Start with water and food

FEMA’s baseline is one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation, for several days. ¹ Four people for one week is 28 gallons. Store commercially bottled water in its sealed container in a cool, dark place. If you fill your own food-grade containers, clean and sanitize them first and replace the water every six months. ²

Choose food your household already eats that doesn’t need refrigeration. Keep canned food somewhere cool and dry, and store boxed food in sealed plastic or metal containers. ¹

How long to plan for

FEMA asks for “several days.” ¹ Sweden’s civil defence agency asks households to be ready to manage on their own for at least a week. ³ We suggest building to three days first, then extending to a week.

Keep it current

Replace expired items and rethink the kit every year. ¹

Sources

1. Ready.gov (FEMA), Build a Kit
2. Ready.gov (FEMA), Water
3. Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MCF), Basics of Home Preparedness

Bleach amounts

Water	Bleach 5–9%	Bleach 1%
1 quart or liter	2 drops	10 drops
1 gallon	8 drops (about ½ mL)	40 drops (about 2½ mL)
5 gallons	40 drops (about ½ tsp)	200 drops (about 2½ tsp)

Double the amount if water is cloudy, colored or very cold. Stir and let it stand at least 30 minutes. From the CDC. ¹

Filters and tablets

• A filter needs a pore size of 0.3 micron or smaller to remove bacteria, and 1 micron or smaller for parasites. Filters do not remove viruses, so disinfect the water afterward. ¹
• Iodine and chlorine tablets don’t kill Cryptosporidium. Chlorine dioxide tablets do, when used correctly. ¹
• Avoid iodine-treated water if you’re pregnant, have thyroid problems or are sensitive to iodine, and don’t use it for more than a few weeks. ¹

Sunlight

If nothing else is available, fill clean clear plastic bottles and lay them on their side in the sun for 6 hours, or 2 days if it’s cloudy. ¹

Private wells

Test a private well every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH. Test again after flooding, after work on the well, or if the taste, color or smell changes. ³

Sources

1. CDC, How to Make Water Safe in an Emergency
2. Ready.gov (FEMA), Water
3. EPA, Protect Your Home's Water (private wells)

Get trained

A tourniquet and wound packing work best in trained hands. The American Red Cross runs First Aid for Severe Trauma (FAST) training and an online severe-bleeding course. ² A short course is one of the most useful things a household can do.

This card covers only the first steps from the Red Cross. ¹ A fuller wound-care guide, built from peer-reviewed research, is in progress.

Sources

1. American Red Cross, Life-Threatening External Bleeding
2. American Red Cross, First Aid for Severe Trauma (FAST) training

Why the shelter choice matters

The National Weather Service guidance is the same everywhere: put walls and floors between you and the storm. The safest places are a basement, a safe room, or a small interior room on the lowest floor with no windows. ¹

Places that are not safe

• Mobile homes and tents. Leave for a sturdy building before the storm arrives. ¹
• Vehicles. The National Weather Service says being in a vehicle during a tornado is not safe. Drive to shelter early. If you can’t, get down and cover your head, or leave the car and lie in a low area such as a ditch or ravine. ¹
• Large open rooms. Gyms, cafeterias and auditoriums have wide roof spans. Move to the designated shelter area instead. ¹

After the storm

Power is often out after a tornado. Keep your radio on for updates, and if you run a generator, keep it outside and at least 20 feet from any window, door or vent to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. ^{2 3}

Sources

1. National Weather Service, What to Do During a Tornado
2. Ready.gov (FEMA), Build a Kit
3. CDC, What to Do to Protect Yourself During a Power Outage

Know your risk first

Flooding can happen almost anywhere. Look up your address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center and sign up for your community’s warning system. ¹ Standard homeowner’s insurance does not cover flood damage, and a new flood policy can take up to 30 days to take effect, so buy it well before a storm is forecast. ¹

The water is stronger than it looks

FEMA’s numbers are worth memorizing: six inches of moving water can knock an adult down, and one foot can carry a vehicle away. ¹ Most flood deaths happen when people try to walk or drive through water. If a road is flooded or barricaded, turn around.

Food after a flood

Throw away any food that may have touched flood or stormwater. That includes food in cardboard, food in packages that aren’t waterproof, screw-cap and snap-lid containers, and home-canned food, because it can’t be disinfected. Throw out bulging, opened or damaged cans too. When in doubt, throw it out. ²

Sources

1. Ready.gov (FEMA), Floods
2. FoodSafety.gov, Food Safety in a Disaster or Emergency

Watches and warnings

Alert	What it means	Typical lead time
Hurricane Watch	Hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or more) are possible in the area	About 48 hours
Hurricane Warning	Hurricane conditions are expected in the area	About 36 hours
Tropical Storm Watch	Sustained winds of 39–73 mph are possible	Within 48 hours
Tropical Storm Warning	Sustained winds of 39–73 mph are expected	Within 36 hours
Storm Surge Watch	Life-threatening surge is possible	Generally within 48 hours
Storm Surge Warning	Danger of life-threatening surge. Evacuate if ordered	Generally within 36 hours

All definitions from NOAA. ¹

Run from water, hide from wind

Water has historically been the deadliest part of a hurricane. NOAA reports that from 1963 to 2012, about half of direct deaths from U.S. landfalling storms came from storm surge. ¹ If you are in an evacuation zone and told to leave, leave. If you are sheltering in place, use an interior room without windows. ¹

The days after

The storm passing isn’t the end of the danger. NOAA lists carbon monoxide poisoning, electric shock and fire as the most common hazards from generators, and warns that flooding can remain a major hazard for weeks after landfall. ¹ Keep any generator outside and at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents, and run a battery-powered CO alarm indoors. ²

