24x32 A-Frame build Northern Sierras

[black_edelweiss]

Finally spring has arrived after a long winter. Not really much work you can do outside during the winter as the only way in and out is with a snowmobile if you can even get in and out with that. We received record breaking precipitation, mostly in the form of rain...we would get 4ft of snow followed by 12" of rain in short spans of time which created massive 5ft deep snow ditches which were impassible on a snowmobile. We have kept 3-5ft of snow on the ground since late December and currently have around 3ft on the ground.. We love the harsh winter weather which is why we chose this area as it adds an entire element of remoteness to the off grid experience. My wife and i have been crapping out in the woods, sometimes in the middle of a straight up blizzard or torrential rainfall, drinking out of a creek 100yards away, and cooking everything we eat over a wood stove. This has been a great experience as you realize really how unnecessary things like microwave ovens, television, gas stoves are. Because we didnt have access to showers, we would take ice cold baths in the creek...the only thing we really miss is indoor plumbing. Our refrigeration consisted of a large ice chest stored outside in the snow which worked great.

My first priority when the snow melts will be getting the water supply in order followed by building a workshop, kennel for our 3 dobermans, a large garden, finishing the indoor plumbing/rain catchment, putting in new roads, cord-wood floors, improving our solar setup, building a wood shed, putting  in a concrete pad under the house along with framing half of it in, fireproofing the area and building a pond.





This pic is of the top of my wife's jeep


This pic is of our truck which we park at the paved road several miles away after a snowstorm


This is the view from our upstairs bedroom looking towards the sierra crest.

[NathanS]

That is some serious snowfall. We got about 30" a week or so ago, which was near record for a 24 hour period around here.

Been really happy with our wood cookstove too. One starter fire + 2 big logs yesterday I accidentally ran it up to 74 inside, never got above 15 outside. Woodstoves have no moving parts and should last a lifetime. You need a chainsaw living out there anyway, so the firewood costs almost nothing. Then you compare that with these 10-15k boilers that people install, that last maybe 10-15 years. You start adding up the costs, and all the headaches that they're too complex to fix yourself. Wonder what the hell we're buying this stuff for?

Looking forward to seeing more of your progress.

[pmichelsen]

My first priority when the snow melts will be getting the water supply in order followed by building a workshop, kennel for our 3 dobermans, a large garden, finishing the indoor plumbing/rain catchment, putting in new roads, cord-wood floors, improving our solar setup, building a wood shed, putting  in a concrete pad under the house along with framing half of it in, fireproofing the area and building a pond.

Sounds like you're going to need to find a hobby to keep you busy in your spare time 

[ChugiakTinkerer]

...
My first priority when the snow melts will be getting the water supply in order followed by building a workshop, kennel for our 3 dobermans, a large garden, finishing the indoor plumbing/rain catchment, putting in new roads, cord-wood floors, improving our solar setup, building a wood shed, putting  in a concrete pad under the house along with framing half of it in, fireproofing the area and building a pond.
...

The advice I got last week was to build the sauna first.  The guy I was talking to was lamenting that it took him 30 years before he got a sauna.

Have you got access to free timber?  A bandsaw mill can be had for a small investment and is great for making rough timbers and rustic lumber.  you might need that for all your additional to-do items.

[Toyotaboy]

What a great place. Looks like a completely exhausting build with all those bags of concrete and brick.
Totally love your view from the window. That make it worth while I'm sure.  Love your deck.

[black_edelweiss]