Off-Grid : On-Grid

 

'Off-Grid : On-Grid' - make up your mind! No, I have not joined the power-hungry lunatics at the top of the pile. The heading may sound paradoxically, so I will explain. Here in England we are miles behind those in the US and Canada who have for decades been 'preppers' and who have gone much further in 'Off-Grid Living'. It is thus logical to study what is being done in the US and Canada. Having studied this for a while I can see the overall picture better, and maybe we could go some way to catching up with them. 

One of the warnings given over going off-grid is that it would be far wiser to start this before actually moving into the wilds. This gave me an idea, since being much older I have little chance of actually going the whole way - until, of course, I am forced to do so. Even then I would be hard pushed to take such a step in one go; we all would but when younger this would be far easier. There is a viable alternative, which I am going to go into here. It is also a viable alternative for those with young children; they can use it as an 'adventure' and get used to off-grid living at the same time. This is something for families to consider.

What I have decided to do is to put up a shed at the bottom of the garden, a shed big enough for me to use for practice, that is for an 'overnighter' first, and then longer periods actually living in it. If there were problems the house is there to use if needed, and all amenities, though the idea would be to make it totally 'off-grid' in regard to energy, water, and heating. This would be the first move to make, thus getting used to not having the amenities of the 'grid'. I would also alternate between the shed and roughing it in the woodlands. 

My first plan was to build a log-shelter since I have access to some logs, but this would take a long time, and without the experience would be hard work. This would also have been an open shelter of some kind. Far easier to buy a shed and put it up myself, and I have already cleared a space at the bottom of the garden, next to the stream (water in the winter). This would not be a very big shed, but that may be the better bet since the bigger it is the more it can be seen for what it is. This is a point to remember since the world is full of 'State Spies' and it could be deemed a 'dwelling'. Keep it secret - Keep it safe! Telling others what you are doing would create future problems.

The shed can thus have the following as a minimum -

• Some form of heating, such as Calor Gas, or better still a wood-stove which need only be small for such a small space. (Either way it is best to put a Carbon Monoxide Tester in the shed.) This would be enough for the heating, although a back-up could be at hand just in case. With a wood-stove care would be needed in ensuring the chimney does not leak into the building. 
• A wood-store would be best made near to the shed so that it is easy to get wood, even in the wind and rain. (For those better off, sheds can be bought with an integral wood-store nowadays.)
• A battery and solar-panel(s) - lighting can be done on a 12v system which is in fact safer and easier to put together. LED lights can be used on this system. Wind-power should be the next on the agenda, but this is a bit more expensive. Just a small type used on boats etc. would be sufficient I would imagine. In both cases a bit of mathematics (don't ask me) would be the best way to work out what you need. A permanent solar-panel could be put on the roof, but an alternative would be one fixed on a structure near the shed, facing south and being made so as to allow the panel(s) to be turned around as the Sun moves, and also up and down to cater for the seasonal shift of the Sun. 
• A small petrol (or diesel which is more expensive) generator could be used, enough to power small tools or even a kettle etc. A good supply of petrol should be held for this. This would solve problems with lack of power through the solar panels not producing enough at times, or the wind-power not producing at other times. I have a Clarke 1200 Watt generator which has been used for about three years or more now, and is sufficient to do the tasks I want at the moment, though a more powerful one could come in handy in the future. It is not too dear and not too loud either. The generator could be used in an emergency for lighting or heating.
• A sink can be fitted into the shed, with the waste water running outside, preferably into some form of container to be able to reuse this. This would mean using eco-friendly soap and washing-up liquid. Also, some form of water-container would be needed to use for washing and washing-up. Water can be pumped in with a small solar-pump (or foot-pump as a back-up). This would come from a food-grade container outside. 
• Drinking-Water - some form of container would be needed for this too, and also a filtration system and purification system. Rainwater could be collected, which is a very wise move, and if a clean polythene sheet is used to collect the water this would need far less cleaning and purifying. Water from a gutter would be used for washing, but even this should be filtered and treated if possible. The best way for this to be done would be through a rolling-boil for one minute. Purification tablets can be used, or even iodine or chlorine (bleach), but the latter way should be done with extreme caution after finding out the very small amounts to use. (Chlorine is already in our water, and can be smelt and tasted; even this is not so good for us.) The best way by far is to have a stainless-steel (or aluminium which is not quite so good) saucepan large enough to boil a good measure of water that can be then stored for later use. 
• Some form of bed (beds) could be put in, doubling as seating at the same time. The bed could be simply a mattress on top of base-units, these being storage-units for the stuff you leave in the shed. 
• Cooking Facilities - Some form of cooker will be needed inside the shed, and this will have to be down to how much it will be used. It would have to double as an emergency cooking area though to be of any use in the long term. A Calor-Gas cooker would be fine, although this must be one suited to indoor use. An alternative would be to fix some form of porch along the front of the shed (if there is room) and to build some form of safe barbecue under this. It would still be best to have an indoor gas-cooker of some kind to do small cooking tasks in the cold, wet winters. For an oven a small Dutch Oven would be perfect for an individual, or a larger one for a family. 

I think this gives some idea on what I am getting at here; this is an ongoing job which can be improved upon with time. However, what I would like to do is to get on with this during this spring-summer so as to get the very basic unit ready for the autumn-winter of 2021-2. 