Sources

1. NOAA, Hurricane Safety Explained
2. CDC, What to Do to Protect Yourself During a Power Outage

Drop, Cover, then Hold On

FEMA’s guidance is to drop where you are onto your hands and knees, cover your head and neck with your arms, and hold onto sturdy furniture until the shaking stops. Only crawl if it gets you to better cover without passing through debris. Don’t stand in a doorway, and don’t run outside. ¹

If you’re trapped

Cover your mouth to keep out dust. Shouting uses energy and pulls dust into your lungs, so text, bang on a pipe or wall, or use a whistle to signal rescuers. ¹ Save phone calls for emergencies so the network stays open. ¹

Near the coast

If you live in a tsunami zone, don’t wait for an official warning after strong shaking. Head inland or to higher ground as soon as it stops. ¹

Sources

1. Ready.gov (FEMA), Earthquakes

Defensible space, zone by zone

Most homes lost to wildfire are ignited by embers, so the area closest to the house matters most. CAL FIRE calls the first five feet “the most important.” ¹

Zone	Distance from home	Key actions
Zone 0, ember-resistant	0–5 ft	Gravel, pavers or concrete instead of mulch. Clear roof, gutters, deck and stairs. Replace combustible fences attached to the house.
Zone 1, lean, clean and green	5–30 ft	Remove dead plants and leaves. Keep tree branches at least 10 ft from other trees.
Zone 2, reduce fuel	30–100 ft	Mow grass to 4 in or less. 10 ft of bare soil around woodpiles, outbuildings and propane tanks.

Distances and actions from CAL FIRE. ¹ Some counties require more, so check with your local fire agency. ¹

Check your risk

The USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Risk to Communities tool shows wildfire likelihood and risk for your area. ²

Sources

1. CAL FIRE, Defensible Space
2. USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities
3. Ready.gov (FEMA), Build a Kit

What counts as extreme heat

FEMA describes extreme heat as temperatures above 90 degrees for at least two to three days, often with high humidity. ¹

Heat exhaustion or heat stroke?

	Heat exhaustion	Heat stroke
Signs	Heavy sweating, paleness, cramps, tiredness, weakness, fast or weak pulse, dizziness, headache, nausea, fainting	Body temperature above 103°F, red hot dry skin with no sweating, fast strong pulse, confusion or unconsciousness
What to do	Move somewhere cooler, loosen clothing, sip water or a sports drink. Call a doctor if it gets worse or lasts over an hour	Call 911. Move to shade, remove outer clothing, cool the head, neck, armpits and groin with cold wet cloths or ice packs

From FEMA’s Ready.gov. ¹ Heat stroke is a medical emergency.

Help with cooling costs

If you can’t afford cooling or energy repairs, FEMA points to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). ¹

Sources

1. Ready.gov (FEMA), Extreme Heat

Warming someone with hypothermia

The CDC’s steps: get medical help as soon as possible, then move the person somewhere warm and remove any wet clothing. Warm the center of the body first (chest, neck, head and groin) using an electric blanket or skin-to-skin contact under loose dry layers. If they’re conscious, warm non-alcoholic drinks help. Once their temperature rises, keep them dry and wrapped up, including the head and neck. ¹

If the person is unconscious and seems to have no pulse or breathing, handle them gently, call for emergency help and start CPR. Keep warming them while you wait. ¹

Heating safely

Cold snaps cause carbon monoxide poisonings when people bring outdoor equipment inside. Never use a charcoal grill, hibachi, lantern or camping stove indoors, and keep generators at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents. ³

Sources

1. CDC, Preventing Hypothermia
2. Ready.gov (FEMA), Build a Kit
3. CDC, What to Do to Protect Yourself During a Power Outage

Food: the numbers to remember

	Safe without power (doors closed)
Refrigerator	About 4 hours
Full freezer	About 48 hours
Half-full freezer	About 24 hours

From FoodSafety.gov and CDC. ^{1 2} Throw out perishable food that has been above 40°F for 2 hours or more. ¹

Generators and carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide has no smell or color. The CDC says never run a gasoline engine less than 20 feet from any window, door or vent, use an extension cord longer than 20 feet so the generator stays away from the house, and keep a battery-powered or battery-backup CO detector inside. ²

Solar panels and outages

If you have rooftop solar, it may not help in an outage. The Department of Energy explains that grid-tied systems are designed to switch off when the grid goes down, and need a properly configured inverter and battery storage to keep running. ⁴ See our off-grid section for more.

Sources

1. FoodSafety.gov, Food Safety in a Disaster or Emergency
2. CDC, What to Do to Protect Yourself During a Power Outage
3. Ready.gov (FEMA), Build a Kit
4. U.S. Department of Energy, Solar and Resilience Basics

Get inside, stay inside, stay tuned

The CDC says the best protection in a radiation emergency is always to get inside, stay inside, and follow official updates. Staying inside for at least 24 hours can protect you until it’s safe to leave. Any building is safer than being outside, and the middle of a large brick or concrete building, or a basement, is best. ¹

If you couldn’t get inside in time

Remove your outer layer of clothing before entering if you can, wash the parts of your body that were uncovered, and change into clean clothes. If you can’t get inside right away, cover your mouth and nose with a mask, cloth or towel. ¹

Potassium iodide is not a shield

KI protects only the thyroid, and only against radioactive iodine. It does nothing for the rest of the body or against other radioactive materials. Take it only when officials or a healthcare provider tell you to, and never leave shelter to look for it. ²

Pets

Bring pets inside if you can. Wash them carefully with shampoo or soap and water, rinse well, then wash your own hands and face. ¹

