Off grid with $100,000 worth of vehicles. $20,000 video editing gear. Oh hang on. Electric grid. Why are we here. Bringing the city to the desert more like it.
AZ is a big place - in fact, Coconino county alone is bigger than 9 US states - what region of the state is this? I'm looking at the high-desert where land parcels of 40 acres are (cheaply) available (with well water from the aquifers) and a (quite large) Quonset hut homestead. Nice Airstream btw - I too am looking to start with a 'rugged' RV (pre-wired and built for off-grid living) during the 1-2 week construction, and until the interior is built-out (while parked inside). Curious why you went with a freestanding (Berkie) system for drinkables vs an osmosis system. Great set-up regardless, subbed!
Been a couple years since we came off the road, and have avoided the Tubes since. Boy has your journey changed! Congrats, this is my type of living. Look forward to following along
Cool video! We have some pretty amazing deserts where I live in Tucson, Arizona 😊 I love following along with these beautiful views! Keep your content coming! I’m following!
I live off grid and have for 16 years. There is a well, but we still have to hull water. 4 volt 1350 Amp batteries, 2 banks of 48 volts and a back up generator, diesel, 20k amps.
Very interesting. There are a few cacti which have edible fruit. Prickly pear is one; botanical name - Opuntia. Figs, carob and Meyer lemons can tolerate temperatures as low as minus 20F according to google. You could use 'grey water' for them, and you'd only need to compost around them. The shade provided by them could enable a few other things to grow. To get ideas google how cold Mediterranean plants can survive. Of course the nearest (I don't know how far that would be) plant nursery would stock the right cultivars. You can also use 'horticultural fleece', a sort of net blanket on some smaller plants, eg herbs. It seems the colder winter nights sets the limit on trees and perennial herbs like rosemary.
Who installed your solar and panels and can I ask price range. I know I have been asking a lot of questions but I am heading towards the 80 year mark and also have heart issues,cancer,diabetes high cholesterol, blood presser issues and suffered through COVID ( long haulers) and continue to fight these off. Using the little money I have left to get tings done to be able to Rest In Peace. And I am very thankful to be able to learn from men like you.
hi! thanks for all your videos - you guys are so thorough and inspiring! i have some questions for y'all about your property: - how many square feet of catchment is your roof? why did you decide to drill a well instead of adding more sq ft of catchment? - why did you go with gas/propane fireplace not wood burning? - are you growing any food or how often do you need to go to town/grocery store? how far are you from grocery store (in minutes)? thank you!!!
Hey Sally. - About 800 square feet. We can't depend on consistent rain out here, so that's why we opted for the well. - The house already had a gas fireplace. And, it's way easier to use and keep clean than a wood-burning one.
Thanks for sharing a few details on the necessities. Living in the desert requires constant awareness of conditions and needs. I wonder how many more steps it would take for that septic tank sludge to be put into a composter or other mixer to prepare its reintroduction into the soil. Great that you have found solutions in the details particularly with the water (saving the cold water as you wait for it to warm up coming out of the faucet). Take care out there.
I live in a cave in the woods. I have alot of weed growing up on the hill above me. My wife has the house, a short walk away, and my kids are bigfoots.
Hi guys - good to see what you are up to. How are the house plans coming along? Are you going to do any traveling this summer? Is Penny lonely? Ok too many questions. Stay safe 😊💞
Hey Janice! House plans are pretty solid, though we aren't moving forward with it quite yet. It's still the plan to get that project rolling this year, though. And, we do plan to travel during the month of July (my birthday month), but it won't be in the Airstream. Penny was a bit lonely at first, but she's pretty much back to normal now. A happy dog! :)
If you add 3 pipes on the top and one with a glass hookup you can throw food in there too and waste and that’s your natural gas and what comes out of the tank is your compost for a garden.
Three utility-sharing questions after you build your second house on the property: 1) Will you have to install additional solar panels, or will the panels have the ability to serve both houses? 2) Likewise, will your current septic system handle two houses, and. . . 3) Will your water and propane systems have to be upgraded, or will they also handle the two homes? (I guess that's four questions, but, oh well!!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COURTNEY!!!! 🎂🎂🎂
1: Yep, we will probably steal one of the solar poles from our existing house for the new one, then put roof-rounted panels on the new house that point toward the south. 2: Yes, our septic system is plenty big enough to handle two homes. 3: We are performing water upgrades independent of the new house (well, storage tank, etc). Also, we will just need another propane tank at the new house. Ideally, we'd take our current 500-lb tank and use it at the new house and then buy a 250-lb tank for the guest house.
