Building Your Permaculture Property by Rob Avis, Takota Coen, and Michelle Avis

Oh I'm so excited to get my hands on this book!

Rob & Takota are amazing people! They are doing so much in my area to create a community around permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and resilient communities. They've been holding live YoutTube sessions and Zoom meetings during the pandemic in order to help facilitate the surge of interest in the area. They both offer tons of free resources and information beyond this book.

I've met them in person and they are so kind and so happy to answer questions and engage with you one on one. I haven't met with Michelle yet but she also seems like a total badass!

Will have to get my hands on a copy and give a review!

Also, Takota is always wearing the cutest vests!

I give this book 10 out of 10 acorns.

When I first learned about permaculture, I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but somehow, I knew it made sense. As I researched, I realized that permaculture is so much more than a gardening technique; it's a design system. That realization was exciting, but also raised the question, "How do I take everything I've learned about permaculture design and come up with a practical plan for my property?"

Building Your Permaculture Property has been a timely answer to that question. It offers a problem-solving methodology through a clearly defined five-step process to help readers design, develop, and manage their permaculture property successfully.

The book is divided into steps which clearly outline the process.

"Step 0: Inspect Your Paradigm." The prerequisite for the process is a challenge to understand one's personal paradigm, i.e., the basic assumptions and beliefs that form how we view reality. The authors examine three paradigms describing how we view our relationship to nature. These are important to understand, because they define how we as individuals approach the global problems we now face. The chapters that follow focus on the attitudes and actions that lead to thriving abundance.

"Step 1: Clarify Your Vision, Values, and Resources." One of the struggles in getting started with permaculture is not knowing what to do. This chapter offers practical steps through a set of questions and exercises: What do you have? (resources), what is right? (values or ethics), and what do you want? (vision). The reader learns how to create a detailed personal inventory of resources, examines why we need an ethical framework for our lives, and how to concisely clarify what we want, including how to work through differences with our partner or partners.

"Step 2: Diagnose Your Resources for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats." A second struggle people have is not knowing where to find information they need to implement a design. There is plenty of information out there, but knowing how to connect the dots can be daunting. This chapter will teach the reader how to use nature's pattern to gather, store, and organize all that information. A two-stage process is used to identify and organize property resources, using the four variables of permaculture pattern to diagnose potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

"Step 3: Design Your Resources to Meet Your Vision and Values." A third struggle in permaculture is trying to figure out how it all fits together. To this, the authors say, "It is not too big of an exaggeration to say that when diagnosis is done correctly and diligently, design flows out that work, and jumps off the page right at you." This is why steps 1 and 2 are key. This chapter begins by clarifying what permaculture design is and what it isn't. It discusses design misconceptions and mistakes, the differences between the good, the bad, and the ugly of design, and shows the reader how to use five simple questions and an energy flow analysis to evaluate and gain insight into their design.

"Step 4: Implement the Right Design That Will Most Improve Your Weakest Resource." Once we have a design for our permaculture property, the next big question is "Where do I start?" quickly followed by "What do I do next?" This chapter helps the reader begin to implement their design by utilizing processes and tools for success. Introduces an innovative approach for building your permaculture property and teaches how to solve problems as they arise. It discusses goal setting, weekly planning, how to identify your weakest link, and how to make good decisions while avoiding bad ones.  

"Step 5: Monitor Your Resources for Indicators of Well-being or Suffering." The fifth question people struggle with is, "When will it end?" This chapter makes the case for learning how to monitor one's resources for well-being or suffering, rather than trying to measure outcomes as indicators of success. It provides the tools and framework to understand suffering as feedback and keep on track toward your vision and values. Discusses how to monitor yourself, your property, and the four ecosystem processes.

Exercises, charts, templates, worksheets, and tools for productivity, planning, and workflow are found throughout the book. Interesting real-life examples are provided in each section with "Takota's Story."

Highly recommended. Building Your Permaculture Property is an excellent resource for everyone wanting to put all the pieces together to create a thriving permaculture property.

