Farms: Off-grid, handcrafted life on Oregon farm & workshop
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Brian is an "obsessive craftsman" who believes he can build most anything in his life. On his Oregon farm he has built, or renovated, 5 tiny structures. After being told by the county that he couldn't erect a yurt, he built a code-approved main house "to give us a place to legally stay". Once the main house was built, he created several smaller structures (less than 200 square feet) on the property from 90% local materials. The farm is completely off the grid and Schulz points out that this doesn't mean they rely on propane or lots of photovoltaics. Nearly all their tools for living have been adapted to fit the off-grid lifestyle. For his prototype solar-powered bathhouse Schulz used recycled solar hot water panels, salvaged hot water tanks (from the dump), a solar thermal window and a recycled soaking tub. Indoors, Schulz has adapted a chest freezer to create a low-consuming refrigerator (using a tenth of the electricity of a regular fridge) and a 1940s wood-fired cookstove to cook, heat and as a heat-exchanger, harvesting waste heat and thermo-syphoning water to heat up the home's hot water. They do have a limited number of photovoltaic panels which produce about 1000 watts of electricity when the sun is shining (for the entire farm), as well as a micro hydro generator in the creek and solar thermal panels. Schulz models much of what he builds on the Japanese aesthetic and tries to make everything in his life not just functional, but beautiful (e.g. his bathhouse was designed not just as a shower, but as a way to de-stress). Schulz is an avid kayaker and for his day job, he builds skin-on-frame kayaks (as well as teach others to build their own). Cape Falcon Kayak: http://capefalconkayak.com/ Other videos with Brian: -- Zen forest house: 11K, handcrafted, small home in Oregon http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/zen-forest-house-11k-handcrafted-small-home-in-oregon/ -- Converted toolshed as uncluttered tiny home on Oregon farm http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/converted-toolshed-as-uncluttered-tiny-home-on-oregon-farm/ More info on original story: http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/off-grid-handcrafted-life-on-oregon-farm-workshop/
Comments
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How wonderful. The contented life.
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To remote and a sitting duck for fire
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this mans the plug
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I love the Japanese House and the Kayak :D. Both Functional and Pretty as well :D
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Im beginning to farm, but i absolutely REFUSE to certify through USDA to be able to call my farm 'organic'. We are ALL NATURAL....a standard BEYOND the USDA Organic standard. My mentor is selling his produce and fruit at farmers markets as 'All Natural' with a sign that states: We cannot claim that our food is 'Organic' since we refuse to participate in the onerous paperwork required by the USDA in order to use the word 'Organic' at any point telated to the sale of our all natural food. If we could use the term we are not allowed to use you can be sure that our oroduction standards exceed those required by the USDA in order to use terms they themselves own and trademark. Our foods are grown to the following standard as a minimum: (insert Organic requirements here)
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A little rough.
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Listen to this Guy Melenials.....Big Government / Big Brother / Demokrats / is /are your enemy from day one on projects like this ....so stop looking to / Electing them to make you happy....
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do you still pay tax when you live off grid?
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I think you overvalue living off the land only. Burning wood is actually quite harmfull for the environment...
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Can more information be provided about the battery system to store the solar. Thank you
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Nice in general. But in winter, which is most of the year, that part of Oregon is very depressing.
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fine job kept up
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What a cool guy!
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Thank you for the video and for sharing great information. :) Godbless
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this man's life is my dream some day god willing I will live my dream
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I think he's cool, but where does one have the time to do everything he's done here?
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My Dad built small wooden "bass boats" for lake fishing, in his younger years. I don't know much about it. I was 4 when he got sick with Rheumatoid Arthritis so he could no longer builds big things so be changed to building doll houses. we went into the forest around the house, cut a tree and he worked his magic to build furniture. lap siding, and stone fire places just the right size for Barbie. (which was unavailable at the time) . So he (we, 1 was 10 to 14 years old by the time he got really going and I helped him)
He also provided the 3 little local grocery stores with home grown tomatoes off about an acre. He did have a magic touch to make things grow.
Sorry for the lung comment. This made me get to remembering. Childhood in Alabama. -
This just makes me smile, start to finish.
I watch your videos and about 3 minutes in, I realize. ...
I'M SMILING!!!!! -
Very Innovative Home. Best Off Grid Home seen so far.
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On this earth we have some seriously gifted human being.
It is a shame our crap system does not approve ...
Keep the good work ❤