/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>living in the Mojave desert
Enjoy your hot, empty, boring with no internet or things to do.
Also snakes.

>>95005
1) Yes. The Mojave Desert. I don't ask for you to state how obviously hot it will be.
2) Empty? That's kinda the purpose of homesteading.
3) Boring? No things to do? Every day will be a struggle and every day will bring more necessary repairs and problems to be fixed.

First off, drill a well.

This will eat a lot of your budget.

>>95012
>drill a well
>Mojave desert
Yeah, uh, about your ground water options...

>>95014
There's ground water in a desert.

You may have to drill a few hundred feet to find it.

So, back to my research. I have broken it down into three subcategories.
1) Resources
2) Security
3) Survival

I'll do 1-3 posts on each.
Starting now:
~~~~~~~~~~
RESOURCES
~~~~~~~~~~
Water: Water will be the largest problem with this plan.
Water can be gathered in two possible ways:

1)A solar "Water From Air" system (Picture <----)
Pros: Solar powered, will always have water (8 gal/day), maintenance free, 12 stage filtration and pumps water.
Cons: Expensive. $4,300 for all of it.

2)A fog/dew collector (next photo)
Pros: Cheap
Cons: Might not collect enough, also maintenance heavy. Also requires external filtering.

======================
Up Next: Food and Gardening
======================

>>95016
I'm amazed and excited about that water farming device. I live in New Mexico in our water table is more than 180 feet deep where I live. The cost to drill a well are well into the $15-$20,000 range.

If you really could extract a gallons of water per day I think that would be more than enough with correct planning to live on.

Do you have any berms on your property? If so I would be inclined to put a fortified temporary structure like a shipping container or steel beam fortified mobile home into one. The less exposure the walls have, or in other words the more insulation you have on those walls, the more moderate your temperatures will be.

You may not need filtration devices on all of your water extracting methods, since some of that water will not be used for drinking.

>>95015
Google reveals well depth is 400 to 600 ft in the Mojave.

>>95021
eight gallons. sorry, using recognition software here.

another viable option for housing is using an Adobe brick or Cobb style brick structure, and maybe also a hay bale construction. The hay bale type's are expensive and trendy right now.

That's whatsup OP. I live in Hesperia. Shit sucks in the high desert. Nothing to do except fight some cholos or smoke some meth.

>>95022
if true in this case, the cost of drilling would be outrageous, as in in the millions .

>>95026
Estimates show $25k to $40k.

>>95026
hey me too. i commented on the old thread.

>>95030
well, that's pretty odd. I live in a suburban area New Mexico and the prices are through the roof for one third the size.

Mind you, the price lowers per foot. But it is not uncommon to hear of people being charged or quoted 100-$200,000around these parts.

Perhaps that area of California has lots of unused drilling rigs for the oil industry.

==================
FOOD AND GARDENING
==================
First 4 months: I will have plants(beans, peas, squash, etc.) growing previous to moving.
I will also be growing sprouts(pictured), which take 4 days to grow fully.
There are rabbits in the area, so I will be setting up Frabill Net traps (Pictured next) to catch them (I am skilled in both gardening and trapping).
I will be following this guide for the garden:
http://survivalcache.com/survival-gardening-emergency-seeds-1/

Get connected with burners and throw parties there. That will help with some costs. Get some of the hippies to help you with eco-steading or eco-projects; do greenhouse work, solar, and aquaponics.

>>95023
Thanks for giving those options. That's currently my main concern-- housing.

>>95042
no problem.

I should say that the straw bale solution is expensive and trendy, but if you had a few connections, and took over most of the project yourself, and limited the architectural needs of the building itself, could possibly do this in an affordable way. The use of straw bale besides being a sustainable building method, has the other characteristic of being an extraordinarily high value in insulation properties.

>>95040
That's up next.
=====================
ADDITIONAL FOOD
=====================

1)Vertical Hydroponics (pictured):
I think I'll grow lettuce, herbs, and carrots.

2)I plan on indulging myself every Saturday with fast food.

3)I will move my current beekeeping operation
(Did I mention I'm a beekeeper?) to Adelanto.

4) I will buy chickens from a local farmer.
That's several eggs a day, and a damn good source of protein.

5) I also forgot to mention that I will be setting up a planter with compost/dirt mixture soil.

==================
VEGETABLE LIST
==================

Peas, plant from seed anytime now

Brussels Sprouts, get seedlings from nursery

Cabbage, get seedlings from nursery

Carrots, plant from seed when soil warms

Beans, green and dry, plant from seed anytime after last frost

Spinach, plant from seed after last frost

Potatoes, plant eyes, in the bottom of furrows after last frost

(Hydroponics with a solar growlight will provide year-round food)

==================
INTERNET
==================
Might use satellite
Will use iPhone or 4G card (Surprisingly good service due to no interference)

++++++++++++++
Up Next: SECURITY
++++++++++++++
Pic semi-related: My favourite bean.

~~~~~~~~
SECURITY
~~~~~~~~

There are three main op-sec threats:

1) Those fucking cartels
2) Those fucking snakes and scorpions
3) Those fucking dirtbike riders

======================
CARTEL DEFENSE
======================
1) I have no idea.
2) I own several guns and know how to keep a low profile.
3) I will hide all apparently expensive shit from plain sight (may be hard with all the solar panels)
Additional research: http://survivalcache.com/private-property-control-and-patrol-family-survival-retreat/
===================
WILDLIFE DEFENSE
===================
1) I've enjoyed "herping" (practicing herpetology)
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpetology )
since I was 10
2) I will clear all brush and continually fill holes to discourage snakes.
3) http://www.serpentguard.com/?gclid=CLr7tvWghq0CFQVvhwoduAkQSA
^^^ That looks awesome. Harmless, powerful, and won't wash away after a rain
======================
DIRTBIKER DEFENSE
======================
1) I am skilled at putting up 3-wire barbed fences.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/sanders103.html
2) I may let them on the land every once in a while. I'm not a *total* killjoy.

>>95024
Yes, but it's not permanent. It might be, but not likely... I just want to enjoy life.

>>95051
What fucked up individual made straw bale houses expensive suddenly?

>>95072
I have two ideas for simultaneous security and food. Both involve growing plants in the Mojave desert along your fence. Both provide edible fruit with medicinal properties. The second your bees can use to make honey; the first you can use to get high.

Low effort, low protection: Prickly pear cactus. Big enough to be an obstacle. Doesn't give a shit about it being the Mojave. But a guy with a truck can crash your party.

High effort, high protection: Blackberry bushes. Will form a tightly-knit mass of brambles ten feet tall and ten feet wide with no structural assistance from you. A hardy weed/invasive species, it should survive if you use your greywater and sludge to fertilize the soil.

Pic related, its the prickly pear. For blackberries, google them or think back to the brambles from Donkey Kong Country.

>>95022
>Google reveals well depth is 400 to 600 ft in the Mojave.

water from deep aquifers can have a lot of dissolved minerals, to the point where it clogs pipes and tastes terrible.
which gets to the point that you need to ask locals if they drink the water, and how they do things in general
/diy/ is helpful of course, but no one is going to know like the people who've been living there

>>95084
Thinking the same thing.

>>95117
Thanks. idk about the berries, but I'll definitely add the prickly pear to the list.
Put it in a pan with some butter... Noice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SURVIVAL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 sections, again:

1)Heating, lighting
2)Electricity
3)Cooking

======================
HEATING AND LIGHTING
======================

1)Heating: I will be using a rocket stove (pictured)
It's an exhaustless, 95% efficient heating method.
2)My outside lights:
Those $1.49 solar walkway lights at target? I'll take 25.
Cheap, long-lasting, perfect for this.
3)Inside lights:
12V lights hooked up to 12V solar panel.
https://www.google.com/search?q=12v+light#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&tbm=shop

=============
ELECTRICITY
=============

1) SOLAR w/ battery
https://www.google.com/search?q=Solar+panel+12V&hl=en&tbm=shop&aq=f

Pros: It's the fucking desert.
Cons: It will cost a lot, and it's high profile.

2) WIND underground (will draw diagram later)
Pros: Low key

==============
COOKING
==============

1) My favourites: The no-cost coke can camp stove, or the fish can/cardboard campstove (photo up later) (11/10)

2) Fire pit with rotating roasting setup

3) DIY Solar toaster oven!
Baked goods, cookie dough, on a weekly basis.

ANYTHING ELSE? SUGGEST/CRITIQUE!
Want more specifics? Let me know!

Tin Can Hobostove, as promised (1/2)

2/2

2/2

>>95132
I think he was agreeing with you. If it a 180 ft well is prohibitively expensive, a 400-600 ft well would be completely out of the question.

