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My Friends and I Bought an Island

tynan.com

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Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#71

Post by ianstallings »

dubfan wrote: post #49
ianstallings wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's controlled by Canada. There is no land on earth outside of the control of nation-states, except Antarctica, which is shared by major nations but has territorial claims by 7 nations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_claims_in_Antarctic...

> There is no land on earth outside of the control of nation-states, except Antarctica Not quite. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bir_Tawil

From that page: Egypt still administers the territory. That was my point. You could build an underwater city in the middle of the pacific and some government would somehow claim it. If there is money there, a nation will be present to collect its cut and make sure you abide by their law.

But very cool find nonetheless!

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#73

Post by isaacn »

tynan wrote: post #15
ailox wrote: post #5

This is awesome. I always wanted to do something like this as long as I can remember, build something (more or less) self-sustaining in the middle of nowhere to feel fully independent. I am really curious to what extent the author plans on living there? Will there be houses next to the communal building? Solar Panels? A Generator? An on-site well? It is this Idea of your own small ecosystem which makes Minecraft so a…

Thanks! At first it will be a summer-only thing, but we hope over 5-10 years to make it sustainable all year round. We want to use it mainly as a place to work together and get away from cities. Next summer we will be putting up a 30' yurt, a huge battery bank, and a generator. Water is the hardest, so we'll probably have to catch rain and use a desalinator. Oh-- we have awesome LTE and 4G coverage there, too!

Congrats on your purchase! Having 4G internet is a very nice addition to your infrastructure, and critical in this day and age. Even if you want to disconnect for extended periods of time, you still have to pay your bills and taxes.

Speaking from experience, solar panels and car batteries work very well to supply a minimal amount of power for daily use (LED lights, charging cell phones and laptops, etc), but a generator will likely be needed for the occasional heavy equipment use. I'm less of a fan of windmills, but they have their place.

Water is indeed the most important infrastructure element to get right, but the solution you go with often depends heavily with your power choices. It's one thing to leave a desalinization system running 24x7 and maintain it, but it's a whole different story if you need something that can be shut down and restarted several months later. Maintenance and long-term reliability become important factors. Maybe you'll get lucky and find you can drill a well for fresh water, but the size of your island makes me think that is unlikely.

Other fun things to think about: plumbing, septic systems, waste disposal, hot water systems, lights, cooking, and refrigeration.

Then there is always the debate of redundancy vs. simplicity. and the real cost of maintaining an often fragile infrastructure.

I am very curious to hear more about your progresses in building out your island infrastructure and have subscribed to your blog.

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#74

Post by lifeisstillgood »

I was struck by the "climate does not matter" part - I have always assumed Canada will be one of the 22nd century's big winners in climate change terms (lots of nice melted permafrost agricultural land and an extra 6 degrees would be balmy)

the upshot of this is I assumed land north of Toronto is always going to be a good buy for grand children. am I thinking too small?

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#75

Post by vinhboy »

intenex wrote: post #66

Hey all - co-owner here with Tynan. He tried to reply to all your comments but you guys left so many he got throttled by HN and now can't post. Shame on you all. Just kidding - but really, he's throttled atm. He'll be back to reply to posts when he can!

Why would you guys buy the island without seeing it first? Were you guys just really excited?

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#76

Post by npsimons »

jacquesm wrote: post #58
intenex wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the heads up! We'll def be sure to get on that and get some basic first aid training across the board + med kit on site. Any other advice/tips we should be aware of?

You're welcome. Basic engine repair skills, something to patch up your boat in case you spring a leak, a basic comms kit+genny so you can call up the coast guard or a passing boat if you should need them (assuming your island is out of cell phone reach), cache of freshwater, fuel, waterproofed matches and a couple of days worth of tin cans in case you ever get cut off. Halifax coast in winter can be, how to phrase th…

As a SAR guy, I can say the big big thing is the first aid (plus CPR). It sounds like you're relatively close to civilization, but realize that if someone has to come to help you, they're likely not going to be there within the Golden Hour (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_%28medicine%29). That, and just being prepared in general (ten essentials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials and knowing how to use them), having skills, and being wary. I've seen even well-seasoned people end up in bad situations; the best way to survive seems to be to avoid the bad situations. Also, never go alone.

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#77

Post by tlrobinson »

jacquesm wrote: post #36
patja wrote: post #19

I am curious about how and whether building or environment impact codes come into play with this kind of remote private island in Canada. Things like septic systems, building a dock or anything near the shoreline, and even putting in a mooring buoy can be significant challenges to get approved in many US jurisdictions.

In lakes the rules are extremely strict, for an island in the ocean the rules are much more permissive. No matter what the rules you typically want to keep your impact as low as possible or your island feeling will soon be replaced by something more akin to living in a small polluted town. Legally all your island really is is a bit of land surrounded by shoreline and that shoreline is the interesting bit. It may auto…

Presumably the island is still part of Canada, right? I doubt you could get away with trying to start your own little sovereign country on it.

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#78

Post by sivetic »

patja wrote: post #19

I am curious about how and whether building or environment impact codes come into play with this kind of remote private island in Canada. Things like septic systems, building a dock or anything near the shoreline, and even putting in a mooring buoy can be significant challenges to get approved in many US jurisdictions.

Everything depend son the municipality and province you live in. I can't speak for Halifax area, but on Lake of the Woods and surrounding unincorporated area, Ministry of Ontario is the governing body. Floating docks do not require a permit, but for the most part, you aren't allowed to modify the shoreline, except under direct permission from Ontario and/or the Department of Fisheries (Federal). You are allowed to build boat houses on land (with permits), or by driving pipe into the ground, as that minimizes damage to the shore.

The ministry will do periodic inspections of land, and will investigate complaints. The property we purchased had all vegetation removed from the shoreline to expose the natural sand beach. The owner was fined, and forced to lay down landscaping fabric and crushed granite to cover it in order to reduce erosion. The matter was strictly dealt with by Department of Fisheries.

As for septic, you're required to build a field, but permits are easily obtainable. Same goes with putting buildings; permits are (usually) required, but usually attainable relatively easily.

Re: My Friends and I Bought an Island

#79

Post by jacquesm »

npsimons wrote: post #76
jacquesm wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're welcome. Basic engine repair skills, something to patch up your boat in case you spring a leak, a basic comms kit+genny so you can call up the coast guard or a passing boat if you should need them (assuming your island is out of cell phone reach), cache of freshwater, fuel, waterproofed matches and a couple of days worth of tin cans in case you ever get cut off. Halifax coast in winter can be, how to phrase th…

As a SAR guy, I can say the big big thing is the first aid (plus CPR). It sounds like you're relatively close to civilization, but realize that if someone has to come to help you, they're likely not going to be there within the Golden Hour ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_%28medicine%29 ). That, and just being prepared in general (ten essentials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials and knowing how…

Good stuff second all of it, the last one you can't emphasize enough. 'SAR guy' -> Search And Rescue guy.
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