I would love to see how you pull this off during the summertime so I lived in Arizona my whole life and as a engineer planning to pull it off. Have you done anything with vacuum insulated panels? I haven't found anybody in the United States as of yet who has but they seem to be very popular in Europe the side of tiny homes.
I lived off grid in a ghost town in AZ when I was a teenager in the '70's, we had a generator during the day to run a swamp cooler and most evenings were cool enough to sleep. It's usually cool enough to get a few hours of outside work done in the morning and the rest of the day is siesta time ;)
Nice setup! We're building an off grid home and business in northern Arizona so I'm definitely taking notes, thanks for sharing! Am still curious where you are, haven't spent nearly enough time in southern Arizona (born and raised in Phoenix and grew up going north much more often) but have taken trips to Tombstone and Sonoita this past year and there is so much to explore down there! Almost started our project down that way actually :)
Very interesting. I'm in Phoenix, and am considering off-grid > I l o v e solar! such a no-brainer here. Would be great to know -generally - what part of Arizona they're in. Cochise county? easy building laws but mighty close to the border, which in my view is nowhere to be - way too much trouble now that its wide open to every lowlife criminal, etc. Also, the aquifer - there are several in the state but most are being tapped, maybe too much/too fast to recharge/refill. That is a concern. In any case, thx for sharing ... be safe, be careful.
As an off gridder... my 1st observation was your trackers look confused...where is the sun? I think your water challenge to be overwhelming...what is your depth to the water table. We paid 10K for a 300ft well...could not survive without it...
@@AStreaminLife if you need any help or guidance. Background in water chemistry and wells. Can help point out common well development errors.....do it right...make it right the 1st time....no going back to correct cheap shoddy work.
@@AStreaminLife it's not the depth that imparts reliability Its fhe screened length and the bore packing materials to protect your pump from cave ins. Sand fouling and corrosion and calcification fouling. There's a lot going on so check for conductivity, TDS and chlorides. Ask your neighbors in 1 mile radius for a water sample and well pump depth.
Is it safe living out there. Like when u leave your home are u afraid people will break in just people driving around not that there's tons but you know what I mean
I had to respond strongly....we had two minor scouting attempts by the same trespassers. In his mind we had abandoned our property cus we didn't chase him off violently. So the 3rd time he showed up with a truck and filled it up with tools. Our alarms suggested either a pack of coyotes were passing thru or spiders were weaving a nest in the sensor. Well I went up to check and gave chase and destroyed my Polaris but stopped him. I feel sorry for the next SOAB. A 30-30 into his tires and engine and just use your extended imagination.
I noticed that you put your pannels facing south and east. I did the same thing, it works great. I've been off grid 28 yrs and would never go back.
I'm Brazilian and I grew up reading comic books by tex willer and zagor, i think these places are beautiful, in another life i want to live there
We will be building in Apache County next year (2022), so all this kind of information is much appreciated!
How’s your build going? My parents have some land there and I’ll be moving from ky within the next half year or so!
I forgot how amazingly off the grid you were until “this”. We are on solar, gray water drip & composting toilet in our very small trailer. #Trying😆
Off grid with $100,000 worth of vehicles. $20,000 video editing gear. Oh hang on. Electric grid. Why are we here. Bringing the city to the desert more like it.
I live off the grid in Washington state..but it's to damp and cold here now..so Arizona here I come
AZ is a big place - in fact, Coconino county alone is bigger than 9 US states - what region of the state is this? I'm looking at the high-desert where land parcels of 40 acres are (cheaply) available (with well water from the aquifers) and a (quite large) Quonset hut homestead. Nice Airstream btw - I too am looking to start with a 'rugged' RV (pre-wired and built for off-grid living) during the 1-2 week construction, and until the interior is built-out (while parked inside). Curious why you went with a freestanding (Berkie) system for drinkables vs an osmosis system. Great set-up regardless, subbed!
