GnomeStead permastructure and food forest on off grid land cooperative, Nelson, BC, Canada.

  • Favourited 465 times
  • Last activity: 19 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    My family and I live on a queer and trans friendly Land Co-operative just outside Nelson in beautiful southern BC, in traditional Sinixt territory. We are a sex positive, polyamorous triad living together with one child. I (Emily) am a food activist and am passionate about the local foodshed and growing my own food! Some of my endeavours include permaculture gardening and establishing a food forest, fermenting everything, animal slaughter and butchery, wildcrafting and herbalism.

    Just Phil is inspired by native vernacular architecture combined with modern techniques and tools. He creates permastructures guided by geometry and flow. Each project undertaken pushes the boundaries with whole systems modelled after the patterns of nature, with a heavy focus on interconnection. He intends to teach anyone willing to get dirty how to take advantage of locally available materials to create anything you can imagine.

    Damo is a jack of all trades. He is a trained chef and has skills in carpentry, timber framing, stonework, and many other practical pursuits. Creatively he is inspired by photography and can often be seen following his lens.

    Our child, Tencza is often working alongside us (and you!) helping/hindering :) Her enthusiasm is contagious.

    We live in community on 88 acres of mostly forested land, a rural wild mountainscape and are off-grid on microhydro. Bird Creek (Chiweha Sk'kaka) provides us clean, fresh water and reliable power. Being off-grid allows us to more intimately understand how we consume power in our lives and has led us to a more simple and ecological way of using electricity.

    There are Other workaway hosts on our co-operative too:
    Troy and Jason
    Eric and Lauren
    Michael

    We are currently creating a subterranean reciprocal round post and beam home, Insulated with slip and chip, with an earthbag cold cellar and a living roof sheltered by a double green house. We are also establishing a food forest, and maintain an organic community garden. Along with all other things that come with living in a forest on a mountain.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Babysitting and creative play
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    We provide an experience to our volunteers. Offgrid, minimalist living in a rural-wild setting. We are a gender & lifestyle positive community, open to diversity and approaching this life with a down-to-earth realism, grounded in how things actually work (and don't) and evolving from there :) If this is an experience you are interested in, please join us!

    What can you learn from a stay here? (Please let us know if you have specific interestes)

    Working with/maintaiming tools/vehicles
    Fermenting/food preservarion
    Planting, maintaining and harvesting a garden
    Milling logs into lumber/timber
    Timber framing / joinery
    Festival volunteering
    Plant identification/herbalism
    Rigging, Shibari, rope skills, fire play
    hula hooping/flow jam
    Primitive skills such as hide tanning
    And the list goes on.

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

    This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

  • Help

    Help

    *️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️We are always looking for someone who is specifically interested in from scratch cooking -3 meals a day, with the most stellar ingredients you can imagine :)

    This summer we are cutting the round log frame for the GnomeHome If someone who knows how a mortice and Tenon is made using hand tools, come this way! I am looking to carve the joinery on large fir timbers and assemble in Fall

    There is always something to do in the garden, but this tends not to be a full time thing, as generally the garden takes care of itself. There is always some harvesting and a bit of chaos management. With the more intensive times being spring and fall.

    Our preferred structure is 4 longer work days with 3 days off, generally Fri/Sat/Sun. We provide three whole food, mostly organic meals daily.

    We are looking for Long term volunteers (2 weeks+) and short term volunteers.

    Anyone interested should come dressed to work and play outside in the mountains rain or shine.
    Quality waterproof footwear and raingear are necessary. In the winter, we have hike in access only, so come prepared to walk up the driveway 1km and then toboggan out!

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Polish: Fluent
    Russian: Fluent
    French: Beginner

    This host offers a language exchange
    This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
    You can contact them directly for more information.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Camping spaces always available in season. We have one larger canvas tent outfitted with a woodstove for colder season camping, but it is likely not appropriate for winter.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Lots of local hiking, beautiful rivers to swim in, great biking on rails to trails, or EPIC downhill MTB, rock climbing, ski touring and whitewater ski hill and a bus from the bottom of our hill to the eclectic town of Nelson.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    While we are open to hosting digital nomads we live a very screen minimum lifestyle. Our internet is relatively slow and only have 100gb a month bandwidth. So i would say if you are looking to work full time from our space you are unlikely to be a good fit. If you need to do small contracts/projects in a part time manner then you may contact us....

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We have a small place to park a camper van and I have to tow the vehicle up our mountain driveway... once its parked there you cannot use it to go to town on days off.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    No cats due to cat allergies. Some dogs may be considered.. .contact us in advance!

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    5 hours a day 5 days a week, or 4 longer days.

Host ref number: 826417354989

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