Survival Retreat Consulting: How to Lead your Family to a Secure Homestead in Rural America, Part Three – Rural Homesteads and Survival Property Key Search Criteria

How to Lead your Family to a Secure Homestead in Rural America, Part One – Introduction

How to Lead your Family to a Secure Homestead in Rural America, Part Two – Personal Threat Assessment

Many individuals make the mistake of taking a vacation to what they believe to be the ideal retreat location and spend countless hours driving aimlessly without knowing if they are even in the best area for their personal criteria. Maybe someone recommended “Rural Town USA” as the place to be! They contact a random real estate agent and spend a day or two looking at properties that don’t meet their needs, only to return home exhausted and frustrated.

Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance! Although we’ve all heard this adage, few people take it to heart, even when it comes to acquiring a rural homestead or survival property. Here are the basic steps you should take before looking for a property.

The key elements and questions to consider in-depth for any retreat property search are:

• Buy Land and Build or existing Home w/ Land
• Region and Locale Choice
• Location (and Access)
• Property Attributes
  • Landscape (Soils, Terrain & Topography)
  • Water (Main and Secondary)
  • Energy Creation (Grid and Alternative)
  • Food Production (Animal and Plant)
  • Defensibility

Before delving into the enjoyable aspects of searching for a property, the most crucial factor to consider is the location of the retreat and the specific area it is situated in. This decision is typically the first step in the search process and, in conjunction with your personal threat assessment, is often responsible for your long-term success and contentment.

As we previously covered under the Personal Threat Assessment section it’s also important to ensure that the locale suits your personality and preferences. You should ask yourself questions like: Who are you? What do you believe in? What kind of activities do you enjoy? Are you single, married, or do you have children? If so, how old are they? Does the area provide everything that your children will need as they grow up? And the most important question, “Do the locals share your values and beliefs?”. Would you be willing to work closely with these people to establish a new community in the event of a collapse?

If a collapse scenario happens, would the property be able to meet the needs of its inhabitants? What about balance? The property should be a ‘no regrets’ acquisition balancing survival/sustainability with the location, aesthetics and overall feel of the land and home. Meaning, if nothing ever transpires and you find yourself sitting on your front porch with your significant other twenty-five years from now, sipping tea and watching the sunset over the mountains, you won’t have any regrets!

Buy Land and Build or existing Home w/ Land:

Choosing between vacant land and a home can present a challenging aspect of the property search process. It is important to bear in mind that while a home can be renovated, the land is permanent, and it should meet your requirements as it will ultimately determine how self-sufficient your property can be.

For those with budget constraints, finding the best land within a predetermined price range is critical. There will be compromises but overall should not be a major issue depending upon locale of choice (market prices). Overspending on land can compromise the capital needed for essential improvements. Remember, accounting for a well, septic and grid power and/or off grid system may be a significant cost based upon the locale chosen.

Those with the financial means and building expertise to create their dream retreat, acquiring the perfect parcel of land is a top priority. Purchasing a home can be more complicated, as a beautiful home may be situated on unsuitable land for prepping purposes. Although an attractive home is significant, ensuring that the property can sustain you, your family or group in the long run is essential. Don’t make the mistake of choosing a home over land, only to regret it later.

Region and Locale Selection: 

This task is among the most crucial in the rural property search criteria, as it can determine success or failure in both prosperous and challenging times. Although many regions and locales may be suitable for short-term use with ample resources and personnel on the retreat site, we generally advise clients to exclude any areas on the West Coast and east of the Mississippi River.

Night Map = Population Density

Joel Skousen, author of ‘Strategic Relocation’, outlines many criteria such as population density (the most crucial), crime and demographics, ongoing socio-economic and political problems, hazardous sites, and nuclear targets, all of which, in our view, generally support the ‘no safe haven’ hypothesis on the West Coast or East of the Mississippi. If work or family require you to stay inside these regions, then SRC is happy to help work within your unique criteria to find the best possible rural or survival property.

Location and Access: The location of your property holds significant importance. Joel Skousen advises being about 5 miles from a small town and 2 miles from the main road, but strictly following this rule may cause you to miss out on properties that would be perfect for you. In our experience, the town’s location and the property’s features should determine the ideal distance from the city limits. For example, following the 5/2 rule may put you within the National Forest. It’s essential to consider the town’s demographics and establish your own standards for the optimal location and distance, especially with growing children.

Property Attributes: Landscape:

When searching for a self-sufficient property, it’s easy to overlook the importance of the landscape. While water, energy, food, and defense are vital, the appearance and feel of the property can significantly impact your ability to create a sustainable and fulfilling life. When scouting a property, consider your initial impressions of the landscape according to your personal criteria. Mountains / meadows, prairie / grasslands, forests, oceanside, swamp, desert, or tropical landscape.

