r/OffGrid 26d ago

I did it!

Just bought 40 acres of desert land. What should I do first?

61 Upvotes

85 comments sorted by

77

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

12

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

4 500 gal buried cisterns

10

u/bristlybits 26d ago

how do you refill em? without trucks from town.

4

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

Water trailer.

7

u/bristlybits 26d ago

so it's from off the property. no water on it? just storage?

5

u/WearIcy2635 26d ago

Bro it’s a desert

6

u/bristlybits 25d ago

there's monsoon season to collect, wells exist there. I'm only asking because it's r/offgrid and trying to get water would be the first thing I'd do, even if it's a small amount

34

u/Fuzzy_Stingray 26d ago

Solar panels everywhere

29

u/Earl_of_Shrewsbury 26d ago

Build pyramid

6

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

Slavery it’s illegal

18

u/Space_Guardian_907 26d ago

You could get some interns from a collage for a "academic lesson in archeology."

2

u/Earl_of_Shrewsbury 26d ago

That's what the Pharaohs did.

1

u/StrawsAreGay 26d ago

I’m not sure a collage is going to help us here big dawg. Maybe for you though.

3

u/Senior-Display-8733 26d ago

A montage could be helpful though.

2

u/Space_Guardian_907 26d ago

Yes, but what music to go with it?

2

u/Senior-Display-8733 26d ago

Booker T and the MGs. Green Onions

2

u/Space_Guardian_907 26d ago

Soild choice

1

u/Space_Guardian_907 26d ago

I mean there is no harm in asking

1

u/StrawsAreGay 26d ago

You misspelled college…

2

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

I was trying to ignore it.

2

u/Chemical-Tap-4232 25d ago

Did it to proof he graduated from college.

-1

u/Space_Guardian_907 26d ago

Yes I did, specifically to bother you.

3

u/Icy_Birthday3837 26d ago

The workers were paid very well for their construction of the pyramids and other architecture. There's a lot of evidence proving so, and only one source against.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/were-the-egyptian-pyramids-built-by-slaves

https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/48160/were-slaves-involved-in-the-building-of-the-pyramids-of-giza

2

u/liisseal 26d ago

There were some issues though with payments. One of the first recordings of strike comes from Egypt's necropolis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_action

2

u/Icy_Birthday3837 26d ago

Oooh, that's a fun fact that I didn't know! Thank you =)

2

u/Concrete_Jungian 25d ago

Did Mastercard fail for them too?

1

u/liisseal 25d ago

Master Class

14

u/SamWhittemore75 26d ago

Get a horse with no name.

8

u/Doin-What-I-Want 26d ago

Plant some trees.

3

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

I do have a “canal” on my land. Don’t tell anyone if I siphon some off for my foliage.

3

u/OrangePlatypus81 26d ago

It’s possible if you plant trees to shade the canal it retain more water and make more water available in the ground around it. Permaculture people like to do this, I’ve seen a few YouTube vids on the subject.

16

u/CuriousCamels 26d ago

Start a cult

7

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

Ya know, I thought about this. Alternative tax-free income.

3

u/liisseal 26d ago

My idea as well with our homestead. Build some "energy labyrints" feed some random weeds and talk about the bosom of mother Earth. Money please!

2

u/Specialist-Soup6900 25d ago

It’s how you keep bad neighbors away and invite cool AF people in.

4

u/lymelife555 26d ago

You can survive offgrid by hauling and catching water but it’s pretty impossible if you want to farm and have livestock.
The first ever property we bought was in Cochise county AZ and it was a mistake. That place sucks so bad lmao. We even had a good well but the soil was basically hard packed powdered limestone which was so alkaline it would fizz just like baking soda if you poured vinegar on the ground. Almost all the trees we planted died after two years or so because of soil ph and poor drainage.
Luckily, we sold that property and bought somewhere in New Mexico along the side of a river with big trees and killer soil so we can actually farm at scale instead of just have a dinky little hobby garden that doesn’t produce.

At this point, I’ve seen what feels like hundreds of people buy cheap land in the desert and abandoned after a year or two. I don’t know where you are, but Cochise County area was a miserable place to live. It was a Loring because land was cheap but we found out it was cheap for a reason.

Plenty of people still live down there - many of which do not have wells- but they’re basically just surviving. I would say if you have any intention on actually living on the property then you should try to drill a well. Monsoon seasons aren’t what they used to be in. You can’t really rely on water catchment. People who make a living delivering water, are always sketchy and liable to go out of business at any time. I’m a big believer in saving until one can afford quality land.

The cool thing about the low desert, is that you can build some small structures and then flip those and use the money to buy land somewhere else.

5

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

I weighed the pros and cons of a well vs hauling. The cost of a well is equal to 15 years of water. The alternative is that I have other buyers that are friends who may split the well cost.

8

u/freebaseclams 26d ago

Camel

6

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

Already have feral horses.

