Category Archives: Shelter

Our “Lights Out” Checklist

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preparing for lights outThe lights go out. What do you do? Let’s assume you’ve already sat there for a few moments, possibly in the dark, and they haven’t come back on yet. Do you know what you need to do in a power outage? Do you know what you need to get? Do you know where everything is located? And, the biggest question, does everyone else in your family also know your plan?

This is our plan, specific to our home. I’m providing it as an example of the items you may want to cover in your own plan. (It’s easy to procrastinate, I’m just now writing down our plan after we’ve been living in this house for over two years.)

LIGHTS OUT CHECKLIST

Is the power really out?

    • Check the fuse box to be sure everything is turned on correctly, and none of the breakers are tripped.
    • Look around the neighborhood, is everyone’s power out?

    Light

    • Get a flashlight and/or headlamp, located near the door in the mudroom.
    • Turn on the battery bank‘s inverter, if necessary reset the inverter (the manual is hanging on the side of the bar refrigerator).
    • If the battery bank doesn’t work, use the 800 amp inverter with the truck’s battery(s)(it’s located in the truck box) — connect it directly to the battery, and run extension cord into house.
    • Unroll the extension cord that’s already attached to the battery bank, it’s located on the wall beside the utility sink in the laundry room. This will be your central power outlet(s).
    • Get the lamp out of Sarah’s office, and the other lamp from the rec room, and put them in central locations.
    • Get the battery-powered lanterns out, located in the black box under the pool table, and put the batteries in them (stored with the lanterns). Put the small red one in the bathroom, keep the larger two available for use where needed.
    • Use caution when choosing to use fire for light. If candles or kerosene lanterns are used, place the fire extinguisher nearby. Long burning candles are in the cupboard in the workshop, kerosene lanterns are on the shelf in the bar.

    Heat

    • Unplug the furnace from the wall and plug it into the battery bank extension cord (this will power the blower, the furnace runs on propane).
    • If the battery bank is depleted, the furnace can be plugged directly into the generator.
    • Get the Buddy Heater (and it’s batteries), and a small propane tank, from the barn. Put the batteries into the Buddy Heater (for the blower). Attach heater to tank and turn it on, once running turn on blower (follow directions).

    Food

    • The microwave, plugged into the battery bank, can be used for short periods of time to heat food. The microwave can also be plugged into the generator as needed.
    • Propane grill, on the patio.
    • Propane stove, in the barn.
    • The Volcano Stove can be used with propane, or charcoal (outside, or in the garage/barn with door open).

    Water

    • Remember once the power goes out the well no longer pumps, there is less than 25 gallons of water in the pressure tank.
    • Bring in the 5-gallon yellow Igloo jug from the barn, also bring in a 5-gallon water jug. Put the Igloo on the kitchen table and use for drinking and cooking.
    • Only flush when “needed”; refill toilet tank with 3 gallons of water from the rain barrels or the pond.
    • Use hand wipes/disinfecting wipes for cleaning as needed.
    • The well pump can be plugged directly into the generator; the plug is near the pressure tank (use 220 volt cord).

    Entertainment

    • Board games.
    • The battery bank can run the TV and the DVD player.
    • Reading.
    • Electronic devices can be charged with the battery bank.

    Other things to remember

    • Open the refrigerator and/or freezer as little as possible.
    • Keep outside doors closed to maintain heat.
    • There is additional drinking water in 2-liter bottles on the top garage shelf.
    • Keep cell phones charged.
    • The landline phone will work, but only the one in Sarah’s office.

    Again, this is our list. We’ll test it next weekend when the girls are here; we’ve done this before, in suburbia, but it’s been a while and a lot of things have changed. Afterward, we’ll make changes as needed,  print it up, and post it where it can be found.

    make_a_listMake your plan. As we know, power outages tend to come during the worst of times. You may have a plan in your head, but what if you’re not home? Creating a plan doesn’t cost you anything — just innumerate the things you already have.

     

    (Note: The items highlighted in red are links to previous posts I’ve written on those topics)

    Broken Water Pipes

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    One day, early February, Sarah came home from work and saw ice near our back door. This was odd, she thought. Because even though it’s been well below freezing, there hasn’t been any precipitation for several days. She opened the back door and water poured out of the house.