Should the property have trees, undergrowth, grass, meadows, prairie, caves, springs, stream, river, lake, rocky outcroppings, hillsides, mountains, et cetera? Does it give you a sense of tranquility or make you feel uneasy? Although it may seem like a mystical concept, rural property owners come to recognize the value of this aspect. Practical considerations are also crucial. Even though nearly any property can be made sustainable, it may not be suitable for your preferences if it doesn’t match your aesthetic taste. Once you’ve established that you like the property’s general look and feel, perform a site evaluation.

For example, evaluate whether the property has enough elevation change for your hydro-system, south to south-west facing terrain for solar systems and food production, whether the terrain is suitable for a man-made pond or lake, can the acreage support animals (not too steep and with sufficient pasture to rotate), and whether there is enough space for additional structures, a shooting range, a greenhouse, and other necessary improvements.

Finally, consider whether the soil is appropriate for your intended food production or if soil will need to be imported from a local vendor for the garden and greenhouse. Unless a large farm operation is planned, most clients import organic soil for the homestead.

By taking the time to evaluate these factors, you can choose a property that not only meets your practical needs but also provides you with a landscape you’ll enjoy living on for years to come and pass on as a ‘legacy property’ to future generations.

Property Attributes: Water

A main source of fresh water is just like oxygen for survival and should always be the number one priority. Be careful when considering a property unless you have on-site access to some form of fresh renewable water such as a drilled water well on the property and under your private control or the ability to drill a well that is not too deep.

It is also important to actively search for secondary water sources not only as a backup in case the primary source, such as local municipality source or a private well, becomes unusable, but also to provide additional water for food production if needed.

Most rural properties for sale will already have either a drilled water well (75 feet or deeper hopefully) or a hand-dug shallow well/spring with a cistern. A few will utilize surface water such as a creek, stream, or spring-fed pond, even a river or lake for the domestic water source. These are acceptable.

SRC evaluated year-round stream for a prospective hydropower project in Montana

When it comes to surface water, gravity-fed spring or diverted stream water into a cistern storage tank.  It is always better to have a year-round surface water source than a local municipality source as they can be utilized without the use of power for a well pump.

Wells can always be drilled later once building begins. It is never advisable to haul water from off-site, as happens in some regions like northern Arizona. There are alternative building styles like the Earthships that integrate rain catchment and surface water to reuse for domestic, gray and black water. Earthships are unique both esthetically and practically and are a great design for those seeking a more eco-sustainable solution to prepping.

Water Rights: Many times, buyers and their agents overlook ensuring the property has state issued rights to both surface and subsurface water, where applicable. These include well adjudication, hydropower and storage for domestic and firefighting as well as fish propagation among others. SRC can help investigate these aspects during your property search and acquisition.

Why Alternative Energy?

Utilizing alternative energy sources is a crucial step towards achieving self-sufficiency and independence. Relying solely on the power grid is risky and can leave homesteaders vulnerable to power outages, especially during natural disasters or other emergencies. By incorporating solar, hydropower, and generators, homesteaders can ensure a consistent and reliable source of energy to operate the homestead infrastructure, even in the absence of the power grid.

Solar energy is one of the most popular alternative energy sources. Solar can significantly reduce or even eliminate (based on system size and design) reliance on the power grid. Furthermore, solar energy systems are relatively low-maintenance and the new generation battery storage systems have a long lifespan, making them a cost-effective investment. Hydropower is the most reliable source on the market and will be reviewed later.

Generators are also an important backup option for homesteaders. While solar and hydro systems can provide consistent and reliable energy, there may be times when they are not sufficient, such as during extended periods of cloudy weather, during maintenance or damage (sabotage or weather related). By having a backup generator, homesteaders can ensure that they have access to electricity even in the absence of their primary energy sources.

In addition to the practical benefits of alternative energy sources, homesteaders who are free of the power grid are also free from government control. They are not subject to power outages caused by government-mandated shutdowns, sabotage or political factors. This can provide a sense of security and peace of mind for homesteaders who value their independence and self-sufficiency.

In conclusion, utilizing alternative energy sources like solar, hydro and generators is a crucial step for homesteaders who want to achieve self-sufficiency and independence and keep the infrastructure running all year regardless of outside factors.