Been a couple years since we came off the road, and have avoided the Tubes since. Boy has your journey changed! Congrats, this is my type of living. Look forward to following along
We live off grid in Arizona.
We are thinking of going off grid in Mohave County in Arizona. Do you know any other good places to look for land?
Do you have the agents who helped you buying your land ? I'm trying to get a piece of land in arizona too
If you are online etc you ain't 😊 off no grid
Yes,yes, yes, I enjoyed it.
Cool video! We have some pretty amazing deserts where I live in Tucson, Arizona 😊 I love following along with these beautiful views! Keep your content coming! I’m following!
I live off grid and have for 16 years. There is a well, but we still have to hull water. 4 volt 1350 Amp batteries, 2 banks of 48 volts and a back up generator, diesel, 20k amps.
Steve, great overview, especially for newer viewers. And, Courtney, Happy Birthday!
I bet the stars out there are amazing!
Very interesting. There are a few cacti which have edible fruit. Prickly pear is one; botanical name - Opuntia. Figs, carob and Meyer lemons can tolerate temperatures as low as minus 20F according to google. You could use 'grey water' for them, and you'd only need to compost around them. The shade provided by them could enable a few other things to grow. To get ideas google how cold Mediterranean plants can survive. Of course the nearest (I don't know how far that would be) plant nursery would stock the right cultivars. You can also use 'horticultural fleece', a sort of net blanket on some smaller plants, eg herbs. It seems the colder winter nights sets the limit on trees and perennial herbs like rosemary.
My wife & I just bought land in Colorado. We're going to be off the power grid! This video makes me excited to start building! 😃
My wife and I are preparing to build a modified Earthship Biotecture home north of Reno-Sparks, Nevada. Thanks for posting your video!
Sweet. How's it coming along
Great to find your channel being in Arizona as well... definitely know the struggles...
Who installed your solar and panels and can I ask price range. I know I have been asking a lot of questions but I am heading towards the 80 year mark and also have heart issues,cancer,diabetes high cholesterol, blood presser issues and suffered through COVID ( long haulers) and continue to fight these off. Using the little money I have left to get tings done to be able to Rest In Peace. And I am very thankful to be able to learn from men like you.
It cost him 20 k to install solar..
Stay strong brother
hi! thanks for all your videos - you guys are so thorough and inspiring! i have some questions for y'all about your property:
- how many square feet of catchment is your roof? why did you decide to drill a well instead of adding more sq ft of catchment?
- why did you go with gas/propane fireplace not wood burning?
- are you growing any food or how often do you need to go to town/grocery store? how far are you from grocery store (in minutes)?
thank you!!!
Hey Sally.
- About 800 square feet. We can't depend on consistent rain out here, so that's why we opted for the well.
- The house already had a gas fireplace. And, it's way easier to use and keep clean than a wood-burning one.
Excellent use of gravel. Makes everything nice and tidy. Most I have seen don't do it...
Thanks for sharing a few details on the necessities. Living in the desert requires constant awareness of conditions and needs. I wonder how many more steps it would take for that septic tank sludge to be put into a composter or other mixer to prepare its reintroduction into the soil. Great that you have found solutions in the details particularly with the water (saving the cold water as you wait for it to warm up coming out of the faucet). Take care out there.
This is what my end goal is... an off grid homestead. Thanks for sharing, it is inspiring!
I live in a cave in the woods. I have alot of weed growing up on the hill above me. My wife has the house, a short walk away, and my kids are bigfoots.
Great information-Thank you! I last year purchased an "offgrid" house, garage, shed, and 5 acres in Dateland AZ. I plan to add solar this year....
You need a new puppy. Time to visit a rescue center and see if one jumps into your heart ♥️. 😁😍😎
Excellent information!
Happy Birthday you guys look like your doing great! Glad you found a nice home base unhooked from grid.
My suggestion is keep your rain water system. And when you put in your well add a new water tank. You can never have too much water
Happy Happy Birthday, Courtney! 🎉🎂
Hi guys - good to see what you are up to. How are the house plans coming along? Are you going to do any traveling this summer? Is Penny lonely? Ok too many questions. Stay safe 😊💞
Hey Janice! House plans are pretty solid, though we aren't moving forward with it quite yet. It's still the plan to get that project rolling this year, though. And, we do plan to travel during the month of July (my birthday month), but it won't be in the Airstream.