    14-2 repaired broken water pipe

    repaired broken pipe

    Two water pipes, in the attic, had broken; one above the kitchen and one above the laundry room. By our best estimate, hot water poured out for about six hours. The weather had been unseasonable cold here that week, with temperatures below 15 degrees. Brynn, my 17 y/o daughter, commented at 12 degrees that was the coldest she had ever seen. Yes, yes we know that really isn’t that cold, compared to temperatures in many other parts of the country, especially this winter. But for Western Washington–that is known for it’s temperate weather–that was cold (our normal winter temperatures are more like low: 41, high: 46). More significantly, because we don’t live somewhere that gets that cold, our home’s older building codes only required insulation standards down to about 25 degrees.

    Our kitchen, dining room, Sarah’s office, laundry room, hallway, and rec room ceilings, floors, and walls were all soaked. She and Ryan began cleaning up, and when I got home I made several late night calls to our insurance company, plumber, and a restoration company.

    When we bought our home last November, we had about four home improvement phases identified. We started Phase 1 as soon as we got the place, and finished (mostly) a couple of months later. We were pleased with the result, and ready to have all of the construction mess and tools cleaned up and put away. Apparently the universe/weather/old house had other plans for us. The pipes broke about a week after we had gotten most of the trim done,

    14-2 kitchen torn out

    our former kitchen

    Over the last three months we’ve rebuilt/remodeled our home again. Since everything was torn apart anyway, we decided to change much of the floor plan. Especially the kitchen/dining room area. In the kitchen all the cupboards, cabinets, counters, appliances and drywall were removed (in addition to the ceilings and all the insulation in the attic) — we had a clean slate. We used the opportunity to swap the kitchen and dining room, build a mud room, and a new pantry. The biggest change made was removing the load bearing wall between the (original) kitchen and family room — opening it up to create a great room. We also framed in a new front door location, and built an entry area. Of our original four phases we completed phase 2, and much of 3.

    14-3 rebuilding-1Several people have called this experience a disaster. It wasn’t a disaster. I’ve been through disasters and this wasn’t it. What this was was a huge pain in the ass inconvenience (did I mention no kitchen for almost three months?). Others have called it a mixed blessing, and that we were actually lucky it happened. I don’t buy that either. It happened, we dealt with it, and in the process made things better.

    People ask when will it be done? I’m not sure that when you own a 40 y/o house, with two additional buildings, on 5-acres that you are ever “done”. But, finally, we’re within a couple of weeks of living in a “normal” home again.

     

    14-3 rebuilding-214-3 rebuilding-3

    Our New Homestead

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    The first week of December we moved into our new homestead. It is located in a rural area near Eatonville, WA (south of Tacoma, west of Mt. Rainier). The property is 5-acres; flat, usable, fully fenced, about 1/3 moderately forested, and 2/3 overgrown meadow-ish. The house is 40 years old, structurally well built, with several additions/remodels, about 2400 square feet. There are two outbuildings: a large three-car detached garage (about 1200 square feet) right next to the house, and a one-story 1800 square foot barn, about 40 yards east of the house.

    google-maps-shot-of-property

    It was a long road getting here, as discussed in my previous posts Buying Our Homestead: The Saga (9/20/13),  We’re Trying to Buy a Homestead! (5/2/13), and Goals For 2013. Long story summarized: We wrote a contract on a short sale house January 2013, it went back and forth and up and down between the bank (Bank of America) and lender and finally closed in November (after almost falling apart multiple times).

    13-12 Sarah working on plug

    14-1 Ryan installing flooringWe immediately undertook a relatively large remodeling project involving the bedrooms and what was to become Sarah’s office (our ‘Phase 1’ remodel, we’ve defined four phases that will be done over the next few years). At that time we also bought another dog (for a total of three), four goats, and eleven young hens. We moved my 19 y/o son, Ryan, out to the property to provide security and care for the animals.

    13-12 moving daySarah and I moved out here the first week of December. Since that time we’ve finished most of our Phase 1; recently completing painting, hard wood flooring, trim work, and replacing many of the lighting fixtures. We did most of the work ourselves, with the help of skilled friends (thank you!) — though we did contract drywall. Ryan has been invaluable, and the girls help every time they are out here (they live about 15 miles away with their mother).