>>95135

those thermal mass rocket stove setups are pretty awesome looking. I see a lot of YouTube videos of them getting Doug back up when they don't work so well. I would be more inclined to use a more traditional rocket stove design with a shorter flue.

I personally don't have any problem with anything you've written here. It seems as though you really Considered everything.

I would consider the cost of some large used cisterns. One of those filled on occasion would not be such a bad idea and would give you an emergency backup over top of the appliances that you have. I'm a little leery of the amount of moisture in the air available for evaporative farming.

>>95084

The deal with the straw bale construction homes is that it's become very popular among the wealthy to build green. As such, the contractors who cater to these rich people are used to building 5000 square-foot plus homes in majestic areas etc. etc. of course I have no experience in the matter but I would suspect that you would see your average home contractor with any experience in straw bale homes accustomed to very large mansion type dwellings. There are some resources online that illustrate more pragmatic designs.

>>95135
Consider the self-contained bio system:

Graywater goes through a gravel filter and then into your flush toilet.

Food waste goes into a grinder and into the digester.

Flush toilet feeds blackwater into the digester.

Digester is a pressure vessel containing anaerobic microbes. It produces heat, biosludge, and biogas.

Heat: Run pipes between it and the pond to keep fish warm.

Biosludge: Clean(er) compost. Grow mushrooms in a closet. Raise black soldier flies and worms in a vermiculture box to feed the pupa/worms to the fish. Use as fertilizer.

Biogas: Water scrubbing cleans it up to 95% methane.

Methane: Operate any natural gas appliances. Home heating, air conditioning, water heater, and cooking. Recharge your batteries with excess gas via a gas engine (45% efficiency). Do this at night when its cold, so the 55% heat loss warms the house.

Edison cell: Nontoxic, will last 50 years, 6.6 Watts/$, and 80% efficiency. Use for lighting, pumps, and your computer.

Solar cell: You've already bought a 300 Watt panel; it comes with the air-to-water package. When you're not using it to make water, recharge the batteries.

Combining vermiculture with aquaponics creates a self-contained system. If you chose not to use your compost to grow fly pupa or worms for your fish, you will have to supplement your fishes algae diet with fish food or duckweed. Fish food costs money; duckweed costs space in your hydroponics you would have grown food for yourself.

If you chose to raise goats for milk and chickens for eggs, and use a dog to protect the animals from themselves and pests, you will have more poop to feed into the digester.

Note the standard 6-8 m^3 digesters used in India are $500 and release 300 m^3 biogas a year. Each m^3 of biogas, being 50-75% CH4, holds 5-7.5 kWh of energy. This averages to about 5 kWh a day. Compare to solar cells, which produce approximately 1 kWh per day per m^2 (a 150 Watt unit is about 1 m^2).

>>95184
OP, listen to this guy.

I am totally into black soldier flies. And I have never even seen one as far as I know. Some very cool stuff these things are basically garbage eating protein producing feed.

>>95191
Yeah. I love how the pupa emerge from the compost and climb right into the collector and thence to their fishy doom. Less work for you!

Looked again at the EcoloBlue site. The package deal on their most expensive model is $4300, but you can buy the 7 gallon (26 liter) version standalone unit for $1000. You don't need an inverter if you're running everything in your compound on 12V DC. The panels you can buy your damn self for $1.10-$1.15/Watt wholesale. Unless you were planning on having the machine make water at night, you don't need batteries, but you can get Edison cells yourself at 6.6 Watts/$ if you wanted to.

My point is you can get water from the air for cheap, only $1000 for the actual device. The rest (batteries and panels) you were going to buy anyway. Note this is 1/3rd the cost of a new refrigerator.

My question is, if your whole house is running 12V DC, do you need a power supply unit for your computer? How would that affect your average laptop or desktop?

You should also take some stimpaks and a suit of power armor, oh, and radaway

OP, I would suggest bringing condoms. I went camping a while ago and started a lifesaving fire by pissing into a condom and using it as a magnifying glass to start a fire. They can also carry large amounts of water and are small enough to carry everywhere. Just make sure not to melt them in the hot sun.

check out how cody lundin lives.

>>95333
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TQgRO6a-8w

He seems like a cool enough dude in this video.

>>95342
he wrote a book about him living in a desert. He really knows what he is doing, check out this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWpSVNrt0LU

>>95184
That's really cool. How do I package/contain the biogas in a way that allows me to use it to cook?

build an earthship

>>95308
>EcoloBlue
Awesome. Thanks for letting me know. Also, I do want it running at night. That's when there'll be the most water in the air.
>Edison cells:
6.6 Watts/$? Really? I've heard they're costly as hell.
>Power supply unit for computer
I would use some sort of car-battery-to-computer hookup(pic).
I've done it before while living in Mexico, and that was back
when solar power cost 5 dollars/Watt. Since laptops want
DC anyways, it's fairly simple to just hook it up.
>Speaking of Refrigerators,
I'll be getting this bad boy.
http://compare.ebay.com/like/180715360644

>>95333
>>95362
>>95342
Thanks, I'll check out his book soon. I love his
survival methods on Dual Survival.
This is the kind of experience I'm looking for.

>>95544
Too much money. And takes too much space. Unless
I'm wrong, which I might be. How much do trashed tires
cost?

Another factor is the building codes. Does anyone know if reinforced adobe can pass average building inspection?

>>95016

You'll need a droid that speaks Bachhi. It's like the binary language of load lifters.

I used to own some land in hesperia but i sold it to pay off some college stuff. I still live in apple valley.

I have nothing else to say but good luck.

I think I see some old man's beard over there

>>95039
Grow a shitload of weed as there ain't much else to do.

So what about underground shelters, or semi-underground shelters?

Dirt is a great insulator. It'll help with heating and cooling.

bump for interest

Make Slab City 2

Then lots of people will come and help you !

Step 1: See what your closest neighbors do.
Step 2: Do that.

/thread

Or get a loan and build a liquor store out there. Indians love their fire water.

>>95591
No. No. No.

And umm No.

>>95598
That's a great idea, but I have no idea about how the building inspector would see it.

>>95653
Step 1: The neighbours have been living there for generations.
Step 2: I'm attempting to live off the power and water grid.

Another view.

OP, change your trip, it's really easy to crack

>>95796
Really? prove it.

>>95829
Look at me, I'm a big fat faggot with a dictionary word tripcode.

>>95774

Then idk, learn to live in a teepee and live like an indian they seemed to do fine till white people arrived.

This is a boarder line troll thread if there's still a problem OP can't figure out. Just dig a well, get some solar panels, bring in planting junk and all the soil you need and you're done.

This just doesn't look practical any way you slice it OP. Not only is there no water but the soil itself is alcaline and has very little microbial life. It is a dead zone.

Unless you have a huge budget for a well or trucking in water or opening a liquor store then you are just pissing in the wind.

>>95886
can you crack mine then?

>>95902
Of course.

Hey op im from Lancaster


just dont come here you honestly dont want to

>>95907
lol

>>95886
Good job. Now find out how exactly that helps you.

>>95076
I don't see it getting any better anytime soon. It seems to be getting worse, but I have faith.

>>95024
FUCK!!! I live in Modesto. Shit sucks in the central valley. Nothing to do except fight some cholos or smoke some meth.
We should fucking hang out. GOD DAMNIT! I was so hoping it was different in socal..

>>96028
Nope. Cholo's galore. I can score about an 1/8th of high quality. Too bad I'm not a tweaker, otherwise life would be sweet.

>>95769
I don't think it's illegal to build a basement with nothing on top.

>>96097

Not an inspector but I'm sure it has it's own set of safety concerns. Like making sure the walls don't cave in or carbon monoxide issues.

>>96100
Concrete reinforced rebar is good stuff.

I doubt carbon monoxide would be a huge issue? It's not like you're barbecuing indoors.

>>95184
How does one prevent the Methane from exploding and killing me?

>>95135
wind diagram, as promised. It's not really very feasible. Just an idea.

>>95072
> DIRTBIKER DEFENSE
> I may let them on the land every once in a while. I'm not a *total* killjoy.

Enjoy being sued six-ways-to-Sunday when one them gets hurt on your property.

>>96785
True. Good point.
Is there some sort of liability waiver that one can use? I just want everyone to be happy.

>>96992
post no trespassing signs in english y espanol

>>95002
Insulated concrete forms. ICF is your friend OP. With some sweat equity, you can put together a house with a basement hella cheap that'll require very little maintenance, has good heat transfer properties by itself, and just generally is THE way to go with modern construction.

