How many have actually made the change?

[dragonlaurel]

Good luck on getting the property you really want and moving to the lifestyle that fits you. If you do what makes you happy, you'll always end up with good friends that have the same interests. That is worth way more than the approval of the rest of the world.

I would check on the likely radon levels for that area before you build an underground home or barn, but otherwise it sounds like a good plan. Here's some links so you can look up the county the land is in and know if there is a big radon risk or not. Also check about the local water table.
You may have already checked on these, but it was worth mentioning, just in case.

http://www.fdlco.wi.gov/Index.aspx?page=552
http://www.epa.gov/radon/states/wisconsin.html
http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/radiation/radon/FinalEstPercentRadon.htm

Btw- these sites did not ask for anyone to sign in, or or charge anything to see the maps.
If the land you want has high levels of radon or a high water table- it would be safer to build above ground and find other ways to make the house less noticeable. You would also want to insure a good fresh air supply so radon or mildew doesn't build up inside.

Gd- You have lots of good info and have never offended me. I like reading your posts.

 

[Mattemma]

My family is reluctant to go anywhere new.Still wanting to be in the rat race so to speak.Kids still wanting to be in their specific school. I have to make do with the current home we have.An acre in the city. I lived without heat a few times.Lived without running water once.It really changes your view when you do not have electric,water,or gas for days(not hours). It is hard to get the funds to modify things for a *what if* even though we have had to go in survival mode.People forget fast once their comforts return.

Even if no one else is prepping I am. The family will thank me if we ever need to live off the land minus the comforts we have now.

 

[GhostRider65]

Good luck on getting the property you really want and moving to the lifestyle that fits you. If you do what makes you happy, you'll always end up with good friends that have the same interests. That is worth way more than the approval of the rest of the world.

I would check on the likely radon levels for that area before you build an underground home or barn, but otherwise it sounds like a good plan. Here's some links so you can look up the county the land is in and know if there is a big radon risk or not. Also check about the local water table.
You may have already checked on these, but it was worth mentioning, just in case.

http://www.fdlco.wi.gov/Index.aspx?page=552
http://www.epa.gov/radon/states/wisconsin.html
http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/radiation/radon/FinalEstPercentRadon.htm

Btw- these sites did not ask for anyone to sign in, or or charge anything to see the maps.
If the land you want has high levels of radon or a high water table- it would be safer to build above ground and find other ways to make the house less noticeable. You would also want to insure a good fresh air supply so radon or mildew doesn't build up inside.

Gd- You have lots of good info and have never offended me. I like reading your posts.

TYVM for the links I had checked out the radon link some time back, and the area is hit and miss we will have to test before building, but it's much better than it is near us where we are now, I sometimes wonder if it isn't in my very own house, we have had 3 dogs get cancer here, and I know it isn't from there food, because we feed raw and natural, and that should eliminate most if not all chemical additives..... so where is it coming from? wish I knew. Yes I'm having some prob;lems with our house palns on the ventilation I'm just not very familiar with this concept above ground houses just open the windows throw a fan in the attic ect......... but underground is a whole new ball game and I will have to discover the best way to add it without compromising the houses stability, mosly post and beam, with some cord wood walls, and a reciprocal roof for the very large amount of weight it must hold. Any more suggestions you can come up with would be greatly appreciated..........Kim
Thank You again.

 

[Big_White]

