We made it! If you have been following this diary you will know what an adventure it has been! It all started back in 2001 when I first heard about Earthships and took me on a long search that spanned several countries and almost a decade of time. I had a lot to learn before I was ready to build, and I don't mean technically! It takes a certain wisdom, patience, and perseverance that comes with having experience with life and with people to be able to self-build successfully. I have seen several people build and have a really terrible time in the process. This was almost always because of the way they had either set up the whole build in terms of planning and execution, or because of communication and personal issues. I have learned a lot during my build experiences, and have tried a few different approaches to the whole self-build idea. I would like to share with you some of the most important things that I can offer you as a potential self-builder.
1. Do It As A Community
There are so many reasons to recommend you to work with others to self-build. A community can be just a few people, the main point is to not try to self-build alone! As many of you know, that is exactly what I did and although I was successful, I really had to pay the price for such a long and hard journey. It is so much easier to do things as a group. You can do this by joining an existing community or starting to build somewhere new with a few of you. Working in a group really helps to bring more energy to each other as all the dynamics of the group play out. I must say that working with friends and volunteers was always much more rewarding and fun than employing people to 'do the job'.
The amount of money you can save by working together as a group is quite significant. It is very stressful to employ a workforce only to do no work all day because you have some problem or missing item that is stopping work. It's usually labour charges that take the budget over and above what people have planned for, since there are always things that you didn't foresee, especially on a first-time build. I found it was actually helpful to work slowly, as and when people were able to work, rather than have an expensive team and be forced to work too quickly. It gave me time to assess and look at everything and think. There were many occasions when I was able to tweak or fix something because we hadn't done too much work yet. 'Undoing' cement is not something that you will ever enjoy trying to do!
When you work together as a community, not only will you forge amazing friendships, but you will also have some lovely neighbours to hang out with. Many of us who self-build do so in remote locations, and whilst that can be a very good decision, it can be a lonely world once everyone leaves and you are left with your creation but not many people to share it with. I have seen a few people end up selling because they were too remote and with kids but not enough going on as they got older.
2. Start Small
Even if you plan to build something quite big eventually, it is always best to start small and then expand on it. You will learn a lot during your build, and so its best to make any mistakes and learning during a small part of the total build. Then when you do continue, you can apply what you have learned and save a lot of time and money. I don't think many people would say that if they had a chance to build again that they wouldn't do anything differently!
We don't really need that much floor space to be comfortable and happy. I would much rather have a smaller house and a bit more land and balcony space than huge rooms that need lots of cleaning and maintenance.
3. A Good Plan
You are going to need some help or at least consultation to help you plan your eco home. Whilst there are many resources on the Internet, every situation is different, and someone with experience will be able to help you foresee and prevent any major problems. An expert can provide you with options and the pros and cons of each. There is no perfect house, and we all have our individual needs and preferences. Therefore a good plan is something that will take a lot of thinking and careful pre-planning and future proofing. The plan needs to be spot on and right from the start! The best time to fix a problem is when you are planning it! ;-)
4. Plan to not have tight deadlines
When you plan your eco home build you should also be thinking about how you will be managing to live whilst you build. Try to avoid renting expensive accommodation under the assumption that you won't have to rent for long. Projects almost always go over time and it is one of the biggest sources of stress in any project. If you are working with volunteers and community then time is generally less of an issue since you don't have to deal with every hour costing too much money.
5. Try to do it without a loan!
Money and time are the sources of the most stress during and after any self-build. If you have to take a loan you are most likely going to be putting a lot of pressure on yourself after your finish so that you can pay back the loan. That is probably the last thing you want to be doing once you are finally self sufficient! Therefore I would recommend taking a break and earning some money and then restarting over taking a loan. Keeping your stress levels down is too important to compromise.
6. Location, Location, Location
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This should probably be first! I spent 10 years searching for my spot. It may take time, but considering you are going to be living in this location for many years it's worth getting right! This can be a hard decision, and sometimes we don't even know what we are looking for. What I can tell you is that if the location you are considering doesn't make you very excited, then it might not be the right spot!
7. Have a Clear Vision of what you want your life to be like!
It feels like every point in this list should be first! Your clear vision is what is going to be your guide and compass for all your decisions. Having a clear vision is SO important to even getting started. I would like to link you to Chapter 2 in the remarkable diary where I describe a process that I highly recommend to help you decide what your world will look like in 5 years.
The Remarkable Diary of an Eco Builder Part 3: HOW TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING IN LIFE!
https://steemit.com/life/@eco-alex/the-remarkable-diary-of-an-eco-builder-part-3-how-to-accomplish-anything-in-life
8. Put Setbacks into Perspective
Not everything is going to go right. You're not going to achieve everything you had planned or desired. In the end, you'll get the important things and the little losses will pale into insignificance. Besides, many things can be changed at some time in the future. Don't lose sight of the big picture.
9. Stay involved – Self-build your self build!
Finally, have an active part in your Self Build project. This doesn’t mean you have to help with heavy work, but take an interest and understand each stage before and as it is happening. Remember, only you know exactly what you want, which means you need to be looking and understanding what is going on. This is a great help when it comes to continuing work or performing maintenance. You can fix things yourself and even build again without nearly as much technical support.
A Few Parting Words
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ozbornea/8417903366
I am so happy Steemit gave me the opportunity to write down my eco build diary. It was such an incredible journey, and now I have been able to re-live it and remember so many details whilst writing it. Living off-grid is something that changes you from the inside out. You can't really understand what it feels like to be independent of the system and all the bills and stress that is causes. It is only once you unplug and remove yourself from the modern way of living that you start to truly understand what self-sufficient living is all about. You can reclaim your life, your time, your soul, and your birthright. This is the way forward for so many of us who do not desire great material gains, but just want a peaceful and rich life with family and friends.
There is no greater security than being self-sufficient and without debt. This journey will bring you a degree of freedom and safety that many are struggling so hard to find. What greater gift can you give to your children then to be able to leave them with a totally self-sufficient home that could keep them happy and healthy for the whole of their lives and beyond!
Thank you so much for sharing this journey with me! I will be writing about my first workshop next! It didn't take me long to start building whilst teaching, and I took on the challenge of building a small room in just two weeks with only volunteers with no experience! After spending 3 years creating Earthship Karuna, it would be a sharp contrast to building something incredibly simple and in just two weeks! Did we succeed? You'll have to read the next story! ;-)
MISSED A PART?
CATCH UP ON PARTS 1-11 HERE:
Part 1: The creation of my life's dream, a totally off-grid self sufficient home - Earthship Karuna
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Part 2: The dream was born.
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Part 3: How to accomplish anything in life!
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Part 4: Finding My Spot in India at Last! The Journey Ends and Starts!
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Part 5: A plan and vision was born
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Part 6: We Start Building!
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Part 7: The 200 Ft Tree Challenge!
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Part 8: The Show Must Go On!
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Part 9: I love it when a plan comes together!
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Part 10: Interior Design!
- Part 11: The big reveal, earthship karuna is complete! The remarkable diary of an eco builder