Sources

1. CDC, Radiation Emergencies: Get Inside
2. CDC, Potassium Iodide (KI)
3. Ready.gov (FEMA), Build a Kit

Why we use Sweden’s guidance

The United States doesn’t publish a civilian war-preparedness booklet. Sweden’s Civil Defence and Resilience Agency does, and sends it to every household. Its advice is practical and works anywhere. ⁴

The core of it

• A week on your own. Sweden asks people to be self-sufficient for at least one week, and notes that 72 hours is better than nothing. ¹
• Water. Expect an adult to need 3 to 5 liters a day. Store it in clean, sealed containers somewhere dark and cool, and check it once or twice a year. ²
• Heat and cooking. Keep a stove and fuel, preferably for use outdoors, and warm bedding and clothes. Alternative heaters can run on kerosene, LPG, diesel or wood, and need ventilation. ¹
• Communication. A radio that doesn’t need mains power, spare batteries, charged power banks, and a paper list of numbers. ¹
• Money. Cash, in case card payments stop working. ¹

Stay with official sources

In a conflict, rumors spread fast. Follow your government’s alerts and emergency broadcasts, and check claims against official channels before acting on them.

Sources

1. Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MCF), Basics of Home Preparedness
2. MCF, Access to Water During a Crisis
3. CDC, Radiation Emergencies: Get Inside
4. MCF, The brochure In Case of Crisis or War

What an emergency fund is

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau defines it as cash set aside specifically for unplanned expenses or financial emergencies. ¹

How much?

The CFPB doesn’t set a fixed target. It says the right amount depends on your situation, and suggests looking at the unexpected costs you’ve faced before and what they cost. ¹

Where to keep it

The CFPB lists three options: a separate bank or credit union account, a prepaid card, or cash. Cash at home can be lost, stolen or destroyed, so most people keep the bulk in an account and a small amount of cash in their emergency kit. ¹

Sources

1. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, An Essential Guide to Building an Emergency Fund

Plug-in solar

From 27 August 2026, plug-in solar panels can be bought and plugged into homes across Great Britain. Each kit produces up to 800 W. The government says they can provide up to 20% of an average home’s electricity and save up to £110 a year. Major retailers stock them. ¹

Before you buy, check whether you need permission from your landlord or freeholder, or planning or listed-building consent. ¹

Cutting demand

The Energy Saving Trust’s estimates below date from 2021, when prices were different, so treat them as rough guides. ²

Action	Estimated saving per year
Switch appliances off standby	About £40
Full set of heating controls	About £85
Turn the thermostat down one degree (with controls)	About £65
Switch all bulbs to LEDs	About £35
Professional draught-proofing	About £30

Help with bills

The Warm Home Discount took £150 off eligible households’ electricity bills for winter 2025 to 2026. Cold Weather Payments, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Great British Insulation Scheme and Warm Homes: Local Grant can also help, depending on income, benefits and where you live. ³

Sources

1. GOV.UK, Households can save as plug-in solar panels come to market (26 August 2026)
2. Energy Saving Trust, Quick tips to save energy (last updated November 2021)
3. GOV.UK, Help with your energy bills

Why this order

This order is The Ready Team’s recommendation, not an official standard. A household can’t stay on land without safe water and a dry, warm shelter, so those come first. Food takes the longest to establish, which is why trees go in during year one even though most of the first year’s food will still be bought or stored. Energy comes last because you can live simply without much power while you learn your real needs, and you’ll size the system better once you know them.

Plan with the tools

• Land and garden calculator: how much garden row and land your household needs.
• Energy and solar calculator: size an array and battery bank from your actual loads.
• Cost of living calculator: what you’ll still spend each month.
• Startup cost calculator: budget the whole move.

Year one checklist

1. Water. Drill or develop a source, then test it. EPA recommends testing private wells every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, and again after floods or repairs. ⁵
2. Shelter. Even a temporary shelter should face its main windows within 30° of true south, unshaded from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in winter. ⁶
3. Food. Plant fruit trees right away, and start a garden sized with the calculator. Preserve the harvest safely: low-acid foods must be pressure canned. ^{7 9}
4. Energy. Start small, measure what you actually use, then build the full system. ⁸

Sources

1. USDA NRCS, Getting Started With Web Soil Survey
2. FEMA, National Risk Index
3. USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities
4. U.S. EPA, Why Maintain Your Septic System
5. U.S. EPA, Protect Your Home's Water (private wells)
6. U.S. DOE Energy Saver, Passive Solar Home Design
7. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Rootstocks and Dwarf Fruit Trees
8. Penn State AE 868, Stand-alone PV system sizing
9. National Center for Home Food Preservation, For Safety's Sake

Where to look

Start with our off-grid location finder, which ranks U.S. counties by natural hazard losses, flooding, wildfire, sunshine, rainfall, soil and growing season. Then check individual parcels with the tools below.

How much land?

A 2016 study of ten U.S. diets put the farmland needed to feed one person at 0.13 to 1.08 hectares a year, about 0.32 to 2.67 acres. ⁹ Add room for a house, woodlot, water and land you can’t farm. The land and garden calculator does the math for your household.

Soil

Web Soil Survey is free from USDA. Draw your parcel (up to 100,000 acres), open the Soil Map, then use “Suitabilities and Limitations for Use” for ratings, which you can print as a PDF. ¹

Hazards

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk down to the census tract. ² For wildfire, use the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Risk to Communities. ³ That’s community-level risk. For flooding on a specific parcel, see FEMA’s official flood map at the Flood Map Service Center, and avoid floodplains for anything you can’t afford to lose.