    14-1 building raised beds14-1 Trace w chainsawIn addition to the house we’ve worked a lot in the garage (two of three cars can now be parked inside), and some in the barn. We’ve completed a lot around the property: cleaning up, securing the fence, and clearing areas out. We’re beginning to get it ready for the summer gardening season. We also added six barn cats.

    We’re very happy with our place! Sarah gave me a big hug, Christmas day, and said she knew this was hard — and at times would be a pain in the ass — but she was very glad we were doing it, and loved that we were creating our own home together.

    13-12 Sarah w animals13-12 dogs watching chickens

    Buying Our Homestead: The Saga

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    January 21 we signed a contract to purchase a house (on a short sale), with property, in a rural area near Eatonville, WA (south of Tacoma, west of Mt. Rainier). The property is 5-acres; it is flat, usable, fully fenced, about 1/3 moderately forested, and 2/3 overgrown meadow-ish. The house is 40 years old, structurally well built, with several additions, about 2400 square feet. There are two outbuildings: a large three-car detached garage (about 1200 square feet) right next to the house, and a one-story 1800 square foot barn, 130 feet east of the house. Since the house is a short sale it was at a very good price, but we knew the process would take some time.

    The house is a “fixer upper”, we understood it was going to take a lot of work once we purchased it. But it also needed work done prior to closing, in order to qualify for a VA loan. Long story short: the house had been empty for almost two years, had been broken into, trash had been dumped around the property, cottonwood trees had sprouted all over, electrical wiring had been stripped from the outbuildings, and the sellers hadn’t been the most tidy homeowners. The sellers made it clear that they would do very little: they would not spend any money, would not do any major repairs, and would not even do any cleaning. So we knew the VA appraiser would find deficiencies, and we knew it would be our responsibility–both labor and financially–to correct them, or it simply would not qualify for a loan.

    The seller’s lien-holder, Bank of America (BoA), took almost 90 days to approve the sale, but finally mid-April it was approved to go forward. We began with the inspection (lots of cosmetic work, but structurally sound) and getting the VA loan process going. We were about a week  and a half in when we found out we had less than three weeks to close (date set by BofA without informing us). Our lender told us to get an extension because a VA loan typically takes about 30 days. BofA said “No” — they said they needed to re-value the loan again and it would take four to six weeks (that was about mid-May).

    While waiting for BofA’s second approval we decided to go ahead and get the VA appraisal. We wanted to be sure it’d appraise and, if so, what work would need to be done for final approval. We were pleasantly surprised that it appraised for more than we were paying. There were several deficiencies that we would have to resolve, but they were all doable:

    1. Provide verification that the property has an approved septic system
    2. Provide verification that the property has an approved water supply
    3. Provide a permanently installed conventional heat system (it only had two pellet stoves)
    4. Clean moss and other debris from roof of house and detached garage
    5. Sink is missing in the powder room – provide sink
    6. Provide hardware to make kitchen sink operational
    7. Remove vegetation and earth to wood contact from around the dwelling – provide clear pest inspection
    8. Remove garbage and debris from in and around the dwelling – present condition is unsanitary
    9. Install gutters, downspouts and splash blocks where missing or rusted and no longer operable

    BofA finally came back on September 6th (over 3 1/2 months later) saying the loan was once again approved; they also said we had 24 days to close (September 30th), and there would be no extensions given. So we hit the ground running to get everything done on the VA appraisers’ list of deficiencies.

    By last Monday we were done with the list, we had:

    1. The septic tank inspected, though older, it was in good condition and it was also pumped at this time (the seller was required to do this, and it was the only thing they did on this list).
    2. The well inspected. During the inspection we found out that the three bottom sections of drop pipe were leaking, we had them replaced (spending much more than we planned on the well at this point). Now the 40-year old well works like a champ, efficiently pumping 15-gallons per minute, and the water tastes great!
    3. The biggest project was installing a propane furnace. There were other options but my good friend Rick (also a prepper), an experienced HVAC journeyman, offered to do all the work for us — all we had to do was pay for materials. He got us a quality furnace, and last Sunday spent all day (and a little Monday morning) installing it. The original duct work was there, but had been boarded up and not used in more than 14 years. Including installing the furnace, and converting it to propane, we had to cut through two roof levels to install an exhaust chimney, and run gas piping through the crawl space. It was quite an endeavor, but with Rick’s expertise and time, we now have a furnace that runs great.
      (Earlier in the week we had the duct system professionally cleaned. The system was a mess, years and years of trash, dirt, and animal fur had collected in the duct work. The cleaning guys said it was one of the worst they had ever seen. But they took great pride in being able to completely clean it out.)
    4. We scrubbed the accumlated moss off the roofs, and then treated it with moss remover.
    5. The “powder room”, where we were supposed to provide a sink, is the same room where the furnace went. So instead of installing a sink, we removed the toilet and transformed the powder room into a furnace room (for now anyway). We chose to do this because we didn’t want the VA appraiser to walk in and see a furnace in the bathroom. (We talked with the lender first and got his approval.)
    6. Put in new kitchen faucet, and replaced the water lines. (There’s still a small leak from the hot water shut-off valve that’ll have to be addressed by a plumber after closing.)
    7. Removed all the vegetation and dirt from around the house. Also got a pest inspection done.
    8. With a lot of help we removed all the years of accumulated trash around the property. It completely filled up a 20-yard construction dumpster.
    9. We cleaned out the gutters by hand, power washed them out, then had downspouts and one section of gutter professionally replaced.

    So we’re done with out part, everything that had to be done is handled. When the VA appraiser returns to re-inspect, hopefully he’ll be amazed at the improvements. Then, with any luck, it’ll close a week from Monday. Once it’s all ours, we’ll get back in there and do a bunch more work before we move in, hopefully for forever, November 1st.

    Thank you very much to all those who helped us: Rick, Jay and Libby, Tad and Hilary (and Raice), Kelly, and Josh. If you missed out this time around, there will be plenty more opportunities in the future.

    (I know this was long, but I guarantee this was the very summed up version of our last nine months!)

    hole cut through to the duct work where the furnace would be place

    hole cut through to the duct work where the furnace would be placed

     

    duct vacuuming truck, note the inflated collection bags on the top

    duct vacuuming truck, note the inflated collection bags on the top

    vacuum hose connected to the duct opening, we were amazed how much stuff came out...

    vacuum hose connected to the duct opening, we were amazed how much stuff came out…

    Kate was not a fan of the loud vacuum hose that was bigger than her

    Kate was not a fan of the loud vacuum hose that was bigger than her 

    me power washing the gutters

    me power washing the gutters 

    Sarah pressure spraying the garage gutters

    Sarah pressure spraying the garage gutters 

    creating the new gutter section - it's a pretty cool process

    creating the new gutter section – it’s a pretty cool process

    roof where we had to cut the furnace exhaust opening - included to show that we had to go through 2 layers of roof and to show the barn in the background

    roof where we had to cut the furnace exhaust opening – included to show that we had to go through 2 layers of roof and to show the barn in the background 

    my hand reaching in from the depths of the crawlspace, the newly installed furnace on the right

    my hand reaching in from the depths of the crawlspace, the newly installed furnace on the right

    me after coming out of the depths of the crawlspace (it was a little damp)

    me after coming out of the depths of the crawlspace (it was a little damp)

    removal of the very full 20-yard dumpster

    removal of the very full 20-yard dumpster

    Update 9/26/13: We finally got the VA appraiser’s written re-inspection report today. He stated, “I certify that I have reinspected the subject property, the requirements or conditions set forth in the appraisal report have been met, and any required repairs or completion items have been done in a workmanlike manner.”

    We’re scrambling for some last minute financial paperwork to get through underwriting (but it’ll be fine), and likely won’t close until the week of October 7 (we have an extension from both lien holders until October 9 — yes, they said there would be no extensions…).

     

     

    We’re Trying to Buy a Homestead!

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    This is a little bit different kind of a blog post for me, but it’s a big deal in our life — especially as preppers.

    houseWe’re trying to buy a rural homestead. It’s a 5-acre property with a 40-year-old rambler house (2400 square feet), a large garage, and a large one-story barn. The property is flat, completely usable, and fully fenced. It’s about half forested, but open enough to easily walk through. Though it’s only 15 miles south of where we are currently living (still close to where my kids live), it’s in a very rural area far off the beaten path, on a dead-end road. From the house we can see one neighbor’s home, and the smoke from the chimneys of about two others. The land, location, and the outbuildings are amazing — the residence will take some work.

    garageWe’ve been in the process of trying to buy this home, via a short sale, since January. At that time we signed a full price contract and the bank had 90 days to approve the short sale.

