AL & VAL'S

MODERN HOMESTEAD LIFE

Practical Retirement. Real Homesteading.

We traded the ordinary retirement dream for 30 acres, a simpler life, and a whole lot of projects.

WATCH OUR JOURNEYEXPLORE OUR PROJECTS
Al & Val's 30-acre Northern New York homestead

EXPLORE THE HOMESTEAD

This is home. After years of working, planning, saving and dreaming, we traded our normal, comfortable and familiar life for 30 acres in northern New York and began building a different and completely new kind of life — one shaped more by the seasons, the land, and all of the projects that keep us moving.

Here you'll find many of the things we're building, fixing, learning and discovering along the way—from practical homestead projects to the everyday realities of making retirement work on our little piece of heaven in the country.

LATEST PROJECT

Real Projects. Real Costs. Real Lessons.
  • Project Type: Review
  • Project Status: Beginning
  • Project Difficulty: Moderate
  • Project Cost: GardePro Sponsored Review
  • Project Duration: 1 Month
  • Primary Skills: Electronics, Technology
  • Climate / Environment: Northern Climate
When we introduced the GardePro R3 wildlife camera in Part I, we were interested in more than simply seeing what the camera could do sitting on a workbench.

RECENT PROJECTS

When we introduced the GardePro R3 wildlife camera in Part I, we were interested in more than simply seeing what the camera could do sitting on a workbench.

We bought a $278 mini-split heat pump because of what appeared to be a pricing mistake. Installing it in our northern New York home turned out to be a considerably bigger adventure than simply mountin...

When GardePro offered us the opportunity to test their Link 1.0 cellular trail camera system, we decided to put it through a real-world test here on our 30-acre Northern New York property.

LIFE ON 30 ACRES

Winter on Al & Val's Homestead. MORE THAN JUST A PIECE OF LAND A LIFE WITH ROOM TO BREATHE Thirty acres gives us room to work, explore, and simply enjoy the changing seasons. The woods, trails, wildlife and open spaces are part of everyday life here—and sometimes the property itself becomes the next project.

MORE THAN JUST A PIECE OF LAND
A LIFE WITH ROOM TO BREATHE

Thirty acres gives us room to work, explore, and simply enjoy the changing seasons. The woods, trails, wildlife and open spaces are part of everyday life here—and sometimes the property itself becomes the next project.

THE WORK BEHIND THE LIFE

BUILDING A LIFE THAT WORKS

Starting over in our 60s meant looking at life a little differently. We wanted a home and lifestyle that worked for us—not one that required us to keep spending more just to maintain it. When we can build, repair, improve or make something ourselves, we often discover that the result costs less and can be better than what we could have bought.

That's what we mean by retirement resilience: making thoughtful choices today that give us more freedom tomorrow.

EXPLORE RETIREMENT & RESILIENCE →
Al & Val at the kitchen table. Starting over in our 60s meant looking at life a little differently. We wanted a home and lifestyle that worked for us—not one that required us to keep spending more just to maintain it. When we can build, repair, improve or make something ourselves, we often discover that the result costs less and can be better than what we could have bought. That's what we mean by retirement resilience: making thoughtful choices today that give us more freedom tomorrow.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROJECTS

AL, VAL & ANGEL

We're Al & Val, and this is Angel. We traded a more conventional retirement for 30 acres in Northern New York—and somewhere along the way, building a home became building a life. Most of what you see here is something we're learning, building, fixing, or figuring out together. Sometimes it's a big project. Sometimes it's simply a good day outside.

We're Al & Val, and this is Angel. We traded a more conventional retirement for 30 acres in Northern New York—and somewhere along the way, building a home became building a life.

Most of what you see here is something we're learning, building, fixing, or figuring out together. Sometimes it's a big project. Sometimes it's simply a good day outside.

WHAT WE DO

Building, fixing, making, and figuring things out along the way.