BudgetRange
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A horizontal bar on a dollar scale with no figures. The range starts at the low case and runs to the high case. A shaded contingency of about 10 to 20% of project costs is added on top of the high case; old buildings, raw land and owner-built projects often need the high end or more. A bracket shows that the high case plus the contingency is the money to have available. A note says your own time counts too, and only local quotes give real prices.
CompostPileSection
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A cross-section of a compost bin about 3 feet (1 meter) wide and 3 feet high, about 1 cubic yard, which is about the smallest pile that holds heat. Inside, thick layers of browns alternate with thin layers of greens, about 2 to 3 parts browns to 1 part greens by volume. Browns are dry, carbon-rich material such as dead leaves, straw, wood chips and cardboard. Greens are wet, nitrogen-rich material such as food scraps, grass clippings and fresh manure. Air enters through gaps in the slatted sides. Water keeps the pile about as damp as a wrung-out sponge. In the middle is a hot core, often about 130 to 160 °F (54 to 71 °C) in a hot pile. A note says too many greens make a wet, smelly pile and too many browns make a dry pile that barely changes.
CompostToiletFlow
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A flow diagram in three rows. Top row, solids: the composting toilet sends solids, with a dry cover material such as sawdust after each use, into a composting chamber with air and a vent. The material then goes to a finishing stage of a year or more, longer in cool climates, to reduce germs. Finished material is buried or taken by a licensed hauler, as local rules allow, and kept away from food crops unless rules clearly allow it. Middle row, urine: urine diversion sends urine to a separate container or drain, which needs a lawful destination. Bottom row, greywater: sinks, the shower and laundry still make greywater, which needs an approved greywater or septic system. A note says the local health department decides which of these paths are allowed.
HardestMonths
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A 12-month calendar strip from January to December with one row per budget, shaded where that budget is usually hardest to balance for much of the US. Energy: the darkest weeks of winter, around December and January, when solar output is lowest. Heat: December through February, when the design temperature hits and you need a full winter of fuel. Food: late winter and early spring, about February to April, when storage runs low and the garden is bare. Water: the driest stretch, often late summer, about August and September. Money and time: the whole year, since upfront costs, running costs and your own hours must fit in the same year. A note says your months may differ; use local data such as PVWatts for sun.
NutrientLoop
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A cycle diagram with five stages. Soil, holding nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, feeds the garden crops, which take the nutrients up. Crops become the harvest and food in the kitchen. Food scraps, garden waste and manure from hens go to the compost, where microbes break them down. Compost goes back to the soil. Two side flows: some nutrients leave the loop with the food you eat, and cover crops, leaves and wood-chip mulch add more back to the soil. In the center a note says the tighter the loop, the less fertilizer you need to buy.
PlanAnatomy
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A flow diagram. Eight inputs on the left feed one document in the middle, My homestead plan: the brief from lesson 6, the floor plan from lesson 13, the water budget from lesson 20, the load list and solar sizing from lesson 29, heat from lessons 30 and 31, food from lessons 34 to 39, waste from lessons 40 to 42, and the year-one plan from lesson 43. From the plan, an arrow leads to a stress test: check each budget in its hardest month and walk through your worst week on paper. If a budget fails, use less, add capacity, add a backup or move it to a later phase. Then the plan goes to the people who can help: the building department, licensed trade pros, the health department and the extension office. A note says the plan starts conversations; it is not an engineering design.
SepticConcept
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A simplified, not-to-scale section through the ground. All household wastewater flows from the house through a pipe into a buried, watertight septic tank. Inside the tank, grease and light material float to the top as scum, solids settle to the bottom as sludge, and bacteria break some of it down. Access lids reach the surface for pumping and inspection. Liquid from the middle of the tank flows on to the drain field: buried pipes in gravel trenches. The liquid seeps out and down, and the soil filters and treats it. Cars, buildings and trees should stay off the drain field. Notes say to have the system inspected at least every 3 years and pumped typically every 3 to 5 years, and that site evaluation, design, setbacks and installation are for a licensed professional with a permit.
WasteHierarchy
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An upside-down pyramid in four tiers, from best at the top to last resort at the bottom. Reduce, the widest tier: buy less, buy durable and skip packaging. Reuse and repair: use things again, fix them and pass them on. Recycle and compost: turn materials into new products or soil. Dispose, the narrowest tier: send what is left to a landfill as the last step. A side note says household hazardous waste, such as batteries, paint, fuel and garden chemicals, goes to a county drop-off site and never into the trash, the ground or a septic system.
YearOneSeasons
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A timeline of year one across spring, summer, fall and winter, for a climate with cold winters. Permits and access come first, in early spring. A safe, tested water supply and an approved toilet plan follow from spring into early summer. Building and digging run through the dry, mild months from late spring into fall, since frozen or muddy ground stops that work. Shelter and safe heat run from summer and are finished before the first hard frost in mid-fall, which is marked with a dashed line. Basic power is set up from late spring through summer. Firewood is cut in early spring and then dries for at least 6 months, ready by late fall. A small garden and compost pile follow frost dates from spring into fall. Winter is the test season: plan for the coldest month, not the average one. Hens and other extras wait until late winter or year two, once the basics run smoothly. A note says contractors book up in busy seasons, so ask early.