Extreme Off-Grid

westbranch

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

try these 2 definitioins

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gimcrackery

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gimcrackery

unicornio

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

westbranch wrote: »

try these 2 definitioins

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gimcrackery

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gimcrackery

hi, westbranch!...thanks so much!...i will bookmark both!...
I have to admit I love learning new words / sentences / phrases in English, the languages are like woman (persons) ​​you never end to know! ... ;-)

ggunn

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

mtdoc wrote: »

I suspect there's quite a few wealthy people out there with their luxury off grid doomsteads powered by these kind of systems - we just don't hear about them much here.

Doomsteads - I like that. It's amazing to me how much money these guys will spend just to stay alive a little bit longer than the rest of us if things really go to hell in a hurry. Don't they realize that their electric lights will attract the rampaging hordes literally like a beacon in the night when the world has gone dark?

waynefromnscanada

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

ggunn wrote: »

Doomsteads - I like that. It's amazing to me how much money these guys will spend just to stay alive a little bit longer than the rest of us if things really go to hell in a hurry. Don't they realize that their electric lights will attract the rampaging hordes literally like a beacon in the night when the world has gone dark?

First of all, they haven't accepted the fact of their own mortality. In their own minds they're going to live forever.
And second, they've stocked up on guns and ammo, thinking they can easily fight off the starving hordes.
And finally, they have money, which they've always known would buy them anything they wanted no matter what, no matter if the whole world is falling in on their heads. Hahahahaha

BB.

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

I don't really see these types of home as bug-out places.

These are simply large homes without utility power available. There appears to be no farming (vegetables, grains, animals, etc.) at this point (and is there sufficient water to support agricultural activities?).

So, while you may get a couple of months of fuel/stored fuel (this home appears to have been designed to require the generator when the home is occupied)--These are not systems that can be self maintained and feed the family for several years.

It is possible there is a fully stocked cellar with long term food storage... You might do better here vs in the middle of a city with failed power/water/sewer/services for longer than a few days. But this home was designed for entertaining (the back-lite floors and baseboards--Not sure if I find them interesting or I am freaked out by them ).

Just take it for what it appears to be. A "interesting" architectural design in a beautiful area without access to utility power. Not a practical home for most folks.

-Bill

RandomJoe

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

Man, to build all that and not live there full time...! So what does the pad in town look like?!?

The first thing that popped in my mind looking at the lighting video, what happens in a year or so when one of the backlights dies in the middle of the floor?!

Granted, with this amount of money to throw around, no big deal to pay someone to tear up a section of floor and relay it, but ouch...

The backlit marble looks really cool to me, but the lit baseboards would get old in a hurry I think. Having "mood lighting" coming from the floor probably would too, would be like looking directly at a (dim) lamp all the time. Much rather have continuous soffit lighting for "mood lighting", or maybe a translucent ceiling of some sort. (And, of course, nowadays it's just not worth the effort if you don't go full RGB LEDs so you can change the *color* of the room to suit as well! )

mtdoc

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

BB. wrote: »

I don't really see these types of home as bug-out places.

I agree that this doesn't look like the typical doomstead. But the point I was trying to make is that there are plenty of wealthy people building very large "extreme offgrid" systems to power their large vacation homes /doomsteads. Often on several acres in remote locations. I doubt most plan on producing their own food. Lots of places selling bulk long term storage food and if you have money - deep freezers can store food for a long time. Not difficult to stockpile a years worth of food - I suppose they believe they can maintain their lavish lifestyle through a limited time period of social unrest/chaos.

However, I agree that such a lone powered up luxury doomstead would be a magnet for well armed but not so well outfitted marauders.....:roll:

ggunn

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

mtdoc wrote: »

I suppose they believe they can maintain their lavish lifestyle through a limited time period of social unrest/chaos.

IMO, any period of social unrest/chaos severe enough to warrant heading for the hills and hunkering in a bunker (Doomstead = Hunker Bunker) is not likely to be short enough to make provisions of that sort worth doing.

NorthGuy

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

mtdoc wrote: »

I suppose they believe they can maintain their lavish lifestyle through a limited time period of social unrest/chaos.

IMHO, there's zero chance of social unrest/chaos in the US in the near future.

mtdoc

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

NorthGuy wrote: »

IMHO, there's zero chance of social unrest/chaos in the US in the near future.

Unlikely - perhaps - but zero chance?

History is ripe with examples of long stable countries/empires rapidly destabilizing.

Cariboocoot

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

Most societies exist with a certain amount of social unrest & chaos all the time. As long as it is allowed the society is unlikely to fail. Where attempts are made to suppress it completely revolution occurs (he who has nothing has nothing to lose).

Try to keep in mind that there are people who make quite a bit of profit from keeping things like utilities and fuel supplies going. So long as that motive is there the situation is unlikely to change.

And really that's as far off topic as we should go here.

unicornio

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

There are so many things that are changing globally, happens several "macro changes" simultaneously, a situation seems quite unstable at all levels, so unfortunately I can not believe in a safe and orderly future, and I would love to, but I do not seem to can be so ...as you say, Coot, the danger is that there so many people who have nothing to lose but means only lose its own daily suffering. I think it is outrageous to have been leaving so much ignorance and misery grow too much long time, but time will tell ...