Also, don't figure on doing everything at once. You don't have enough money to do it up correctly at this time. Just do what you can with it when you can, sit down and plan out your stages to construction. What sort of things you'll need when, then knock it out one bit at a time. Before you know it, it'll all be done.

>>96998
for no trespassing/no hunting signs to mean shit, you've got to be able to stand at one sign and see the signs to the left and right of it (i.e. the one further down the line in both directions).

Ok bro, so I just read all of this crap and I am going to ignore everyone else and just post my own ideas and in my own order

Electricity, solar, wind, you said you were in a desert, so that's about what you have available.

Sewage - Biogas digester (this will provide you with a useable fuel for cooking and heating, it will treat your waste material and will produce viable compost for growing your own food, add in an H2S Scrubber, a full lab and technical knowledge you could use the H2S to synthesize many Organosulfer compounds such as methanethiol, ethanethiol, and thioglycolic acid. Personally I take the shit that comes out of the scrubber and send it to a lab that buys it from me at about 7 cents an ounce, I can't use it and my shit barrel makes enough a year that I make about 90 bucks a year from the h2s, I bought a commercially available h2s scrubber)

Food - http://www.growfood.org/

Water - Dehumidifiers, your in the desert, so I'm guessing your best bet is to generate your water from the air.

Clothing - http://lovetosew.com/sewingclothes.htm (down the page a bit is lessons on how to construct some basic clothing needs)

>>97012
>Biogas digester
Someone else pointed this out, and it's really awesome. Thanks!

>>97006
Are we speaking legally, or just for fun?

>>97101
Legally. Anyway, think about it for a moment, If you've got 20 acres, and just post one no trespassing sign on it by, say, your driveway, someone approaching your property from the opposite side would have no clue.

Fences mitigate this somewhat, but fencing is hella expensive.

I'm well aware that I'm going to sound like a hippie, but these are two, maybe three things you should look into.

1. Wood as a construction material. Do you know that houses have been built hundreds of years ago out of wood and they're still holding today? The main reason we don't use it much is because it resists badly to insects and rain, two things that are unlikely to show up in the middle of the desert.
2. Permaculture, AKA "food forest". Varied food with minimal effort.
3. Aquaponics - take this with a grain of salt as I am not aware of the practicality of small-scale aquaponics.

In the end, I think a 20k budget is a very small thing if you want to live comfortably. Just buying and delivering building materials is going to set you back at least this much.

>>97104
Please read the end of
>>95072

>Putting up 3-wire barbed fences

>>97112
Read the post above.. ummm here:
>>95184

Really good idea for aquaponics.

>>97045
If you go with a h2s scrubber, don't diy it, buy a commercially produced h2s scrubber or just burn the gas whole, H2s is explosive and can be handled wrong very easily. The nice ones have a chamber thing you pull off and replace, send the chamber thing to the lab you have a deal with. The crappy ones have a tray that collects liquid h2s, those are not pretty, not safe and not good.

>>97104

One doesn't have to surround private property with "KEEP OUT" signs to avoid being
sued, trespassing is still trespassing even if not posted.

But if you _consent_ to someone dirt biking on your property and they get hurt, you're
increasing your legal risk.

Also, what would you guys think of a storage container underground house?

Super cheap and practical, could buy 2 and have a full house!

Pic related, as is the following video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3EAJex1RVo

>>97150
oops forgot the image.
Also, another video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=wpTMY3YW3Fg

>>97149
Yeah, that's bullshit. You want a legal leg to stand on, you'll mark the hell out of your property line.

The onus is on the property owner to clearly mark property lines, the minimum level of which is posting of signage. A fence doesn't necessarily mean shit as to property lines either unless, again there is signage indicating such. Hell, I live on 80 acres, only 20 of which are fenced and an additional 20 are developed. Of the remaining 40, without clear delineation of property lines, there's no way for someone to know that they're trespassing which would be MY fault as the property owner (here's a hint, timber companies don't post the hell out of their property for their own amusement). Hell, of part of the 20 developed acres, it's awful difficult there as well because there is a corn field that is abutted by a neighbor's corn field.

But yeah, if you want to take the risk go ahead.

>>96028

Lived in Turlock a few years. Shit sucked.

I would make sure not to build in the dry river beds for starters. Solar plus batteries for power, have hookup for wind turbine there for when you can afford a good one/make one. If you own property on that hill/mountain, build into that using the old mining methods. Brick and mortar will probable be cheaper than concret if you can't get some cheap. Use Cinderblocks for the brick. Have at least half the structure buried/covered with sand/dirt. Sewage tank with methane reclamator for gas/power. Bring in some decent clay and soil for a greenhouse/ central house garden. Rocket stove for heating of home/garden. Insulation foam board is your friend. Check the soil topography of the region for possible drainage problems, and/or possibility of abnormaly higher water shelf levels near dried up stream beds. Get two large water containers for water to be carried in by truck initially. Local plants always good source of food, low maintance. Cacti, low moisture, high sun, low temp/high temp strong. A little water causes them to grow very,very quickly. Raspberry bushes, blueberry bushes, small apple tree, etc.

>>97168

> > trespassing is still trespassing even if not posted.

> You want a legal leg to stand on, you'll mark the hell out of your property line.

Of course we're talking about the U.S. here, were anybody can _try_ to sue
anybody for anything but nonetheless, it is YOUR responsibility to know where
you are and where you're going and not to trespass in the first place, regardless
of the presence of any signs or fences.

If you break your leg dirt biking on my property _without my consent_, it is not
my fault and the courts won't hold me responsible, in fact you'd be hard pressed
to find a lawyer willing to take the case.

>>97112
> things you should look into.
> Aquaponics
> OP lives on Arrakis.

>>97465
I've heard spice mining can be profitable.

>>95545
> Power supply unit for computer
> I would use some sort of car-battery-to-computer hookup(pic).

Conventional car batteries suck for long term power applications
like that, even deep-cycle boat type batteries ain't all that great.

What you want are Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries.

I recently bought a 50 Amp hour AGM for $130 as a replacement
for a Xantrex power pack I acquired but one could easily put together
a more powerful home-made version for less money.

earthship.com

You'll thank me later

>>97460

Actually, I could take that case easily against you.
You neglected to take care of your property, it looked abandoned and the land was just right for some dirt bike riding.
>attractive nuisance

This is why people don't put fountains in the front yard.

>>97475
the attractive nuisance doctrine states that landowner may be held liable for injuries to children trespassing on the land if the injury is caused by a hazardous object or condition on the land that is likely to attract children who are unable to appreciate the risk posed by the object or condition. The doctrine has been applied to hold landowners liable for injuries caused by abandoned cars, piles of lumber or sand, trampolines, and swimming pools. However, it can be applied to virtually anything on the property of the landowner.

>>97472
I wouldn't be using a car battery at all. I'd just use a car battery style hookup direct from solar panel to computer.

>>97473
Already been discussed why I can't do that.

>>97465
Lolwhat

>>97651

You need a solar charge controller or you're going to fry the shit out of that battery.

>>95135
You could post on /k/ if you want specific advice on defending the area. Normally I would recommend sniping tactics, but there aren't exactly many places to hide out in the desert.

>>97833
>Normally I would recommend sniping tactics

solar farm

>>97867
discussed, I will have 2 solar panels because any more would be high profile.

>>97833
>sniping tactics

>mfw

>>97822
Thanks for pointing that out. I'll look that up.

Two words:

MOISTURE FARM!

This is stupid. You can't buy anything worth a shit with 20,000 cash. That's like down payment money. And it's the fucking Mojave dude. There's a reason no one lives there.

Once you have an income stream you should get a mortgage on some nearby rural land so you can grow crops. Set up some water catchment swales/ponds to passively irrigate fruit trees, berries, annuals etc.

Ideally you should get a cheap, rural hilly/mountain property with a year round stream/river to generate energy, and have access to fresh water.

>>97893
113 people disagree.

>>97875
>>97849
Yes. Hide innawoods and take potshots whenever you get a chance. It's what you do when you know the terrain better but you're outnumbered. Problem?

>>97921
True, but I'm looking for more of a 24/7 security method... nopales cacti sound good.

>>97918
113 vs the entire fucking history of the human race that chose not to settle in the desert when given a choice.

>>97925

And after you have that set up you can mine for gold to make watches and diamond superb quality armor and weapons. Just make sure to leave a lot of torches around so that shit doesn't spawn too close to where you live.

>>97651
> I wouldn't be using a car battery at all. I'd just use a car battery style hookup direct from solar panel to computer.

But why limit yourself to just your laptop's battery?

