Inexpensive Retreats

It seems like there are quite a few of us who simply don't have the resources to go out and buy full blow retreat. I've been trying to think of a way around the most expensive parts of this for a while now. With enough patience and research it looks like it's possible to pick up remote land for $1k an acre or less.

So my question is, has any looked into any of the renewable building techniques as a method of building their own cabin/retreat? I've done some research on strawbale and cob, but I've really been impressed with earthbag building. Seems amazingly cheap, modular, fireproof, termite proof, easy to heat, and (considering you're left with 1-2 ft thick rock walls) extremely secure.

Thoughts? Anyone else pursued this line of thought? Anything I'm missing (other then the fact that I just sort of glossed over the hours of manual labor involved [ROFL2])?

A guy I know lives on a mesa in southern colorado, and lives in a hogan that he built. pretty dang cool. totally off of the grid. Definitely not easy to get there, but really puts you out in the middle of nowhere. Made me and my lady think about getting some land eventually and doing something similar and just having a cool place you can go every once and a while to decompress

A few picts of his setup here: http://medicinewheelmesas.com/photo_album.html

Here's a pic i took of it

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_F2jad0jf5kc/TJ...oodtrip_16.png

I looked into that idea awhile back. Most places won't allow a structure without sewer,electric, etc. and code enforcements. A simple structure was affordable but to develop everything else was astronomical. I suppose you could try and get out in the middle of nowhere and try to build something but I don't know if that's what your after. I know there's folks who have done it and kept under the radar but they're living very primitively.

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Originally Posted by ghettodub

A guy I know lives on a mesa in southern colorado, and lives in a hogan that he built. pretty dang cool. totally off of the grid. Definitely not easy to get there, but really puts you out in the middle of nowhere. Made me and my lady think about getting some land eventually and doing something similar and just having a cool place you can go every once and a while to decompress

A few picts of his setup here: http://medicinewheelmesas.com/photo_album.html

Here's a pic i took of it

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_F2jad0jf5kc/TJ...oodtrip_16.png

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Wow -that's just too cool. Thanks for pics.

Very cool! Personally I'm looking for land up in park county or up in wyoming just to have a place to be able to vacation, hunt and retreat too. Power is too far away from where I'm looking, so I'd be off grid anyway. I'm still trying to figure out what would be required in terms of building codes.

If you put it up fast enough, and it is remote enough, maybe you can just ignore the building codes. ;)

I've got almost 13 acres in a remote area... nothing there but forest and a small clearing right now. It was a bit more than the $1000/acre figure, but not much. It borders a BLM Wilderness Study area, so there is literally nothing but open wilderness on that side.

1st issue is a well- the county won't approve any building permits unless you either have a well or a letter from a well driller saying they can't get you water... having water is a good thing, so at some point I'll try to get a well drilled.

2nd is the POA (which they have considered disbanding due to "lack of interest" among other things). They have minimum building standards- not sure how cheap you could build and adhere to them... not sure on county standards

There is the idea of like a time-share/co-op method.. if you're not looking to use it more than 4 weeks a year, it's sitting vacant for the other 11 months.. if someone had an LLC that owned the property, and Officers/members of the LLC bought in by investing/building on the property, and all Officers/members had access- just have to work out scheduling, etc.. 12 people each investing $5k would pool $60k, enough for well, septic, and probably a basic structure- but solar/wind system could blow the budget quick

Lot's of people years ago were building houses out of tires, soda cans, foam and other materials - Taos New Mexico. Might be some information on the web about the structures down there.

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Originally Posted by ShooterJM

I'm still trying to figure out what would be required in terms of building codes.

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Depending on the square footage, a building permit may not be needed. Here in Clear Creek County, under 200sq ft, a building permit is not required.

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Originally Posted by offgrid

Depending on the square footage, a building permit may not be needed. Here in Clear Creek County, under 200sq ft, a building permit is not required.

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Yeah, our "retreat" in CCC is just one of the large Wooden Tuff shed like structures. It's got a stove, loft, outhouse in back, fire pit. All we need is a well, and we'd be set. That will be an endeavor for the future.

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Originally Posted by hurley842002

Yeah, our "retreat" in CCC is just one of the large Wooden Tuff shed like structures. It's got a stove, loft, outhouse in back, fire pit. All we need is a well, and we'd be set. That will be an endeavor for the future.