I know i'm kinda young, only being 19, but when i see this, among with other posts/articles that deal with the crisis that have occured recently since 2008, and the awareness of the people it effected; it is just strange. See my parents are 40 years my elder and we live in the south, si idk if it is because they were raised up by depression era parents or if because the county i am from we never really did recooperate from any of it. I remember when i was in 4th grade and the twin towers were destroyed, the stock market took a huge dive. Everyone was afraid that their way of life was being threatened so they panicked. And yes i actually understood the purpose of the stock market and what it meant when stocks would rise and fall. But i remember thinking when i was little, why did they freak out? Why did they become besides themselves? I didnt realize that they did not have the same awareness as my parents had bestowed upon me. It took me a few more years to fully realize how different my way of life was, and we werent even fully SS just partly. When i went through middle school the economy around my area started hitting a slump, the main culprit that people blamed was gasoline. But at my house we saw that it was more than just a gas price spike that it was a little something more in the works. My parents never did tell me what all was happening in the world though, they wanted me to still be idealistic. I guess you could say they wanted me to believe in the american dream of sorts. I do not exactly know what that dream was, but i know it was there in the future waiting for me. Then when i got into highschool, I remember a teacher of mine. He went to school with my parents, he had the same awareness about him as did my parents and those of their generation. He loved talking about his views to me because i could understand the convorsation, and always kept up. He was retired out of the military and very conservative in his views. One day he told me that he wished he had seen this comin when he went to war, otherwise he would not have went. He said we had turned to far in to the enemy which he fought so hard to eradicate. And he told me that if i wanted to survive the coming years i had best forget going to college and going into debt for an education, but rather go to my parents and grand parents to learn the greatest lesson of all. Survival. now i didnt completely realize what he meant, I really truly could not believe it, I maen a teacher telling a freshman in high school not to go to college? i still talked and listened with him every chance i had, but i did not follow that one piece of advice, i wasted the rest of my high school career preparing for college, and he willingly offered his help when i needed it and sponsored me for several schools and scholarships. Then my eleventh grade came around and i hit the ground running, taking all the advanced courses as usual and the only hands on/tech class i had was ag. With so much work i had to do, i never had time to talk with my grandparents much as far as me trying to learn anything else. Then the bottom finally fell out of the economy. Now as aware as i was to the problems surrounding me in the national and intrnational news, sad to say i was unprepared. I never imagined it would hit us as hard as it did, i expected inflation and some job loss, but until you actually expcerience it first hand you truly have no clue. I thought back to 9/11 and how everyone was scared for there lives and then i completely understood why it hit them so hard and how they were so unprepared. the conventional way of living nowadays is to reliant, and i did not understand that until then. Problem was i still did not listen to my teacher, I worked even harder to get into college, a four year university so i could get an amazing job, that i really did not have to do much and get over payed for it and live the rest of my life worry free. Boy was I blind, I never will forget the feeling of success when i graduated and tie for the twelth spot in my graduating class top 12. i was among the top 1% smartest kids in my school, and we were the 1/4% highest graded in the state. Boy was i an idiot tho. I went home that summer, then went to the small community college close to home, so i could save some money to spend later when i transfered schools, and so i could stay close to the family. Well about the time i started school i realized that i was sgoing in the completely wrong direction, alll of my older friends who were graduating could not find jobs for there degree, they had no other skill set other than waiting tables, so they were left with paying off huge sums of money on part time min wage jobs. I took a step back and thought about what my teacher told me, and i kinda broke down. I could not believe i had been so stupid as to waste my time with this step in life. I didnt even finish that first semester in college, i dropped out. And now i am trying to pick back up where my teacher told me to start. So i guess you could say that i saw what was coming but the way of life the schools rais us towards points us straight to the doom awaiting our country if nothing changes. I am glad that i finally opened my eyes to what was really happenng, and getting the whole truth in not just part, befor it was to late. I always felt like something wasnt right with the direction i was taking i am just glad i can say i see now my falacy. So my complete and total change was right after i graduated high school. Now i am trying to start over in my life and change the way i and hopefully others go about their life

 

[Icu4dzs]

The first order of business here is to say, "Welcome" not only to OUR world here on SS-f but to OUR WORLD as your parents and teacher told you about. We have all heard the saying "forewarned is fore-armed." I am pleased to see that you are not only such a good writer, but that you obviously have the insight necessary to become a functioning "older" adult because you have now had your EYES OPENED.

I thoroughly enjoyed your essay and hope you will keep it up. Some of us are your parents age, or a bit older and that may give you some "creeps"dealing with us "old folks" but you appear to have quite an insight into what we are doing here. We need more of you and your friends to join us and hopefully, learn enough to help turn this around before we are all in deep doo doo.

