Tales: Homestead Rescue TV Show Review

Are you interested in homesteading? Do you want to live off-grid? I have a new favorite television series that is perfect for beginning homesteaders and off-grid dreamers. Homestead Rescue airs on the Discovery Channel but I discovered it on Amazon. Homestead Rescue is a reality TV show in which the Raney family visits people who are living on off-grid homesteads and who are struggling. While every homestead and homesteader is different and unique, there are lessons to be learned in each episode.

Beth and Mike Need Immediate Assistance to Survive

In the first episode of Homestead Rescue the Raney family rescues Beth and Mike. This empty nest couple sold their "regular" home  6 months prior and moved to a very remote homestead in the Wolf Creek Mountains of Montana. This gorgeous mountain area is as breathtakingly beautiful as it is frightening. Multiple empty dwellings are reminiscent of a ghost-town and are constant reminders of the failed attempts to homestead here by the prior owners.

With no water source, no food, and with predators large enough to be serious dangers to humans, Mike and Beth are at high risk from not being successful on this homestead. Their location so remote that one good snow storm and they will be at high risk of death.

Who are the Raneys?

Marty Raney has lived off-grid in Alaska.  He has worked in logging while living on a floating camp and has lived on a homestead in  a very remote area of Alaska. 

In this TV reality series, Marty and his adult children, Misty and Matt, are visiting struggling homestead families for 10 days at a time in order to help them with the steep learning curve of homesteading and be successful. Misty brings skills of farming and gardening. Matt brings skills of hunting, fishing, and understanding how to protect the homestead from predators.

The Take Away from this Episode

I found this couple to be endearing, even though Beth is a bit rigid and frustrating initially.  Homesteaders have their dreams of what they want their homestead to be. But Beth's dreams were so big that they weren't getting started. I understand that mentality.  My little piece of land is not as large or as remote as their homestead. But I have dreams. And sometimes those dreams hold me back from doing things that could be done immediately.

The lesson learned from Mike and Beth is to just get started. Do what you can to start being self-sufficient immediately. And make sure that your dreams are attainable and make sense for your property.

Beth butted heads with the Raney family in the beginning. And in the end, she did not get what she thought she wanted. But in the end, the look on her face and the pride in her voice said it all. She did not need that grandiose long term dream to be implemented in order to be successful and happy on her homestead.

Watch Now - Homestead Rescue Season One

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Shipping Containers - Tiny Home Option

Two 20 feet shipping containers

I am still trying to decide the best option for housing on my land. I've looked at modulars, RV's, log cabins and more. Today, I went to look at shipping containers.  The idea of using shipping containers as homes is hard to imagine for some people. But I've seen plenty of examples of beautiful living spaces that began as a shipping container.

Baltimore - An Endless Supply of Shipping Containers

A good thing about living just barely outside of Baltimore City is that it is a port city. And shipping containers come in an endless supply.  Not long ago, my daily commute included driving past a shipping container and temporary office company.  So today, I stopped by there.  What I had in mind was checking out the price of one of those "mobile office" boxes.  I was thinking that if I choose to tear down The Shack and replace it with something that takes a bit to build, I'd have shelter in one of these little offices (imagine a small guard shack - the small offices are similar to those).  One of those small mobile offices should be easy to haul on to and off of my property.  Or I could use it for a shed when I'm finished living in it. Right? 

But that thinking was derailed as soon as I walked into the Wilmot Modular Structures office and met Lori.  

Lori was thrilled to talk to someone who didn't think using a shipping container as housing was odd.  In fact, she'd love to have her own shipping container home.  But that's her story and she should tell you her story. Back to mine.  I told her that I had considered shipping containers for a home, but I was too inexperienced to cut the windows and doors, and such.

"We do that for you" she said. And she happily showed me a shipping container that was being worked on and the plans she has worked up for several other shipping container abodes. 

I apologize to you that my only photograph of my adventure today was of a pair of the "many trip" containers.  I wanted a reminder about size.  Which reminds me - Lori talked to me about making sure to purchase a "one trip" container. That is a container that has only been shipped to the states once. They are in almost new condition, as I could easily see. I just wish I had taken photos of some of the one trippers. 

My Piece of Land and Situation

We chatted about several of my concerns about my lot... the drive up to my lot is a major concern. The road is nicely maintained, but it is a gravel road with switchbacks.  Long loads may not make it past the curves. Also, my lot is steeply sloped.  A fork lift or crane may be hard to get down to my spot.  

But the great news is that I could stack two or three shipping containers on top of each other. And doing that would most certainly get me high enough to see over the top of my lot... giving me a 360 degree, long range view.  Ah, heaven. I could place a smaller container on top of a larger container, and have a second story patio.  I could do so many things with this.

Small Homes and Big Decisions

I have so many decisions to make. And I think I'm still leaning strongly toward the log cabin on wheels.  But the containers are exceedingly tempting. Especially when you read what others have to say about their shipping container homes.

If you are at all interested in shipping containers for living space there are several awesome video tours to see, but this video is a must see:

*This article may contain affiliate links. If you shop via one of the affiliate links, I may earn a small commission - at no additional cost to you.  I am very appreciative of every reader who visits my articles. Thank you

Tiny House, Big Living Review

Tiny House, Big Living

I find that I've said "I don't know why I waited so long" in my reviews on more than one occasion. This is another occasion. I have purchased my very first television show from Amazon and I'm thrilled I did. I purchased episode 4 of Tiny House, Big Living season 1. I feel a series binge coming on and I am pausing just long enough to tell you about this show.