Small solar array in the PNW

Energy Creation: Solar Power and Battery Storage

Living off the grid with an off-grid solar and battery system is a self-sufficient way of powering a home without any connection to the main electrical grid. It can be a major lifestyle change for those accustomed to grid-tied electricity. To live in a home with an off-grid solar system, several components are required. These include a solar array, a solar charge controller, a battery bank, an AC/DC inverter, and a generator with automatic control.

The solar array in an off-grid solar system needs to be larger than a grid-tied solar array to produce enough electricity to power all daily home needs plus extra energy for recharging the battery. A critical aspect of designing a completely off-grid energy system is to size the solar array to produce at least two day’s worth of electricity during one day of charging. Since the solar charging window may only be four or five hours during the day, maximizing the solar array size is essential for efficient off-grid solar system design.

HydroPower

Hydropower is the best source of alternative and sustainable form of energy generation. Hydropower operates around the clock, making it a favorite among preppers. Additionally, you can potentially use a portion of the penstock water flow to create a gravity-fed freshwater system for your home, and the tail water from the hydro-system can be utilized to feed a stocked pond for a fresh source of fish, firefighting water storage and backup water for the farmstead (depending upon the state and local regulations). SRC can help with this type of due diligence and permit application professionals for hydropower installation.

The design of the solar-powered system and the batteries mentioned earlier can be integrated with a hydropower system. It’s ideal to find a property that can support a mix of solar, hydro, and backup generator power to account for all potential contingencies, including downtime for maintenance, infrastructure damage from weather events or sabotage and cloudy weather (solar only). SRC are experts at searching and evaluating land for hydropower systems.

Contact SRC for more information and a custom consulting package to secure a hydro powered property.

Heating Options for Rural Homes:

When it comes to heating your home in a rural area, it’s important to have several options installed in the home. Two is one, and one is none, as we all know.

Wood-fired stoves (including cook stoves): In many colder regions of rural America, standalone wood-fired stoves are the primary source of heat in homesteads. They don’t require electricity to heat or cook food, making them a preferred off-grid heating method.

Wood-fired boiler hydronic system: These heaters are located outside the building they heat, usually in small sheds with short smokestacks. They burn wood to heat liquid (water or water-antifreeze mix) that is piped to provide hydronic floor heat and separate domestic hot water to occupied buildings like homes, barns, and greenhouses. While they typically use wood, they can also use other biomass fuels like corn or wood pellets.

Geothermal: A geothermal cooling and heating system has three main components: the heat-pump unit, the liquid heat-exchange medium (open or closed loop), and the air-delivery system (ductwork) and/or the radiant heating (in the floor or elsewhere). In winter, fluid circulating through the system’s earth loop or well absorbs stored heat from the ground and carries it indoors. The indoor unit compresses the heat to a higher temperature and distributes it throughout the building, as if it were an air conditioner running in reverse. In summer, the geothermal HVAC system pulls heat from the building and carries it through the earth loop/pump to a reinjection well, where it deposits the heat into the cooler earth/aquifer.

Rocket Mass Heater: A rocket stove mass heater is an innovative and efficient space heating system developed from the rocket stove, a hyper-efficient wood-burning stove dating back millennia in concept. Wood is gravity fed into a ‘J-shaped’ combustion chamber, from where the hot gases enter a heavily insulated metal or fire-brick vertical secondary combustion chamber. The exhaust then passes along horizontal metal ducting embedded within a massive cob thermal store, which retains heat for many hours and often forms part of the building’s structure. They’re self-built and not yet recognized by all building codes. Regardless of the heating system you choose, it’s important to have options that don’t rely on power. That way, you can stay warm and comfortable even during grid or alternative power system outages and other emergencies.

Food Production:

It is essential to have a sustainable food production plan in place before a disaster strikes. A rural homestead with a well-established food production system will be a valuable asset in such a scenario. Arriving at a sealed bug-out property with only dehydrated food and a seed bank will make it challenging to get up and running, especially during the winter season. Therefore, having a greenhouse and climate-controlled billeting for additional personnel is crucial.

Before a major disaster it’s essential to find ways to raise animals and grow fresh food year-round, especially during the winter season. For full-time homesteaders an effective solution is to build an aquaponics system in a greenhouse, which allows for year-round food production. Aquaponics is a sustainable system that integrates plant and fish cultures in an aquatic media. Fish waste serves as a nutrient source for the plants, which, in turn, filter and purify the water for the fish. This symbiotic relationship offers several benefits over traditional farming methods. Aquaponics uses 90% less water, produces crops faster and at a higher density, requires no fertilizer or chemical pesticides, and offers a supplemental protein source.

