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The Dream
The Yak Outback began as a dream back in 2000 when I decided to move back to my roots in New England
and raise some animals on a small ranch somewhere. At the time I was not in any position to realize my
dream, but it wouldn't go away. And by 2003, I had enough capital, done enough study and was able to
purchase a 47 acre parcel of woods and meadowland in New Limerick Maine. Earlier, I purchased 3 yak to be
delivered in the summer of 2003. This was the beginning, there was no turning back. The yak would show up
whether I had a house built and fences up or not. I moved north to New Limerick in May of 2003 and during the
building phase lived in a camper with 3 newly acquired Amish-born Australian shepherd puppies.
and raise some animals on a small ranch somewhere. At the time I was not in any position to realize my
dream, but it wouldn't go away. And by 2003, I had enough capital, done enough study and was able to
purchase a 47 acre parcel of woods and meadowland in New Limerick Maine. Earlier, I purchased 3 yak to be
delivered in the summer of 2003. This was the beginning, there was no turning back. The yak would show up
whether I had a house built and fences up or not. I moved north to New Limerick in May of 2003 and during the
building phase lived in a camper with 3 newly acquired Amish-born Australian shepherd puppies.
House and Barn
By the spring of 2003, I had designed my house and barn and hooked up with a local Amish group that built
custom sheds and cabins at a fraction of the cost I could buy the materials for. I would build the facility in 3
phases with the first phase being built by the Amish.
Phase one structure was a 12 x 24 foot wooden structure with 10 foot high walls, using 2 x 6 studs. It included
insulated windows, 3 shed-style double doors, a metal roof, delivered and set up on blocks for less than
$6000! Because of the high walls, the roof and trusses came as a kit which I had to install since it would have
been too high to haul down the road. It was installed temporarily on blocks 3 feet off the ground.
Before I installed the roof, I built two 8 x 12 lofts that spanned the front and back and I built a catwalk between
them. It was then much easier to put the roof on myself. It also supported the walls from spreading since the
structure used open gambrel style trusses for the roof support.
The building was delivered mid June while I was busy putting up corral fencing for the soon-to-arrive yak. The
race was on, I had the fence to finish and a well to be drilled by mid August,. I had a roof to install, another
Amish-built barn for the animals barn to be delivered, a home-based power system to install, and septic work
all to be done before the first snows in November. Plus, I still had to keep my freelance technical writing and
scanning business alive and growing. Whew!! I look back now on those hectic, deadline-driven, physically
demanding days and realize it was perhaps the happiest time of my life. I envy the few folks I talk with that are
about to embark on the same or similar journey.
The summer ran out and the snows came early that year, and the cold roared in from Canada. But the yak, the
Aussies and I were comfortable, secure and happy. We had shelter, water, wood heat, power, and the hay was
up. Phase 1 ended successfully and on time!
custom sheds and cabins at a fraction of the cost I could buy the materials for. I would build the facility in 3
phases with the first phase being built by the Amish.
Phase one structure was a 12 x 24 foot wooden structure with 10 foot high walls, using 2 x 6 studs. It included
insulated windows, 3 shed-style double doors, a metal roof, delivered and set up on blocks for less than
$6000! Because of the high walls, the roof and trusses came as a kit which I had to install since it would have
been too high to haul down the road. It was installed temporarily on blocks 3 feet off the ground.
Before I installed the roof, I built two 8 x 12 lofts that spanned the front and back and I built a catwalk between
them. It was then much easier to put the roof on myself. It also supported the walls from spreading since the
structure used open gambrel style trusses for the roof support.
The building was delivered mid June while I was busy putting up corral fencing for the soon-to-arrive yak. The
race was on, I had the fence to finish and a well to be drilled by mid August,. I had a roof to install, another
Amish-built barn for the animals barn to be delivered, a home-based power system to install, and septic work
all to be done before the first snows in November. Plus, I still had to keep my freelance technical writing and
scanning business alive and growing. Whew!! I look back now on those hectic, deadline-driven, physically
demanding days and realize it was perhaps the happiest time of my life. I envy the few folks I talk with that are
about to embark on the same or similar journey.
The summer ran out and the snows came early that year, and the cold roared in from Canada. But the yak, the
Aussies and I were comfortable, secure and happy. We had shelter, water, wood heat, power, and the hay was
up. Phase 1 ended successfully and on time!
2003 The front yard. The
CrackAxle Meadow
CrackAxle Meadow
The Facility
Phase 1 house
The Yak Outback
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The Property
Prior to purchasing land, I looked at a lot of places from Vermont, to Maine, to New Hampshire, and settled in
on northern Maine as my target. I found the perfect setting and perfect price in New Limerick, ME, just a handful
of miles from the Canadian border to the east. New Limerick is a farming community, quiet, spacious and not
far from Houlton, a major city in Aroostook County having all the amenities one could need.