Again, welcome to our world and to SS-f.
Trim sends
//BT//

 

[Big_White]

Thank you Icu4dzs, for the welcome I am glad i have finally found a place with like minded people from whom i can not only talk with but learn from. And my parents have owned many businesses and stores during there lives and part of mine, so i am used to talking with "old folks" and actually enjoy listening to what all they have to tell. And i have been trying to get my friends on board with my ideas, but it is slow to no go with them. I plan on raising awareness in my community though, wether through social media or just word of mouth. But i agree something must happen and soon. Oh!, and thank you for reading my essay i got a little caught up, i read this a few days ago and had to think before i answered, and boy was it an answer. Thank you again for the welcome

 

[Icu4dzs]

i am used to talking with "old folks" and actually enjoy listening to what all they have to tell. And i have been trying to get my friends on board with my ideas, but it is slow to no go with them. I plan on raising awareness in my community though, wether through social media or just word of mouth. But i agree something must happen and soon. Oh!, and thank you for reading my essay i got a little caught up, i read this a few days ago and had to think before i answered, and boy was it an answer.

It is a pleasure to know that there are young folks like you out there. I would offer you this advice as an answer to how you feel when you talk to your friends. Matthew 10:14-15 or Luke 10:11, you'll find that a wise carpenter told his friends the same thing.
14And whoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15Truly I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

I can not take credit for the words, but once you read them, you'll "get the message"

Stick with us friend, because as they said in the Harry Potter movie, "Clench your buttocks, it's going to be a BUMPY RIDE!!!"
Trim sends

//BT//

 

[dragonlaurel]

GhostRider65
Back when we were younger, my husband wanted an underground house, so I did some reading on them. I used to joke that we could build a cabin and let him live in the basement. I was more concerned with wanting a lot of natural light. Since then, I have worked on designing my "someday" home and it needs a basement for a root cellar and storm shelter. Reading up on that part told me to pick a site Very carefully to avoid moisture problems and radon.
We have baroid (related to barium) mines about 20 miles from here, so checking radiation levels on a property is a good idea here too. It's usually okay- but there are scattered areas that are high. Not just around the mines. Some of these areas might be the spot they wish they could mine next.

I'm sorry about the loss of your dogs. That's never easy. I don't know if the home caused the cancers, or not. Getting the radon levels checked in your home is a good idea, just in case. Some cancers also can run in families, if they were related to each other- it could have been some damaged gene.

Air tight construction is your enemy if you have high radon levels in your property. It causes lung cancer, but possibly other types as well. Windows and good ventilation systems add enough fresh air to dilute the radon to safer levels and let it leave.

Building into a hill (or shaping one with the backhoe, if it wasn't there) might work- with one regular wall that has real windows. That could work for passive solar purposes too. There are lots of ways to disguise a small home, to give the zombies a challenge. . .

I've seen reciprocal roofs, but know very little about building one.

 

[GhostRider65]

Ty for the hugs... I didn't loose my dogs just the first 1, I was much better prepared with the second and 3rd, they are still howling around here, natural/homopathic medicine wiped it out 1 girl is 13 and the little monster is 9 yrs. old, old for a boxer, I lost my White Shepard tho, at 2 months shy of 16............ I still miss her very much best dog I ever owned, and I have always had dogs so that's a quite a few seeing as how I'm 46 years young. Dogs are potatoe chips, you can never have just 1.

Yes Radon is bothersome, and we may put in a system just in case, but we are trying to stay out of the radon zone, when picking our property.
Our plans are for a rather large round construction, the front 1/3 facing the south will be a Cordwood wall, with large windows, the 2 outside East and West rooms will have a ventilation window, so we will have at least 3 sides with a window. tho 2 of them will be more like a basement egress window with a well that is not visible from the front. We also want to add a vent somewhere else for added air movement but not sure yet how we will accomplish that. Anyone who has suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated. We are also leaving the roof space open inside so room dividing walls will only be partially completed say maybe 7 feet high then open to the roof poles, I love the look of the roofs check out this link
http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm
This is my dream house........ or at least 1 of them reminds me of a hobbit house from Lord of rings.... so very cute
my favorite tho is this one
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/AE_earth-sheltered_house.html
Its also my Avatar picture for this site.
http://small-scale.net/yearofmud/2008/11/26/how-to-build-a-reciprocal-roof-frame/

 

[Joel_BC]

Trim: Not that this thread has come to an end or anthing, but...

Have you concluded anything at this point? You posted with some thoughts and an inquiry or two. Did you get the kind of responses you'd hoped for? and what have the replies, to date, added up to (for you)?