Living off the grid

[No Worries]

I have the chance to buy a small (800 sq. ft.) cabin in the mountains very cheap. Only an hour from my house, the cabin was well built in the 1940's, and is surrounded by National Forest. There's a plowed road and a full-time stream nearby. It has a fireplace and propane heater. The problem is that there is no running water, no electricity, and no phone lines anywhere nearby. Does anyone have a summer or winter cabin like this?

[Porkchop]

I have the chance to buy a small (800 sq. ft.) cabin in the mountains very cheap. Only an hour from my house, the cabin was well built in the 1940's, and is surrounded by National Forest. There's a plowed road and a full-time stream nearby. It has a fireplace and propane heater. The problem is that there is no running water, no electricity, and no phone lines anywhere nearby. Does anyone have a summer or winter cabin like this?

I could get by with the no electricity and phone line thing. But the no running water thing sucks...

[Tmall]

That's the reason you buy a cabin!

A generator can power the place easily. Drinking and cooking takes very little water. It's sanitation and waste that uses the majority of it. If you're roughing it, you'll get a bit funky from time to time, then you break out the wash basin. You'll realize you can get clean with a few liters of water.

Living on canned goods will further reduce your water consumption. Chunky soup for a week straight can wear thin, but again... you're camping.

Word to the wise, it's never a good idea to cook Kraft dinner with beer when you run out of water. It's one of those things that sounds better in theory.

[fujimoh]

Buy a composting toilet. If you have a generator, you can pump water into a storage tank from the stream, set the tank high enough and gravity will provide the pressure to "run" the water. I have trailer at my hunt camp set up this way.

[Mr Lefty]

I love the idea... though I don't know how long I'd be able to do it by choice... as a weekend/vacation spot though it'd be fuck'n awesome.

[KSGregman]

Do it...in a heart beat. And skip the generator...defeats the purpose altogether IMO. One trip to the library would yield everything you need to know to thrive in that environment. I'm jealous just THINKING about the opportunity.

[Rangerscott]

Does Rangerscott take a shit in the woods? You bet.

Thats how it was for us when we went hunting as a kid. Just an old run down house/cabin on the land. It did have electricity but tye only thing I remember running off of it was tye one hanging bulb in the livivng room. For some strange reason I dont remember washing my hands that much.

Get a 5 gallon bucket, cut a hole on the bottom, then glue on a toilet seat. I remember one time I got a real bad stomach ache and went behind the house and shat out a creamy milkshake. We had NO toilet paper and I had to wipe with a paper grocery sack. Just thought Id share that. That was the weirdest shit I ever made. It was like new born shit and man was I cramped up. Leaning up against the tree didnt help much. I still nearly fell down.

So the moral if that story is .......bring a toothbrush.

[Lamnidae]

Word to the wise, it's never a good idea to cook Kraft dinner with beer when you run out of water. It's one of those things that sounds better in theory.

hah. ;)

[njchopper87]

Word to the wise, it's never a good idea to cook Kraft dinner with beer when you run out of water. It's one of those things that sounds better in theory.

Hmm.. nope.. still tasted great. At least I think it did.. don't remember much from that night. :p

Oh, and I'd do the cabin thing. I don't think I could stay out there longer then a couple weeks w/o going crazy from boredom, but it is fun.

[Kaneman]

Congrats bro, you're now officially considered a low-level terrorist threat to the U.S. Government. Smile.

[Hydrant]

Somewhere Ted Kaczynski is smiling.

[No Worries]

Somewhere Ted Kaczynski is smiling.

In Supermax, Florence, Colorado for life.

[Looni2ns]

You could build a cistern system for shower and waste water. Depending on the length of your stay at one time, 5G jugs of water can be trucked in for drinking and cooking. Windmill or solar panels if you just have to have electricity. Propane stove, in addition to wood, and you should be fine.

Great opportunity to really find out what it means to go green!

[Rangerscott]

Propane is expensive these days and it depends how much they charge for delivery.

MRE's any one? You could order those 80 day food buckets from gun sites. Of course that would make you a terrorust.

[Looni2ns]

Who said anything about having propane delivered. Doubt you need a huge tank. Use the small tanks, and get them refilled on your next trip to town. We have two 30 lb tanks in the camper, and can power the frig and stove for weeks.

[Rangerscott]

Settle down loonytoons. He may not want to have to do that every time. Just because he wants to stay out there doesnt mean he wants to give up everything.

If you do get the place, the first you post has to be you standing in front of the place with a coon skin cap on.

[Rangerscott]

Settle down loonytoons. He may not want to have to do that every time. Just because he wants to stay out there doesnt mean he wants to give up everything.

If you do get the place, the first you post has to be you standing in front of the place with a coon skin cap on.

[Looni2ns]

Hey, I'm ok. :-) Figure he won't be using that much propane anyway. 'sides, if he goes with a windmill and/or solar panels, he won't be roughing it too much. The windmills are great since you can create electricity and power a water pump. Solar panels and you have electricity and/or hot water ;-)

Agree about the pics. Must have shot w/you front of cabin, then shot of what you see from the porch. Hope it's a good view. Colorado sure has some beautiful mountain scenery.

[Rangerscott]

How much land comes with it? Sounds like a twfix meet up in progress.

[wildchild]

we use a similar cabin for hunting up north. I have considered trying it fulltime and yes I would jump on it if you have the chance. for water what about a spring system. had one explained to me in NC. they use them up in the mountains there.
running water would make it perfect

[Looni2ns]

we use a similar cabin for hunting up north. I have considered trying it fulltime and yes I would jump on it if you have the chance. for water what about a spring system. had one explained to me in NC. they use them up in the mountains there.
running water would make it perfect

You mean a deep water well that uses natural pressure v. an electric pump and reservoir?

[wildchild]

You mean a deep water well that uses natural pressure v. an electric pump and reservoir?

I never got the specifics of how it worked but they called it a spring system, I doubt it was a drilled well though in the mountainous rocks. I think it fed straight from the streams. like i said totally unsure though

[Gas Man]

You mean a deep water well that uses natural pressure v. an electric pump and reservoir?
This. I would check out ways to do a water well.

[Looni2ns]

I googled the spring system. Seems like a lot of upkeep and hassle. It uses surface water from a spring that is piped all the way from the spring to the house. There there are all of these containers and spirals, and a holding tank. I think I'd rather have someone come in, drill a decent well, use a hand pump or windmill to pump, and not drink surface water.