Climate

Two maps matter. USDA hardiness zones (1 to 13) are based on the average coldest winter night and tell you what perennials will survive. ⁴ DOE climate zones (1 to 8) tell you how to insulate and heat or cool a building. ⁵

Water rights

Owning land beside a stream doesn’t always mean you can use its water. Western states generally allocate water under the prior appropriation doctrine, which separates the right to use water from the land. ⁶ Check with the state water agency before you buy.

Price

USDA’s 2025 survey put average U.S. farm real estate at $4,350 an acre, pasture at $1,920 and cropland at $5,830. Pasture ranged from $630 an acre in New Mexico to $16,900 in Rhode Island. ⁷

Building rules

Codes vary by state and county. In Pennsylvania, for example, structural lumber must carry a grade mark, with exceptions for agricultural buildings and recreational cabins. ⁸ Ask the local building department before you plan.

Sources

1. USDA NRCS, Getting Started With Web Soil Survey
2. FEMA, National Risk Index
3. USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities
4. USDA ARS, Plant Hardiness Zone Map: How to Use the Maps
5. PNNL for U.S. DOE, Guide to Determining Climate Zone by County (PNNL-33270)
6. USDA Forest Service, Water Rights
7. USDA NASS, Land Values 2025 Summary
8. Penn State Extension, Using Your Own Lumber for Building Projects
9. Peters CJ et al. Carrying capacity of U.S. agricultural land: Ten diet scenarios. Elementa, 2016

Choose the spot, not just the stream

A stream gives you water, irrigation and possibly power, but streams flood. Before you buy, look up the parcel’s address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center, the official source for flood maps, ⁶ and ask the county’s floodplain official whether your building site is in a mapped flood zone. FEMA’s National Risk Index is useful for wider context, but it rates risk by county and census tract, not for a single building site. ¹ Put your house, food stores and batteries on high ground.

Water rights come first

In most Western states, water is allocated under the prior appropriation doctrine: the right to use water is separate from the land, and older rights are served first in a dry year. ² Eastern states generally follow the riparian doctrine instead, which gives use rights to owners of land bordering the water. California uses both systems, and every state has its own variations. ² Ask the state water agency what you can take, for what use, and how much, before you rely on it.

Using water to make power can need its own water right, even if you already hold one for household or irrigation use. ³

Make stream water safe to drink

Surface water can carry germs from animals and people upstream, so never drink it untreated. CDC’s steps: ⁴

1. If the water is cloudy, filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel or coffee filter, or let it settle and draw off the clear water.
2. Bring it to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Above 6,500 feet, boil for 3 minutes.
3. If you can’t boil, use unscented household bleach at the dose on CDC’s chart for your bleach strength, and let it stand at least 30 minutes. Our water guide has the full table.

Boiling and bleach don’t remove fuel or chemical contamination. If the stream runs past roads, mines or farms, get a lab test.

Micro-hydro: power around the clock

A small hydro system runs day and night, which makes it a strong partner for solar. DOE gives a quick estimate for a system running at 50 to 70% efficiency: ³

Watts ≈ net head (feet) × flow (gallons per minute) ÷ 10

Head is the vertical drop from intake to turbine. Net head subtracts pipe friction, which DOE says you can estimate at 5 to 10% for planning. ³

For example, 50 feet of gross head less 10% losses is 45 feet. With 40 gallons a minute of flow, that’s 45 × 40 ÷ 10 = 180 watts, or about 4.3 kWh a day if it runs all day.

Measure your site

• Head: a professional survey is most accurate. For a rough number, run a hose or tube down the slope in sections and measure the drop of each. ³
• Flow: ask USGS, the Army Corps of Engineers, USDA or local water authorities for data first. Otherwise time how long the stream takes to fill a bucket, or use the float method. ³
• Design flow: use the lowest average annual flow so the system still works in a dry season. ³
• Too little drop: DOE says a drop under 2 feet will probably make small hydro unfeasible. ³

Permits

Start with your county engineer and state energy office. You’ll also need to contact FERC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Permits are usually simpler when the system has little environmental impact and you aren’t selling power to a utility. ³

Use the energy and solar calculator to see how much of your daily use hydro could cover.

Sources

1. FEMA, National Risk Index
2. USDA Forest Service, Water Rights
3. U.S. DOE Energy Saver, Planning a Microhydropower System
4. CDC, Making Water Safe in an Emergency
5. U.S. EPA, Protect Your Home's Water (private wells)
6. FEMA, Flood Map Service Center

Start with what you use

Every power system starts with a load list. For each device, multiply watts by hours used a day, then divide by 1,000 for kWh. ¹ The label shows the maximum, so a plug-in meter gives a truer number. Cutting use is the cheapest power you’ll ever buy: every kWh you don’t need is panels and batteries you don’t have to pay for.

Our energy and solar calculator does this math for you.

Solar

Stand-alone solar is sized in two parts: ²

• Array: enough panels to refill the batteries in your worst month. Use NREL’s PVWatts to find peak sun hours for your address. ³
• Batteries: enough storage to carry you through days without sun. Penn State’s example uses about 3 days for 95% availability and about 10 days for critical loads. ²

Usable battery depth depends on chemistry, typically 20 to 80%. ² Check your battery’s spec sheet.

Grid-tied solar is not backup power

Most home solar is grid-tied, and it switches off when grid power cuts out, for the safety of line workers. Pairing solar with storage is what keeps it running in an outage. ⁴ If you’re on the grid now and want resilience, ask an installer specifically for a system that can island with batteries.