WOW thanks for the great review Leigh! I couldn't have given a better summary of the book myself. Im curios what was your biggest insight/take away from the book?

Takota and Rob, welcome to Permies! I'm very pleased that you like the review.

Takota Coen wrote:I'm curious what was your biggest insight/take away from the book?

I think overall, it was exciting to find a step-by-step plan for figuring out to put all the permaculture puzzle pieces together. The amount of information about permaculture can be overwhelming, yet trying to approach it piecemeal hasn't been terribly productive!

Specifically, I have to say that the Step 0 discussion on paradigms really sold me on the book. I've been very aware of the first two, the degenerative and sustainable viewpoints. The first has always struck me as blatantly wrong, and something about the "sustainable" worldview has seemed off. Maybe because it just doesn't match up to my evolving relationship with nature after 12 years on our homestead. So, getting to the description of the regenerative paradigm was a happy "that's it!" moment for me.

The other thing that I would say was a huge revelation for me, is the concept of success. I try to steer clear of the checklist type of evaluations and simply tell myself that permaculture is a lifestyle. Still, some sort of tool would be helpful. The idea to monitor our resources for well-being or suffering is brilliant! Along with having steps to analyze them.

After reading it, I'm definitely looking forward to taking the time to work through the book in regards to my own permaculture journey.

Leigh Tate wrote:

Specifically, I have to say that the Step 0 discussion on paradigms really sold me on the book. I've been very aware of the first two, the degenerative and sustainable viewpoints. The first has always struck me as blatantly wrong, and something about the "sustainable" worldview has seemed off. Maybe because it just doesn't match up to my evolving relationship with nature after 12 years on our homestead. So, getting to the description of the regenerative paradigm was a happy "that's it!" moment for me.

YES! I am glad to hear it. This was also a game changer for me as well, it is not about doing less bad!

Hey, Verge team, I have many questions...
First of all, I've been dieing to ask what the heck verge means? I've wondered for months! Haha!
Also, in a video on YouTube on urban swales, Rob briefly mentions a "tire pond" that catches the rainwater first. What is a tire pond? How is it made?

Hey Rebekah,

1) The Verge is the edge.
2) A tire pond is a hole in the ground that uses a tire to hold back the side walls. If you google it and look at the images tab you will find a ton of them.

Thanks for the questions.

R

Rob Avis wrote:If anyone has any questions regarding the book please feel free to post here. We will be checking daily and answering any question you might have about the book, our process and any of the tools we use.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Rob

Welcome to the forums!  Please check the Permaculture Design Forum:

https://permies.com/f/123/permaculture-design

This is where most of the questions are being asked.

I hope to hear from you in the Permaculture Design Forum!

Welcome, Michelle Avis, Rob Avis, and Takota Coen :) Thank you for sharing your book with the World and making it a better way of living here. Looking forward to learning, building, and Living an Off Grid Permaculture Life :)

I only have a 5 acre property, garden about 1/4 acre due to water restrictions, and let the rest remain as forest.  Many permaculture books are designed for larger properties.  Is this book something I can use or would it just contain information for the larger community?

I am LOVING this book! I have recently moved to my new beautiful 4 acre property and have heard from several neighbors how hard it is to grow things because of the dry climate with high elevation. I was a little bummed to say the least! Then I heard Takota, Rob and Michelle at the permaculture online summit and (I believe it was Rob) that spoke about how he has heard some people say "permaculture doesn't work" and how that isn't true! I have been told that a few times in the last few months and knew that it couldn't be true! I bought the book as soon as I could. I am loving every page and it makes so much sense. I highly recommend it. They seem to have a great crew. I asked a question via email and it was promptly answered with some fantastic references.

Everyone interested in actually applying permaculture should buy this book!!

I cant wait to read this book. I watch and listen to all the verge permaculture stuff, also listen to Takotas talks on Curtiss' channel. Would love to hear Rob on there too!

