Why and how I start building my own Bitcoin Citadel, a nice and cozy homesteading place, to retire and live in peace.

As I promised, I came back with a detailed article about why and how I am building a Bitcoin Citadel, by myself. This is the first part of the story, EXCLUSIVE for Stacker News!
This is the story of The DarthCoin Bitcoin Citadel…
Somewhere on the planet Earth, deep into the mountains wilderness.
I will split this story into multiple parts for easy reading and also helping me to organize all the information I gather during this journey into small episodes. It is a lot…
This “citadel” is not a Death Star, a castle, a mansion or an Eiffel Tower. Nothing like that. Will be just a homesteading place, with some small houses, a vegetables garden, fruit trees, some domestic animals and other utilities, enough to live a simple life in a self-sustaining way as much is possible.
For those that are new to this, the term Citadel in Bitcoinlandia is not about a fortress, that is just a figurative expression. It is more about a place where the bitcoiner is retreating himself, living in peace, far from distractions, sporadically or permanently. A place only for himself and maybe some friends. It doesn’t have to be specifically a homesteading place out of the city, it could be even your own simple apartment, but organized in a different way to adapt to your “bitcoin life”.
I hope that this story of my Citadel will be also an inspiration for many others, especially bitcoiners.

WHY?

I always wanted to build something, with my own hands, to remain in history, for humanity, so people can see it and remember me.
In my past I tried many things, even when I was a kid, but nothing at this level: building a house, a homesteading place, that could remain in time visible.
We are living all day like in a hamster wheel and what we are leaving behind? Almost nothing. Something that even in 50-100-200 years still stands and people can say “look, this thing was built by that crazy guy…”. Doesn’t matter if they like it or not, is something that REMAINS there for long time and your name and history is there. Like the Bitcoin blockchain timechain.
Some of my friends told me “but man, with your stash of bitcoins you could easily just pay somebody to do the hard work of digging and constructing”. Well… I am not “that guy to pay somebody else to do its job”, no matter how much bitcoins I have. Is about the feeling of building your own house with your own hands, not depending on anybody else. It’s an amazing experience and you are learning a lot of things!
I am just an old IT guy, now retired, because I want to follow my dream: having a homesteading place only for me. I have no skills in building houses, construction techniques or something like that. Growing vegetables and animals, I have some experience from my past youth, from my grandparents place, that is the easy part.
I am not afraid of failure. That could happen too. But I will continue trying again until it will be the way I wanted and is OK. We are learning from our failures, always. But the hard thing is to recognize when you are failing and start over.

HOW?

For many years I was looking for a good place to start. Walking many mountains, valleys, routes, paths etc. Taking notes, sleeping in a hammock, listening the surroundings, looking for resources (water, food, dirt composition). Is not that easy and the most important thing is: you MUST feel the place, to let your heart telling you which one is the best, which one will give you peace. That’s why I was sleeping many times, just in a sleeping bag, under the stars and listening the forest during the night. That deep silence that could put you in trance sometimes, is “talking” to your heart.
So, I found the place, I like it and I start building, with my own hands, my own brain, in my own style, with local materials, natural, simple, organized and strong. A message for next generations and also a living style: natural, simple, wild, isolated from “zombies civilization”, almost self-sustainable (I know is very hard to obtain self-sustainability, but I will try).
THE PLAN
On this terrain of 100 x 50 meters, surrounded by very old stone walls and trees, will be at least 2 houses, a big garden patch, chill out corner, animals shelter and a nice natural jacuzzi in the near small river, maybe later a small fish pond.
The place is right between 2 small rivers that come together into a very nice and quiet valley. One is cold (for beers) and the other one is warm (is mostly on the sun side all day), good for baths.
At the entrance, I will put 21 stones and will engrave the 21 reasons why Bitcoin will save the world, to remain there, in stone, forever.
The main idea / plan is to have:
  1. a 1st nice “hobbit house” (more will come later), digging the dirt from a small hill, making earthbags and stone walls and cover it with the same dirt on top, planting some aromatic flowers over. Later a 2nd house, bigger or even more.
  2. a stone oven outside, near to the 1st house, for making bread and pizza and a barbecue place.
  1. a vegetables garden, in front, with wooden beds and self irrigation system (water is at only 5-7m). In winter with some small greenhouses. I have plenty of terrain for growing food.
  2. some fruit trees, chickens, ducks, goats
  3. a small river turbine (water lily) and solar panels for electricity, running water and filtering, sauna (for long winters)
  4. satellite antenna (internet, communication), maybe some bitcoin miners too and radio station. Depends how much electricity I could grab from that small river I have.
All these in stages, year by year, slowly, with patience and calculating each step, each move. Due to weather conditions and the fact that in the beginning there’s no other place to sleep than tent and hammock, I have to work mostly in the summer, between June and end of Sept. All the rest of the year is quite complicated to work (heavy rain, snow, wind, cold). The place is at 1400 m altitude and the weather is quite unstable.