Wind and hydro fill the gaps

Solar is weakest in winter and on cloudy weeks. DOE notes that a hybrid system combining wind, solar, batteries and/or a generator can provide reliable off-grid power around the clock. ⁵ Wind needs enough wind where you live, and turbines work best away from buildings and trees that cause turbulence. ⁵

If you have a stream with a usable drop, micro-hydro runs day and night. DOE’s quick estimate is net head in feet × flow in gallons per minute ÷ 10 = watts. ⁶ See Living by a stream.

Heat

If you heat with wood, the stove matters:

• Old uncertified stoves emit 15 to 30 grams of smoke an hour. ⁷
• EPA’s current standard, in effect since May 15, 2020, is 2.0 grams an hour. ⁷

Cleaner burning means less creosote, less wood and less smoke in your lungs.

Any fuel-burning heater or generator can make carbon monoxide, which you can’t see or smell. Install battery-operated or battery-backup CO alarms near every sleeping area. Never run a generator inside your home or garage, and keep it more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents. ⁸

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Energy, Watt Does It Cost to Use It?
2. Penn State AE 868, Stand-alone PV system sizing
3. NREL, PVWatts Calculator
4. U.S. DOE, Solar and Resilience Basics
5. U.S. DOE WINDExchange, Small Wind Guidebook
6. U.S. DOE Energy Saver, Planning a Microhydropower System
7. U.S. EPA Burn Wise, Choosing the Right Wood Stove
8. CDC, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Basics

Why passive solar

The cheapest heat comes through a window. A passive solar house is laid out so the winter sun heats it and summer sun is kept out, with no panels, pumps or fuel. DOE says the approach works in every climate zone. ²

Know your climate zone

DOE climate zones run from 1 (hot) to 8 (subarctic), with moist, dry and marine types. ¹ Your zone decides the balance between catching heat and shedding it. DOE’s Building America program publishes construction guidance for each climate. ⁴

The five elements

DOE describes five parts that work together: ²

1. Aperture: windows facing within 30° of true south, unshaded from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in winter.
2. Absorber: the hard, dark surface of the storage element that takes in sunlight as heat.
3. Thermal mass: materials that store that heat, such as concrete, stone, brick and tile. Floors and walls that absorb heat help most in cold climates.
4. Distribution: how heat moves from where it’s collected to the rest of the house. Some homes add fans or ducts.
5. Control: roof overhangs, trees, awnings or blinds that shade the windows in summer.

By climate

• Cold and snowy (zones 5 to 8): cut window area on the north, east and west walls, and put mass where the winter sun lands. ²
• Hot and dry or hot and humid (zones 1 to 3): use north-facing windows and generously shaded south-facing windows. ²

Building it yourself

Building codes vary by state and county, and some apply to owner-built homes. In Pennsylvania, for example, structural lumber generally needs a grade stamp, with exceptions for agricultural buildings and recreational cabins. ³ Talk to your building department before you design, and see our portable sawmill guide if you plan to cut your own lumber.

Sources

1. PNNL for U.S. DOE, Guide to Determining Climate Zone by County (PNNL-33270)
2. U.S. DOE Energy Saver, Passive Solar Home Design
3. Penn State Extension, Using Your Own Lumber for Building Projects
4. U.S. DOE, Building America Climate-Specific Guidance

Why build from your own land

Straw, earth and timber can come from your own land or close by. Turning them into walls is one of the biggest ways to cut the cost of a home and to stop depending on the lumber yard. Several of these methods have their own building code sections, which matters when you apply for a permit.

This guide covers what the codes require. It is not a construction manual. Have a qualified designer or engineer check your plans, especially in earthquake or high-wind areas.

Codes first

The International Residential Code (IRC) has optional appendices for natural building. They are not mandatory unless your jurisdiction’s adopting ordinance references them. ^{1 2} Call your building department before you design and ask which edition and appendices it has adopted.

Strawbale

The 2015 IRC’s strawbale appendix (Appendix S) sets out how to build with straw bales. Key requirements: ¹

• Dry bales. Bales must be at or below 20% moisture by weight when the first coat of plaster or other finish goes on. Check with a probe meter, testing at least 5% of bales and no fewer than 10.
• Plaster. Every bale wall needs plaster at least 3/8 inch thick, and no more than 2 inches. Allowed plasters include clay, soil-cement, lime, cement-lime and cement. Clay plaster must be at least 1 inch thick in two or more coats, with a protective finish such as lime wash where rain can reach it.
• Let walls breathe. Class I and II vapor retarders aren’t allowed on bale walls.
• Load-bearing walls. Plastered bale walls can carry roof loads in one-story buildings, but they must be precompressed to at least 100 pounds per linear foot before plastering.
• Fire. Bale walls are treated as unrated unless built to a listed assembly. For example, a one-hour rated, non-load-bearing wall needs clay-plastered bales at least 18 inches thick.

Cob

The 2021 IRC added Appendix AU, Cob Construction (Monolithic Adobe), along with Appendix AQ for tiny houses. Like the other appendices, they apply only where adopted. ²

Earth blocks, adobe and rammed earth

New Mexico has one of the most detailed earthen building codes in the U.S. It covers adobe, burned adobe, compressed earth block, rammed earth and terrón. ³ Even if you don’t live there, it shows what a safe earth wall needs:

• Height. No more than two stories for adobe, rammed earth or compressed earth block.
• Thickness. Exterior rammed earth walls at least 18 inches. Compressed earth block walls at least 14 inches on the bottom story of a two-story building, and 10 inches above.
• Strength. Cured compressed earth blocks need a compressive strength of at least 300 psi, tested on five random blocks per project unless the maker certifies them. Average modulus of rupture must be at least 50 psi.
• Keep it dry at the base. Compressed earth blocks can’t be used for foundations or basement walls. Stem walls supporting them must rise at least 8 inches, and unstabilized blocks can’t be used within 4 inches of finished floor level.
• Footings. At least 10 inches thick and at least 33% wider than the wall.