Penny was a bit lonely at first, but she's pretty much back to normal now. A happy dog! :)
Excellent summary Steve, thank you.
If you add 3 pipes on the top and one with a glass hookup you can throw food in there too and waste and that’s your natural gas and what comes out of the tank is your compost for a garden.
Mmmm that's interesting I would love to learn more about it any videos?
Happy Birthday.
Enjoyed the video, and happy birthday.
Happy Birthday Courtney!
Three utility-sharing questions after you build your second house on the property:
1) Will you have to install additional solar panels, or will the panels have the ability to serve both houses?
2) Likewise, will your current septic system handle two houses, and. . .
3) Will your water and propane systems have to be upgraded, or will they also handle the two homes? (I guess that's four questions, but, oh well!!)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COURTNEY!!!! 🎂🎂🎂
1: Yep, we will probably steal one of the solar poles from our existing house for the new one, then put roof-rounted panels on the new house that point toward the south.
2: Yes, our septic system is plenty big enough to handle two homes.
3: We are performing water upgrades independent of the new house (well, storage tank, etc). Also, we will just need another propane tank at the new house. Ideally, we'd take our current 500-lb tank and use it at the new house and then buy a 250-lb tank for the guest house.
I would love to see how you pull this off during the summertime so I lived in Arizona my whole life and as a engineer planning to pull it off. Have you done anything with vacuum insulated panels? I haven't found anybody in the United States as of yet who has but they seem to be very popular in Europe the side of tiny homes.
I lived off grid in a ghost town in AZ when I was a teenager in the '70's, we had a generator during the day to run a swamp cooler and most evenings were cool enough to sleep. It's usually cool enough to get a few hours of outside work done in the morning and the rest of the day is siesta time ;)
@@janevega-doe7414 lived off grid there as a cowboy in the 70`s and 80`s . Good Times !
Nice review. Liked the disclaimer about the neighbors well!!!
I absolutely love this and I am new to considering this as a viable option! I am much more interested now!! Thank you 🙏 👏
They now have a similar to dehumidifier but for human consumption takes moisture from the air through a filtration system then to you check it out
Summer in AZ is tough... You must have the solar really well thought out.
Great info! Thanks!
Yep the same in Seligman got 40 acres
Awesome sweet home ya'll have made.wow for sure.
Nice setup! We're building an off grid home and business in northern Arizona so I'm definitely taking notes, thanks for sharing! Am still curious where you are, haven't spent nearly enough time in southern Arizona (born and raised in Phoenix and grew up going north much more often) but have taken trips to Tombstone and Sonoita this past year and there is so much to explore down there! Almost started our project down that way actually :)
That was really cool.
Really like your solar setup. I will get there some day. 👍🍻
Very cool info! Thanks Steve. Happy birthday 🎂 to you 🎶 Courtney!
Enjoyed the in depth info Steve! I see your Cardinals landed JJ Watt,nice! Happy Bday Courtney!!!
Yep, I may have done a little happy dance about our defensive acquisition. :)
Happy Birthday Courtney! 🎂🍨.
Thanks. Great video. Your doing exactly what I want to be doing eventually.
Happy Birthday Courtney! 🎉🥳
Belated Happy Birthday, Courtney!! Steve: you and I are both very lucky; we married culinary and mixology geniuses!!!!!
This is so awesome it's like we dk nothing in the city but work just to pag high rent prices and electricity and water then your almost broke.
When it rains in Arizona. Lol
How do you stay cool in the summer. AZ is hot!! Maybe not where you are though so I'm curious lol
Collect rain water in AZ? It rains like 8 inches a year. lol!
Is it , was it cheaper to drill a well ? Or have 1,000 gallons of water delivered to your storage tanks ?
Any chance Courtney, beautiful culinary genius 🍽, will be creating a cookbook for those of us that may need a bit of cooking genius in our lives?
I keep telling Courtney to make a cookbook. But, it's a LOT of work. :)
If you don't mind, how much is the well going to be?
Check the winds before you buy. My property turned out to be in a wind tunnel, 20-30mph winds all the time, its terrible
Great setup! How do you keep the dreaded Arizona bark scorpions out of your place?
Happy Birthday Courtney
How much did those solar panels cost you? And where did you get those from and do they install them for you?
20 k
neat
Fog catcher will provide you plenty of water if there is condensation throughout the night or morning
I hate to ask the ugly question, but what were the approximate costs for each? Solar? Water? Septic? Propane delivery?
20 k for solar they mentioned septic tank and house was already built
I can imagine what a well will cost. Especially if they have to go 1000 feet or more.
Very cool
Excellant tutorial! Thank you for showing us around.
Guy called 911 ..emergency..!!! DISPACHER SAYS " you crazy? No way police or EMT would even Think of going there" 😅
Cheapest way to live, awesome!!
Around how much did the solar setup costs. Estimate is fine, if you don’t mind
So much I want to do but with so little money...same for a lot of us.
How large is your propane tank and was it very expensive to have it installed
Very nice build.
It can be improved further with very cheap, include a garden, and never have to buy fertilizer or gas again.
How expensive was it to have the septic put in?
Would love to know the cost to do something like you have done?
Do you mind telling us about how much total it cost to build your home including the septic tanks and rain reserves, solar panels, etc?
The septic and house was already here. The solar was the most expensive component and was over $20K. For us, well worth the cost.
Happy birthday 🎂💐🎂💐🎂💐🎉🍻🙋♀️🇨🇦
I live in Southern Arizona if I was going off grid it would be in the White Mountains. And winter in the desert would be my less concern
Amen~!
Did you install your tank /
Very interesting.
I'm in Phoenix, and am considering off-grid > I l o v e solar! such a no-brainer here.
Would be great to know -generally - what part of Arizona they're in. Cochise county? easy building laws but mighty close to the border, which in my view is nowhere to be - way too much trouble now that its wide open to every lowlife criminal, etc.
Also, the aquifer - there are several in the state but most are being tapped, maybe too much/too fast to recharge/refill. That is a concern.
In any case, thx for sharing ... be safe, be careful.
Wow! ;)
Do you do grey water for trees.
What about trash pick up?? I'm assuming you have to haul your garbage to the dump?
Off grid lifestyle create very less trash..
hi .. sir why dont u use atmospheric water generator for sustainable water supplies ???
They are expensive I guess
My Brothers live on the grid ....they are fine😅
how much did all this cost?
I run my gray water out of the house directly to my shade trees.
Steve: "It also doesn't help when you married a culinary genius."
I think (hope) you meant "hurt", not "help". ;-)
As an off gridder... my 1st observation was your trackers look confused...where is the sun?
I think your water challenge to be overwhelming...what is your depth to the water table. We paid 10K for a 300ft well...could not survive without it...
Our trackers?
Water is about 270 feet, but we're going much deeper than that to help ensure longevity.
@@AStreaminLife if you need any help or guidance. Background in water chemistry and wells. Can help point out common well development errors.....do it right...make it right the 1st time....no going back to correct cheap shoddy work.
@@AStreaminLife it's not the depth that imparts reliability
Its fhe screened length and the bore packing materials to protect your pump from cave ins. Sand fouling and corrosion and calcification fouling. There's a lot going on so check for conductivity, TDS and chlorides.
Ask your neighbors in 1 mile radius for a water sample and well pump depth.
DC fridge?
We moved into a cave, and told Yogi and Boo Boo to get the FK out!😜
How much did your solar system cost you?
About $22,000.
Is it safe living out there. Like when u leave your home are u afraid people will break in just people driving around not that there's tons but you know what I mean
It is, or we wouldn't be living here. ;)
No place is safe...even when you are at home...! Greet your trespassers with some serious lead.
I had to respond strongly....we had two minor scouting attempts by the same trespassers. In his mind we had abandoned our property cus we didn't chase him off violently. So the 3rd time he showed up with a truck and filled it up with tools. Our alarms suggested either a pack of coyotes were passing thru or spiders were weaving a nest in the sensor. Well I went up to check and gave chase and destroyed my Polaris but stopped him. I feel sorry for the next SOAB. A 30-30 into his tires and engine and just use your extended imagination.
Do you drink grey water?
(107) $3,999- 3 Bundle Pack (1.98 Total acres)- Off Grid Subdivided Lots in Cochise, AZ - UA-cam
Wow..you didn't go cheap did you? High end stuff.
Only with the things that are important to us.