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jimnkaran
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2015 09:42pm
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Hello everyone, my wife and myself are currently living off the grid, no services available even if we wanted them. We have decided that we want to expand the area where we now live and build 6 cabins, all off the grid, for people to learn what it is like to live off the grid. Basically we want to have an off the grid learning center where people can come and spend a few nights living this way, and being able to see up close how the solar panels work, how a wind generator works and understand how and why they can live somewhere, and need very little from the outside world. How they can grow their own food, generate their own electric and find a place in life that they can fit and be comfortable. Our only problem is we can not afford to do all of this without help. Banks say because we and everything we plan are off the grid they can not loan any money. So we have started asking for help from anyone that can afford to help us and also get the word out to help us make this come true. Just follow this link at the bottom and it will explain what we are doing and then help us if you can and please spread this around to everyone you know. By doing this learning center we will be able to show lots of people that it is not out of their reach to live self sufficient. Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give.
http://igg.me/p/off-the-grid-living-experience/x/9744429
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2015 12:40am
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That creek, does it swell during spring melt or heavy rain storms? In my area, that cabin could be a gonner. But if not (no snow of heavy rains, then that is a great source of power via a water wheel too. Even a simple small system running a 12V alternator charging a bank of batteries. I'd love to have a small water fall on my place, but I dont even have a creek.
Sounds like a cool plan, very educational. Its crazy, banks wont lend for off grid. Heck, my insurance company wouldn't even insure my cabin unless I have power, phone, hydrant or within a mile from a firehouse. I had to have one of those criteria.
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jimnkaran
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2015 01:03am
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No the creek does not flood the cabin, in the heavy thunderstorms the creek comes up a lot but it is so wide right here that it never comes up to the cabin. I am going to check on hydro power later but right now I am doing everything I can to bring this project to life. Really tough getting people to help and donate money to make it come to life, it would teach so many people about off grid life. Yes, pretty bad the banks don't allow off grid homes to be financed. As far as your insurance, the only one of those criteria I could possibly have would be phone, if they consider a cell phone as ok. Thanks for your comments and if you could forward my link to anyone you think might possible be able to help, no matter how large or small, anything helps.
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groingo
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2015 11:39am - Edited by: groingo
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Looking at the stream and the junction I see a lot of exposed and scoured roots in that picture along with some tilting trees that have been undercut by the stream as well as the trees and shrub scrub vegetation plus you are sitting at the base of a hill, looks like a flood plain to me.
I also have over 300 feet of stream frontage running along the back of my property as well which fortunately is 65 feet below where my cabin is, it can go from 6.5 cfm to over 700 cfm in 24 hours or from a miandering stream of 6 inches deep and 10 feet wide to over 100 feet wide at over 8 feet deep.
Unfortuntely getting power from such a tempermental creek is risky so have focused on solar which has worked out quite well now just wrapping up my first full season off grid.
Back to your stream, does it support fish?
How much stream frontage is yours?
Any beaver in the area....they are great to have around.
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jimnkaran
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2015 11:50am
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This stream does not reach my cabin even in the worst storms. A couple of years ago we had the worst rain storms ever recorded there and the creek rose but was still 10 feet from the cabin. We are located in a valley between 2 mountains and have never seen any type of flooding or standing water anywhere except in the creek itself. The creek is loaded with minnows but because it is not very deep there are no big fish, in a few deep holes scattered along the creek there are some larger fish but nothing that anyone would want to eat, not sure what type they actually are. People call them chubs, they are black and 6 to 10 inches long. As far as stream frontage, the creek runs directly thru the middle of the 25 acres, so I have full access to all frontage on both sides. No beaver as far as I know anywhere in this area. Lots of deer, turkey, frogs, turtles, raccoons and squirrels and we see some large herons, about 4 ft tall walking thru the creek.
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