Earth walls are heavy and store heat well, which makes them good thermal mass for a passive solar home. ⁵

Your own lumber

A portable sawmill can supply framing, siding and outbuildings. Penn State Extension notes that structural lumber generally needs a grade mark from an accredited grading agency, with exceptions in Pennsylvania for agricultural buildings and recreational cabins. ⁴ See our sawmill guide for costs and drying times.

Sources

1. International Code Council, 2015 International Residential Code, Appendix S: Strawbale Construction
2. International Code Council, Adoptable appendices in the International Residential Code for cob construction and tiny houses
3. New Mexico Administrative Code 14.7.4, 2021 New Mexico Earthen Building Materials Code
4. Penn State Extension, Using Your Own Lumber for Building Projects
5. U.S. DOE Energy Saver, Passive Solar Home Design

Start with your zone, then look past it

The USDA hardiness zone map tells you how cold your winters get. Zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum temperature from 1991 to 2020. They run from zone 1 (coldest) to zone 13 (warmest), each 10°F wide, and each is split into an “a” (colder) and “b” (warmer) half. ¹

Use it to choose perennials: fruit trees, berries, asparagus and anything else that has to survive the winter. But USDA is clear about its limits: ¹

• It shows average lows, not the lowest ever, so a rare cold snap can still kill plants.
• An early fall freeze or a warm spell followed by a sudden freeze can injure plants even in the “right” zone.
• It doesn’t capture frost pockets in low spots or warm spots near buildings and pavement.
• It covers winter cold only. Summer heat, moisture, wind, soil and sunlight matter as much.

For planting dates in your area, ask your county extension office for its local planting calendar.

Plan rows from real yields

Gardens fail on wishful thinking. The UC Master Gardener Program publishes typical yields per 15-foot row. Some crops are measured as two rows on a raised bed, which yields more per foot of garden. ² For example:

Crop	Yield per 15 ft row
Potatoes, white	36 lb
Tomatoes	42 lb
Squash, winter	45 lb
Carrots (two rows on a raised bed)	40 lb
Beans, snap (bush)	15 lb
Onions, bulb (two rows on a raised bed)	34 lb

New growers and poor sites often get 25 to 50% less. ⁴ Our land and garden calculator turns what your household eats into row feet and garden area, with a yield setting to account for this.

Plant the slow things first

Trees take years. Dwarf apple trees bear in 2 to 3 years, semi-dwarf in 4 to 5 and standard trees in 7 to 10. ³ Peaches and sour cherries bear in about 3 years, sweet cherries in 5 to 7 and plums in 6 to 7. Stress from poor drainage, pests or disease can delay that. ⁸ That’s why fruit trees belong in your first year, alongside water and shelter.

Stretch the season

A high tunnel is an enclosed structure covered in plastic or fabric, with crops grown in the native soil or in low raised beds. NRCS says it can extend the growing season by raising soil and air temperatures, and protects crops from sun, wind, heavy rain and cold. NRCS’s standard calls for at least 6-mil UV-resistant greenhouse plastic and a frame at least 6 feet tall at the peak. ⁵ NRCS offers financial help with high tunnels through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Ask your local USDA service center. ⁹

University of Kentucky’s high tunnel calendar puts it simply: growers can plant earlier in spring and harvest later into fall. On cold, cloudy days, plants survive but don’t grow much. ⁶

How much land for a whole diet?

Vegetables are only part of what you eat. A peer-reviewed study of ten U.S. diets found each person needs 0.13 to 1.08 hectares of farmland a year, about 0.32 to 2.67 acres, including grazing land, depending on the diet. ⁷ Unless you have that much good land, plan to buy or trade for staples such as grain and oil at first, and grow the vegetables and fruit yourself.

Sources

1. USDA ARS, Plant Hardiness Zone Map: How to Use the Maps
2. UC Master Gardener Program, Approximate Yields
3. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Rootstocks and Dwarf Fruit Trees
4. Utah State University Extension, Expected Vegetable Yields in Utah
5. USDA NRCS, High Tunnel System, Conservation Practice 325
6. Knight J, Rudolph R. High Tunnel Planting Calendar (CCD-FS-9). University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification, 2019
7. Peters CJ et al. Carrying capacity of U.S. agricultural land: Ten diet scenarios. Elementa, 2016
8. Oklahoma State University Extension, Fruit FAQs
9. USDA NRCS, EQIP High Tunnel Initiative

The one rule that prevents botulism

Botulism is rare but often fatal, and home-canned low-acid food is a classic source. The bacteria are destroyed in low-acid foods only when they’re processed at the correct time and pressure in a pressure canner. Pressure canning is the only recommended method for meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables. Using a boiling water canner for these foods poses a real risk of botulism. ¹

Only use tested recipes from USDA or the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Don’t change ingredients, jar sizes or times.

Pressure canning, step by step

The National Center for Home Food Preservation’s key steps: ²

1. Right equipment. A pressure canner must hold at least four quart jars to be used with USDA’s published processes.
2. Test the gauge. Check dial gauges for accuracy every year before use. If a gauge reads more than 2 pounds high or low at 5, 10 or 15 pounds, replace it.
3. Vent. Let steam escape in a steady, funnel-shaped stream for 10 minutes before closing the vent and building pressure.
4. Adjust for altitude. Canners must run at higher pressure as elevation rises. The recipe tells you how much.
5. Cool naturally. Don’t force-cool the canner. Forced cooling can cause spoilage.