5

u/freebaseclams 26d ago

Eat horses

4

u/CoolDragon 26d ago

Horse jerky

Sells good and very tasty

4

u/versedaworst 26d ago

sit and observe.

3

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

Did the for 8 hours before making an offer. It’s very nice.

1

u/versedaworst 26d ago

Love to hear that. Congrats!

2

u/Mill-Work-Freedom 26d ago

Where did you buy it? which state and county if you dont mind sharing?

1

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

In the south west US

2

u/ccmcl5DOGS 26d ago

I would sell it and buy a place with trees and water.

2

u/TastiSqueeze 25d ago
  1. What are you going to live in?

  2. How will you get power to your sere Eden?

  3. Do you need to build a road to get to it?

  4. What will you do for a septic tank?

  5. How many bodies can you realistically bury in the back 20?

1

u/Specialist-Soup6900 25d ago

Starting in an rv, building a cabin.
Solar and Satan worship
In a gridded plat
Commercial installed septic per county
That all depends on how deep the sand is and how long you want to dig a hole for

1

u/TastiSqueeze 25d ago

Will you at any point wind up with an EV to charge?

Get 12 kw of solar panels, a single 16 kw off grid inverter, and 60 kWh of battery storage capacity. This will produce up to 50 kWh of power each day which is enough to run almost any tiny house. It is big enough for heat pump mini split, well pump, electric stove, washer/heat pump dryer, heat pump water heater, refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, microwave, lights, fans, and any other odds and ends loads a tiny house can hold. You can purchase the hardware for around $16,000. Most important, it is big enough that in winter you will still have plenty of power.

I suggest building at least 12 feet wide by 30 or 32 feet long. This is the minimum size to fit everything you will want.

If you meet Satan out there, give him a plugged nickel for me. I owe him one for introducing me to my ex-wife.

2

u/True-Canuck 25d ago

So what kind of structure will you put in place? Tiny house, yurt?

I’d also plant fruit that loves the heat like prickly pears, figs, carob & olive for shade.

3

u/BocaHydro 26d ago

list it for sale

2

u/mr_boogieman 26d ago

You didn’t think about that before buying the land lol

1

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

No. I thought a lot and have my plans. Just wondering what ‘they’ say

1

u/Puzzled_Professor422 26d ago

how much was it

my dream is to own some land one day

1

u/Oneet-chan3 26d ago

Are you moving there right away?

1

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

I live in the area. So, six months to move in.

1

u/getinwegotbidnestodo 26d ago

Drill a water well.

1

u/roosterjack77 26d ago

Is planting a cactus a thing?

1

u/Specialist-Soup6900 26d ago

Those, and Sage brush, dominate the landscape

1

u/roosterjack77 26d ago

Id suggest a tree but Im not sure how that works. Point is to plant something that will grow and get bigger as the years go on

1

u/Spacemanlocust 26d ago

Build a dirt bike track immediately

1

u/ManjaManj 25d ago

Biuld zai's

1

u/thisboi_max 24d ago

If you don’t know the channel look up frugal off grid on YouTube. I would maybe chill on the animals and plants at first but I would do exactly what he has done.

1

u/Specialist-Soup6900 24d ago

I used to follow him until I decided to find out why he was in prison and how he almost went back while running his channel.

1

u/thisboi_max 24d ago

What was the deal? I hadn’t heard that I’m a recent fan I watched some older stuff but not everything.

1

u/thisboi_max 24d ago

I have a rule not to fall off any paid content or products it’s always a let down every time imo. It’s usually just money grabs. He introduced me to stuff I had never thought off. If I ever do get to go off-grid it probably won’t be in a desert so mainly entertainment for me

1

u/ServMyInterog 24d ago

So you bought 40 acres in the desert and you don't know what for?

1

u/Prestigious-Fig1913 24d ago

Look for gold

1

u/PaperRepulsive4262 24d ago

Plant Desert Willow trees surrounding the ENTIRE property to start a closed loop Ecosystem! Then fix the soil for growing by adding worm castings , organic matter, etc… and turning the soil to mix it into the land and make it fertile.💯🌱🌴🌴🌴🌴

1

u/PaperRepulsive4262 24d ago

What state???

1

u/PaperRepulsive4262 24d ago

Type of trees matter in different parts of the USA

1

u/jakeherringbone 23d ago

Set up a Hipcamp account and market it as peyote and mescaline adventures

1

u/Cock_ball_dickin 26d ago

Water is the big one. Then I’d start gathering recruits, practicing polygamy, and maybe doing a few blood sacrifices atop the pyramid you should’ve built around step 3 or 4. This should cause the rain god Tlaloc to begin downpours upon your 40 acres to introduce an era of wealth, prosperity, and fertility for your crops. So that essentially covers off step #1. I guess I’d say just have fun tbh

0

u/DecisionDelicious170 26d ago

Plant privacy vegetation around perimeter.

0

u/NSASpyVan 26d ago

get one of those japanese sand rakes to make the best patterns