Weldman from SE Montana

[Weldman]

That’s insulting. Wind turbines, but not for Montana. Need to hit your governor with a cattle prod.

They played it very smart, when you can't regulate someone you just buy the place and do it yourself. They bought the coal power plants in Colstrip, MT and have since started shutting them down, I think they are down to one out of 5 units or or thereabouts. Now that's done they waited till ranchers had a hard year(s) and offered them money to lease their land, now they are taking all these windmills and running the main transmission lines to Colstrip right to the coal powered plants since all the equipment is there and out goes the power of Montana to Washington state without fighting the government.

 

[Baymule]

That is wrong on all counts.

 

[Mini Horses]

Wrong but legal....$$$

Question -- wife is there but, is she "in" with it? Does she garden, love the life, handling off-grid, etc? I see some expensive, heavy equipment there. Gas/diesel by the barrel full. Long drive to station.

I'm thinking that's gonna be a nice pond -- maybe a small lake if you get to having too much fun! Wildlife will love it. Stock with fish.

 

[Weldman]

Wrong but legal....$$$

Question -- wife is there but, is she "in" with it? Does she garden, love the life, handling off-grid, etc? I see some expensive, heavy equipment there. Gas/diesel by the barrel full. Long drive to station.

I'm thinking that's gonna be a nice pond -- maybe a small lake if you get to having too much fun! Wildlife will love it. Stock with fish.

We are like two peas in a pod on this. She has gardens right outside of the Waddle Wattle Inn, small but it's a start. Pretty simple toss the hay out covered in duck poop directly in the garden and don't have to go far. I think 5 years ago that's what won me a date with her, she is a Washingtonian by birth and I was stationed there, but anywho when we first met we were going over places to move to and live. Well I showed her my list and she showed me her list and we matched, then I told her I own land in Montana already and it spread like wildfire from there.

Story goes is I bought this place sight unseen on eBay, seen the climate, demographics, any building codes, politics, taxes etc and liked it. Raw land 20.3 acres off grid, perfect lets go 2017. Met wife year later 2018 and still haven't done anything with land. Well as love spread like wildfire we set off to spread our wings and in spring of 2019 we landed out here, owned no equipment though plenty of tools, semi with truck camper, no solar panels, a generator and two 6 volt batteries for power and few 5 gallon jugs of water and we built this place slowly as we transitioned every here.

In 2019 on one of our trips back and forth getting things out here I acquired a 1968 Ford 4500 backhoe for $3000. Wife done got a taste for all this and told me, if we are going to do this she wants to pay for half of the property and put her name on it. I said fine, handed her a marriage application from state of Montana for being officially married and so in the winter of January 2020 we got state level married. Year later after getting all our stuff over in January of 2021 I broke ground for this pole barndominium. Ground frozen 3' down, snow on the ground some days, other days lost feeling in extremities as I dug with that 53 year old backhoe and moved that dirt with no power steering. Didn't know exactly how I was going to build it, but something was going to be built there, ambition was at the wheel driving and that's all that mattered.

In the summer of 2021 we were given a chance to take down 13 grain bins, I didn't think much of it, told the wife and she is one who planted the idea, hey could you build something with them. I thought hmm maybe I could, no idea what, but with that much material I'm sure I can. So June 1st of 2021 the heat hit 100°F and we drove to Bottineau, ND and with wife by my side we tore down 13 grain bins in 2 weeks, never dropping below 100°, winds ripping across the plains and no experience, we did it. Going back to hotel covered in black dirt from the dust we got all down. The last day the owner of them came out and seen we took them all leaving only concrete and asked, you want four more. Me and the wife looked at each other and said sure, first we need a break. Drove that load back home, went back for a week and took the last 4 down, got everything home and inventoried it all began designing on SketchUp and running load calculations on excel spreadsheet program.

August of 2021 is when first pole went down for the pole barndomium, by then we had acquired another 20 acres down same road we live on, last property on dead end road, paid for just same as first one. As time went on we acquired the machinery you see and then some along with 2 more 20 acre parcels on parcel over from us.
Ninety-five percent of me built the pole barn while the wife worked in town, she ran the gardens I kept building. The days she was off or time she was off if I could find a way for her to help she helped. We built up the solar system to point I can weld with it, get water from in town since they want 70K for a 800 plus feet deep well.

By July of last year we acquired our 5th 20 acre parcel attached to our main on putting us at 104 acres paid for just like the other 4, us together. This January for our 5th year anniversary, we officiated our marriage in the pole barndominium with a preacher who is also a rancher in his late 60's I built with my own two hands and after 5 years of living in a truck camper building our lives together and testing our love for each other we moved out on our wedding day to the loft of the pole barndominium, or Pole Bindominium I call it. So yes she is all in, that is official, in fact she is the one who suggested sheep, after we seen bison weren't happening anytime soon and I am the one who said how about goats.

Enjoy the build,

 

[Mini Horses]

WOW !!! So happy for you both!

That situation and lifestyle takes two committed to each other and the life. I'd say you're there -- happy and 100%. It's wonderful to hear. What a fantastic start you've had. Many good years will come of this, no doubt in my mind. I can't wait to see your progress at the homestead.

The build is amazing!!!! ,

 

[Weldman]

WOW !!! So happy for you both!

That situation and lifestyle takes two committed to each other and the life. I'd say you're there -- happy and 100%. It's wonderful to hear. What a fantastic start you've had. Many good years will come of this, no doubt in my mind. I can't wait to see your progress at the homestead.

It all started in this rig that I mostly built/customized.

 

[murphysranch]

Holey Cow! Man of all trades. Very cool. Love the slide show!!

 

[Weldman]

Holey Cow! Man of all trades. Very cool. Love the slide show!!

Thanks!
The more you can do for yourself the more satisfying the outcome will be.

 

[farmerjan]

That is quite the project and finish... Very impressive. I have to say I envy you two, finding a "mate and match" and embarking on this together...
The welding is very impressive... Using the grain bins very innovative...
The only thing I find difficult is no windows.... I like to see out... but then as I get older, someday's I want to be inside, looking out, once essential chores are done. Especially on these cold 15-10 degree days.... I know it gets alot colder up there....

The very best to you both and looking forward to following along with continued improvements and endeavors.

 

[Weldman]

That is quite the project and finish... Very impressive. I have to say I envy you two, finding a "mate and match" and embarking on this together...
The welding is very impressive... Using the grain bins very innovative...
The only thing I find difficult is no windows.... I like to see out... but then as I get older, someday's I want to be inside, looking out, once essential chores are done. Especially on these cold 15-10 degree days.... I know it gets alot colder up there....

The very best to you both and looking forward to following along with continued improvements and endeavors.

Thank you, I am thinking a PTZ camera is about to take place of windows with a 50 inch screen TV, might even get a sun tan if we turn it up high enough In seriousness it will also be used to monitor and animals we have too, so maybe tax write off for the ranch.
I think the next endeavor is getting a suspension fence up after I get my loader running. Frozen ground or not when pushing down a pole with 30k lbs or more, something is giving.
Was a long road of finding each other.