Keeping pests out of stored food

Flour, grain, rice, beans, dried fruit, nuts, spices and pet food all attract pantry pests. UC’s integrated pest management program recommends: ³

• Store food in containers with tight-fitting lids, not plastic bags.
• Keep infrequently used flours, spices and grains in the freezer if you can.
• Clean shelves and bins regularly, and wash old containers before refilling them.
• Don’t mix old and new food together.
• Throw away any food that shows signs of infestation.
• Use pheromone traps where you’ve had moths, check them weekly, and replace them about every three months.

After an infestation, keep susceptible food in airtight containers or the fridge or freezer for at least several months. ³

Planning how much to grow and store

Use the land and garden calculator to work out how much to plant for a year of eating.

Sources

1. National Center for Home Food Preservation, For Safety's Sake
2. National Center for Home Food Preservation, Using Pressure Canners
3. University of California IPM, Pantry Pests

Think in seasons, not batches

A household canning operation is a production line that runs hardest at harvest. The goal is a year of food on the shelf, safely. The rules don’t change at volume: every jar still needs a tested process, the right time and the right pressure. Our canning and food storage guide covers the pressure canning steps.

Match the process to the jar

Processing times depend on jar size and pack. Half-pint and pint jars share the same times, and 1½-pint and quart jars share theirs. Quarts and raw-packed foods usually need longer. ¹ Use the time and pressure for your elevation: food can spoil if you don’t adjust above 1,000 feet. ¹

Pressure canning is the only recommended method for meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables. Using a boiling water canner for these foods risks botulism. ²

Set up for volume

• Equipment. USDA’s published processes apply to pressure canners that hold at least four quart jars. ⁶ A second canner doubles your output without changing any process.
• Gauges. Have dial gauges tested every year, and replace any that read more than 2 pounds off. ⁶
• Cooling. Let each canner depressurize on its own and cool jars at room temperature. ¹ Plan your work so you’re never tempted to rush this.

Storage and rotation

Penn State Extension’s storage rules: ³

• Store jars at 40 to 70°F, and never above 90°F, which can cause spoilage and broken seals.
• Keep them dark: in a closet, in boxes or covered.
• Date every jar, take stock once a year and use the oldest first.
• Most canned food keeps its best quality for up to a year. Food canned by tested recipes stays safe as long as the seal holds.
• Throw out food that has spoiled.

To store a year of food, count what your household actually eats in a week, multiply by 52 and plan the garden to match with our land and garden calculator.

Before you sell any of it

Turning a canning operation into income is regulated, and the rules are strict for a reason.

• Federal rules. A low-acid food has a finished pH above 4.6 and water activity above 0.85. An acidified food is a low-acid food with acid added to bring it to pH 4.6 or below. Commercial processors of these foods must register with FDA, file a scheduled process through a process authority, and work under someone trained at a Better Process Control School or equivalent. ⁴
• Home-based exemptions. Penn State notes that only home-based food businesses (Limited Food Establishments in Pennsylvania) are exempt from the federal canning rules. ⁴
• Cottage food laws. These are state laws and they vary. Illinois, for example, bans low-acid canned foods and requires a lab test or tested recipe showing pH 4.6 or below for canned tomato products. ⁵

Check your state’s cottage food rules with your extension office or health department before you sell a single jar.

Sources

1. National Center for Home Food Preservation, Selecting the Correct Processing Time
2. National Center for Home Food Preservation, For Safety's Sake
3. Penn State Extension, Storage Guidelines for Home Preserved Foods
4. Penn State Extension, Acidified and Low-Acid Food Regulatory Requirements
5. University of Illinois Extension, Cottage Food: Allowed Products
6. National Center for Home Food Preservation, Using Pressure Canners

How we built this guide

We started with systematic reviews, which pool every good trial on a question, then used official first aid guidance for the steps. We tell you how strong the evidence is, because for many wound questions it’s weaker than people expect.

Severe bleeding

Follow the Red Cross steps: call for help and press firmly and steadily directly on the wound. For life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg, apply a tourniquet if you’re trained. ¹ Our severe bleeding guide has the full steps.

What the international evidence review (ILCOR) found:

• Tourniquet vs. direct pressure: ILCOR suggests first aid providers use a tourniquet rather than direct pressure alone for bleeding a tourniquet can reach. The recommendation is weak and the evidence very low certainty. ²
• Manufactured vs. improvised: ILCOR suggests a manufactured tourniquet over an improvised one, also a weak recommendation on very low certainty evidence. ² Buy one; don’t plan to make one.
• Hemostatic dressings: ILCOR suggests a hemostatic dressing with direct pressure over direct pressure alone for severe bleeding, a weak recommendation on very low certainty evidence. ⁵

Cleaning a wound

For minor cuts: wash your hands, wash the cut with mild soap and water, press to stop the bleeding, then cover it with a clean bandage that won’t stick. ³

Do you need sterile saline? A 2022 Cochrane review of 13 randomized trials and 2,504 people compared water with other solutions. In 8 trials with 2,204 people, tap water versus saline showed no clear difference in infection (risk ratio 0.84, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.19), though the evidence was very low certainty. ⁴ In practice: if your water is safe to drink, it’s a reasonable choice for cleaning a wound. If it isn’t, treat it first.

Honey on burns

A 2015 Cochrane review of 26 trials and 3,011 people looked at honey dressings. For partial-thickness burns, honey healed wounds about 4.7 days faster than conventional dressings, with high-certainty evidence from 2 trials and 992 people. For most other wound types the evidence was too weak to draw conclusions. ⁶ The trials tested honey as a wound dressing. Get serious burns treated by a professional.

