Almost Self-sufficient at Busy B Acres
Our home at Busy B Acres.
As a result of the recession and oil crisis of the mid-70s, I became concerned about an uncertain future. Therefore, we decided to: 1) get out of debt, 2) buy some land with a dependable and adequate water supply, 3) build a home that would require a minimum amount of fuel to maintain a degree of comfort under all seasonal conditions, but still have the luxury of a modern home, and 4) grow and raise enough food to sustain the family for prolonged periods of time. This is what we did.
After research and planning, and based on the calculations below, Judy and I built (literally) our passive solar home. We did the forming, framing, glazing, roofing, painting, plumbing, electrical, interior work and cabinets. Only pouring the concrete, countertops and carpeting were done by others. Our home would be one of the first thermal envelope home build in Idaho. It was featured at the Solar Energy Association of Idaho Conference, College of Southern Idaho on June 28, 1980.
After research and planning, and based on the calculations below, Judy and I built (literally) our passive solar home. We did the forming, framing, glazing, roofing, painting, plumbing, electrical, interior work and cabinets. Only pouring the concrete, countertops and carpeting were done by others. Our home would be one of the first thermal envelope home build in Idaho. It was featured at the Solar Energy Association of Idaho Conference, College of Southern Idaho on June 28, 1980.
Research and planning for our home.
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Total energy required.
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Amount of heat that would be generated.
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Performance on a cool, sunny February day.
We have lived in the home for 35 years and we are well pleased with its performance. However, for efficient performance, we need to be somewhat of a meteorologist -- reading the weather and occasionally opening and closing the cooling tube and windows as needed. Our primary heating source in the cooler months is the sun and our auxiliary heating source when the sun is not shining is a centrally located wood stove (with backup baseboard heaters, of which most have been removed). We burn two cords of wood or less a year -- making our heating cost $20/year if I cut the wood myself or $300/year if we purchase the wood. There is no central air conditioning and nocturnal cooling generally keeps the home within the comfort range. The few days of continuous southern wind in the summer (which prevents solarium heat from escaping) may require the use of fans on occasion. It works for us!
Some of the family feeding chickens and ducks -- steers in the background.
After constructing a fence around the 3.5 acre parcel, we built a barn and obtained animals. We had varied numbers of chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, sheep and steers over the years. Although the kids just loved the animals when they were young, they did not care much for feeding, cleaning and butchering. These animals kept the family supplied with meat and eggs. The one animal we did not have was a pig -- had to buy bacon and sausage.
Brothers pond with house in the background.
With a half hour of instruction on a dozer, I constructed a 0.1 acre, 5.5 foot deep pond. "Brothers Pond" as it is called would be our auxiliary source of irrigation water when needed. In addition, as the pond matured, it became an attraction to aquatic insects, frogs and toads, salamanders, snakes, many species of birds and a few mammals. Essentially, I had my own wildlife sanctuary for nature study -- I maintain a list of the animals at the pond and recorded observations worthy of publication. Even now, the kids and grandkids love to go to the pond to see what they can find.
We put in a garden the second year on the property and have had one just about every year. It is 80 feet by 100 feet in size with 86 to 96 rows 25 feet long, depending on spacing. We have grown many types of vegetables over the years. However, we have mostly planted vegetables that grow well in our climate and can easily be stored fresh or readily frozen or processed. Most popular are sweet corn, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, onions, peas, beans, squash (summer and winter types), pumpkin, lettuce and greens. For fall treats, we grow watermelon and cantaloupe. In addition to vegetables, we have apple, pear, and plum trees and grape and blueberry plants, raspberries and strawberries. At the end of the growing and harvest season, it is comforting to see quantities of fresh storage and processed food in the freezers and on the shelves of the pantries. We also have enough to share with family, neighbors and friends. An often unmentioned value of gardening is that it is therapeutic and good exercise -- we get plenty of both.
Judy checking the garden.
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Some of our produce.
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Food storage in the pantry.
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Some things are inconvenient to grow, raise or produce. Therefore, we go to the store periodically to buy flour, sugar, fresh dairy products and other food we may need. We eat well and Judy makes sure my sweet tooth is satisfied. In addition, as a result of Judy's talent in home arts, she has made clothes for me (even suits), herself, the kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, neighbors and friends. She also makes quilts, blankets and knitted items galore.
The activities we are involved with to provide adequate shelter, food and raiment has contributed greatly to being self-sufficient. Our place has earned the name of "Busy B Acres" for good reason.
References:
The activities we are involved with to provide adequate shelter, food and raiment has contributed greatly to being self-sufficient. Our place has earned the name of "Busy B Acres" for good reason.
References:
- Brothers, DR. 1980. Thermal envelope house construction. Unpublished presentation (with additional information). Solar Energy Association of Idaho. 30 pp.
- Brothers, DR. 2010. Busy B Acres: we made it happen. Unpublished Shutterfly publication. 22 pp.