coasts are out, and the virus is spreading west to east... slowly infecting states with cancer cultists and immigrants...
middle of the country for sure, pick your climate, i like the north... cold tends to keep the riff raff out.
also look into shipping containers, they are like lego blocks for adults, you can build structures fast.
a quick image search for "shipping container barn" or "pole barn" will give you a ton of results/ideas.
just make sure you only buy "high cubes". standards are only 8 foot tall inside, the high cubes are 9.5.
depending on what equipment you have and what skills you have jobs like that start to get real cheap... but even if you have neither it's still tons of square footage for cheap.
pour the foundations, hire a crane to fly the containers into place, weld them to their footings (place level metal pads/plates into the concrete foundation before it cures), roof it, slap a few doors on it, and you're "dried in" and secure.
there are companies out there who will make custom metal or wood trusses that can be customized to give you optimal solar gain for your latitude (for your solar panels).
solar angle finder here: http://www.solarelectricityhandbook.com/solar-angle-calculator.html
the ideal situation is 3 differently pitched mono-slopes, one for the winter, one for the summer, and one for spring/fall. if you live in the north, your winter slope should be larger than your summer to provide heat. if you're somewhere hot, your largest roof segment should be pitched for summer angle to power air conditioning.
3 different slopes increases cost and complexity of construction and install, so most people optimize for spring/fall and then get ok performance in winter and summer. if you combine that with good passive design you'll do great on heating and cooling (use lots of insulation, ensure a properly sealed envelope, design for south facing windows and heat retaining floor to store sun during the winter, but large overhangs to shield those same windows during the summer when the sun is higher in the sky).
from there you can finish it out at your own pace, need a window? bust out the disk grinder or plasma cutter and make an opening.
here's a video of a simple 4 container barn: https://youtu.be/uGnvF118tfc
i would do a 5 container U shape if i did that design so then you only have to worry about closing off the one open end with a little framing/block, a roll up and a man door.
used/retired containers only cost you around 3k depending on where you live and how far from a port you are. you can build a simple structure with lockable temporary storage for pretty dam cheap.
be sure you seal the floors, or just remove them and replace with concrete which gives you the chance to install in-floor hydronic heating. once you've got that system in place there are like a dozen ways to heat the water (i'd use glycol myself).
here's a guy who built a massive shipping container castle in the mountains of upstate new york, this video is time stamped so you get a sweet drone shot of the place and you can see what can be done with containers. https://youtu.be/cvf8cDdCp8U?t=1529
...but his entire channel is a goldmine on how to do a ton of things.
(that video is rather old BTW, since he filmed this he's added on 2 stories worth of sunroom on top with a solid welded sheet metal roof, here's a more up-to-date video of him enclosing the top two floors https://youtu.be/tNSPbNScG6U)
he didn't build that overnight, he's been living in that and working on it at his own pace for years. started out as a garage and a warm place to put a bed... now it's a fireproof and bug proof palace in the mountains with million dollar views. he even built a custom wood fired hot tub that looks like a cave built into the side of the mountain https://youtu.be/7iEXZMID3_8?t=1245
...but it all started with setting down a bunch of shipping containers onto some concrete pads for a cheap place to live.
i'm happy to help anyway i can, the community part though is gonna be on you. honestly for the first year that i lived here i didn't talk to the neighbors much, i tend to keep to myself, but last summer when the riots were happening i was approached by a few neighbors on ATV's and they sorta adopted me into their club. since then we established a network to keep an eye on the people who come down our street (long dead end road) and i've met a ton of cool like-minded people.
bottom line is when you get yourself out into the country you'll find people who did the same thing for the same reasons. you aren't gonna find a bunch of hoodrats out in the sticks, and as long as you have enough property you can pretty much do whatever you want without bothering anyone... makes for good neighbors.
like i said let me know here or in PM's if you have anything you want to discuss, i'm happy to help. just know that if i can do it so can anyone.
coasts are out, and the virus is spreading west to east... slowly infecting states with cancer cultists and immigrants...
middle of the country for sure, pick your climate, i like the north... cold tends to keep the riff raff out.
also look into shipping containers, they are like lego blocks for adults, you can build structures fast.
a quick image search for "shipping container barn" or "pole barn" will give you a ton of results/ideas.
just make sure you only buy "high cubes". standards are only 8 foot tall inside, the high cubes are 9.5.
depending on what equipment you have and what skills you have jobs like that start to get real cheap... but even if you have neither it's still tons of square footage for cheap.
pour the foundations, hire a crane to fly the containers into place, weld them to their footings (place level metal pads/plates into the concrete foundation before it cures), roof it, slap a few doors on it, and you're "dried in" and secure.
there are companies out there who will make custom metal or wood trusses that can be customized to give you optimal solar gain for your latitude (for your solar panels).
solar angle finder here: http://www.solarelectricityhandbook.com/solar-angle-calculator.html
the ideal situation is 3 differently pitched mono-slopes, one for the winter, one for the summer, and one for spring/fall. if you live in the north, your winter slope should be larger than your summer to provide heat. if you're somewhere hot, your largest roof segment should be pitched for summer angle to power air conditioning.