    Last week (on day 89 of 90) the bank approved the short sale to go forward, so that’s when the “clock” for the sale itself started. We had ten days to get the house inspected and make our initial requests of the sellers.

    We got it inspected last Sunday, the house has many, many issues — BUT the structure itself barn(walls, roof, foundation) is solid and in very good condition after all the years (built in ’72). We believe the house is well-built and definitely worth repairing/remodeling/rebuilding as needed. There are many things in the house that are original, and obviously after 40 years most would need replaced. The seller is as motivated as he can be, considering it’s been on the market for two years, sat empty for a year, has gone to short sale, and he’ll be making no money — but he’s doing what he can to get it looking as good as he is able (mostly labor, not money).

    We’re using my VA loan (our only real option for financing) and that is moving forward. We will have a VA appraisal in the next couple of weeks. At that time, we understand, they’ll give us a list of what needs to be done/improvements made so that it can qualify for a VA loan (there will definitely be things that need done). Then we can negotiate with the seller and/or we’ll make the decision to spend the money ourselves so that it can qualify or, if it’s too much, we may have to decide to walk away.

    So we’re well into the process. We’re excited. The property and location, in addition to the outbuildings, could be made into an amazing homestead. The house itself is worth rebuilding and making our own — hopefully the VA appraiser will agree with us. I have the skills to do much of the work, and friends who can help with the rest.

    Anyway, since this has been a dream for long time, and it’s a huge deal it our lives, I wanted to share it.

    google maps shot of property

     

    Nuts & Bolts by Nick: Tool in focus – Cordless Reciprocating Saw

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    by Nick Romaniello -

    On December 26th the snow was falling fast and heavy here in Pittsburgh. I opened the curtain and saw a vehicle stuck a few houses down on my steep front road. It’s a spot where cars often get stuck in bad snow, I grabbed my shovel and salt bucket and went down to offer help. The older gentleman inside informed me that in addition to being stuck that he had a flat, and a tow truck may be hours away due to the weather. His Dodge Caravan had the spare mounted underneath the chassis held in place by a metal and plastic retainer and lowered by turning a nut inside the tailgate. The retainer was corroded into place and could not be lowered. I returned to the scene with my trusty cordless reciprocating saw. I slid under the stuck van and within moments had cut through the retainer allowing the spare tire to be removed. In no time the tire was installed, and with some shoveling and salt, the driver was on his way.

    Ryobi SawzallI have a lot of tools, but in a disaster situation where I could only take one power tool it would likely be my cordless reciprocating saw. It is commonly called a “sawzall” (original trademarked name) because that’s exactly what it does. With the right blade it can hack its way through anything from metal to wood to plastics and even some masonry applications. Easier to handle and more versatile than a chainsaw and faster than handsaws, a sawzall is a good choice for emergency cutting. In construction it’s used most often in demolition and rough carpentry, but with its wide variety of blade choices the sawzall is able to step in and do the job of almost saw bladesany other saw in a pinch. A corded sawzall is more efficient for extensive work, but battery power will work where and when an outlet isn’t an option. Definitely choose lithium ion batteries over NiCad since sawzall’s are energy hungry. I will make a plug: the Ryobi One+ 18-Volt Cordless Reciprocating Saw (available at Home Depot for about $60 plus battery). I have one that, despite its hobbyist status in the tool hierarchy, has been in my professional tool kit for seven years. The One+ system has multiple tools that operate with the same interchangeable battery and is reasonably priced. A car charger is even available so that the batteries can be maintained on the road. Whichever brand or model you choose, make sure that you also purchase an assortment of blades, including a few “fire and rescue” blades which cut aggressively through a variety of materials.

    It is worth mentioning that this was actually the second time I had to perform this exact same procedure on a Dodge Caravan. The first I went out to rescue a friend who’s Caravan got a flat on the interstate in the heat of August with her infant daughter aboard and she was unable to lower her spare. Everyone, apparently Caravan owners especially, should take the time to locate their spare tire, familiarize themselves with how it is deployed, and make sure that everything related to changing the tire is actually in working order. Practice changing a tire in your driveway on a nice day so you don’t have to learn how on the side of a busy road in a snowstorm.