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This is what is on our land, except including a well. 300 acres and NO DAMN PRAIRIE DOGS!

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Originally Posted by Stuart

This is what is on our land, except including a well. 300 acres and NO DAMN PRAIRIE DOGS!

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300 acres sure would be nice, ours is only 40, a heavily forested 40.

320 acre, but it is near Pawnee, so there are right around zero trees. Doh! I wish it were wooded. My uncle got 200 acres up in Golden Gate Canyon about 15 years ago for a steal; but he's been selling off plots for a while now. He probably has some for sale if anyone is interested.

This is what I've been researching. Looks like Park county is out due to the builidng codes, but I'm waiting on confirmation of that.

http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/projects/hart.htm


Same basic concept anyway. Although I won't do domes and will change other items (like windows, foundations, venting, etc)

I've seen some really cool stuff that my grandpa showed me, but I don't remember the website. I think it was something like spaceship earth, but when you google that, you just get Disney stuff. These homes were built out of tires filled with dirt, don't have any space wasting domes, and are just like a normal house inside. I'll look around and see if I can find them because they are very cool.

Also, people have moved on from packed earth tire homes (dirt packed into tires) to just using bails made out of shredded tires and bailed together with wire.

EDIT: Here is the one that I remember: http://www.touchtheearthranch.com/picstory1.htm click through the pages.
And here is the even better, more normal looking house: http://216.120.254.141/testimonials/...ire-house-tour

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Originally Posted by Stuart

I've seen some really cool stuff that my grandpa showed me, but I don't remember the website. I think it was something like spaceship earth, but when you google that, you just get Disney stuff. These homes were built out of tires filled with dirt, don't have any space wasting domes, and are just like a normal house inside. I'll look around and see if I can find them because they are very cool.

Also, people have moved on from packed earth tire homes (dirt packed into tires) to just using bails made out of shredded tires and bailed together with wire.

EDIT: Here is the one that I remember: http://www.touchtheearthranch.com/picstory1.htm click through the pages.
And here is the even better, more normal looking house: http://216.120.254.141/testimonials/...ire-house-tour

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Earthships- A few here in CO. The big community is out of Prescott, AZ (I think). Yep a bunch in Taos too.

Cool sandbag info, got my wheels turning. Wondered for a while now about Hesco Bastions Concerntainers that our military uses. They are also used a lot back in Louisiana for levees, erosion and such. I think you could make a damn fine and dandy house with those. Bullet resistant, bomb resistant, radiation resistant, you name it. Throw some stucco, adobe, shotcrete, whatever...that could be down right homey.

http://www.hesco.com/

I've been looking for a rustic cabin (big enough for my family of four) with a well (preferably a hand pump) and a few acres, abutting a national park, preferably near a brook or stream and away from primary roads. Probably too much to ask, but I'd also like neighbors who act like neighbors, i.e. no low-lifes. My biggest concern, after cost, is that this place would sit empty virtually year-round, without a caretaker and possibly a tempting target for thieves or vandals. Would look forward to hearing from anyone who knows a place that might fit this description.

I have a friend who has a family cabin that abuts a national park. It is a nice place (3 stories) and is left vacant for most of the year (I think), and I haven't heard of any issues with vandals or thieves. Just to give you some confidence.

You might take a look at the following link. I don't know what it contains, but back in the 70s and 80s there was a magazine with the same name that was great. I have issues 1-100. A lot of the stuff is outdated now, but at the time.....Too, if you were used to the "old" TMEN, you probably didn't like the mag after it was sold. It turned into a commercial magazine. I have seen some back-issues on ebay.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/

Enjoy,

Dave

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Originally Posted by Cujo0920

I've been looking for a rustic cabin (big enough for my family of four) with a well (preferably a hand pump) and a few acres, abutting a national park, preferably near a brook or stream and away from primary roads. Probably too much to ask, but I'd also like neighbors who act like neighbors, i.e. no low-lifes. My biggest concern, after cost, is that this place would sit empty virtually year-round, without a caretaker and possibly a tempting target for thieves or vandals. Would look forward to hearing from anyone who knows a place that might fit this description.

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Yeah there's some cheap land down in costilla county, but I've heard a lot of horror stories about how people are treated and rampant vandalism.