FREE - one milk crate (a real one, not those gay store-bought ones)
$250 - two 50 amp hour Absorbed Glass Mat batteries.
$100 - a 300 watt 12 volt power inverter (a pure sine wave model, for sensitive electronics)
$250 - 50 watt portable solar panel
$50 - battery cables (not jumper cables)

Simple set-up; Drop the batteries into the milk crate, mount the power inverter on the side,
attach them all together with the battery cables, plug in the solar panel. With a bit of / diy /
skills, you can easily come up a more refined version.

Good gadget for anybody to keep around in case of a power outage.

It's small and light enough to move around the house (maybe add caster wheels?) and the
sealed AGM batteries are safe for indoor use (no hydrogen gas discharge) and you can charge
it off the solar panels, or a vehicle or a generator and as funds allow, you buy additional 50 Ahr
(or larger) batteries and add them to the system.

The key is the AGM battery(s). Conventional car batteries don't like going below a 90% charge
and even deep cycle boat type batteries should stay above 70% but AGM batteries can be
discharged to 50%, giving you more power for a longer time,

If you have running water, get a Paloma water heater.
They run off of propane and range in price, but when I was homesteading in the deep dark forests of northern california, I picked one up on amazon for about $200 and it worked reasonably well.

I found that a nice warm shower was key to keeping me going with all the hard work that it took to survive while doing this.

I spent my first 15 years without electricity/hot running water. We used candles and heated water which we got from a spring about a half-mile away in order to clean ourselves/clothes/dishes.

But I would suggest buying a generator. My parents were hardcore and made this sort of life extremely tough, it was only after growing older that I realized how much easier they could've made it on all of us with a water heater and generator.

If you don't want to spend the money on a generator you can get solar panels and hook them up to a battery which can be used for small lights.

>Invite a population to live with you
if they contribute positively to the area.

>>97950
>If you have running water
He doesn't. That's the problem here. It would cost $10,000+ for him to get the machinery needed to produce less than 20 gal/day.
I used to live in Hesperia. It is fun to hike in the desert, but the 'Dune' jokes in this thread apply to OP's plan. He will have a hard time getting water or using native soil to grow things.
And ironically, if he isn't careful flash flooding can get him.

>Mojave desert

Congratulations, you've inherited just about *the* most useless piece of land that you possibly have.

>>97981
Antarctica. Somalia. The peak of a mountain.
There are worse places to try to live at.

OP: my parents own some land in the Mojave. They paid to have water and electricity brought to it. Depending on where your land is, you could do that. Perhaps for less money than jury-rigging some alternative sources of water and power. That perhaps isn't in the /diy/ spirit, but it could be cheaper and more practical.

Adelanto?
I'd be worried about all the fucking niggers too, the scum has been wondering up from the "westside" of LA since the Mexicans started kicking them out.
Oh and you won't be able to grow food like you say out there in Adelanto, you need a large quantity of water; particularly in the summer where you need to water them before the sun comes up. However at least the soil is good since it is a new desert, so you won't have to amend it much. Take into consideration that you only have two growing seasons, you could be growing some vegetables and flowers right now.
Current Hesperia resident, ex-Phelan dweller that has property in Adelanto, El Mirage, and Apple Valley. Oh one last thing about the water. Get ready to pay a shitload of money for the filtration if you decide on the personal well thing. You're better off trucking water in or if you can just get the water company to connect you.

One word OP: greenhouse.
You don't want water evaporating away. You don't want the extreme cold killing off your plants. Greenhouse solves both problem.
And before anyone herps about the desert not being cold, look up its temperature at night in the winter. It drops below freezing regularly. It even snows sometimes. It is a very light dusting of snow, but snow none the less.

>>97981
People that say things like this, or that claim that it is boring or that there is nothing to do in the high-desert are either ignorant or stupid. First of all the point of living out here is for it to be rural, it's not supposed to be some shitty city or urban area. Secondly there is a ton of wildlife, diverse plants (many of which are edible such as the yuccas and palo verde beans). As I mentioned earlier it is a new desert, compared to the older Great Basin, or the Sonoran desert, and thus the land is quite fertile and excellent for almost anything despite being a bit alkaline in some areas. The weather also allows for growing heat loving vegetables such as tomatoes and the long winters allows for growing fruit trees like apples or peaches, pretty much anything in the rosaceae family that requires some vernalization. Some of the best concorde grapes I've ever tasted were grown in my old Phelan property. Basically anything you can grow in the Mediterranean can be grown here (Anything on the 40th degree parallel North and South are actually compatible with this area). I used to go hunting for rabbit/hare, and quail when I had just moved out here. Unfortunately with the population explosion the wildlife is becoming extremely scarce.

>>98010
>grapes
That reminds me. When I used to live in Hesperia as a kid, my parents grew a lot of grapes. We made lots of raisins from them.
How we did it: Take a screen door. Lay it down on top of some blocks or rocks. Just make sure it is raised off of the ground a bit and laying mostly flat. Put some grapes on it when it is sunny. They become raisin in the span of a day. We used to do that all the time.
Someone I know who currently lives in the Mojave complains that he has to shoot snakes that he finds of his property regularly. Snakes are edible and supposedly taste pretty good. Consider that if you want more meat than just rabbit.

>>98018
Grapes, pistachios, olive trees, they all do great out here. I stopped eating the hare/rabbit up here a few years ago because they started showing up with rabies and another nasty rodent disease whose name escapes me at the moment. I liked quail and actually there used to be pheasants out in the area of the Serrano school, towards Wrightwood. Quail became so rare that a few neighbors and I began raising them in their own cage. We had quail, pheasant, pigeons, Guinea fowl, and of course chickens. Also had lambs and some cows. Snake is edible but it doesn't have that much meat and if you think picking the bones out of fish is annoying, try snake some time.

>>95794
>>95002
> Pic related. It's my land.

No water = nothing of much value.

I'd suggest spending a bit of that money on some quality camping gear
and just use the property as a weekend vacation get-away spot.

At best, you could partially bury and camouflage a 10' shipping container
and use it as a shed, to store a full-size bar-b-q, lawn chairs, extra propane
tanks, a dining fly, etc.

>>98043
>raising quail

No even semi-self sufficient home should be without at least two laying hens. Feeding them is cheap, and they can keep you fed.

>>98046
Exactly. I will have eggs and milk daily.

>>98146
>chicken milk

>>97934
Haha...
>>97941
True, and great idea. I'll look into it.
What kind of milk crate? Plastic or wood?

>>97950
Sounds good, but I don't have running water per-say. I'll just have a water tank on top of the building. But I looked into it, and the heater looks like it would work for that too.

My brother and I have discussed showering, and I totally agree.
>>97976
I've heard of the flash flooding. how often does that occur?
AND HOLY FUCK HOW MANY EX-HESPERIA /DIY/ERS ARE THERE?
>>98001
>Low Water=No plants
Maybe you'd care to read that I'm growing through hydroponics?
>>98005
Sounds like a plan. I will
>>98010
Thank fucking God.
>>98018
>>98043
I'm currently growing grapes in Central Cal, and that sounds like a great plan.
Also, thanks for the heads up on the rabbits!
>>98043
>>98046
I'll stick with hens, goats, my dog, and maybe a goose.
My dog is very good with other animals, and is only a hunter when I want him to be.

>>98158
No, goats and chickens.

mind anyone make a print of this thread before it 404s soon? Some anons have posted good advice and whatnot for would be people that are interested in owning land or whatever.

>>98170
http://archive.installgentoo.net/diy/thread/95002
I'll likely start a blog on my experiences, and post it there.

>>98170
Screen capped.
Resolution is 1348x25253 at 3.78MB

>>98175
Or that

>>98176
Thanks.

Also, I'm going down to the property for a few days, and can check back every so often. If it doesn't 404 by then, I'll post photos and more information.

Look around there for on site building materials, large rocks/bolders, old wood, solid stone. Not hard to tell usually where runoff from storms goes for flash flooding. See about getting a cheap weather station to put there to get an idea of the local temps, winds, people going on your property and stealing shit. Also possible setup for cheap.

>>98146
oh, with chickens, hard as hell to freeze one to death, but damn easy to overheat one. A project for you may well be making an adobe/underground/some way to keep them cool-ish on hot days. And for the love of god keep'em watered.

(I raise game cocks.)

>>98200
Thanks. That's pretty vital information, and I'll definitely check.
>>98214

My house will likely be underground, as I have decided throughout this thread. And for the love of god, okay(pic).

Bump because OP must deliver.

>>97941
> The key is the AGM battery(s).

You can add a 600W home wind turbine kit for under $1000.

>>99010
Thanks. Do you have a link or something?

