If you had to relocate, what would you differently?I

[NC_hydro]

While sometimes hard to find, a place with elevation gain and water. Opens a whole new world of power with hydro even a small stream can be useful if you can output even 100watts. Running 24/7 that goes a long ways, even just offsetting your invert self consumption makes your batteries last a lot longer during poor solar times.

 

[Sparks-n-Splinters]

While sometimes hard to find, a place with elevation gain and water. Opens a whole new world of power with hydro even a small stream can be useful if you can output even 100watts. Running 24/7 that goes a long ways, even just offsetting your invert self consumption makes your batteries last a lot longer during poor solar times.

Agreed. Add to it a Hydraulic Ram Pump and you have a game changer.
A neighbor of mine built his own water wheel and uses a hydraulic ram to pull water up from a small creek on his land and turn the wheel.
The power is still not enough to run the whole house alone, tho it certainly helps sustain his batteries in the winter.

 

[OffGridForGood]

On second thought, I would do one thing differently- I'd build the shop complete first. The ability to keep tools and materials dry and somewhat organized is something I often wish for!

my property was originally built by two Finnish brothers - in the 1940's
They built the Sauna first,
Then the barn
Then the house.
All three structures are still in use today - although we use the old farmhouse as just an office these days.
LOL.

 

[hogback]

Haha, I consider it a small system. A few years back when I started I would see it as large.

Don't get me wrong, I do turn off things and conserve when possible; especially in the winter. Essential vs non is tough, it will differ person to person. For example this time of year I'm distilling 2-3 gallons of water a day to put in the humidifier; other people may think that's nuts.
I'd say the well pump, fridge, deep freeze, induction cooktop, lighting, climate control, air filter, music, and solar assistant are essential.

@sunsurfer if it's getting off topic from the original intent just let us know.

If you ran the still without a condenser, wouldn't that be a humidifier?

 

[hogback]

Not sure I'd do anything differently. I mean, I still plan on changing things here, like more panels at some point, and insulating the battery shed. I guess my wiring could be more tidy. A new spot would require new thoughts. I'm pretty built into the landscape. House insulation would be nice too!

 

[Sparks-n-Splinters]

my property was originally built by two Finnish brothers - in the 1940's
They built the Sauna first,
Then the barn
Then the house.
All three structures are still in use today - although we use the old farmhouse as just an office these days.
LOL.

I am spoiled daily by my wife (read personal masseuse), otherwise I'd be thinking to build the sauna or a hot tub first too!! LOL

 

[Spartan]

The only thing I would do different is a change in battery chemistry. I have an 840 amp hour, led-acid battery bank that if I had to do over, I’d install a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery bank. The led-acid battery is still going strong but it does take time and attention to monitor and maintain compared to the relative attention-free nature of LiFePo4.

Back in 2016-2017 when my off-grid home build was underway, the lithium batteries were a still new technology for the off-grid world. They were expensive and not too many people had real-world experience with them. I made the decision that I would go with led-acid as a more cost effective and time proven option and give the new battery technologies time to mature and come down in price, which they have.

Everything else about my off-grid home I don’t think I’d change. The house is very comfortable and living unconnected to the grid has exceeded my expectations. I’m in the Pacific Northwest, south facing rural property and near the coast where it’s never too hot or too cold.

 

[AlaskanNoob]

Would be looking to build most of my structure underground with ICF and up top have the cabin with the view. But when the winter weather rolls in, so much easier to heat underground, less electricity required, built in root cellar, perfect lithium battery storage, bear proof, more resistant to earthquakes, safe from wildfires. So many advantages to going underground.

 

[rodrick]

We are starting our relocation in April and my list is exactly what @420hmspa said except for the tracking
We have already built the solar shed and other than panels permanently connected it’s a 100% operational I call it my giant ecoflow
Also the shop has already been built so setting the solar shed on it’s foundation and getting ground mounts done is first step then the home and barns
This is 100% off grid, grid power isn’t even a option, I know the cost of 10 miles of power lines was out of my price range