The whole homestead: worksheet

Lesson 1: What "self-sufficient" really means

Open the lesson

By the end you can:

• Describe self-sufficiency as a range of independence, not all or nothing.
• Name things a homestead can realistically provide and things it usually still buys or shares.
• Explain why most homesteads choose to stay partly connected.

1. Which plan best fits the way this course defines self-sufficient?

   Key: Provide water and most power on site, grow summer vegetables, and keep a grid connection as a backup

2. Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?

Lesson 2: The five budgets (plus time)

Open the lesson

By the end you can:

• Name the five homestead budgets and the sixth budget, time.
• Give the unit each budget is measured in.
• Explain how one choice can move several budgets at once.

1. You double the size of your vegetable garden. Which budgets does that change?

   Key: Food, water and time, and some money for soil, seed and fencing

2. Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?

Lesson 3: Climate zones and why they change every answer

Open the lesson

By the end you can:

• Read an IECC climate zone, such as 5A, as a number and a moisture letter.
• Explain what heating and cooling degree days measure.
• Find your own zone and know why the course asks for it.

1. A place is listed as zone 6A. What does that tell you?

   Key: It is cold and moist, so heating and moisture control both matter

2. Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?

Lesson 4: Reading your site

Open the lesson

By the end you can:

• Name six things to read on a site: sun, wind, slope, water, soil and access.
• Spot common warning signs, such as frost pockets and flood-prone ground.
• Know which site questions need a professional and a permit.

1. You have two spots for the house. Spot 1 is a low, flat area by the creek. Spot 2 is a gentle south-facing slope higher up. Which is usually the better starting point?

   Key: Spot 2, because it drains well and gets winter sun

2. Diagnose it: “The garden at the bottom of the hill gets hit by frost weeks earlier than the rest of the land.” What is the most likely cause, and what clue tells you?

   Key: Cold air drains downhill and pools in the hollow, held there by the hedge

3. Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?

4. Which parts of this topic need a licensed professional or a permit, and what would you ask them?

Lesson 5: Phasing: what to build first

Open the lesson

By the end you can:

• Put the main homestead projects in a sensible order.
• Explain why water, sanitation and safe shelter come first.
• Plan for the risks and costs of living on site during year one.

1. Money is tight. Which is the best thing to spend on first?

   Key: A safe water supply and a legal toilet system

2. Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?

3. Which parts of this topic need a licensed professional or a permit, and what would you ask them?

Lesson 6: Project: my homestead brief

Open the lesson

By the end you can:

• Write a homestead brief with climate zone, people, goals, budget range and must-haves.
• Tell must-haves apart from nice-to-haves.
• Use the brief when talking to builders, suppliers and inspectors.

1. Which of these is the strongest goal for a homestead brief?

   Key: Keep the house above 50 °F (10 °C) for seven days with no grid power

2. Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?

Homestead Lab activity