So guys, how should I go about digging the hole for the shipping container? I think It should be
L: 20'
W: 8'
D: 4'

>>99571
Rent a backhoe for a few hundred a day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elJDDanNoQQ&feature=related

Here's a Victorville Equipment rental page:
http://www.superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Construction+Equipment+Rental/S-CA/T-Victorville/

>>95141
This might be what you're looking for...

>>99281
> Do you have a link or something?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=wind+turbine+kit

>>95135
New to the thread, so I haven't made it past this post, but here's a low cost zero energy idea for daytime interior lighting
http://cleantechnica.com/2011/08/01/solar-lights-made-of-plastic-bottles-water/

permies.com (for both your building and your growing tech support)

i'd suggest trying to work on a forest garden with as many of the drought tolerant things you can find. this guy should be a helpful source, but permies will help a lot. http://www.amazon.com/Sepp-Holzers-Permaculture-Small-Scale-Gardening/dp/160358370X/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_c
art_f

solar ovens for the win. you'll rarely have to make an effort with your cooking, and you could stockpile dried foods for your regular staples until things get going.

as far as the house goes, study up on passive houses, sculptural ferrocement houses, and so on before you get too far into designing it. You will want to go on gmaps and sketch out your land as well as figure out your flood risks and so on in the area, then you can start a game plan for the whole of the design part. A good idea might be to start collecting shit from dumpster dives and taking it there in loads when you go out to work on the place. that will save you tons.

i will now link dump for stuff to consider in your housing design

http://inspirationgreen.com/glassbottlewalls.html

http://www.habitatferrocement.com/why_ferrocement.html

http://www.seismologik.com/journal/2011/4/21/marcin-jakubowski-open-sourced-blueprints-for-civilizat
ion.html

http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2011/09/16/is-it-possible-to-build-a-home-for-1000/?mod=google_new
s_blog

http://www.jetsongreen.com/2010/01/zerohouse-off-grid-modular-green-home.html


hope it helps

http://www.doulton.ca/rv_dilem.html for RV water treatment methods.
Check youtube for how to do it yourself water lines and tubing methods. Think Home Depot. If you have that mountain, set your water tanks into it for water pressure, find farmer outlets for water tanks, solar powered water pump/agitator, etc.

Depending on Shipping Container, do the water bottle lighting method, plus get a ton of those cheap solar powered light stakes, hook them together and put switches on them, indoor lighting taken care of. Sheet of plastic in center and surrounded for greenhouse.Cheap sandbox to hold dirt, clay, gravel. Food and moisture. 2x4 for frame and any additional construction. A bed, couch, table, shelves. Make sure its a water tight type of shipping container.

Solar powered tent fan plus well insulated chicken coop equals eggs and chicken yum. Make it partially barried as well. Mix Perlite or something similar into soil around where the S.C. will be for added insulation.

Check this site out for how to on solar cell hookups, making leak proof cuts into exteriors, and general hookups for cheap.

http://cheaprvliving.com/index.html

Rocket stove with air duct venting for heating of home during the night. Only 1/2 cord of wood a year. Solar Oven for the win, both methods have nearly zero give away except steam from rocket stove and reflective glare from solar oven if used in early morning/late evening. Or just get a large rock, paint it black with people safe paint, cook eggs.

burp

Will have to add some sort of non-boiling liquid to water bottle ceiling lights or they will possible burn up if region is very hot. Try to get some agave growing if you can man, live the desert tequila dream!

it is threads like these that i come to 4chan for.

Any hills on the property, OP?

Why not try something along these lines, but on an obviously smaller scale using
3 (or more) shipping containers partially buried in a triangular shape?

One for sleeping / storage, one for the kitchen / utilities (batteries) and the other
as living room / office, with one point left open for access.

Use the dug out material to cover the shipping containers (both for ascetics and
insulation) and stretch a military desert camo net over the internal courtyard for
shade.

>>100808
Reading that immediately thought of the Unabomber.

>>100811
> immediately thought of the Unabomber.

For being an (admittedly crazy) supra-genius, Ted Kaczynski was a
pretty lame DIY'er when it came to secret lairs. Though I much prefer
his choice of Montana, (fuck that desert!) his shack was shit.

Why don't I know any people like OP?

I don't know anyone interested in urbex. Nobody interested in gardening. Nobody interested in homesteading.

So alone ;__;

Invest in a good plate carrier/ballistic plates, a human/coyote(they'll be after your chickens) rifle(AR, converted saiga, SKS) and a rifle for small game(just some .22 rifle). 911 is going to be a long ways away.

>>95545
the cooler/warmer ones are the ones you dont want, they use a TEC which uses a lot of power and doesn't cool that much, they are cheap but definitely not good. You want a cooler only, compressor one.

Hi guize. I'm on the land now, and I'll add photos really soon. Last night it was 7 degrees and yesterday it was 90ish. It's currently blowing like a bitch.thanks for keeping the thread alive. I'll reply soon.

I'm going to upload all the photos that are relevant.

1/10
Hobostove. Cooked 2 cans of chili, popcorn, and warmed our hands for about 2 hours, all with just 5 oz of canola oil.

>>100808
Yea There's a hill on the property, I'll definitely look into that!
I'm really interested in the possibility of a storage container house underground.
>>100996
Same. I'm looking into getting a friend of mine
on board for this homesteading opportunity.

2/10
An incredibly flat area that's by the hill and can be dug easily.

>>101046
I'm looking into an AR10/15.
Thanks for the pointers, I'll check out the other guns soon.

3/10.
I found a well on the land, but locals said it's brine. To make matters worse, the bucket my grandfather cemented on there was vandalized and smashed by dirtbikers, leaving the well exposed.
This morning there were unbelievable winds. I'm thinking, meaning I can pump my tank with a windmill.

I really have no clue to how accurite any of this is but here are my thoughts.

The dessert has two great natural resorces. LOTS of sun and big temperature differentials. By that I mean day is hot as hell and night is freezing. With propper insulation you don't even need heating or AC. You just need to be able to get air from the outside into the house when it's needed. Night time air to cool the house, day time air to heat it.

As for electricity, you could use mirrors to focus the sun onto pipes with water flowing through them. The water can either be heated into steam which can be used for a steam electric turbine, or you can store the hot water untill night time. At night you can use a stirling engine turbine to generate electricity. Stirling engines are powered by heat differential, so lots of hot water and the cool night time air will generate a good amount of power.

Oliver Hodge

4/10
Firewood was everywhere.


Also, >>98200 , I looked around, and it looks like
the other side of the mountain is the one with flash
flood risk. furthermore, there were building materials
galore.

Also, I've decided that the order of my business
there shall be as follows:
>Basic building structure to use as temp home during
building process.
>Basic outhouse to shit and piss in while building
>Solar panel with lights and one of them there
>>97472 AGM batteries.
---
>Fence
>Water Tank
>Heater
>Digester
---
Construction
*check it* >>100824
>>100811
>>100808
>>95610

>Dig with backhoe 4' deep x 20' wide x 24' long
>Place shipping containers in the hole.
>Pour concrete on top (4")
>Use an oxy acetylene torch to take off the sides,
to get a 3 storage container home.
>Connect the water, the digester, and move the heater inside.
---
>Chickens, simultaneous with
>Dog
>and Goat, then
>Quail
---
Hydroponics:
>Wheatgrass
>Cilantro
>Mint
>Lettuce
>Swiss Chard
>Potatoes, and
>Spinach

4/10
Pic:
Summit of the mountain.

>>100808
>>99751
>>99748
>>99651
>>99010
>>98200
>>98043
>>98010
>>97950
>>97941
>>97472
>>97239
>>97112
>>97012
>>95610
>>95173
>>95184
>>95117
Most essential thread posts

>Place shipping containers in the hole.
>Pour concrete on top (4")

They'll collapse under the weight.

YOU CANNOT BURY SHIPPING CONTAINERS.
YOU CANNOT BURY SHIPPING CONTAINERS.
YOU CANNOT BURY SHIPPING CONTAINERS.

>>101590
If it's brine, it'll still be pretty sterile.

Pump some out, boil it in a solar oven, and sell it as "organic rock salt".

>>101943
> Solar panel with lights and one of them there AGM batteries.

http://www.harborfreight.com/45-watt-solar-panel-kit-90599.html

>>102197
Oh? Counter-example one. (and I may lower it down to 2".)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=A3EAJex1RVo#t=154s

>>101590
OP If the well is brine you can use a solar water distiller to make
potable water. Works great! also check this out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cXe-4XE2QVI

>>102253
True. And it could be direct solar, not solar panels. and according to >>102205 , I can sell the remnants of the water.