The plot was 47 acres of woodland, with about 15-20 acres cleared to farmland. Part of the cleared section was
1500 feet in from the road and completely surrounded by dense tree growth except for a narrow pass where a
dirt farm trail enters from the road. This was the perfect setting, the animals and structures would not be visible
from the road and access would be limited, especially in the winter. I had already decided that I would live off
the grid and produce my own electricity which was the right decision because bringing in power lines from the
road would be too prohibitive for my budget. Still, I had to work out the details about how I would connect to the
internet for my freelance business requirements and that fell into place easy enough with only a few minor
drawbacks.
I recall in scouting out the place to determine where to put up a house, a barn and fencing, as I came across
this secluded area at the back beyond the pass and started to investigate it, what sounded like a freight train in
the woods had me a little nervous. I was a lot more nervous when I peeked into the woods to see what the
commotion was all about. A giant bull moose then jumped out of the woods in front of me and into the clearing,
turned and stared me down! He looked about 20 feet tall, big and hairy! Naturally, I closed my eyes and gulped
thinking that maybe when I opened them, especially if I opened them one at a time, he wouldn't look so big.
Well, when I opened the first eye, he didn't . . . he looked even bigger and a mile less happy! He was just
standing there looking at the guy with one eye open waiting for me to do something . . . like maybe open the
other eye? His head looked wider than I am long. Not being too much of a fool, I gingerly backtracked back out
the pass and towards the road 1500 feet or so away. But when the jitters left, I knew exactly where I wanted to
build my home! I just wouldn't go into the woods for a while!
on northern Maine as my target. I found the perfect setting and perfect price in New Limerick, ME, just a handful
of miles from the Canadian border to the east. New Limerick is a farming community, quiet, spacious and not
far from Houlton, a major city in Aroostook County having all the amenities one could need.
The plot was 47 acres of woodland, with about 15-20 acres cleared to farmland. Part of the cleared section was
1500 feet in from the road and completely surrounded by dense tree growth except for a narrow pass where a
dirt farm trail enters from the road. This was the perfect setting, the animals and structures would not be visible
from the road and access would be limited, especially in the winter. I had already decided that I would live off
the grid and produce my own electricity which was the right decision because bringing in power lines from the
road would be too prohibitive for my budget. Still, I had to work out the details about how I would connect to the
internet for my freelance business requirements and that fell into place easy enough with only a few minor
drawbacks.
I recall in scouting out the place to determine where to put up a house, a barn and fencing, as I came across
this secluded area at the back beyond the pass and started to investigate it, what sounded like a freight train in
the woods had me a little nervous. I was a lot more nervous when I peeked into the woods to see what the
commotion was all about. A giant bull moose then jumped out of the woods in front of me and into the clearing,
turned and stared me down! He looked about 20 feet tall, big and hairy! Naturally, I closed my eyes and gulped
thinking that maybe when I opened them, especially if I opened them one at a time, he wouldn't look so big.
Well, when I opened the first eye, he didn't . . . he looked even bigger and a mile less happy! He was just
standing there looking at the guy with one eye open waiting for me to do something . . . like maybe open the
other eye? His head looked wider than I am long. Not being too much of a fool, I gingerly backtracked back out
the pass and towards the road 1500 feet or so away. But when the jitters left, I knew exactly where I wanted to
build my home! I just wouldn't go into the woods for a while!
Phase 2 Construction 2004 - 2005
Phase 1 Complete
Phase 2 In Progress
A yak-ready Fence
Putting on the roof July 2003
| Chris Devaney's Yak Outback PO Box 3 New Limerick, ME 04761 (207) 540-2403 |
The Homestead 2006
Phase 1 house
Powering the Facility
Wind Turbine at Speed
At present I have 410 watts of solar power and 3 roof-mounted wind turbines (two 400-watt Air-X units and
one 800 watt Mallard 800E) to capture energy from the sun and wind and store it in a bank of batteries.
And this, along with the occasional use of a gas-powered generator powers the entire facility. Input to the
batteries is at 12 Volts DC and I use a couple of small 1000 watt inverters to convert the output to 120
Volts AC just like normal household power. (There are some small differences in the shape of the AC
power curve but insignificant for all but the most sensitive applications). The wind generators (also called
wind turbines) and solar panels have separate charge controllers whose function is to regulate the
current and voltage sent to the batteries. They automatically keep the batteries from overcharging. An
automatic diversion load circuit sends excess charge to an automotive style dashboard heater to keep the
batteries from severely overcharging. A built-in circuit protects the inverters and turns everything off should
the batteries get too low in charge. Another built in protection circuit will cut power to the 120 volt side of
things if the voltage on the batteries rises above 17 or so volts. This could happen when a sudden gale
hits and drives the wind turbines into a frenzy or the regulator inside the wind generator is adjusted wrong
and the output surpasses the 50 amp capacity of the diversion load.