    My cordless sawzall is the ‘go to’ tool for all-around cutting, from pruning trees to extracting someone from a wrecked car. Its seemingly limitless abilities should earn it a place in every prepper’s tool kit. But just like the spare tire, be sure to familiarize yourself with it’s operation before you need to put it into use.

     

    Rural Relations with Josh: Lessons Learned, Part III – Is Rural Living Right For You?

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    When considering the purchase of a rural home it’s important to look at how much it will change your life. It’s convenient living in, or near, the city where stores, jobs, and services are nearby. There is also internet access and utilities that may not be available in a more rural area. Unless you have a steady income from retirement, or disability, or you’re independently wealthy, you need to have gainful employment. If you can handle these possible down-sides, living in a rural environment has a lot of up-sides that, I believe, more than make up for the negatives. It’s great to see wild life, enjoy the silence, and have room to raise animals and plants for personal and/or financial gain.

    One of the challenges of moving to a rural area is commuting to the city for work, or finding a way to transfer a career to a more rural area. Other options include telecommuting or home-based jobs that provide the needed flexibility. I have an occupation which allows me to work from home 95% of the time. One of the greatest challenges that I have faced is finding good internet service. I rely on high-speed internet for work to join conference/video calls, solve customer problems, and generally enjoy the benefits the internet has to offer. Other challenges include commute time, gas expenses, and shopping availability. Since we often have to travel a lot further to shop we have to plan accordingly and stock-up.

    Shortly after moving into our new house, about 30 miles from Seattle, I called around trying to find high-speed internet service. I was dismayed to discover that the options were limited to satellite, mobile hot spot, or a land line. I tried both satellite and a mobile hot spot with mixed results. Satellite internet provided sufficient bandwidth but with high latency it felt pretty sluggish. The mobile hot spot worked, most of the time, and was fast enough, most of the time, and had low latency, most of the time. In my line of work, quality/reliable high-speed internet is a requirement. I ended up signing up for a $435/month T1 connection that would provide 1.5Mb with unlimited usage each month. This type of connection is extremely low latency and no shared bandwidth which provides a consistent connection at a very high cost (relative to consumer prices). I remain shocked that living this close to Seattle I struggle to find quality affordable high-speed internet.

    Another problem I face is commuting to various locations around the greater Seattle area. Even though downtown Seattle is only 40 miles away, it takes me up to an hour and a half to get there. Any time I have to drive to a job it’s a road trip. I pressure all of my clients to let me work remotely and work harder because of it. Working from home has saved me around $400/month in gas expenses.

    Living this way also encourages personal preparation and self-reliance as help/resources are much further away, the power typically goes out more often, you are more likely to get snowed in, or have a tree fall across the driveway, law enforcement/EMS takes longer to respond, etc., etc.. But in the end, living in a more rural area is well worth it to our family. Raising our kids in an area where they can run out and play in the woods and explore and adventure is a big deal, that’s how I grew up.

     

    Nuts & Bolts by Nick: Roots of Structural Awareness

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    (Nick is our newest regular Guest Contributor and will be posting, Nuts & Bolts by Nick, the fourth Wednesday of each month.)

    I’ll be the first to admit it. Swinging a sledgehammer into a wall can be very therapeutic. As the yin to the yang of construction, demolition is the part of my job that folks always seem to want to try for themselves. Breaking stuff just looks like fun (and easy). But for every bit of The Hulk is an equal part of Isaac Newton. As a general contractor, It’s my job to know what’s inside those walls before I start swinging. To see beyond the plaster into the labyrinth of snaking gas pipes, drain lines, wiring and load bearing studs that–if accidentally damaged–could make for a really bad day.

    So what does this have to do with prepping?

    In an emergency, or disaster situation, knowing how to interact safely with the structure of your home is a very useful survival skill set. With the varying levels of severity in each emergency, your home presents both differing levels of protection as well as hazards. Balancing these through awareness and understanding will increase your ability to utilize your home as a safe haven when problems arise. That’s where I come in. As someone who has made it their business to see beyond the surface into the inner workings of the home, I hope to bring insight to the relationship between disaster preparedness and structural awareness.

