Life’s About to Get Easier Living on Our Off-Grid Homestead

Living full-time on an off-grid homestead isn’t always rainbows & fairy tales, but this challenging project is going to make both daily life & building work on the farm so much easier! 💪

It’s a daunting job for a pair of eager amateurs so naturally nerves are running high, but we’ve done our research & we’re prepared to install our off-grid solar power upgrade!

We’ve sacrificed many creature comforts to live in this beautiful place (washing machine…kettle….flushing toilet anyone!?) but ‘luxury’ 😉 is just around the corner!

Get the champagne ready 🥂 because by the end of this week, the farm’s hosting the Grand Opening for our new solar setup...at least that’s what we hope 🤞

LIKE THIS VIDEO if you enjoyed it & SUBSCRIBE to follow our journey as we document our life here in Portugal & the many DIY projects that we'll be tackling including renovating a tiny stone home, setting up systems to grow some of our own food & finally restoring the 100+ year old farm house.

Also say hi in the comments! We'd love to hear from you 😊

Ricky & Victoria x

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We're Ricky & Victoria 👋 We're slowly bringing an abandoned off grid Portuguese farm back to life & transforming it into a beautiful homestead for us & our two rescue dogs Teddy & Poppy.

We both agree that we’re not experts in anything that we do here, however we don’t let that stop us from giving it a try. We live our life by trying. We live our life by doing. We live our LIFE BY LIVING.

#abandonedfarm #offgridliving #homesteadlife #FOREO #FOREOskincare #UFO3deephydrationfacialdevice #facemask #facialtreatment

[nikolaubiker]

use pvc pipes underground, insert this blue pipe straight in the pvc, double protection for the electric cables...nice jobs mate!

[chrissyfrancis]

Buy conduit that’s big enough to put the blue conduit through it! It’ll be twice the protection of the wires too. Idk the regulations there, but if you’re able, I’d use the largest pipe I could. That way you could run more through someday if you needed to.

[TyMark]

After checking several channels about life in Portugal, yours is the only one that I view regularly since several months. Today I reflected on it, and concluded that is your personality along with the tranquility that I feel while watching your videos that got me stuck. Well done .

[judystark]

I so look forward to your videos. You’re both so upbeat and your pups are adorable. Can’t wait to see how your little house comes out.

[joygood]

Well done. I thoroughly enjoy watching you two, you are both upbeat, positive couple with a can do attitude.

[davidgoulding]

Hope you and pooches are OK with all the fires happening in Northern Portugal. It has been horrendous for so many people. ❤🥰🤗

[melmaki]

Love your energy, humour and creativity! As an old engineer in Canada, I found another trick to add a pull cord to a roll of tubing, without having to unwind the tubing, it is to insert a spool of thread of similar diameter into the tube end, hold the free end of the thread and blow with your Hoover or Dyson. The thread unwinds off the side of the spool, until the spool with remaining thread miraculously pops out the other end. This trick works for any length of tubing as the is no friction to increase with distance or bends. If need a stronger pull thread then use the fist thread to pull in the second etc.; always unwind the tubing for main cable pull.
Also love your solar system; here we have similar mounts that one can re-tilt seasonally to adjust for the sun path change and get maximum power. You could drill a few holes in yours to make adaptable. Also you may find the shady space under the panels is handy; if you raise it 8' in your Phase 2 to make a shady lead-to, it would be a good place for petanque or a shade garden. Here some use livestock to graze the grass underneath in summer, so no gravel needed.

[lieuwina]

Congratulations!! on the double power and yes a washing machine for Victoria, what a delight that would be. I know I washed by hand for 7 years when my washing broke down, our electricity was so expensive it was better to wash by hand and we were a family of 7, two adults 5 children. So I knew what wash days meant in the old days, Mondays and Fridays. Got a washing machine now and I can not tell you how happy I was. Though I do miss washing by hand now and again as it was believe it or not therapeutic for me. Have a lovely day.

[sth.]

I always enjoy your videos - you're real, and funny, and you're proving that you can do anything you put your minds to! And double the power... I can really appreciate the impact it will make on your everyday lives!

[liammackenzie]

Everytime I see you guys opening those shutters on the windows it must feel so good that you both made those together!

[theresakellogg]

So happy for you guys!! Fantastic job! As usual, you work very well together!!! ❤🏡❤

[wildwildwestie]

Hello from Northern Michigan, I hope the current fires haven't affected you! Please carry fire insurance if you can afford it. Thank you for sharing! I do love seeing how you both are progressing in building your home.😊

[ohntree]

Don't want to scare you, but depending on how old your windows are, in particular if they're from the early to late-mid 20th century, the putty might actually contain some asbestos. So you might want to take some precaution in particular if you're removing it and it generates a lot of dust.

[mariannebhatia]

Have to say it again. You are just an. amazing couple. Good luck enjoy the luxury of energy. 👍🍀🇩🇪

[millywood]

Well done guys, power to the people.
That was an excellent trick with the plastic bag and Hoover, I didn't think it was going to work.

[katherinekurash]

You guys are such a blessing to watch!! Loved every second!!

[marymick]

I enjoy watching the two of you working together and your joyful nature. Thanks for sharing 💖

[sue]

The old windows would be great for greenhouse or orangery. Or on a smaller scale would make beautiful mirrors. ❤

[dancub]

The old windows might be useful as a cold frame for veg

[robinpearson]

HI Ricky and Victoria, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your paddles in your concrete mixer really need cleaning. However, there is answer to the problem, simply throw in some rough stones or pieces of broken brick and leave the mixer turning. Check after a few minutes or when you're fed up with the racket, and see if the paddles have by some miracle cleaned themselves. Hope this meets with approval. Regards Robin.