YehoshuaAgapao

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

Cariboocoot wrote: »

Most societies exist with a certain amount of social unrest & chaos all the time. As long as it is allowed the society is unlikely to fail. Where attempts are made to suppress it completely revolution occurs (he who has nothing has nothing to lose).

Try to keep in mind that there are people who make quite a bit of profit from keeping things like utilities and fuel supplies going. So long as that motive is there the situation is unlikely to change.

And really that's as far off topic as we should go here.

Gerald Celente says when one loses everything and has nothing left lose, he loses it.

YehoshuaAgapao

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

mtdoc wrote: »

I agree that this doesn't look like the typical doomstead. But the point I was trying to make is that there are plenty of wealthy people building very large "extreme offgrid" systems to power their large vacation homes /doomsteads. Often on several acres in remote locations. I doubt most plan on producing their own food. Lots of places selling bulk long term storage food and if you have money - deep freezers can store food for a long time. Not difficult to stockpile a years worth of food - I suppose they believe they can maintain their lavish lifestyle through a limited time period of social unrest/chaos.

However, I agree that such a lone powered up luxury doomstead would be a magnet for well armed but not so well outfitted marauders.....:roll:

The 'doomstead' in this thread is nothing but a target with 'invade me' painted on it.

My solar system is also a giant 'invade me' sign.

YehoshuaAgapao

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

waynefromnscanada wrote: »

First of all, they haven't accepted the fact of their own mortality. In their own minds they're going to live forever.
And second, they've stocked up on guns and ammo, thinking they can easily fight off the starving hordes.
And finally, they have money, which they've always known would buy them anything they wanted no matter what, no matter if the whole world is falling in on their heads. Hahahahaha

They only have money only if they have gold, silver, guns, ammo, alcohol, food. Digital or paper federal reserve notes are not money in a partial or full societal collapse.

The people in this house are quite wealthy, likely banking or wall-street, but are not ulltra elite. They will not have armies to protect them and don't have first dibs in life-extending or cloning/braintaping (which are not truly life-extending) tranhumanist technologies. It is not likely that they have stores of food, guns, or ammo. The house is not fortified at all, nor designed to be fortified (so fortifications would be makeshift)

YehoshuaAgapao

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

mtdoc wrote: »

Unlikely - perhaps - but zero chance?

History is ripe with examples of long stable countries/empires rapidly destabilizing.

A partial societal collapse in America lasting for a period of a couple months is not that improbable right now with the way things are going. The government will likely win and it will transform to a corrupt totalitarian state.

YehoshuaAgapao

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

ggunn wrote: »

IMO, any period of social unrest/chaos severe enough to warrant heading for the hills and hunkering in a bunker (Doomstead = Hunker Bunker) is not likely to be short enough to make provisions of that sort worth doing.

Only ultra-elite will be maintaining their lifestyle in a partial societal collapse. None will maintain their lifestyle ina complete societal collapse.

Domsteads will need to underground bunkers or a fortified structures. More than a meager 6-panel off-grid system will target paint it more than it is worth as a fortified doomstead.

Cariboocoot

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

Put the brakes on, guys; this thread is going past discussing the off-grid house and wandering into the dangerous realm of the political.

BB.

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

Please don't go down this road here...

People make choices in life (power, homes, family, etc.). We are not here to fan the flames over choices that people make for their private homes/lives.

And we are not going down the politics of it all either.

This is not (necessarily) a bug-out place. It is a large home that was made for somebody that can afford it in an area with no utility power.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming on Solar RE power and conservation.

-Bill

ChrisOlson

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

BB. wrote: »

This is not (necessarily) a bug-out place. It is a large home that was made for somebody that can afford it in an area with no utility power.l

Yes, the home in the original post is not a "doomstead", or whatever. Unfortunately, many people seem to associate off-grid living with preparation for the Big Disaster. Some do it because they like the location and you can't get utility power. The home is an example of extreme lavish off-grid.
--
Chris

Ralph Day

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

As opposed to just regular lavish Chris?;)

Ralph

PS: on initial log-in my first look is for Chris's latest posts (fan boy)

ChrisOlson

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

Ralph Day wrote: »

As opposed to just regular lavish Chris?;)

I don't consider us to be lavish. We're not afraid to run generators to support our lifestyle. But I have carefully sized, and designed our generator run time, for peak efficiency so we can have stuff that most people consider impossible to have on off-grid power. And at out-of-pocket monthly expense that still keeps it affordable for an off-grid system. The system pointed out in the original post appears to me to throw massive amounts of resources at the problem with minimum regard for efficiency and operating cost. That's what I call "lavish".
--
Chris

Blackcherry04

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

he, he, .... Chris is my Extreme Off-Grid hero. I find myself saying " What would Chris do " My answer is always the same, " He'd go for it " !! All kidding aside, it's takes someone to push the limits at times and offer feedback to the rest of us. I try be be honest when I post and I know Chris does also so folks know what they are up against. My wife complains that she has lived for 40 years in a Test Laboratory, since I am always testing something, guess she has adjusted to the rules and variations of how to do things ......lol It's like what are we testing " NOW " It's the now that I have to be careful of, if it has a certain tone it's time to back off.
.

westbranch

Re: Extreme Off-Grid

When "NOW" changes to "NEXT" "SWMBO" KNOWS you have a PLAN IN PLAY!

You learn a lot after 40+ yrs of 'churched' time, and no time OFF for good (?) behaviour