I have not discussed toilet facilities which are rather more difficult, and there may not be room in the garden; if you have a larger piece of land then there is no problem. There are plenty of ways to make Compost Toilets, which can also be bought. Another thing is washing and a shower; I have used a small £20.00 Solar-Shower to heat water last summer, and this in fact did work quite well (it was a hot, sunny summer though). There are ways to make solar water-heaters with copper pipes, blackened glass etc. and YouTube has some ideas on these. An alternative would be to make some form of wood-stove-boiler which would boil enough water, and keep it hot as the fire goes down. This would be the most efficient since it does not rely upon Sun or Wind. A mixture is always the best anyway. This stage could come after heating water in a large saucepan, as suggested before. 

The way that this would roll out is that the use of the on-grid facilities in the house would become less and less as the work progresses, until such time as the process has got to the stage when the off-grid facilities are enough to be able to survive for a longer time. This may well be found to be more healthy too, since there are many little-known health hazards in modern homes. And one point that should be considered is that we are - through our own personal initiative - doing our bit to heal the wounded planet, and to become truly 'sustainable' into the future, as opposed to Klaus Shwab's con-tricks. 

There is far more to this though, and there are many things that can be done with this project to make life much easier. It is also a point that this is another way to ease the stress and strain of the 'Great Oppression' and to forget about all of the propaganda and get on with something useful that will one day regain our freedom. There are also other things to remember with such a build -

• Food-stocks can be stored in the shed; this would be fine since this is not a 'tool-shed' that remains unheated meaning it become damp over wet periods. Constant use of the wood-burner or stove would ensure this is dry and free from damp and mould. 
• To ensure a dryer shed it would be best to get the best you can, preferably ship-lap rather than the feather-edge type (cheaper type). One thing to remember is that this should be thoroughly treated with some form of oil-based preservative because no matter how much they say about 'treated timber' this will make the shed last much longer. This should, if possible, be done once every year, and this leads to another point before building starts - ensure you can get to all sides of the shed for treating. 
• You can always insulate the shed inside, by putting insulation boards inside a wood-cladding; even if this is not affordable, better to plan to allow this to be done later. There is a point here, and that is that you used to be able to buy Gypsum Plaster-boards with an aluminium side; this would insulate the shed, but turned with the ally-side inwards rather than it should be would act like the mylar-tarps and reflect the heat inwards. Never done this but it could be experimented on. 
• The weakest part of any shed seems always to be the bitumen-felt roof; so ensure this is easy to get at in a later time to renew the felt. 
• Another thing I did not mention (no doubt there are tons more) is a fridge or freezer, which can be run off Propane Gas. There is an alternative to a fridge and that is a small underground food-storage area, since such an area is cool, and even more so in the shade. Consider this before the build since it could be done by digging an underground storage area under the shed, having a trapdoor to access it. This would need thought and also some modification of the shed floor. Thermalite blocks are (I believe) alright for this since I have seen them used in footings of house-builds. These are much lighter than concrete blocks. Such a storage area would have to have some form of lining (like fridges or freezers) that can be cleaned easily. Again this move does without any form of energy-source to run it, and as house-builders in earlier times knew a cellar keeps things cool. This is why today beer-cellars are still used in pubs (or what is left of our pubs). In this case we can actually learn from the past. 
• The building could also be used to house small tools such as drills, hand-saws etc. A cupboard could be used for this either made or bought second-hand somewhere. This would also allow the area to be used as a workshop for doing small craft-projects (to do so the mattress could be lifted off and the area used as a temporary bench). 
• On the subject of cupboards, these can be put up around the walls to hold tinned foods, or home-made preserves (which is the aim), and the utensils needed for cooking. 

There are thus many uses for the 'Off-Grid Shed' -

• An 'Off-Grid' experiment.
• A spiritual retreat for meditation and contemplation.
• A craft-workshop.
• An area to go for peace and quiet. 
• A 'Safe-House' to go to in case you are in the 'doghouse' with the wife after getting home too late from the pub. (Oh no! Can't go to the pub now - there are other things one can do wrong).  Saves sleeping on the landing. 
• An adventure area for the kids to learn how to live Off-Grid. This may prove to be the most important thing you will do since I have no doubt that children would be the most likely problem in making a move Off-Grid. 

These are my own ideas, and no doubt everyone will have their own unique ideas on how they would like to get Off-Grid and become self-reliant and in this way somewhat self-sufficient. For meat-eaters learning to fish, hunt and trap is a must, and for everyone learning to forage wild plants would be a must too. Growing, preserving and cooking are also the main things to learn. And all this takes is a small shed, or maybe an old workshop if you have the land. 

One final point, it would be wiser to put such a building together using bolts and nuts rather than screwing it together as per the usual instructions. The floor can be screwed, but even then it would be best to use some form of screw that is easily removed, and using grease or Vaseline on the threads. I say this because this could be an ongoing project that you may need to move, especially if you move house. Bolted together this takes no time to take apart. Consider the roof too, since this would also need to be made so that it is easy to take apart. This may mean modifying it to suit such a purpose. 

NOTE ***** Here in England you are allowed to go to your shed in the garden! It does not stipulate how many times either! Or how far you can go! The joys of living in a 'free country'.