So, I have been interested in alternative housing for a long, long time. I have wanted my own piece of Earth ( I have learned, through my Planetary Geology course, that it is bad form to refer to THE Earth, it is either Earth, or, THE planet(and, I still haven't corrected this whole parenthesis thing, either(as you can see))) for quite some time, as well. There may be hope at the end of the tunnel yet ( not to mix metaphors, or anything).
I've learned of a 5 acre parcel for a price I can afford. The price is very little, and that corresponds to other facts about it. It is sand. It is hilly. It's in the desert in a county that has had the highest unemployment rate in the nation. And, if I can make it work, it will be mine.
It will mean I can build a workshop. A real, honest to life workshop, where I can set up my anvil and put it to good use, where I can finally have a decent bench upon which to build furniture, a proper place for my automotive tools, a VEHICLE LIFT!!! I can set up a welder! I could even devote a corner of it to a potter's wheel, and kiln..
I wonder if it would be possible to make a combination metal forge and potter's kiln. Maybe a section for glass blowing, too. I could put that in the center of the shop, put er the whole thing off of propane. Put the benches on the sides, get the portable bench design built, and put the vehicle lift next to the custom built toolbox....
Oh yeah, I'll be able to build the house, too. Maybe I can take vacation next year and go to the earthbag building seminar taught by Nader Kalili! That would be a fantastic beginning towards the house, a chance to make the mistakes before they matter.
I want to build an earthbag dome house, something solid with a sense of permanence, rounded and fitted to the land, growing out of it. I want window seats and a cellar, high ceilings to let out the heat, and a thick, thermally massive stone fireplace to warm it. I want arches, and a big porch, the kind you put rocking chairs on and hang a swing from, to enjoy a cold beer or glass of iced tea as the sun goes down. I want a kitchen with enough counter space to prepare baking on, and storage for the produce from the garden that will grow out back, and room for the deep freezer so it doesn't have to stay outside. There will be a greenhouse too, but not just any ordinary greenhouse! This one will be built for aquaculture, so we can have fresh fish whenever we want it, too. Outside of this will be a row of rabbit hutches and a chicken coop for meat, and eggs.
I'll put down a well, and set up solar and wind generators for power. There will be a backup battery bank too, so we don't have to worry about running out of power.
Of course, it will take a long time to get to the point described above. With any luck at all, it will have come together like this just about the time I graduate. We'll start with a small one room house (that will later become a guest house, or a studio) a generator, and a water tank. You've got to start somewhere.
Financially, I've no idea how I will make all this work, yet, other than the initial purchase of the land. With that, at least we will have a place to be, a place to stand and call our own. I look forward to it, and while I won't say I want it more than anything else, I want it just as much as I want to learn, and to travel, and to invent and create. It is one piece of the puzzle one more clip in the video montage.
Someday, it will be awesome. It's just another risk right now.
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