Author: Reekay V.
Since 2012 I’ve been traveling through various islands of the Philippines as a full-time Expat and spent 1999 living in Vietnam.
Share with me my ongoing adventures of life in the Philippines. Hopefully you find my observations helpful in your own adventures.
— Reekay
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At 6:30 you mention chickens, and you’ll have more eggs than you can eat, and meat. I’ve heard there are basically 3 types of chickens: 1. Egg-laying ones (produce average 1 egg per day), 2. Meat chickens (bad at egg-laying, but taste great!) and 3. The Combo, which taste “ok”, and produce *some* eggs. Anyway, I thought that should be mentioned. It’s not as easy as “raise chickens, and get all the eggs and meat you want”.
For me, I doubt I want to own farm animals. It’s a whole lot of work running a farm, like a full-time job (or worse, 60h/week?). That would not be a peaceful retirement to me. In a place like USA where a dozen eggs is $5, maybe. But in the Philippines, I estimate a dozen eggs is only about $2.
On that note, I have a friend who has free-range chickens as a hobby (he has maybe 10 chickens) and gave me a dozen eggs. I said “It saves money too.” He’s like “Not really!”. I said, “Yeah, but these are free-range organic, so they’d be $6/dozen at the grocery store.” And he said “The true cost of these was at least $8 per dozen, and that doesn’t include all my labor!”.
I’ve been near several commercial hog operations in the US. These were beyond farming, basically meat factories with over 10,000 animals. Waste management was what engineers call a “non-trivial problem”. Forget about smell. They considered it a success if you could stand a mile downwind without your nose hair falling out.
I’m hesitant to invest in solar panels, if the prices seem to good to be true, then I’m betting that they probably are. My research has turned to propane powered generators. A very safe fuel source, and cheaper in the long run. I’d suggest this as an option.
I think going off-grid, at least for electricity is a great idea. Especially where the utilities are unreliable. If you plan it well you can go in phases. Initially using only a battery bank and inverter. This way you charge while the utility is working and use batteries during the blackouts. Though the length of the blackouts may be longer than the battery charge lasts.
The well and elevated water storage can be a separate project but works on the same concept.
Then add solar panels and batteries over time to help extend the battery discharge duration.
The big electrical power consumers are things that do heavy mechanical work or make heat or move heat (stoves, big motors like AC / freezer compressors). Things like most lights and TVs and computers, radios etc. use relatively little.
My old house I had rainwater collection for my extensive gardens and fish farm along with 40-50% of my power from solar panels, charging batteries, then run thru a 5000 watt inverter with a 10,000 watt home built diesel generator set to make up the rest of my needs when the power went out. Once a month I would trip the main from the power company and run it all on my own systems to learn what my shortcomings and challenges were. One thing I learned quickly was that incandescent lighting sucks down the power. I tried fluorescent then moved to LED’s as the technology improved. I could not run the HVAC on the solar but the generator would run it plus make up any other shortcomings from the solar. I don’t know if they make a 220v version of the Kill-O-Watt meter I have but it was instrumental in load balancing and rearranging the breaker box for the house. The city would not issue a drilling permit for a well so I built a water hammer drill and drilled my own 85 foot deep well in the back yard.. I was on a septic tank and field so I am very familiar on the necessary maintenance to keep one up and healthy..
I grew up raising pigs and living “offgrid”, had an outhouse and everything. We did not have “solar panels” and such though. That’s what oil lamps are for:). Woodburning stove for the kitchen. Yes, we had a telephone and we had electric only for lights but it was not stable so not depend on it. Pigs are not “smelly” if you have enough land for them and we never had to have any kind of “pig sewage system”. I love it when people try to be weekend farmers…you all are so damn funny.
GOOD VLOG
Also if you build your own home, I would suggest a brick home as termites are always an issue in the Philippines
The trick with having no smell pigs is to dump a lot of wood chips, dry grass, hay, ect into the pens to absorb and compost the waste. The end result is a lot of manure compost to grow stuff with. Need bigger pens or fenced off areas. Electric fencing works.
Very informative. I wonder if you have any tips regarding how to purchase the many things needed, both in terms of materials and services, at prices that reflect actual local rates rather than higher rates charged to foreigners.
So much to say… permacuture tree guilds… there is one for every tropical tree… some fruit in 3 years..
A 2nd-year harvest includes 3 sister (Corn, beans, squash,) your garden, as well as papayas and your bananas. 3rd year you may see your first citrus, custard apples, jackfruits, breadfruit, and even a few starfruit and avocado if you are really looking after your soil, also full production of bananas and papayas.
now they can turn your shit into cooking gas… that can run a generator… and of course heat water… I always like the idea of a diesel engine running your house… and then using an electric vehicle…
actually it makes me fantasize about buying a jeepney and turning it into a mobile home….
If you could estimate the cost of building a simple 2 or 3 bedroom house with a full generator setup, well, and solar… what is your guesstimate on investment?
Thank you for the video. My fiancé is from Bohol and we have been talking about building a house and this video is an excellent idea.
I met Brian also when I was in Bohol in 2012 and he helped me find a motorcycle for rent and a hotel room. Gave us the grand tour of Bohol! I believe he eventually moved from Tagbilaran to Ubay with his girlfriend. Small world Reekay. By the way you were the first YouTuber I followed in the Philippines. You really made things easy when I first visited there in 2011. Sorry we never met while I was there. Thanks for being a wealth of info over the years!
Great video..
If you build your own home.
Make certain that it is elevated foundation. 4 feet average.
To protect the house from occasional flooding.
Standard room height is 9 feet plus.
To allow better air circulation in humid locations.
This allows simple use of fans versus air conditioning.
Solar array on the ground. Tesla type power wall. Generator backup.
Area solar lights..
Own water source.. internet
This stabilizes your infrastructure
The Philippines is like living off grid anyway. Ha ha
This gives the man responsibility and more active purpose living there.
Being self sufficient is a good thing…
Your mindset is essential living in another country
A friend of mine did the solar system it is not working out because the batteries only last about one year I think Philippines only has Chinese knock off on just about everything he spent a ton of money and he’s very disappointed Great video though thank you.
This is the type of house i would want to build. Solar panels and star link