    In one of my favorite books, Connections by James Burke, the author begins to explore the interconnectedness of the technology in our lives by asking us to look around where we are sitting and examine the things we see. He challenges us to ponder how many of the things we see do we really understand? How many could we fix or make for ourselves? It can be overwhelming to realize how surrounded you are by complex items that you have come to rely upon for your day-to-day existence. The prospect of trying to learn all of these bits and pieces for yourself can be down right frightening. Forebodingly, in the 1980’s BBC documentary based on his book, Burke is filmed explaining this condition by telling the story of the interruptions caused by the 1965 New York City blackout as he rides an elevator to the top of the World Trade Center. Faced with the feelings of helplessness in an overly complex world we have only two choices: accept fate, or choose to arm ourselves with understanding.

    So where to start? Like putting the first can into your food cache, or assembling your first bug out bag, the answer is to start with the simplest things first. Too often preppers focus on total world collapse, while forgetting the common disasters that happen daily. In the U.S. a house fire is reported every 90 seconds. It’s a disaster that’s statistically likely to happen yet so few take precautions. Start by ensuring that you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors placed properly in your home and test them regularly. Keep fire extinguishers in kitchens, garages, work rooms, and on each floor. Test them, as recommended by the manufacturer, and locate them near exit doors rather than near stoves and counters; you don’t want to have to reach through a fire for the extinguisher. Lastly, plan your escape routes and methods then PRACTICE. When your bedroom is ablaze is not the time to learn how your escape ladder works.

    By breaking down the whale of structural awareness into the bite size pieces of simple preps, you can move closer toward an understanding of your dwelling that will increase your self-sufficiency, disaster readiness, and overall peace of mind.

    Nick’s Bio
    Nick is a general contractor who brings construction experience and insights into the realm of emergency preparedness. His business, Mighty Oak Homecraft, is focused on sustainable remodeling, to protect the health of the environment and the dwelling’s occupants. A frequent domestic and international traveler, motorcyclist, outdoorsman and amateur writer and filmmaker, Nick lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife Jen, son Demetri and Boston Terriers Willow and Xena.

    Rural Relations with Josh: Lessons Learned, Part II – You Can’t Choose Your Neighbors

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    There’s a story of a realtor showing a house to a couple from out of town, and the couple asked, “What are the people like here?” The realtor replied, “What are the people like where you live now?” The couple responded, “They are great to hang out with, respectful, and genuinely good people”. The realtor replied, “The people here are just like that!” The next couple to come through had the same question, met with the same question from the realtor. The couple responded, “The people where we live are rude, unfriendly, and generally ignore us!”. To this, the realtor responded in kind, “The people here are also rude and unfriendly”.

    This story, which was para-phrased from an unknown source, attempts to provide a simple explanation for those who might feel they have less than ideal neighbors. While neighbors can be great, and add value to your neighborhood, differences can arise. I feel it’s important to bond with neighbors early on, so that when issues come up you can work together to solve them. If you add an HOA (home owners association) into the mix, some neighbors will never get along as the HOA becomes a tool of manipulation by the [popular] majority.

    I live in an HOA controlled neighborhood consisting of 22, 5-acre lots. I have some neighbors I really like; I drink beer and BBQ with them and our kids play together. But not long after moving in I discovered that there were a number of feuds in the neighborhood; they originated primarily from property lines and HOA disagreements.

    Lesson I:  Get a Survey
    An example of a dispute was when a two adjoining neighbors decided to “share” their property, across property lines, to have a larger motocross track. After a while, one neighbor decided to bull doze an area to create a banked turn which the other party felt was on their property. This turned into a situation where they both withdrew their share option and left a disputed area where neither knew where the lines were as there were no recorded surveys or marked corners.

    The only recorded surveys in the neighborhood are on my lot and my immediate neighbor, as we went in together to get a good deal before I put up my fence. In my opinion, it’s absolutely critical to get a survey performed and recorded before closing on the property to resolve any issues or line disputes. After getting my survey, I found that I had actually “gained” an acre or two (on a 5-acre lot) over what I thought I owned. Also, get your immediate neighbors to go in with you on the survey (if they don’t already have one), this will minimize the potential for disputes over the surveyors work. I got a chuckle out of putting up a fence through my neighbors back yard; luckily it was inhabited by renters, had the owner still lived there it would have likely caused a dispute because he would have assumed I was encroaching.