>>102210
>45 watt solar panel @ $150
>vs $0.11/KWh grid power
>33% yearly average of peak sunlight in desert (overly generous, but w/e)
>Sixteen years, five months and ten days to reach break-even point
>this is ignoring that photovalics wear out and fall to approx 60% of original efficiency after 10 years

Really not enthusiastic about solar panels unless there's absolutely no way to run a power line.

Manufacture of the panels produces a shit-ton of horrifically toxic waste, too.

Conversation with a helpful friend on Facebook:
-----------------------------------------------------
Me:
Also, maybe you could help me out. How can I charge a battery with a solar panel, then charge a mac (60 W charger) being charged by the battery?
-------------------
Her:
Good question!
http://globetrooper.com/notes/solar-power-macbook/

Like this article states, Solar generators make DC current, so you need to convert to AC, and you need enough current to make up for 60 watts of power (depending on the mac)... WiFi is iffy
------------------
Me:
But isn't the power converted to DC by the time it enters the mac anyway? I'll look into that article.
Why is wifi iffy?
------------------
Her:
Well, if you're out in the middle of the desert, i don't think having a remote system like that will get much internet reception, but that mainly depends on location, not the power source...
Also check out this vid, he uses a power inverter to change DC to AC.... Btw, macs use AC I think, so that explains the need for AC... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1f7VlXj6nw
------------------
Me:
I was planning on having a 4G hotspot. Anyways, I'm building a homestead in the Mojave when I graduate, and I'm looking for other nutcases to join me.
Or help out with the research.
And thanks for the video.
Btw, I looked at the video, and I found this thread:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments: Hey im thinking of doing this, but wouldnt it be easier to use a dc charger? or am I wrong? Im new at this.
hgallegos915 - 2 years ago

Yes, a DC charger would be far more efficient. I can't afford one, though. Good luck.
zeleftikam - 2 years ago
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe I'll just use that.

>>102210
Only a fool pays retail. You are a fool. $150 for a 45 watt panel is a criminal. They should be thrown in jail for fraud and you should be thrown in jail for being a waste of oxygen. Solar cells are $1.10-1.15 per watt now. Earlier in this thread links have been posted and any fool with an internet connection should be able to google for deals where for $160 you can get 150 watt panel.

Just a bump. because ur awesom and we are watching this.

>>102210
$150 will buy you 150 watts, not 45.

http://www.wholesalesolar.com/solar-panels.html

>>102461
Your "helpful friend" doesn't know what she's talking about. That should be obvious to you. However you seem to know about as much.

This is how to run your computer off direct current. It is the first google result: http://www.wikihow.com/Run-Your-Desktop-off-DC-Power

To get the internet in the middle of nowhere, you have three options:

1. Hope your cell phone has reception in your local and pay $70 a month extra to your phone company.

2. Satellite internet. About $100 a month. Goes out if there are too many clouds. Have to replace the dish if there is too much wind.

3. Pay to get a wire run to your house.

>>102449
> 45 watt solar panel @ $150
> vs $0.11/KWh grid power

WTF?! If OP has regular electrical utility service available, then why the hell are
we talking about alternate power sources? (beyond a handy back-up system in
the event of a power outage or zombie apocalypse).

Though the neo-Roman buried shipping container "villa" is still a cool idea, and
there's lots of info out there on shipping container homes.

Solar pannels is not cost effective unless you buy broken cells from manufacturers and soder your own solar array. Then you can do it for a tiny fraction of the cost. Tho if you have lotta sunlight and want to collect the energy, just make a solar steam turbine. Make a parabolic mirror, get a recycled motor with perminent magnet, and a something to catch the air (can be found in vacume cleaner) and you got yourself solar power that's 100% recycled and cost ya nothing. Any perminent magnet electric motor can be used to generate electricity. Large electric motors might be hard to find but look in craiglist for treadmils. Those motors work great.

>>95060

Adelanto is a poor place to have an apiary. You should be on the OTHER side of the mountains, about 60 miles away.

Riverside here.

>>102654
> make a half-assed, slap-dash version of experimental tech.

As mentioned above; just get a reliable, off-the-shelf, home wind turbine kit.

If the location is good enough for huge-ass commercial wind turbine farms,
it's good enough for OP's shit-shack.

>>102659

Also, lots of wind in the Mojave. Wind turbines for power and solar combined. Wind around the property, solar atop the building.

>>102660
>post on /diy/
>tell people don't do it yourself
>tell them to buy pre-made
>implying wind power is reliable or doesn't require tons of maintenence

>>102668
> post on /diy/
> 2011 B.C.
> not forging your own sword by hand.
> I sure hope you don't do this, by Crom!

There are all kind of different levels of "do it yourself", so why not
use reliable and reasonably priced technology, if it's available?

Do-it-yourself doesn't have to mean living like a stinky hippy.

>>102693
>so why not use reliable and reasonably priced technology
getting off topic so i'll just post this vid and let Adam Savage explain why, it's a really cool video btw and you should watch it regardless

http://fora.tv/2008/12/12/MythBusters_Co-Host_Adam_Savage_on_Obsession

>>102693
>so why not use reliable and reasonably priced technology
getting off topic so i'll just post this vid and let Adam Savage explain why, it's a really cool video btw and you should watch it regardless

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29SopXQfc_s

>>102703
> youtube

Implying a half-assed, nagger-rigged system, scrounged from a junkyard,
is better then using proven equipment designed for the application.

And I ain't watching some vidya, defend your position in your own words.

I remember someone on /diy/ posted a youtube video where a guy grew palm trees and desalted an area in the middle east using drainage ditches. I wish I still had the link.

>>102461
>so you need to convert to AC

wat

If you have enough voltage, you can feed DC into your laptop's AC adapter. The bridge rectifier in there doesn't actually care if the source is AC or not.

Better yet just build a DC-DC regulator from parts. You could use an old scrap computer power supply.

>>102648
>buried shipping container

Don't bury shipping containers. They're made to be stacked vertically, but the sidewalls have close to zero strength and may collapse under the pressure of the earth pressing against them from the sides.

>>102660

Careful with that one. Wind turbines are loud and dangerous, especially if you need to maintain them yourself.

>>102214
It'll collapse in the long run. 10, 20 year lifespan maybe if you minimize structural stress.

If it rains at all, you're screwed. The moisture will rot the entire thing off.

In short, it's safer just to use concrete bricks & concrete. Stronger too.

>>102801
Wind offers the best kw per dollar, the best durability, and the longest lifespan.

A wind turbine on a 40 ft guyed tower will produce quite a bit of electricity, especially in the desert.

For small scale, 24vdc batteries are the best option, with an inverter for 24vdc to 110vac.

12VDC is less efficient, but it's easier to find stuff for 12VDC. You could make a voltage regulator for 24VDC to 12VDC, at a small loss of efficiency.

For wifi?

My suggestion is to look into long-range rural wifi providers. Find the nearest one, find out the height of their distribution tower.

Do some calculations.

Utilizing a VERY high gain antenna, placed at altitude (40 ft or higher off the ground), you may be able to get inexpensive internet.

This is a C-band satellite dish. They are available for free on craigslist. You can see the mesh dish, which acts as a reflector for the feedhorn.

All you need to do is modify the feedhorn, and place a small directional 2.4 ghz wifi antenna in it.

Say, a biquad.

This is a biquad, reflecting into a smaller dish reflector, so it is double reflected.

The biquad is very easy to make. Simply put, it's two squares of copper wire. It is quite easy to make, and the instructions are widely available on the internet.

By utilizing the C-band satellite dish, you have MORE gain, because there is more reflector, thus giving a more pinpoint beam. The downside is that aiming the dish is a bitch.

>>102834
Radiofag I got a question about aiming dishes/antennas.
Would some beefy, sturdy base with a worm gear to rotate and another worm gear to aim up / down, be a worthwhile tool?
Or does nobody bother doing this and just set it once by hand then forget about it?

>>102836
It's not really worthwhile for a hobbyist. Most of the consumer level dishes use two bolts with nuts. You turn the bolt an 1/8 or 1/4 turn to adjust the X, then do the same to control the Y. Then once you have it lined up, you lock it down with the nut.

Although the long-line system did use a worm drive! You can see it in this picture.

>>102836
Oh, and in factory configuration, the C-band dishes had az-el rotator motors... the C-band dishes actually followed the sats through the sky.

>>102836
Neat!

>>101590
I humbly refer you to /k/. >>>/k/
Enjoy your stay in the magic kingdom.

>>102829
> maybe if you minimize structural stress.

Doesn't have to be buried miles underground, a 12" layer of dirt
on top (planted with native desert grasses) would be enough.

> The moisture will rot the entire thing off.

Coat it with spray-on truck bed liner stuff.

>>103443
Spray on bedliner won't protect against rust, it merely forms a hard covering over it, so as moisture seeps past and rots out underneath, you don't see it.