Greenhouses:

Gardens are a given attribute of any homestead and will not be discussed in this guide. However, greenhouses are a fantastic way to extend the growing season in many rural environments, protect plants from pests, and increase yield. While traditional greenhouse designs have been in use for centuries, advanced greenhouse designs have emerged in recent years, providing even more benefits for rural homesteaders.

One such design is the Walipini, which is a partially underground greenhouse that uses passive solar heating and cooling techniques to maintain a stable temperature year-round. The Walipini design was developed in the high-altitude regions of Bolivia, and its underground construction allows it to take advantage of the earth’s thermal mass to regulate temperature. Most homesteaders incorporate wood fired hydronic heating into all greenhouses regardless of designs to ensure a backup heat source in extreme weather patterns.

Additionally, geodesic domes are becoming increasingly popular for their ability to maximize growing space while reducing energy costs. These dome-shaped greenhouses are made up of interconnected triangles that create a strong, stable structure that can withstand high winds and heavy snow loads. They also allow for excellent air circulation, which helps prevent disease and pest infestations.

Furthermore, vertical farming is gaining traction as an innovative way to grow plants in a limited space. This type of greenhouse involves stacking multiple layers of plants on top of each other in a controlled environment, allowing for higher crop yields while using less water and fewer pesticides. In conclusion, these advanced greenhouse designs are transforming the way we grow plants and offer a range of benefits to growers, including improved efficiency, reduced energy costs, and increased crop yields.

Hügelkultur Beds:

A Sustainable Gardening Technique and Defensive attribute

Hügelkultur, a traditional farming technique from Eastern Europe and Germany, involves using fallen branches and logs as a valuable resource. This method is widely used in permaculture systems and provides a range of benefits. By mimicking the nutrient cycling of natural woodland, hügelkultur garden beds, ditches, and swales help to retain moisture on site, build soil fertility, improve drainage, and utilize woody debris that would otherwise go to waste. They can also be molded into hidden defensive fighting positions.

Hügelkultur beds and mounds can serve a dual purpose of not only supporting plant growth for food production and privacy, but also providing a strategic advantage for defense by guiding vehicles and personnel to designated ambush locations on a property. Small trees and a variety of berry producing species work well for food and concealment.

This design has been widely adopted by many of our clients who have found it to be highly effective. Once vegetation, both perennial and seasonal, has taken root, the mounds blend in seamlessly with the surrounding natural terrain, making them almost imperceptible.

Hügelkultur is a versatile technique suitable for a range of locations, especially those that present challenges for gardeners. For instance, properties with compacted soils, limited moisture, or poor drainage can be significantly improved using hügelkultur. The hügelkultur bed is essentially a large, layered compost pile covered with growing medium where garden plants are planted. SRC recommends that the height be between four and six feet.

During the first year after purchase, it’s recommended to prepare the bed several months before planting time, allowing the bed to “cure.” For example, in temperate northern climates, prepare the bed in the fall for a spring planting. However, hügelkultur beds can also be planted immediately. After the first year they will become integrated into the terrain and can be formed into defensive positions as well. Hügelkultur is an effective, sustainable gardening technique that utilizes natural resources to create healthy, productive garden beds. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or a beginner, hügelkultur is a valuable technique to consider for your garden.

A picture of home canned goods and local honey.

Homestead Animal Husbandry:

Raising homestead animals, including beef or dairy cows, goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, rabbits, quail, ducks, and of course our favorite honeybees is a complex task that requires significant effort. The realization that these animals will ultimately provide for one’s survival makes this endeavor all the more critical. Unlike children, who can be left with a caretaker during a date night or vacation, animals demand constant attention, care, and protection. Feeding, watering, milking, and egg harvesting are just some of the tasks that cannot be neglected and cultivating solid neighbor relationships is essential when help is needed.

The infrastructure required will depend upon your geographical location, terrain and of course weather throughout the year. Water, food, shelters and related structures and fencing to keep them in and keep predators out. SRC recommends both dogs and alpacas to watch over and protect the animals year-round.

Staring out with chickens and a couple goats that can be used to eat the underbrush on the property and clean it up for future improvement and use is an easy way to break into homesteading. You may also get a colony of honeybees the first year, as they are not too much work. Once the goats have completed their job they can be harvested for meat, and they are tasty, especially marinated and grilled.

In conclusion, regardless of whether the property is intended to serve as a bug-out survival property for occasional remote vacations and hunting trips, or as a full-time rural family homestead, there are four vital criteria that must be met. These include having access to a plentiful primary and/or secondary source of fresh water, terrain that can facilitate alternative energy, year-round food production, and defensive characteristics.

Contact Survival Retreat Consulting to schedule a conference call about your unique situation.

In Part IV we will cover Retreat Security and Defense.