A sustainability and permaculture-focused homestead
Kentucky
Our Place:
We are building a homestead that we will cultivate into a community over time, if all goes well. The long-term goal is to create a space for permaculture learning and emotional and spiritual exploration.
Our land is 90 acres within the Daniel Boone National Forest. It is an off-grid site with only primitive amenities. If you like back-country and primitive camping, but want a bit more social time and shelter, this might be the place for you. Skills learned here will be small-scale and geared towards a homestead.
We have a relaxed but functional community structure, and life in the forest, in communal cabins. If you have a tent and want additional privacy, you can camp for a bit to get a break from people – or for more short-term needs, go hiking, exploring, etc.
We're virtue friendly, vice friendly, culture and subculture friendly. Whatever your world view, share it, and we'll share ours, too.
Current Amenities:
*Small room (9ftx7ft) with full size futon bed, semi-private, a cloth separates the door and sound travels. There are 5 separate rooms and two loft rooms
* Small communal building with kitchen, solar electricity, and internet
* Spring water pumped then gravity fed to outdoor spigots
* Outdoor solar shower
* Outhouse
* Freezer and cooler space
Current critters:
* Two Great Pyrenees Dog and a Corgi (friendly)
* A Brood of Chickens
* A Waddle of Ducks
* A Gaggle of Geese
* A barn cat (The Oracle)
* Two Unruly Humans -- myself (Brian) and my partner Kristy
* Occasional visitors
You don't have to like any of these critters, but to stay here, you must treat them reasonably well, as they tend to treat others. :-)
Learning:
Primarily, we want to share our way of life. While it's more rough and has fewer amenities than most people really want to live with, this phase of homesteading is unique, and there's a lot to gain by experiencing it.
Some of these aren't all available as activities in all seasons, but we'll be doing them in season, and we're happy to talk about them any time of year.
* General carpentry
* Building a geothermal grid
* Vegetable gardening
* Medicinal and culinary herb gardening
* Plant identification
* Canning
* Animal tending (poultry, currently)
* Cooking / Baking simple (but yummy) meals
* Tending/growing forest medicinal herbs
* Mushroom foraging
* Building and/or tending a solar power installation
* Home automation put to use for homesteading
Work Activities:
These are the things we consider our main 'work' projects. All of them are 'no experience required', as we have the necessary experience and are willing to share. These task are self-driven after any skills are taught.
*Gardening and growing - veggies, mushrooms, and orchard (no-til, heavy mulch, permaculture, beyong organic practices)
* Tending animals - chickens, ducks, geese, and guard dogs
* Carpentry - Expanding buildings for human, animals, and wood/tool storage
We expect that you'll clean up after yourself where you make a mess. That means cleaning your own plate / silverware, and helping out with communal dishes when it's your turn, replacing things from storage once they get low/run out, and leaving your living space in good condition when you go.
Food:
* Kitchen available whenever communal building is available (24 hours)
* meals are self-driven with open kitchen and garden
* we're happy to help you learn how to cook
Work days:
*after you learn the task and all the materials you need, you can fullfil tasks whenever. some special group events may have set start and end time.
* may need early or late start, depending on season
* 4-5 hours of work total, plus a snack break
* Free time, cooldown activity, or communal hangout time and communal dinner
Other days:
Other days are unstructured, but *may* include any of the following:
* communal meals
* Town trip (once every two weeks) for laundry and provisions (reasonable costs covered)
* Swimming at a local waterfall and swimming hole (~40 minutes travel)
* Learning
* Conversation
* Practical spirituality
* Meditation
* Hiking
* Gaming (board/card games)
* Gaming (computer games)
* Movies
* Campfires
We like to grow. Sometimes that means thinking things, sometimes doing things, and sometimes getting to know others, or just spending time being as we are. We're trying to learn and build a way of life and to encourage mentalities that are sustainable -- to address our societal tendencies both towards complacency and towards overtaxing oneself. This means we like to work hard, but to keep that work to a smaller portion of life -- to have enough time for people to process what comes up, and to just enjoy life.
Pet rules:
We love animals. We have a dog, geese, ducks, and chickens. We are planning on getting some more dogs and a cat this year. All of the animals live outside. While we allow animals with Wwoofers, no animal is allowed in a building. We hear that this is a need and long term, we will add a separate pet themed housing for people to sleep with their pets. Until then, people who visit us with pets, and don't want to leave their pet outside, tend to sleep in a tent/converted vans/small camper that they own.
All predator animals must be on a lead until we make sure they do not kill our birds. The chickens, ducks, and geese roam free during the day.
Warnings:
* no cellular in the normal living area. Cellular available at top of hill (10 minute walk) for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
* no Uber, taxis, etc
* if you don't communicate any grievances you have, we won't know them.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Poultry farming
Forestry
Wild foraging
Seed saving or production
Meat processing
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Green Building
Renewable energy production
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
36.4
Hectares
|
90
Acres
Brian
Member since 2023
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 1 day
Kentucky
Closest to furthest: McKee, Berea, Richmond, Louisville, Cincinnati
Reviews
Alex
United States
•
April 2026
Took a short trip to visit and see their setup.
Great down to earth and friendly people.
Alexia
United States
•
March 2026
What a great experience! Brian and Christy are great hosts, teachers, and now friends. I’m also a big fan of all the animals, felt protected by their big beasty dogs and guided by farm cat. Go to the woods!!!
Adam
United States
•
August 2025
This is a wonderful location, deep in the woods on a mountain in KY, and it's a true testament to what passion, devotion to a vision, and raw drive to build a homestead from the ground up, looks like!
Brian and Kristy are as real as they come! Such beautiful souls on an inspired mission to create a better world by sharing their expertise and broad knowledge of sustainable practices. I'm truly impressed by what they've built, and feel energized after spending a month on the farm.
One warning from my experience: B U G S ! haha... I got eaten alive, and it seems like the only way to stay un-bitten is long clothes, long socks, and a healthy amount of bug repellent! But, that was just my experience and I'm sure the winter months are much different.
10/10 - I am excited to go back and visit my new friends at this homestead!
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Jordan
United States
•
August 2025
Staying at this farm was a soul-nourishing, unforgettable experience. Nestled in serene hills and forests, the off-grid homestead wasn’t just stunning—it offered a rare sense of peace and purpose. The cozy living arrangements became one of the most inspiring parts of my stay. Sharing space in a close-knit community brought a warmth that felt deeper than family. Everyone was respectful, kind, and open-minded, creating an atmosphere of trust and ease. Brian and Kristy are generous, intelligent, and intentional hosts. Their presence set the tone for a welcoming space where individuality was honored. The work was relaxed, well-organized, and collaborative. Caring for the animals brought me quiet, grounding moments of reflection. Living off-grid helped me slow down and reconnect with myself. It was a time of deep peace and personal growth—a chance to realign and imagine new ways of living. I left with a renewed spirit and fresh ideas. I’m truly grateful for the experience and the beautiful people who made this place feel like home.
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Lindsey
United States
•
July 2025
i absolutely loved this farm!! the environment was very welcoming and friendly and workdays were educational but not stressful. the food was all good and spending time in the forest was so peaceful. would definitely recommend staying with Brian and Kristy!
Jordan
United States
•
May 2025
Brian & Kristy were wonderful hosts! If you want an experience on a truly off grid homestead, this is the place. Our activities for the week included hanging gutters and getting the cistern ready to collect rainwater. We also mulched garden beds & planted some squash & zucchini. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and felt right at home during our stay. Would love to return in the future!
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