Hi Frank,
In answer to your question:

Frank Cordeiro wrote:I only have a 5 acre property, garden about 1/4 acre due to water restrictions, and let the rest remain as forest.  Many permaculture books are designed for larger properties.  Is this book something I can use or would it just contain information for the larger community?

We have already received lots of positive feedback about the book from folks who own properties the same size or smaller than you. This book is not at all about specific techniques that worked for us on our own properties, it is about how think so that you can develop your own techniques that work for you.

Its about process not prescriptions. The latter usually has nasty side effects

The edge of what, Rob? I guess I'm asking what the edge means to you, and why you chose that company name? Sorry, maybe that is too personal?

Thanks for your kind words Frank. What do you love most in the book?
R

Maximizing edge is a basic permaculture principle. Permaculture practitioners work on the edge. Verge is just another way to think about the edge.

Hello! Using the permaculture techniques plants rocks and other natural structures how cam i create a root cellar. My challenge is creating a root cellar to keep the wondetful harvest bounty over the winter. In the spring i have water 2 feet down so digging underground is not much of an option. So any suggestions to keep a constant temp with out yhe worry of too hot in summet amd too cold in winter would be a great help.

Thank you.

Jenny

I have really enjoyed the recordings on the Verge student dash board about the book after purchasing the book bundle. I have listened to them multiple times. Plenty of wise insights that are important to have a comprehensive wholistic design that aims to improve the designers well being.

At home I don't have time to scratch myself. I have four kids under ten. The eldest on the autism spectrum and the youngest still in nappies. Any advice on working my way into the planning tools sequentially?

Life is very hectic but I want use these valuable tools to make my actions more intentional and beneficial to achieve my well being goals. How would you approach your book if you were in the same situation? Thanks.

A Huggins wrote:I have really enjoyed the recordings on the Verge student dash board about the book after purchasing the book bundle. I have listened to them multiple times. Plenty of wise insights that are important to have a comprehensive wholistic design that aims to improve the designers well being.

At home I don't have time to scratch myself. I have four kids under ten. The eldest on the autism spectrum and the youngest still in nappies. Any advice on working my way into the planning tools sequentially?

Life is very hectic but I want use these valuable tools to make my actions more intentional and beneficial to achieve my well being goals. How would you approach your book if you were in the same situation? Thanks.

Hi A,
It sounds like you have a very full life!

I would recommend reading through the entire book at first then starting to work on the exercises in which ever step/struggle most jumps out at you, usually this is in the order in which they are presented in the book, but you will intuitively know where your weak links are.

Takota

Thanks Takota for the advice. We will get there in the end. Wherever 'there' is. Just keep swimming, swimming.

So, far I am working on my property design in the order it is in the book.  This has been very helpful.  Just writing down all my resources made me realize, wow I have too much stuff!  Maybe I can turn it into a homestead rental center or something.  Not everybody needs to own stuff to try it out.

The book is just what I needed to get moving on the big picture projects.  If its not written down, the plan isn't a plan.  All I need is an accountability partner preferrably one who lives in a USDA zone 4 type area.  Just to bounce iseas off of and give each other incentive to get stuff done.

This looks like just what I need! I’ve been doing piecemeal Perma-dabbling for several years on the same 10 acre property I grew up on.  There are so many things I’d like to do, but I find myself limited by the familiarity of what has always been, where the fences and trees already are etc. Your book looks like it could help me re-envision the landscape, built and otherwise - to make it more long-term productive.

I'm very lucky, the original settlers in the early 1800's clearly knew what they were doing.  The house runs east to west with bigger south facing window than the north side.  The well is just up the hill from the house.  I've only been here 23 years and am still learning about my property.
Figuring out what you want and what you need , and putting it in writing are the best 1st steps in my opinion.  My big issue is decision paralysis.  I need to just do it.  So, what if it fails.  Try something different next time.
You actually have an advantage over most people.  You've been observing you property forever.  You know where the frost melts first, where the micro climates are or could be, where the storms come from depending on the season.  You're less likely to fail.

Will do!