I can't begin to tell you what a thrill it was the first time I connected the solar panels to the battery bank and
an inverter, plugged in a light and turned it on! Light . . . as simple as that! It's still a thrill after 6 years and I
haven't had an electric bill since 2003! But don't be fooled . . . this isn't a whole lot of power. I run my lights,
computers and on occasion a radio or other device plus the electric fence charger. I also have solar lights
in the yak barn. I have a small TV once but the Sisters of No Mercy ate the power adapter and although I
never seemed to miss it, I did repair the cord. It might still be in the loft along with some other
power-hungry relics I had from the pre-living-off-the-grid days. A big 17 inch CRT monitor for the computer
comes to mind. I replaced that power monster with a 14 inch flat panel LCD screen which runs at a
fraction of the power. If I need to run some heavy-duty watt-sucking device, like power tools or my electric
grill, I fire up my generator. With separate wiring for the generator I can plug anything I need to run in its
own circuit. I wired in some cheap automotive-style gauges for monitoring the volts and amps arriving
from each input (solar panels and wind generators) so I can see at a glance whether or not I'm getting low
on power or have enough to light the world. They are of the back-lit style with a small bulb in each gauge. I
put in a switch so I can turn the back-light feature on or off and it doubles as a convenient night light.
What's it like to live with a roof-mounted wind generator of two or three . . . here's an article I wrote on just
that subject: http://www.homestead.org/ChrisDevaney/RoofTop/Roof-topWindFarms.htm
one 800 watt Mallard 800E) to capture energy from the sun and wind and store it in a bank of batteries.
And this, along with the occasional use of a gas-powered generator powers the entire facility. Input to the
batteries is at 12 Volts DC and I use a couple of small 1000 watt inverters to convert the output to 120
Volts AC just like normal household power. (There are some small differences in the shape of the AC
power curve but insignificant for all but the most sensitive applications). The wind generators (also called
wind turbines) and solar panels have separate charge controllers whose function is to regulate the
current and voltage sent to the batteries. They automatically keep the batteries from overcharging. An
automatic diversion load circuit sends excess charge to an automotive style dashboard heater to keep the
batteries from severely overcharging. A built-in circuit protects the inverters and turns everything off should
the batteries get too low in charge. Another built in protection circuit will cut power to the 120 volt side of
things if the voltage on the batteries rises above 17 or so volts. This could happen when a sudden gale
hits and drives the wind turbines into a frenzy or the regulator inside the wind generator is adjusted wrong
and the output surpasses the 50 amp capacity of the diversion load.
I can't begin to tell you what a thrill it was the first time I connected the solar panels to the battery bank and
an inverter, plugged in a light and turned it on! Light . . . as simple as that! It's still a thrill after 6 years and I
haven't had an electric bill since 2003! But don't be fooled . . . this isn't a whole lot of power. I run my lights,
computers and on occasion a radio or other device plus the electric fence charger. I also have solar lights
in the yak barn. I have a small TV once but the Sisters of No Mercy ate the power adapter and although I
never seemed to miss it, I did repair the cord. It might still be in the loft along with some other
power-hungry relics I had from the pre-living-off-the-grid days. A big 17 inch CRT monitor for the computer
comes to mind. I replaced that power monster with a 14 inch flat panel LCD screen which runs at a
fraction of the power. If I need to run some heavy-duty watt-sucking device, like power tools or my electric
grill, I fire up my generator. With separate wiring for the generator I can plug anything I need to run in its
own circuit. I wired in some cheap automotive-style gauges for monitoring the volts and amps arriving
from each input (solar panels and wind generators) so I can see at a glance whether or not I'm getting low
on power or have enough to light the world. They are of the back-lit style with a small bulb in each gauge. I
put in a switch so I can turn the back-light feature on or off and it doubles as a convenient night light.
What's it like to live with a roof-mounted wind generator of two or three . . . here's an article I wrote on just
that subject: http://www.homestead.org/ChrisDevaney/RoofTop/Roof-topWindFarms.htm
Phase 2 construction included:
Phase 3 Construction - ongoing
Phase 3 construction began in the summer of 2005. It includes:
The pole foundation, 2 x 6 plank flooring and framing are completed. An unfortunate accident involving a horsethat left without me resulted in a fractured leg when I hit the ground and put a damper on construction in 2006.
Work continued slowly in 2007 and 2008. The winter has put an end to the progress until spring thaw.
 | A light footprint foundation of 6 x 6 posts sunk 7 feet deep into the ground with 5 sets of double 2 x 12 | |
| beams suspended across under the structure. The house was lowered onto the foundation when it was completed. | ||
| A 12 x 24 lean-to addition to house an office area and a bathroom also suspended on posts. | |
| Indoor plumbing. | |
| Paint. | |
| Extended pastures using electric fencing. | |
| Added 2 more 80 watt solar panels and a second 400 watt roof-mounted wind generator. |
Phase 3 Construction - ongoing
Phase 3 construction began in the summer of 2005. It includes:
| A second 12 x 24 lean-to addition to be used as a run-through and second barn for the yak. | |
| Additional in-ground fencing to replace the electric fencing. | |
| Additional solar panels. | |
| Two or three more 400 watt wind generators for mounting on the new addition. | |
| Staining the barn. | |
| Earlier starts to haying the fields. |
The pole foundation, 2 x 6 plank flooring and framing are completed. An unfortunate accident involving a horse
Work continued slowly in 2007 and 2008. The winter has put an end to the progress until spring thaw.
Solar Panel Setup 2007
A foggy winter's
afternoon in 2008
afternoon in 2008