half packed up and the rammed earth work shed and a shipping container are being fitted out with shelving as we speak. The shipping container sits near the house for easy access and is like an extension of the house. Next blog posted will be on building materials and tips for the workshop and shelving. But for now I'll leave you with a few things we think are important for a good start.
1. Be aware of your levels of personal energy, time and other resources, and plan with this in mind. Learning how to move well and conserving energy is something we all learn as we mature. You don't want to burn out before your dream is realised.
2. Fail to plan and plan to fail as they say. I can't tell you how many times we've planned and reviewed, it's all part of it, and constant. Prioritising what you need to do saves time, energy and money. Example, for us, a secure and warm shelter was our priority before we leave for India in Nov. Then, on pondering that for a while, we realised that we could put off purchasing the secondhand combustion fire (which will be an expense and time consuming to install), until winter next year. In the meantime we can use our regular old gas heater if need be. This has saved us half a day in labour and money that we don't quite have at this point but will next year. Insulation will be an important factor in the initial building stage but more on that later.
3. Don't be Mondays expert. Put it out there and inform yourself. People love to tell you how to do things and some of the information people have on offer is fantastic. Pat's been saying, "teach me how to be a farmer" to the locals in the Megalong. They love sharing their stories, and you can take or leave what you want (and some of it you might want to leave believe me). This also gives you opportunities to build relationships and useful connections within your new community.
We've also been doing lots of reading. We have a pile of old 'Grassroots' magazines on sustainable living. It's out of print now which is a real shame as it's such a wonderful resource. If you can get your hands on some, take to opportunity. I'm also brushing up on my Permaculture knowledge and I'm very excited about this, as the principles fit so well with my own values. Also now out of print is the Permaculture International Magazine. If you see those around grab them. I'll also write more on this later and keep you updated on resources as I go.
4. Don't Panic! You can only do what you can do. For us, we wanted to put some real energy into it at the beginning and at least move in. We have both seen friends over the years buy property, do a bit and then it sits there and they loose the passion to do anything with it. Or, it nearly kills them because they haven't put the thought into it that it deserves for whatever reason. If we don't get in there by November however, we won't slit our wrists!
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