{"title":"Shelter Systems Guides","description":"\u003cp\u003eSmall homes you can build, buy or park on your own land, from a shed shell to a home on wheels. Each numbered guide takes one off-grid system and shows you how it works, sizes it with real numbers, prices three builds part by part and walks you through building and running it, with every fact sourced and checked. Listed in series order, followed by a few standalone field guides made the same way.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"systems-tiny-home-wheels","title":"Tiny homes, RVs and skoolies: Living on wheels on your own land · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eA home on wheels is a small, complete house that arrives built. On a campground it plugs into water, power and a sewer. On your own land you have to supply all three yourself, plus propane, a level pad and protection from frost. The shelter is the easy part. The real work is the hookups, the wastewater permit, and the rules that decide whether you may live in it at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you choose between a tiny house on wheels, a travel trailer, a van and a skoolie, set one up on your own land with water, power, propane and a legal place for its wastewater, keep it dry and unfrozen through winter, and know what to ask the county first.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 19 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Set it up, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 9 numbered figures drawn for this guide, including a fit map of every US county. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 10 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $22,770–$27,390\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $28,070–$34,020\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $61,970–$84,850\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 36 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Off-grid solar; Portable power stations; Septic and its alternatives; Composting toilets; Finding off-grid land. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48361905914027,"sku":"AO26-SYS-15","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-15.jpg?v=1792811054"},{"product_id":"systems-micro-cabin","title":"The micro cabin: From a shed shell to a home · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eA micro cabin here means a factory-built portable shed, often a \"lofted barn\", delivered on skids and finished inside as a small home. It is the Acorn book's favourite route because the shell arrives ready-built on a truck, costs a fraction of a house and can move with you (§6). The catch is that a shed is built to keep rain off tools, not to keep people warm and dry. Turning it into a home means adding four things the factory left out: insulation, an airtight layer, fresh air and safe heat, and doing it in a way your county will accept as a dwelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you choose a portable shed shell that can become a legal, dry, warm home, size its insulation, heat and fresh air with real numbers, finish it step by step, and know which jobs belong to the inspector, the electrician and the gas fitter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 26 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 11 numbered figures drawn for this guide. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 13 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $10,745–$14,174\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $14,905–$20,721\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $24,408–$32,886\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 45 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Finding off-grid land; Wood stoves; Off-grid solar; Roof rainwater catchment; Composting toilets; Tiny homes, RVs and skoolies. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48361907323051,"sku":"AO26-SYS-11","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-11.jpg?v=1792812623"},{"product_id":"systems-container-homes","title":"Shipping container homes: Buying, cutting, insulating and living in a box · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eA shipping container home is a steel cargo box, retired from the sea, set on a foundation and turned into a small house. It arrives in an afternoon, it is strong where cargo needs it, and it can move again. But it was built to keep cargo dry at sea, not people warm for years: steel conducts heat, the box is narrow, and every hole you cut weakens it. Done well, it is a tough, quick little home. Done badly, it drips, rusts and fails inspection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you buy the right box, get it onto your land, cut it open without wrecking its strength, insulate it so it stays dry, and know which jobs belong to the engineer, the welder and the inspector.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 19 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 7 numbered figures drawn for this guide. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 12 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $7,950–$14,100\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $17,500–$30,250\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $28,200–$53,800\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 31 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Finding off-grid land; The micro cabin; Off-grid solar; Roof rainwater catchment; Composting toilets. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48361915744427,"sku":"AO26-SYS-18","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-18.jpg?v=1792811755"},{"product_id":"systems-yurts","title":"Yurts and canvas wall tents: Round homes and tents on decks · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eA yurt or a canvas wall tent is a light frame wrapped in fabric, standing on a wooden platform. It is the cheapest roof you can sleep under on your own land, it goes up in days rather than months, and it can come down again and move. The fabric is the catch: it keeps out rain and wind, but on its own it holds heat about as well as a single pane of glass. So these shelters are easy in mild climates, hungry for firewood in cold ones, and only as safe as the stove and the platform you give them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you choose between a canvas wall tent, a bell tent and a modern yurt, build the platform it stands on, heat it safely, and know what it costs, what it needs each season, and what to ask your county.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 18 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 9 numbered figures drawn for this guide, including a fit map of every US county. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 11 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $2,860–$4,040\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $20,300–$24,340\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $28,890–$35,270\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 27 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Wood stoves; Firewood; Portable power stations; Composting toilets; The micro cabin. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48362471358635,"sku":"AO26-SYS-25","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-25.jpg?v=1792815637"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/collections\/AO26-SYS-COL-SHELTER.jpg?v=1792843070","url":"https:\/\/shop.altordo.com\/collections\/systems-guides-shelter.oembed","provider":"Alt Ordo: Build Freedom","version":"1.0","type":"link"}