The only stuff that seals and prevents rust is POR15, but it's about $40 a pint.

>>96028
>Implying there are cholos in Modesto
I live in Modesto. It's pretty much an all white suburb with a few mexican punks, but it's definitely not as bad as you say.

>>103623
> Spray on bedliner won't protect against rust, it merely forms a hard covering over it,
> so as moisture seeps past and rots out underneath

Spray on bed liner is not water permeable and will protect steel from rust.

Of course if the shipping container is rusted already, it won't stop the rust
from spreading further.

>>102554
Read my post on internet (>>95064)>>102661
And read the full post you replied to, as it was pointed out that she was errored.
>>>>102801
Same as above, read the full post. Thanks for the additional help.
>>102661
This is true. too true.

I haven't read the thread yet, but in case they haven't been said yet.

You may want to get an electric water heater. I know it sounds crazy and wasteful, but apparently they can actually save energy because you can turn it on and off easier (at the flick of a switch). So ideally it would be turned off most of the time and you'd just turn it on half an hour before showering/doing dishes.

Also, geothermal will help on heating a lot. Consider making your walls out of different materials than just wood/insulation/sheetrock like normal. Clay radiates heat differently than concrete and will actually stay warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer (concrete does the opposite). There are hippy communes where people actually make their houses out of cow dung and other such materials. You may want to get in touch with some for ideas.

Farming is an issue, mainly because of the way it's done now and because mojave desert is probably not very fertile. In mexico, the aztec people farmed in something called a milpa. It dealt with having several lots of land and harvesting each lot for only 2 years and then leaving it for 8. It allows the soil to stay/become fertile and should be infinitely sustainable without fertilizers or such. Assuming you stick to the system.

pic very related, should help you get around

.

bump for interesting thread

I was just thinking about this thread earlier. I haven't been on /diy/ for a while and thought for certain that it must've 404'd.

Did OP ever link the blog he said he's going to start?

long thread is loooonng

i don't know if anyone has asked this yet, but is that a busy highway right next to your property?

bump for interesting thread

>>105193

Yep. I'll be selling billboard ad space for $.002 per view
(Very reasonable for me and the business advertising)(Estimated 1-5k a year)

So due to the relevance, I will release the location.
800 El Mirage Road
http://g.co/maps/4dt2v

Is the Mojave desert the right climate to grow olives?

>>106951
Wel whatta ya know?
Arizona...

I have the same idea about this self sufficiency man.
Enough passerby for a storefront?

i am jelly

I did the same thing Op, Tho when I took this post I thought there would be more gambling.

>>106951
HNNNNG I used to ride dirtbikes in that area

>>107482
On this note, Op watch out that town that you are technically in "aldeto" is a shithole. Alot of redneck's. Also you are downwind of an offroad driving range so in windy situations might be lots o sand. Ill come visit some time, Put up a sign that says /diy/

On subject of firearms. Grab a M6 scout rifle. They run a bout $695 (quite expensive) because they are rare. But it has 2 barrels, a .22 for small game and a .410 for .410 shotgun rounds to deal with larger things. Its bare-bones as fuck with minimal parts but its an ideal trail carbine. For home defense get a 870 12 gauge shotgun with 000 buck that will stop those methheads from stealing your solar panels. .22 is all you will need for the small game if you are out walking about so a 10/22 would work nicely. Also take into account this is California so soccer mom democrats ; walking around in the desert with a scary black rifle (ar-15) is a bad idea.

>>107497
Thanks

>>107485
I'm aware.
>>107479
...
>>107475
I can't wait.
>>107069
Yes it is
>>106951
That is not the address, just the block.

>>107497
> Grab a M6 scout rifle

That's just about the WORST choices OP could make for his situation;
shitty ergonomics, shitty trigger, single shot, slow loading firearm
designed as a low-bid, bare minimum Air Force survival gun.

> .410 shotgun rounds to deal with larger things.

The .410 cartridge is just about useless; too small a load of shot
and too underpowered to for anything larger then a rabbit (and
good luck actually hitting that rabbit in the first place!) yet heavier
and bulkier then far more useful cartridges.

Unless I missed a post, doesn't sound like OP is a gun nut nor has
any plans for hunting and is primarily looking for a self-defense rifle,
in which case an AR or AK type as mentioned would be perfect and
if he does want to try his luck on small game or have somthing for
"walk'n the property" with , a reliable, accurate and ubiquitous Ruger
10/22 can be added.

Here's some layout ideas and major possible drainage problem, commonly used for dirt bike trails.

>>109655
How tall is that hill to the left?

>>109658
Pic related, it's what I would do with that hill.

Probably could actually get wireless internet at your location!

Kind of a long thread, so I didn't read all of it.

I'd like to someday move to an area like OP's, but something up in northern america or southern canada. How would I go about finding land on or around a mountain?

>>109655
> Here's some layout ideas

That shaded "saddle" area to the left is where I'd put the shipping container villa
but you do need to consider your view. Don't want to be stuck looking at the hillbilly
neighbors back yard.

Excavate a flat, square notch and place the shipping containers in a U shape,
covering them with some the excavated earth, pavers for interior courtyard and
a telephone pole pergola over the top, with hops or grape vines growing over
that to provide shade.

Though I'm thinking your lack of potable water makes this all just a pipe dream.

>>109711
>Though I'm thinking your lack of potable water makes this all just a pipe dream.'

Pretty much this.

Drilling a well would be a good idea.

Boompf

Bump to save.

Cob house. ( less than $10k )
Rain catching system for water.
Grey water system for watering plants.
Composting toilet.

Because 4chan idiots really need to isolate themselves further...

morans

>>111206
> Rain catching system for water.

>>108685
I own a Ruger. Now on the most essential list.

Sorry man don't really have time to read the whole thread before I must head out for a bit, but these are some things to look into (if they haven't already been discussed in this thread).
First watch the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohI6vnWZmk

and then I would also look into the diy aquaponic systems that people have designed.

I must say that I am quite jealous of you, all I want is a big chunk of land that I can call my own.

Get Fernel Lenses, surrounding a focal point on a barrel, heat resistant tube from barrel into water container, with filter, cheap desalination plant. Mirrored focal point method works too. Solar water pump connected to brine well will allow you to self produce 5 gallons a day, if you automate the system, have a solar powered subpump hooked up to refill the boiling tank when it gets low, gravity fed filtering and water delivery. H20 get. Clean it out of salt residue once a couple days, can automate that as well. Aquarium tank cleaning magnets help with this. Put on top of your hill, have a fense of sorts put up around your setup to discourage vandalism, motion detector solar lights and web cameras good idea anyway.

For weapon just get a
Shotgun : Mosburg 500 (one of the most reliable out there) with Buck shot, Slugs, Flare and game shot
Rifle: Mosin Nagant or SKS (or both, mosin Nagant is cheap as shit, amo is too, and can be put in a garbage disposal and still work)

> If you live in the middle of desert, you'll need a gun for self-defense
> If you go to camping, you'll need a gun for self-defense
> In case of a natural disaster, you'll need a gun for self-defense
> and so on

Is the USA really that dangerous place to live, or are you just paranoid fucks?

>>111954
When the Police are 45 minutes away, and you don't have phone service, you're better off preparing for the worst.

Plus, target shooting is fun.

Lemme live on your land, bro.

>>111919
Solar pump?

Nah.

Pic related, it's a more reliable, longer lasting idea.

It can do anywhere from 125 to 1875 gph depending on the cylinder diameter, well depth, and turbine size.

>>111954
No, it's not. Not even remotely. While in this scenario you would want a gun, you wouldn't need it for people, you'd need it for wild animals.
Gun nuts just love to plan out fantasies where armed men come to murder them and rape their wife and then they kill all of them and have sex on the corpses. This is what action movies do to people.

>>112347
Statistically, you're more likely to need a gun than a fire extinguisher.

>>112368

What's this statistic?

>>112373
>http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/Drayton/Fire_Extinguishers,_And_The_Psychos_Who_Use_Them
.shtml

>>96028
you too?

the in modesto part, i dont smoke and idgaf about cholos. XD

gotta find a job though. walking around the mall gets boring after a whils +_+


this thread is awesome. ive been glued to it for the past half hour. im gonna save most of the ideas to my "post-apocalypse living" folder.

>>109655
Damn son. One problem: I don't own the land that the water tank is on.

Bump

Then Get really long chemically treated 4x4's, some quick set cement, salt water ok if available, and dig, put wood in hole, poor in sack crete, water, make sure level, set and put water barrel on it. Use left over crete to fix up well head area, or save for foundation, patio area for later. Those cheap concrete square slabs from Menards will be your friend soon if that rock is'nt usable.

