I’m building my house on a remote homestead with my 3 kids – I’ve scavenged for materials, we have chickens and pigs too
A RECOVERED addict is hand-building his family home.
He said moving to a remote homestead has made him a better husband and dad.
The 33-year-old Andy Robert had always wanted to raise his family in the woods after growing up in a similar environment.
But his struggle with alcohol and cannabis addiction prompted his wife, 38-year-old Carlos, and three children to move from North Carolina to Northern Michigan without him.
Determined to become a “good man,” Andy got himself sober and moved down to join them six months later and began to restore his marriage.
After saving up, he bought 20 acres of land and is now building a self-sufficient homestead himself and with the help of his young children.
Andy has spent less than $4,000 so far, building a four-bedroom home with scraps and timber from his land.
He said the move has made him a “better” husband and dad.
“I don’t like the guy I was,” said Andy, who served in the US coastguard.
“I grew up with the mentality that as man and husband I provide and that’s it.
“I did that, but I realized that wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t present for my wife, I wasn’t helping with the kids.
“Now I don’t wake up hungover in the morning — I’m around to be present.”
He uses that time to bond with his family.
“I’m around to make a point intentionally to support my wife and the boys.
“My relationship is better and stronger.”
Andy struggled with alcohol and would drink as soon as he got home from work and said he wasn’t “present” with his family.
“I developed quite a serious drinking problem. I wasn’t a very good husband.”
Andy traded booze for cannabis before finally getting sober in 2019 after being hospitalized.
But with “damage done,” Carlos and their children moved to Northern Michigan at the beginning of 2020 — something they had already planned on doing.
Andy said: “I ended up with my wife telling me she didn’t love me anymore.
“After she left, I committed to myself.
“I thought: ‘I’m going to be a good man, the man I’m supposed to be.’”
Andy continued to work on himself and moved down in September of 2020 — buying five acres of land near his family.
He said: “A lot of damage was done.”
But Andy didn’t give up on his marriage and started to rebuild his relationship with his wife and children, saving up to buy 20 acres of land.
“My marriage was slowly restored,” he said.
Carlos put her ring back on in March of 2021 and the family is now all helping out to build their “vision.”
They have chickens, goats, a horse, a cow, and two pigs, and are growing crops so they can become self-sufficient.
“I’m trying to save as much money on the process as possible,” Andy said.
“I have scavenged for materials. I have traded equipment for metal going on the roof.”
His children are also on board to help with the build, and Andy said they are “heavily involved in the process.”
“They have certain jobs on the farm — collecting the firewood, and they take care of the animals.”
Andy and Carlos had always dreamed of bringing up their family surrounded by nature.
“So many kids live buried in a screen. We’re not raising our kids that way,” he said.
“I grew up in the woods. I’d like them to have that experience.”
Andy believes the homestead has improved his own well-being and his relationship with Carlos.
“I believe my wife and I would have worked it out regardless,” he said.
“For my own mental health, it has been fantastic. I’m present and I’m better.”
