I had no idea where to put this discussion. This may go in homesteading, but it could also be off topic enough to go into general discussion. This post has elements of DIY, homesteading, general preparedness, and whatever, and I think that this is the kind of forum where I could find answers to all of these related questions, because these are closely related to the things that we generally discuss. I have a feeling that all of us, in general, either live in rural areas, grew up in rural areas or have plenty of experience in rural areas.
I will post it in homesteading and allow the moderators to decide on if it needs to be moved.
I bought my first house. It is out in the country. It was perfect place for me. It's far enough away from the city that I can live in rural solitude, but close enough that I can drive to my construction sites and work in Raleigh.
It was a foreclosure had been abandoned for about eighteen months, and few people were interested in purchasing it. It was rough shape, and needed a massive amount of TLC. From what I understand is that someone bought it as a hobby farm, started renovations, and then passed away. The owner's family members attempted to keep the property, and take over the mortgage, but couldn't keep up. What I purchased was a partially completed project.
Professionally I am a carpenter with over 8 years of construction experience, so the work usually wouldn't bother me...
Even with my qualifications, I admit, I bit off more than I could chew. I work for my father, who has been a Raleigh based general contractor for close to 35 years, and has been helping me with the repairs and modifications. Even he made the comment that the project was ambitious or stupid for a single person. I will freely admit it was the latter option!
I only purchased the house after learning that the plumping, electric wiring and roof had been gutted and replaced in the last five years. Heating and AC have been installed, and after inspecting the work it looks like it has been put in within the last 5 to 10 years. The foundation is solid. This process left some the interior as new, but a lot of the interior is still dated. The exterior was falling apart and I had to replace the entirety of the siding, the front and back porch, garage door, landscaping among other major tasks.
My property is a former farm on 5 acres of land. I have two barns, a shed and a root cellar. Having an unattached root cellar on a property in my part of North Carolina is rare, but I am happy to have it.
I thought I would have no problem with a small farm, because I spent summers, weekends and holidays on my uncle's farm. That wasn't enough farming experience to know what I was doing, and I have more questions then answers.
So this is where my problems tie into homesteading. This will only be the first set of questions that I have, and more will come later. These are the issues that I am working out now:
1. I have a detached root cellar that is partially underground. It stays at about 45 degrees and has a humidity factor of 87 percent. The storage section is rectangle about 7 feet wide and 8 feet deep. It looks to me like it was hand dug.
What kind of foods can be stored in this kind of root cellar, and what is the proper procedure for storing food in a root cellar? I also have heard that you can store canned foods in food cellar, but also that you shouldn't because the metal will rust, which is true?
The cellar has no shelves, do you think I should build some? If so how should space them for properly storing different kinds of food?
Also how would one go about inspecting a root cellar to make sure that it is structurally sound? With how poor of shape this property was in, I need to do a thorough inspection.
2. I have a dirt floor basement under my house below my kitchen, and little pantry space. It is dry and has no extra humidity. It is only a few degrees colder or warmer then the house depending on the season. Is it possible to use it as a pantry?
Has anyone floored a dirt basement in an old house before? I have salvaged several hundred bricks from varies sources, would that make a good cost effective floor in this basement? My knowledge says yes, but I always like asking for someone's opinion if they have done it before.
3. How do I keep rodents out of my barns? I have used the usually methods and they have not worked. I'm thinking the mice problem has been going on for a decade at least. I don't keep edible food in there and store mostly tools, building supplies and hardware, yet I still have some mice. I already sealed all of the little holes and entrances I could find, but I still have mice.
Should I invest in a cat or cats (multiple)? I have tried mice traps, but I can't kill those guys fast enough. Luckily I have no mice problems in the house, and I want to take care of this problem before I use the cellar, because it is in close proximity to the barns.
4. The Well. My house has a well, but I also have water provided by a private company. The well is currently capped, but I had it opened and the water tested. I am thinking about making some modifications, adding a hand pump to pump water manually or having the well used for the irrigation of a future garden I would like to make. Is it feasible to repurpose old wells in this way?
5. Wood stove. I have a large wood stove that was installed in the 1980s. Should I inspect it before I fire it up, and what potential issues should I look for to make sure it is safe to use?
6. Storing firewood. if I was to store firewood about 20+ yards away from my house, would it keep termites away from my house in case they get into the firewood. I will be storing mostly oak for my woodstove and for sale this winter.
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