3 different slopes increases cost and complexity of construction and install, so most people optimize for spring/fall and then get ok performance in winter and summer. if you combine that with good passive design you'll do great on heating and cooling (use lots of insulation, ensure a properly sealed envelope, design for south facing windows and heat retaining floor to store sun during the winter, but large overhangs to shield those same windows during the summer when the sun is higher in the sky).
from there you can finish it out at your own pace, need a window? bust out the disk grinder or plasma cutter and make an opening.
here's a video of a simple 4 container barn: https://youtu.be/uGnvF118tfc
i would do a 5 container U shape if i did that design so then you only have to worry about closing off the one open end with a little framing/block, a roll up and a man door.
used/retired containers only cost you around 3k depending on where you live and how far from a port you are. you can build a simple structure with lockable temporary storage for pretty dam cheap.
be sure you seal the floors, or just remove them and replace with concrete which gives you the chance to install in-floor hydronic heating. once you've got that system in place there are like a dozen ways to heat the water (i'd use glycol myself).
here's a guy who built a massive shipping container castle in the mountains of upstate new york, this video is time stamped so you get a sweet drone shot of the place and you can see what can be done with containers. https://youtu.be/cvf8cDdCp8U?t=1529
...but his entire channel is a goldmine on how to do a ton of things.
(that video is rather old BTW, since he filmed this he's added on 2 stories worth of sunroom on top with a solid welded sheet metal roof)
he didn't build that overnight, he's been living in that and working on it at his own pace for years. started out as a garage and a warm place to put a bed... now it's a fireproof and bug proof palace in the mountains with million dollar views. he even built a custom wood fired hot tub that looks like a cave built into the side of the mountain https://youtu.be/7iEXZMID3_8?t=1245
...but it all started with setting down a bunch of shipping containers onto some concrete pads for a cheap place to live.
i'm happy to help anyway i can, the community part though is gonna be on you. honestly for the first year that i lived here i didn't talk to the neighbors much, i tend to keep to myself, but last summer when the riots were happening i was approached by a few neighbors on ATV's and they sorta adopted me into their club. since then we established a network to keep an eye on the people who come down our street (long dead end road) and i've met a ton of cool like-minded people.
bottom line is when you get yourself out into the country you'll find people who did the same thing for the same reasons. you aren't gonna find a bunch of hoodrats out in the sticks, and as long as you have enough property you can pretty much do whatever you want without bothering anyone... makes for good neighbors.
like i said let me know here or in PM's if you have anything you want to discuss, i'm happy to help. just know that if i can do it so can anyone.
coasts are out, and the virus is spreading west to east... slowly infecting states with cancer cultists and immigrants...
middle of the country for sure, pick your climate, i like the north... cold tends to keep the riff raff out.
also look into shipping containers, they are like lego blocks for adults, you can build structures fast.
a quick image search for "shipping container barn" or "pole barn" will give you a ton of results/ideas.
just make sure you only buy "high cubes". standards are only 8 foot tall inside, the high cubes are 9.5.
depending on what equipment you have and what skills you have jobs like that start to get real cheap... but even if you have neither it's still tons of square footage for cheap.
pour the foundations, hire a crane to fly the containers into place, weld them to their footings (place level metal pads/plates into the concrete foundation before it cures), roof it, slap a few doors on it, and you're "dried in" and secure.
there are companies out there who will make custom metal or wood trusses that can be customized to give you optimal solar gain for your latitude (for your solar panels).
solar angle finder here: http://www.solarelectricityhandbook.com/solar-angle-calculator.html
the ideal situation is 3 differently pitched mono-slopes, one for the winter, one for the summer, and one for spring/fall. if you live in the north, your winter slope should be larger than your summer to provide heat. if you're somewhere hot, your largest roof segment should be pitched for summer angle to power air conditioning.
3 different slopes increases cost and complexity of construction and install, so most people optimize for spring/fall and then get ok performance in winter and summer. if you combine that with good passive design you'll do great on heating and cooling (use lots of insulation, ensure a properly sealed envelope, design for south facing windows and heat retaining floor to store sun during the winter, but large overhangs to shield those same windows during the summer when the sun is higher in the sky).
from there you can finish it out at your own pace, need a window? bust out the disk grinder or plasma cutter and make an opening.
here's a video of a simple 4 container barn: https://youtu.be/uGnvF118tfc
i would do a 5 container U shape if i did that design so then you only have to worry about closing off the one open end with a little framing/block, a roll up and a man door.
used/retired containers only cost you around 3k depending on where you live and how far from a port you are. you can build a simple structure with lockable temporary storage for pretty dam cheap.
be sure you seal the floors, or just remove them and replace with concrete which gives you the chance to install in-floor hydronic heating. once you've got that system in place there are like a dozen ways to heat the water (i'd use glycol myself).
here's a guy who built a massive shipping container castle in the mountains of upstate new york, this video is time stamped so you get a sweet drone shot of the place and you can see what can be done with containers. https://youtu.be/cvf8cDdCp8U?t=1529
...but his entire channel is a goldmine on how to do a ton of things.
he didn't build that overnight, he's been living in that and working on it at his own pace for years. started out as a garage and a warm place to put a bed... now it's a fireproof and bug proof palace in the mountains with million dollar views. he even built a custom wood fired hot tub that looks like a cave built into the side of the mountain https://youtu.be/7iEXZMID3_8?t=1245
...but it all started with setting down a bunch of shipping containers onto some concrete pads for a cheap place to live.
i'm happy to help anyway i can, the community part though is gonna be on you. honestly for the first year that i lived here i didn't talk to the neighbors much, i tend to keep to myself, but last summer when the riots were happening i was approached by a few neighbors on ATV's and they sorta adopted me into their club. since then we established a network to keep an eye on the people who come down our street (long dead end road) and i've met a ton of cool like-minded people.
bottom line is when you get yourself out into the country you'll find people who did the same thing for the same reasons. you aren't gonna find a bunch of hoodrats out in the sticks, and as long as you have enough property you can pretty much do whatever you want without bothering anyone... makes for good neighbors.
like i said let me know here or in PM's if you have anything you want to discuss, i'm happy to help. just know that if i can do it so can anyone.
coasts are out, and the virus is spreading west to east... slowly infecting states with cancer cultists and immigrants...
middle of the country for sure, pick your climate, i like the north... cold tends to keep the riff raff out.
also look into shipping containers, they are like lego blocks for adults, you can build structures fast.
a quick image search for "shipping container barn" or "pole barn" will give you a ton of results/ideas.
just make sure you only buy "high cubes". standards are only 8 foot tall inside, the high cubes are 9.5.
depending on what equipment you have and what skills you have jobs like that start to get real cheap... but even if you have neither it's still tons of square footage for cheap.
pour the foundations, hire a crane to fly the containers into place, weld them to their footings (place level metal pads/plates into the concrete foundation before it cures), roof it, slap a few doors on it, and you're "dried in" and secure.
there are companies out there who will make custom metal or wood trusses that can be customized to give you optimal solar gain for your latitude (for your solar panels).
solar angle finder here: http://www.solarelectricityhandbook.com/solar-angle-calculator.html
from there you can finish it out at your own pace, need a window? bust out the disk grinder or plasma cutter and make an opening.
here's a video of a simple 4 container barn: https://youtu.be/uGnvF118tfc
i would do a 5 container U shape if i did that design so then you only have to worry about closing off the one open end with a little framing/block, a roll up and a man door.
used/retired containers only cost you around 3k depending on where you live and how far from a port you are. you can build a simple structure with lockable temporary storage for pretty dam cheap.
be sure you seal the floors, or just remove them and replace with concrete which gives you the chance to install in-floor hydronic heating. once you've got that system in place there are like a dozen ways to heat the water (i'd use glycol myself).
here's a guy who built a massive shipping container castle in the mountains of upstate new york, this video is time stamped so you get a sweet drone shot of the place and you can see what can be done with containers. https://youtu.be/cvf8cDdCp8U?t=1529
...but his entire channel is a goldmine on how to do a ton of things.
he didn't build that overnight, he's been living in that and working on it at his own pace for years. started out as a garage and a warm place to put a bed... now it's a fireproof and bug proof palace in the mountains with million dollar views. he even built a custom wood fired hot tub that looks like a cave built into the side of the mountain https://youtu.be/7iEXZMID3_8?t=1245
...but it all started with setting down a bunch of shipping containers onto some concrete pads for a cheap place to live.
i'm happy to help anyway i can, the community part though is gonna be on you. honestly for the first year that i lived here i didn't talk to the neighbors much, i tend to keep to myself, but last summer when the riots were happening i was approached by a few neighbors on ATV's and they sorta adopted me into their club. since then we established a network to keep an eye on the people who come down our street (long dead end road) and i've met a ton of cool like-minded people.
bottom line is when you get yourself out into the country you'll find people who did the same thing for the same reasons. you aren't gonna find a bunch of hoodrats out in the sticks, and as long as you have enough property you can pretty much do whatever you want without bothering anyone... makes for good neighbors.
like i said let me know here or in PM's if you have anything you want to discuss, i'm happy to help. just know that if i can do it so can anyone.