    driveway in the summer

    Lesson II:  No Easements through the Property
    A few months after moving in, the neighbor beyond us on the last property on our dead end road (who has a legal easement through our property) put his house and shop up for rent, as two separate units, after being unable to sell. This immediately took us from having no traffic through our property to seeing traffic day and night on that easement. The ride out to the neighbor’s property is pretty long and winding, and folks are going pretty fast by the time they reach our lot as they want to get to their destination.

    driveway in the winter

    Soon after, renters moved in: a couple in their mid 40’s from California in the main house, and a young local guy in the shop. We welcomed them all to the neighborhood with fresh baked bread and open arms; we wanted to get off on the right foot. We became good friends with the guy in the shop, but we had a number of issues with the other couple, mostly related to speeding through the property which put our kids and animals in danger. Other neighbors also asked them to slow down as well.

    One day I was working in the yard and my kids were outside with me on the play set, but with my wife gone in one vehicle and my truck in the shop it might look like no one was home. I heard the neighbors driving in and saw their SUV coming down the driveway. Just as I was about to wave to them, I heard the engine rev up as he hits the gas — thinking we were not home, and he has a free ride that last 100 feet through our property. After about two seconds of V8 acceleration, he sees me standing there with my mouth open in shock, whereupon he slams on the brakes and the SUV nose-dives considerably. I have no idea how to deal with a person like that in a positive manner and our relationship was poor until they moved out after a year. I had a conversation with the woman before they left (“stopping by to ask you to slow down, again, ma’am”) and she indicated that they had never had such a poor experience in any neighborhood in their entire life and felt victimized by the rest of us. Best of luck to you in your new neighborhood…

    Lesson III:  No Home Owners Association
    Finally, if you live in an HOA controlled neighborhood you voluntarily chose to allow your freedom to be severely limited. A couple of the rules in my neighborhood are, 1) only low flow faucets and fixtures are allowed in homes, and 2) no discharge of any weapon, including firearms, BB guns, slingshots, or bows. This is not quite what I envisioned moving out into a rural wooded area with 160 acres of unoccupied woodland to the north of me. Before moving in I had inquired of the HOA president and a number of neighbors who assured us that the HOA was there only for the road maintenance. This turned out to not be the case; unfortunately HOAs are often a lever of convenience. Don’t risk it.

    I am happy to report that we do not have any issues with our current neighbors. There are new couples in the house and shop at the end of the road and they are respectful and friendly. We do the best with what we have, but before you buy your own rural property look carefully at these issues.

     

    What We Did This Week To Prep 9/7/12

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    This week we headed back to the Olympic Peninsula, in and near the Sequim area, to look for a potential “homestead” property. We looked at about half a dozen places and found one that we really like. The house is small (900 square feet) but it’s in ‘ready-to-move-in’ condition, on six acres; it also has a large pole barn, the property is heavily treed (including several large oaks, which are more rare in this area), relatively flat, and in a very good location. After talking it over, first together, then with our realtor, we put in an offer. We should hear back on it in the next couple days. We’re pretty excited, but trying not to get our hopes up too much.

    the coffee house where we meet

    I got together again with our budding prepper group (there are now four of us). We try to get together every month, have a cup of coffee, and reassure ourselves that it’s the world that’s crazy and not us — you know how it feels sometimes when you’re a prepper. Again, if you live anywhere near the Seattle area, or are even visiting, we/I’d love to get together and meet you. We all have something to offer, we all have our individual strengths and weaknesses; sometimes you’re the one teaching, sometimes you’re the one learning — most of the time both. Community is so important; I believe it is the number one thing that will allow us to survive well if times get bad.

    Western Washington is having a very atypical summer–I know, I know the rest of the country is too. August here was the driest month on record (ever), and as of today we are 48 days without rain (the all-time record, set back in 1951 was 51 days). Fortunately there was plenty of rain and snowfall last winter and we are not experiencing drought conditions. And our garden has been loving all this sunshine! Everything is growing well. We are bringing in tomatoes, beans (multiple kinds), snap peas, carrots, and herbs every afternoon; it’s nice to feel that our gardening has been successful. Ironically, with all the sunshine our strawberries, which produced in early July, have started producing again. It’s amazing what happens to your garden when you add sunshine to good soil, mulch, and water!

    What did you do?

    (Monday: One Year Blog Anniversary)