>>109658
200-300 feet

>>109665
I'm using a 4G Hotspot.

>>109698
Go through county records, and contact the owners. Or look for "For Sale" signs. That's where I want to be too. Northern US/Southern Can.
Incredible area.

>>109711
The photo is a side cross section?

>>109715
I'm using a local water delivery company. Which, yes, makes this not totally "self sufficient", but it's cheaper.

>>111225
0/10. Us here on /diy/ have jobs, lives, and wives. I get how it must feel not to understand that.

>>111206
That's basically what I'm going for, just with
>>111437
in mind.

>>111897
That video is basically what the land looks like, with more humidity and people nearby.
I discussed aquaponics above.

>>111919
Genius. Essential post list.

>>112321
>>111954
Exactly what Radiofag said.
Target shooting is one of the most common activities out there.

>>113800
> The photo is a side cross section?

Overhead view.

Here's a front view of the same thing (drawn by a retarded chimpanzee).

>>95002
1. Invest $20000 in solar power equipment
2. Install solar power equipment on desert land
3. Sell power to local power company
4. Use profits to expand solar farm
5. Sell more power to local power company
6. Keep expanding until no more land
7. Keep selling endless electricity to power company
8. $$$ Profit $$$

>>113821
How much electricity can you sell (dollar value) in a month with 20,000$ worth of equipment?

You might want to check the current politics against homesteading in that area OP. There has been a government war on people who have been living in the Lancaster/Palmdale area. They've been using code enforcement to remove longtime landowners/residence who don't comply with their rules. (mainly DIY'r types)

I believe the issue has to with the growing bedroom communities from Los Angeles. They want the area to appear to civilized to their to their community standards.

This may be isolated to your west though -- http://www.laweekly.com/2011-06-23/news/l-a-county-s-private-property-war/

>>112560
Thanks. I'm glad it's lasted so long, and sorry that I couldn't respond for 2 weeks.

http://www.grit.com/desert-homesteading/straw-bale-building-window-door-bucks.aspx

>>113821
>>113825
ran some numbers no more than 125 USD

>>102829
>In short, it's safer just to use concrete bricks & concrete.
It's cheaper, too.

Shipping containers are fucking retarded

One of the best threads. If i wasn't an I.T major, this would be my dream, self sufficient owning 30+ acres. But my love for computers beats that dream.

There was tons of replies, so I sort of skimmed through and NO ONE MENTIONED EARTHSHIPS!....Basically theyre completely self sustaining homes built with salvaged material you can usually pick up for free. totally solar based, and they make thier own food......You really need to look into it.

My God, this thread is 10 days short of being up for a month.

Can we please slow the posting rate so we can get it to last legitimately for one full month?

One thing you wont be able to do in the mojave with an earthship is catch rainwater...You'll have to drill a well which can be pretty expensive. I work in an underground mine in Nevada, and Ive seen how much water there is underground, and you'd probably be suprised. The water table probably wont be too far down. The only drawback would be high levels of arsnic and mercury. At the mine I work, there are areas where the mercury litterally sweats out of the rocks and forms into beads. I dont know how youd be able to check for that before you pay a few grand to put a well in.

>>109715
>>114548
Again and again people in this thread mention wells.
Again and again other posters point out that wells are fucktardedly expensive to dig in the Mojave and many only have brine in them. OP might have an extraordinarily deep water table filled with extremely salty water beneath him.

Unless your in full blown hermit mode, you'll need a steady source of water. The mojave desert has near zero precipitation, and a constantly dry humidity level.....Your not going to magically come up with water...There are limits, and if you want to live in the mojave, you need to drill a well, or transport your water in from another place. Thats it.

Take a course or practice making own solar panels, sand blowing around often will make replacing the solar panel glass yourself a neccessary thing, don't forget oneway valves to remove moisure buildup from temperature differentials in the area. Wind mill for brine pump is a good, cheap idea, doesn't have to be all that tall in some area's. Clothes from thrift stores, scout out good ones. Can make some from cacti fibers if really looking for a hobby. Get permits for everything as you go, look at other peoples setups to avoid fines and such. Will protect you from local gov fags stealing/ destroying your property when someone comes by with money looking to take over the area and make it Naturesk...

>>113821
>1. Invest $20000 in solar power equipment
>2. Install solar power equipment on desert land
>3. Sell power to local power company
>4. Never turn a profit because the payback for solar is >50 years
>5. $$$ Bankruptcy $$$
ftfy

OP,
Install catch basins for plants around your property. Be sure to have a proper sietch warren carved into the rock. Don't go outside unless wearing a stillsuit, you don't want to waste moister. Cielagos are the swift voice on the wind. Use them to your advantage.
If you can, get a stunted Maker surrounded by water at your property. You can throw the craziest orgies if a Sayyadina of the Rite can convert the spice essence from the drowned Maker for your.
Have a good relationship with your neighbors and freely help them. As it says in the Orange Catholic Bible: "a gift is a blessing of the river".
May you walk without rhythm.

OP, also if it has not ben mentioned you can have cheap indoor day lighting by using the following method of water bottle + bleach and water

example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CR6vnFR8AnU

problem is night they are gone and you will have to deal with overcast dimming however you can see the difference made during the day in a house and this would cost you no energy.

bump like a mother fuck.

>>114599
Now that's funny right there.

>>113829
this is crazy, hope you don't face any problems OP

>>113930

Brilliant.

>>114561
God damnit read the full post. I'm buying water.

>>114279
Ahh that sucks.

>>114556
Exactly.
>>114571
Shit, didn't think about weathering. Thanks for the pointers.
>>114608
I was the person who introduced that concept on /diy/. Glad to know people listened.

Also, if anyone is wondering why I'm doing this, it's because I've always hated money. The Venus Project (Google it) has a solution, but I don't feel like I can change the fact that the government will never switch to a money-free system.

Here's a summary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4EiQa7j1n0

>inb4 someone mentions anarchy

5/10 Photos of the land

>>115514
>The Venus Project (Google it) has a solution
Ha ha. No. Best of luck with your Mojave land, but the Venus Project is 100% bullshit from start to finish. It is so bad, it is less viable than Technocracy Inc. Fresco's opinions on robotics and automation are so profoundly wrong.

quads?

>>115556
no one on Diy cares,

I got 3 Doubles in same post rapid succession.

6/10. Salt flats :|

Basalt on the hill. 7/10

8/10. view of the neighbours from the summit of the mountain.

Haybales on a farm nearby

10/10. The world's largest Wind Turbine Alley is right there. And for good reason.

>>115507
> I'm buying water.

What will this cost you?

>>115514
god you're an idiot
I can't even begin to name the ways in which you have benefited from everything on that list.

11/10. Creosote Logged Logs on the land. probably shitty building material.

>>115568
>Basalt
>Moving out to a new location to build stuff
Wait a minute. Are you about to strike the earth?
Are we going to read about some magma fortress swarming with cats and filled with traps in a few years?

>>109711
>>113818

Pic I found on GIS showing what I meant:

>>115579
oops, ummm

>>115590
I could see that happening
>>115582
ilold
>>115578
Benefited, yes, because society is setup to force us into a dependency on all of those things.
>>115577
With the pictured water tank (305 Gal, $219),
it would cost 19 cents per gallon.

I'm not the only person who saw this right?

>>115681
Aha!

get out there and make geoglyphs Op!

>>115650
> With the pictured water tank (305 Gal, $219),
> it would cost 19 cents per gallon.

I'm guessing water rates in California are higher then
average and trucking in water to the Mojave, even
more so?

Also, how long do you estimate 300 gals will last you?

Because looking at my suburban (Detroit) water bill;

I was billed for two "units", which are listed as 749 gallons
each (combined water and sewage, plus service charge)
which cost me $12.05 or $0.008 per gallon.

But I believe residents are charged a minimum of two units
no matter what, as my monthly water bill has always been
for two units and I'm thinking there's no way I (a single guy
with minimal water usage) actually went thru 1500 gallons
in a month.

I'm guessing the moment I went over 750 gals, I was billed
for another complete "unit" of water usage, so I couldn't say
exactly how many gallons of water per month I use.

Bump for epic thread!

>>115681
hahaha shiit

>>116116
hmmmm... ummm...
shit. I think i could use 300gal in 2 months, if i drastically reduced water usage. My showers could be just hair washing 5 days of the week and a full shower on Monday. My drinking water will be 5gal jugs (There might be a better word for this, I've lived my entire life calling them garrafones, so I threw in a photo)

bump for intrest

In less than a week, this thread will be a month old!
Bump for interest in Francis Nol's progress!