When to get help

Contact a health care provider if: ³

• The wound is deeper than a quarter inch (0.64 cm), on the face, or reaches bone. It may need stitches.
• You see signs of infection: warmth, redness, throbbing pain, fever, swelling, a red streak from the wound, or pus.
• You haven’t had a tetanus shot in the last 10 years.

Plan your route to the nearest emergency department before you need it.

Sources

1. American Red Cross, Life-Threatening External Bleeding
2. ILCOR, Control of Severe, Life-Threatening External Bleeding in the Out-of-Hospital Setting: Tourniquets (2019 CoSTR)
3. MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine), Cuts and puncture wounds
4. Fernandez R, Green HL, Griffiths R, Atkinson RA, Ellwood LJ. Water for wound cleansing. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2022, Issue 9. CD003861
5. ILCOR, Control of Severe, Life-Threatening External Bleeding in the Out-of-Hospital Setting: Hemostatic Dressings (CoSTR)
6. Jull AB et al. Honey as a topical treatment for wounds. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015. CD005083

Why a sawmill

If your land has timber, a portable mill turns trees into lumber for sheds, barns, fences, raised beds and furniture. It’s one of the production systems that can replace a trip to the hardware store, as long as you plan for the real costs and the drying time.

What it really costs

A Virginia extension agent who bought a portable mill in 2025 documented the full setup: $5,589 in total, including $4,336.40 for the mill and $233.52 for 10 blades. They also found that milling takes time, space, a way to handle heavy logs (in their case a tractor) and a reliable source of wood. ¹

Enter your own numbers in the startup cost calculator.

Drying the lumber

Green lumber shrinks, twists and can rot. USDA’s Forest Products Laboratory checklist for small amounts of lumber: ³

1. End-coat logs as soon as possible after felling, and saw them sooner rather than later.
2. Stack on stickers, laid crosswise every 12 to 18 inches.
3. Cover the pile with plywood or old boards to keep off sun and rain.
4. Wait. In warm weather that isn’t too humid, 1-inch boards take about 45 to 60 days and 2-inch boards about 60 to 90 days. Winter can double that.
5. Know the limit. Air drying gets 1-inch lumber to about 15 to 20% moisture. That’s fine for outdoor and farm use, but most indoor work in the U.S. needs 6 to 8%, which means a kiln.

Can you build a house with it?

Penn State Extension notes that structural lumber generally needs a grade mark from an accredited grading agency, with exceptions in Pennsylvania for agricultural buildings and recreational cabins. ² Rules differ by state and county, so ask your building department before you mill lumber for a home.

Sources

1. Virginia Cooperative Extension (K. Peer), What I Have Learned as a New Portable Sawmill Owner, 2025
2. Penn State Extension, Using Your Own Lumber for Building Projects
3. Bois PJ, Wengert EM, Boone RS. A Checklist for Drying Small Amounts of Lumber. USDA Forest Products Laboratory, FPU Technical Report 6

The idea

Most of what a household needs comes from a handful of places: the water utility, the power company, the grocery store, the hardware store and the doctor. A self-reliant homestead replaces each of those with a module you run yourself. Thinking in modules helps in three ways:

• You can build and pay for one module at a time.
• Each module has clear inputs, outputs and upkeep, so you can see what’s missing.
• When one module fails, the others keep working.

The modules

Module	Replaces	What it takes	Start here
Water	Utility water	A source, testing and treatment	Living by a stream
Power and heat	Power company, fuel delivery	Solar and batteries, plus wind, hydro or wood	Off-grid power, solar calculator
Shelter	Contractor, hardware store	A passive solar design and local materials	Shelter that heats itself, building with earth and straw
Food production	Grocery store produce aisle	Garden, orchard and season extension	Growing food by zone, land and garden calculator
Preservation	Grocery store shelves	Pressure canner, storage room, pest control	Canning operation, food storage and pests
Building materials	Lumber yard	Sawmill, drying space, earth or straw	Portable sawmill
Health	Urgent care for minor injuries	Training and a stocked kit	Wound care
Money	Paycheck	A clear monthly budget and cash reserve	Cost of living, startup cost

No module replaces a hospital, and money doesn’t disappear. Property tax, insurance, fuel and repairs still need cash. Our cost of living calculator shows how much.

What some modules cost

Real numbers from our sources, to anchor your budget:

• Building materials: one new owner’s 2025 portable sawmill setup came to $5,589, including the mill, 10 blades and log-handling gear. ⁴
• Land: in 2025, U.S. pasture averaged $1,920 an acre and cropland $5,830, with large differences between states. ⁶
• Water and waste: a failed conventional septic system can cost $5,000 to $15,000 to repair or replace. ¹

Most other modules vary too much to give one number. Get local quotes, then put everything into the startup cost calculator, which also explains what different budgets from $0 to $500,000 can realistically cover.

Order of building

Our first-year plan sets the order: water, shelter, food, then energy. Plant fruit trees early, because dwarf apples take 2 to 3 years to bear and standard trees 7 to 10. ² Production modules like the sawmill and a full canning setup come once the basics are reliable, because they need your time as well as your money.

Keep every module running

Each module has upkeep. EPA recommends inspecting septic systems every 1 to 3 years and pumping every 3 to 5, ¹ and testing private wells every year. ³ Batteries, pumps, blades and canner gauges all wear out or need checking. ⁵ Put a little money aside every month for replacements.

Sources

1. U.S. EPA, Why Maintain Your Septic System
2. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Rootstocks and Dwarf Fruit Trees
3. U.S. EPA, Protect Your Home's Water (private wells)
4. Virginia Cooperative Extension (K. Peer), What I Have Learned as a New Portable Sawmill Owner, 2025
5. National Center for Home Food Preservation, Using Pressure Canners
6. USDA NASS, Land Values 2025 Summary