Question for the more experienced Homesteaders

[Nomad13]

Hopefully this is the right spot for this thread, If not please be merciful. But I was just curious for those who have built their own homesteads how did you plan it out? I'm not the best at drawing and definitely not artistic in any sense so I don't believe I could draw out blueprints, so are there any computer programs out there that are beginner friendly at planning out a house? I've done a google search but haven't really found anything that tickles my fancy.




Thank you in advance!

 

[LadyLocust]

Hopefully this is the right spot for this thread, If not please be merciful. But I was just curious for those who have built their own homesteads how did you plan it out? I'm not the best at drawing and definitely not artistic in any sense so I don't believe I could draw out blueprints, so are there any computer programs out there that are beginner friendly at planning out a house? I've done a google search but haven't really found anything that tickles my fancy.




Thank you in advance!

I’m surprised you don’t have a ton of answers. I am not a pro- there, you’ve been warned 😂
I am old school so I would start by pulling up my plot via google or assessor’s office and print out several copies. Next, if you have services (H2O, sewer, electric), mark those on the printout. Then somewhere (maybe more than one depending upon size of parcel) maybe with certain color of ink, mark the direction of your prevailing wind- you don’t want the wind working against you if you’re trying to open a large barn door and you might like windows on your house in locations that you can use it for regulating the temperature inside. To me, those are the big things that you have to work with.
A couple other things to think about: entrance to property - if you need to get a truck of building supplies in or hay in etc. it needs to be reasonable. If you’re planning on a garden, consider proximity to both water and the kitchen. If you’re planning on critters, you will want them and their facilities downwind of the house.
Are those the sorts of ideas you are after?

 

[Tirediron]

What LL said plus:
I must have missed this, might have been preoccupied without knowing you area and your plan, it is a bit hard, but one for sure if you are in snow country plan so that you can plow or blow your snow to one side, my house and shop are on each side of the drive way, I have to move snow a fair way to keep things clear, and plan for a place for the snow. try to keep animal areas far enough away and down wind from your house that stink and by products don't get tracked in . If you have trees and are clearing for a driveway consider putting a dogleg in the driveway to obscure your yard from the main road, out of site out of mind.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Hopefully this is the right spot for this thread, If not please be merciful. But I was just curious for those who have built their own homesteads how did you plan it out? I'm not the best at drawing and definitely not artistic in any sense so I don't believe I could draw out blueprints, so are there any computer programs out there that are beginner friendly at planning out a house? I've done a google search but haven't really found anything that tickles my fancy.




Thank you in advance!

For our house plans I paid an architect $6,000 to draw up some plans. We never really liked them. Then one day I was thumbing through a catalog of house plans and found one that we liked. I bought the plans for a few hundred $$. We made a few changes on the blue prints and gave them to our builder. For our barn, fur shed and all other buildings I designed myself. I installed our solar electric system myself and hired an electrician to make all the connections.

 

[poltiregist]

I have built several rural homes . They all first entailed clearing the ground and building the foundation . The homestead that I am sitting in typing this , I cleared the timber with an axe as at the time of that construction , I was too poor to be able to afford a chainsaw or other equipment . I hauled water to the site in two litter drink bottles in a borrowed wheel barrow to mix concrete for the foundation , the footings are about 8 inch thick and about 3 foot square . One thing in common on the several houses that I have built or helped build is to " not " have a detailed blueprint but something roughly sketched out on a piece of paper such as a sheet of notebook paper . My advice don't get bogged down in details as that will only complicate the building process . My latest house construction was a log house that I built last summer which I built about 90% by myself with zero heavy equipment . -- To elaborate a little more on the foundation I have built foundations that entailed a mix of cinder block chain walls , 24 inch by 24 inch doubled cinder block columns , cardboard tubes filled with concrete to form columns and single column cinder block columns as well as one concrete slab foundation . I can't recall ever having a nice level ground to build a house as the houses I am referring to are all on my survival grounds which are in very hilly terrain . Even that concrete slab foundation was built on the side of a hill . I had a neighbor come by and looked at what we were doing , getting ready to pour the slab and proclaimed it couldn't be done . Well we done it . Level or near level would be a easy task compared to what I am used to dealing with . --- All of my constructions got tested last memorial day night as we were hit with a cat 3 tornado . All of the houses I built held but unfortunately many of my neighbors lost their homes and some their lives . -- Again do not overcomplicate your plans if you are going to do the work yourself . Now if you are planning to hire it out , that is a different ball of wax . If you are going to hire it out to a professional , likely they already have a bunch of house plans already in their possession as when they build a house they usually keep a set of plans for future houses and customers .

 

[poltiregist]

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[12icemaker]

Beast thing to start with is the normal climate and the extremes of your area.

Build for the extremes especially when you are without power,

If you are building for off grid as much as possible incorporate your root cellar, a draft tunnel or two in the lowest level for natural cooling and warmth and a plastic water drum rack to catch clean and store rain water.

Dig the center of the basement to as deep as you can stand for a small room set it up for a small survival center in extreme conditions if you have them or you can just bury a storm shelter if it can accommodate a heater.

Once that is done you can build any style of house you want from a castle to a tent.

If you are in an urban area you will probably have building inspectors, permits, covenants, power company requirements like a working water and sewer setup for permanent connections, water company requirements like a perk test and minimum allowable standard design.

 

[joel]

The house is what you like, I agree with the road/driveway having a dog leg.
Solar panels with energy efficient appliance & a generator will go a long way after storms.
If you have three or more acres, you need to plan for animals & a large garden/orchard, so you need a place with water.
If no running water, make swales, also put in a rain recovery system on all your building roofs.
Put your chicken/rabbit pen near your garden, I saw one farmer with a small duck pool made out of 2 x 8 covered with plastic.
He drained & cleaned the pool with the runoff going into his garden area. The animals near the garden means short distance to haul waste.
Also father away from the house, if that smell bother you, but you will need a few guard dogs.
A small woodlot for firewood is good & it can screen you property on more than one side.
I would put in a sunroom or a freestanding greenhouse & a root cellar.