Tiny House, Big Living on HGTV

I have not had cable for awhile.  I've only had cable for a short stretch of time (about 2 1/2 years) over the past 10 years or so.  I despise paying that much money for such poor service. The price tag seems so high for what it is and they hike the price higher each year. Basically, the only reason I had cable for those couple of years was for a few specific channels.  HGTV was the primary channel I wanted to watch.

Somehow, I didn't see Tiny House, Big Living while I had cable. Perhaps it came out just after I disconnected cable.  I had watched shows (I can't recall which channels.) such as  Tiny House Nation, Treehouse Masters, and Tiny House Hunters. 

Today, I started to search Amazon for those shows. And I found Tiny House, Big Living instead.

Tiny House, Big Living Season 1 - Episode 4

I chose episode 4 because the photo showed a plain but attractive exterior and a metal roof.  Simple with a tin roof is along the lines of my preferred tiny home exteriors.  But rest assured, there is a variety of exteriors to choose from in this series.

In this episode we watch a dad help his young adult daughter build a tiny house on a frame.  Her goal was to have her own living space and to be debt free. His goal, among many including some ulterior motives, was for her to increase her ability to be independent through knowledge of home building. 

We watch as choices are made and the home goes up.  I loved their creativity, their choices for the interior, and how this young lady imagined an ingenious ladder system for her loft.

I will stop here. There's not much that can be said about a single episode without leaking some spoilers.  If you are interested in Tiny Homes and haven't seen Tiny Homes, Big Living you might want to give it a peek. 

Purchasing Television Shows and Movies From Amazon

In case I am not the only one who hasn't purchased television shows from Amazon I want to tell you how easy it is.

• Search Amazon as you would for any other item
• Search under the Television and Movies category
• Choose your item and click the "buy" button
• My episode opened immediately and I viewed it
• When I returned to watch a second time, I located it in my account in Amazon - under "Your Video Library"

Happy watching!

Keystone Kabins Park Model - Tiny Home Option

My original plan was to buy my land and make improvements over time.  On my less-than-shoestring budget, that would amount to a long period of time.  But my thinking was to pay as I go and hopefully retire to my little mountain homestead either debt-free or close to it. However, the more time I spend camping at The Shack, the more anxious I am to move there. This weekend I toured several options for housing. I was surprisingly impressed with Keystone Kabins' park models.

(Note: Since the writing of this article, the name of the company has change. It is now Lancaster Log Cabins. Same address, information, and cabin. Different name)

Keystone Kabins - Vacation Cabin Kits

I was originally interested in Keystone Kabins because they make vacation log cabin kits. You can either assemble the kits or have them assembled.  The floor plans and prices are on the Keystone Kabins website.  I liked the rustic look, the options, the small size, and most of all, I liked the prices. Their simplicity keeps the price tag lower than some other cabin builders I've been looking at.

I called to see if there were vacation cabin models onsite that I could tour at the Pennsylvania location. No. No vacation cabin models. But there are "park models".  I decided to go ahead and look even though I wasn't interested in a park model. Frankly, I didn't exactly know what a park model was but I'd go and look. At least I could get a sense of quality.

What are log cabin Park Models.

I've learned that park models are very similar to RVs. Or like Tiny Houses.  They are built on a trailer. They have VIN  numbers and are considered to be a recreational vehicle. Because they are suited for camping only, they are not considered to be mobile homes or permanent living arrangements. 

Originally, I thought there would be no way I'd interested in a home as tiny as the ones shown on the television shows.  I can live very small, but I'm not interested in living THAT tiny. Besides, I'm not very interested in living on wheels again.

However, these park model log cabins had an open feel.  And they were much more solid than I had expected. Later in the day I stopped at a model center to look at some of the modular floor plans I have my eye on, and there were park models there also. Those park models were gorgeous - shiny, fancy, decorated beautifully, and modern.  Visually crisp and clean. But they also smelled of chemicals and felt less solid.  

In contrast, the Keystone Kabins log park models were solid under my feet and smelled only of wood (despite having been recently varnished - or stained. I'm not certain of the correct terminology). The rustic simplicity caught my eye and my imagination.

Good Customer Service Early On

Dan, of Keystone Kabins, had answered my phone call and was very inviting. I don't believe he was scheduled to work that day but had left the additional pamphlets and information where he said he would. In addition, he was present in the office when I checked - just in case. We did not have an appointment.  I was just rolling through as I went from one spot to the next. And frankly, traffic was so horrible that I was running an hour and a half later than I had wanted. But he was there.  

That is more than I can say for another builder who knew I was coming - the builder of the homes I most wanted to see during this trip. I arrived 30 minutes within closing and their office was closed. We did not have an appointment, but they were aware I was coming.  Perhaps they had an emergency that required closing before their posted hours.  Perhaps not.  Either way, it makes me wonder what their customer service will be.  I do not wonder that about Dan with Keystone Kabins. I already feel that he'd be reliable and go above and beyond.

Daydreaming about the Future

I am still completely uncertain about what my final choice will be. However, I'm more able to imagine having a home on wheels to camp in, rather than my little rickety shack. Who knows, maybe I'll opt for one of those slick and shiny park models. Or maybe I'll make more progress than I expect financially and build a stick-built family sized home.  I don't know. But I do know that I'm smitten with these natural, rustic, wooden, tiny log cabins. Clearly, if I choose a park model, it won't be my permanent home. But perhaps I can use it to comfortably camp in for years to come. 

I need to do more research about living so small. And have ordered this book just today. My apartment isn't very much over 400 sq feet, but I do have quite a bit of storage here that I won't have in a park model.

Tiny House Living 

I'm sharing the following photographs that I had taken only to refresh my memory after returning home.  The models were in process and I was not planning on sharing the photos. For better quality photos and more information, please see their website or the Keystone Kabins facebook page.

Meanwhile: