Real Off-Grid Living. Practical Homestead Solutions.
Follow Mike’s journey building a more self-sufficient life on 14+ acres in southeast Virginia — underway for about four years now — covering solar power and water systems, gardens, livestock, land management, and the everyday challenges of homesteading.
We’re Not Just Writing About Homesteading. We’re Doing It.
We’re learning off-grid living by actually doing it — building systems, maintaining land, growing food, raising animals, solving problems, and sharing what actually works (and what doesn’t) along the way.
Everything here — the guides and the calculators — comes from things we’ve actually built, tested, and fixed ourselves, not theory.
Free Homestead Calculators
Planning your homestead? Don’t guess. Run the numbers.
☀️ How Big of a Solar System Do You Need?
Off-Grid Solar Calculator — Estimate your solar power and battery needs before investing in a system.
🔋 How Long Will Your Battery Bank Actually Last?
Battery Bank Runtime Calculator — Know how long your off-grid battery backup will actually last.
🔥 How Much Fuel Will It Take to Heat Your Home?
Off-Grid Heating Calculator — Estimate heating and fuel requirements for your off-grid home.
💧 How Much Rainwater Could Your Roof Collect?
Rainwater Catchment Calculator — Estimate how much rainwater your roof could collect and how much storage you need.
🐔 How Much Space and Feed Will Your Livestock Need?
Homestead Livestock Calculator — Explore livestock space, feed, and production requirements.
🌱 How Much Garden Space Do You Need to Feed Your Household?
Garden Self-Sufficiency Calculator — Size the growing space you’d need to feed your household.
💰 What Will Your Off-Grid Setup Actually Cost?
Off-Grid Budget Calculator — Estimate the total investment behind your off-grid system.
❄️ How Do You Cool an Off-Grid Home Without AC?
Off-Grid Cooling Guide — Earth tubes and DC heat pumps for off-grid cooling.
🍳 How Much Food and Water Should You Store?
Food Storage Calculator — Estimate calorie and water needs for 30, 90, or 365 days.
🏘️ Is That Property Actually Right for a Homestead?
Land Suitability Calculator — Score a potential property on water, soil, access, and more.
🔥 Will Your Woodlot Supply Enough Firewood for Winter?
Firewood Calculator — Estimate cords needed and compare against your woodlot’s supply.
🌾 How Much Hay and Feed Should You Store?
Hay & Feed Storage Calculator — Estimate hay, bales, and feed needs for your livestock.
Bonus Tool: What’s Your USDA Hardiness Zone?
Handy for timing what you plant alongside the Garden and Food Storage calculators above.
What’s My Hardiness Zone?
Whether you’re a seasoned off-gridder or just taking your first steps, we’re here with practical guides and tools — and we’re building a community of people figuring this out together.
New to Off-Grid Living? Start Here.
Thinking about buying land, building a homestead, or moving toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle? Start with the basics and work your way through the systems that make a homestead function.
- Find the Right Land — learn what to consider before buying homestead property.
- Plan Water — explore rainwater harvesting and water purification options.
- Plan Power — learn about solar, batteries, and off-grid electricity.
- Plan Shelter — understand the practical considerations of building a functional homestead.
- Grow Food — explore gardens and food production.
- Add Livestock — learn about livestock requirements, feed, and space.
- Build Self-Sufficiency — put the pieces together into a functioning homestead.
What’s Happening at the Homestead
Follow along as we build, test, fix, learn, and improve.
🏠 CABIN BUILD
Currently underway — follow along as the build progresses.
💧 WATER
Installing a shallow well to supply water for the livestock.
🐔 LIVESTOCK
Building a secure, predator-proof poultry run and coop. Watch the build.
Real Homesteading. Real Lessons.
Homesteading isn’t a checklist you finish. It’s a constant process of learning, adapting, fixing, and improving. We share the successes, mistakes, and practical lessons we run into along the way.
- Off-Grid Site Survey: Why It’s Essential Before You Build
- Percolation Testing: What We Learned Before Installing Septic
- Chasing Down Building Permits: Zoning, Well & Septic
- Building a Gravel Driveway: A Step-by-Step Breakdown
- Pastured Poultry: Our Affordable Protein Source
Follow the Homestead
The homestead is still being built. Follow along for new projects, lessons learned, practical tips, and behind-the-scenes updates from life on the land.
Topics of Interest
From your first solar panel to your first harvest, here’s where to start.
01
Getting Started
A complete step-by-step guide to going off-grid, from land to livestock.
02
Solar & Energy
Build and size a reliable off-grid solar system, from panels to battery backup.
04
Mental Health
Off-grid life brings real stress and real rewards. A few honest reflections on staying grounded through the transition.
05
Life Transitions
Not ready to go fully off-grid? Practical middle-ground options for a more self-sufficient life without an all-or-nothing move.
06
Personal Blog
Every article we’ve published, all in one place — solar, water, livestock, land, and everything in between.