Please read more about the stages that were done until today on my new substack dedicated to this story. I didn't want to mix this with my regular Bitcoin guides substack.
The DarthCoin Citadel new substack - Stage 1 - 3 building the Citadel
I would love to do the same one day: build a small house in my style and decorate it with things I made, in somewhere far away from the noise.
Homeschool my future kids, hang out with two big dogs, and do whatever I want there, even if the rest of the world goes mad.
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With enough perseverance and belief, we can all do this, whether we have help or not. Don't think a Bitcoin in terms of retirement, think of it in terms of right now.
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Indeed. I was never afraid to start this gigantic project. Fear of unknown is not part of me anymore. I just do it and will see on the journey path how will adapt to avoid or fix the tripping moments I could encounter.
Never give up! Only forward.
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THIS IS THE WAY
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And sharing all the trial and error throughout the ways to earn more sats. ! 🤣
Looking forward to hearing more insight from you; I am experimenting with making my own clothes with tailors atm; It is not as cool as you build Citadel with your bare hand, but damn, it is so much fun having the freedom to make your own things.
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I am experimenting with making my own clothes with tailors atm
You see? You are not afraid to do it! I saw many people that are afraid even to think that they can do something by their own...
Humanity somehow lost their abilities to think and do something by themselves... sad. And on top of that people now use shitGPT for everything LOL
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Haha, I love trying different things, and with a really simple login in my mind:
  1. if someone can do it, then what stops me from doing it?
  2. what is the worst thing that can happen? I got to learn something new anyway, even if it "failed".
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I didn't want to make another post. I just push it hard to finish it today so will be on the same meta post. Many people send me messages asking for the second part, so here it is. I hope next week can go back so better leave it here, to be digested by readers.
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Thanks. I'm reading it now.
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Great writeup! You must be in good physical shape after all that exercise. I like that gif at the end.
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I lost 10kg this summer... and a nice color of my skin. Much healthier now and younger.
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I showed my wife your write up. She told me not to get any crazy ideas!
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😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 We can make another citadel only for our wifes 😂😂😂 with lots of shop malls.
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Welcome to DarthCoin Citadel Tour. Please pay your entrance scanning this LN QR code and pass to the steps on your left please.
I can't wait to visit 🤩
Worked like a charm and was expanding even more than I expected and handle the pylon perfectly. So don’t complicate too much, improvise with what your instinct tells you is good.
agree! better make use of what you got instead of thinking you really need xyz....
I would be really curious to see how you build the roof!
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Unfortunately the roof will be next year. Rain season and winter is coming and I do not have time this year for the roof. Anyways, the plan is that the Citadel MUST be ready 100% on the day of the Bitcoin Halvening (next year)
Sneak peak... this is Darth, after work, with a beer, thinking for the next move and calculating arrangements etc. I did this house without any blueprints, papers, 3D plans or something like that. ALL IN MY HEAD. I wanted to use as much as I can my memory and brain.
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This is the way - our brain is powerful enough, and with the help of basic tools ( but I am quite amazed by how you can lift and dig all these heavy stones all by yourself ), this was how people built beautiful and long-lasting buildings in the past.
Modern development makes everything look so COMPLICATED to make us think we are useless without all the " inventions", aka phones, AI blah blah blah.
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Sincerely, in 2022 I was almost to give up, because I was in a moment finding every day a big boulder. Indeed moving them was a pain, but I used again my brain how to do it practically without any effort. Like egyptians did with the pyramids.
One day I was so tired digging around the biggest boulder, that I was even gathering my things and wanted to gave up and leave. I was so angry that I could start using my "darth powers" to smash the rock in pieces.
But then I said: damn it, I am a Darth, I cannot give up so easily. I MUST go forward NO MATTER WHAT. And I start digging again (after some beers), sliwly with calm and thinking straight, how I should do it better.
And I did it! The whole thing is to concentrate and do it with calm.
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I actually read in books somewhere mentioned that some humans used to be even able to lift things with their minds; if this is true (I like to keep an open mind for anything possible ), then we have many hidden talents within us!
Yet distractions are everywhere these days, from stupid news to politicians; what a waste of brain power.
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Not because I am a fan of Star Wars (Yoda and stuff..) but I really believe that could be possible. We are still so early in our journey, as humans that we didn't reached that level of intelligence and power. We are still fight each others and throw bombs over heads... we are still cavemen, but a bit advanced in weaponry. Nothing else.
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What if the journey is going backwards?
What if the early humans were in a more perfect stage and more intelligent? Maybe that's why they knew how to build massive things with their bare hands? I don't want to sound too crazy, but from what I read, some people in the past even lived like 200+, 300+ or more, but unfortunately I can't verify this. 🤯
Then, as society "progressed," many humans degenerated and slowly ended up like animals, all day eating, sleeping and mating, but we are humans, we are more than that.
However, one thing is for sure: some dark power is trying to disconnect us from the past.
The more important question, have you started brewing experiments to eventually become self sustainable in terms of beer? :)
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I was thinking about that. But the water is not so good for beer, contains too much lime and also the ingredients will not grow well at that altitude of 1400m.
Is ok, I could carry 10-20km a backpack full of beers every week or so. I am building also on the back of the 1st house a small room to deposit (in fresh) all the food and beers for long time, up until 2 years. Just in case...
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you can plant a vineyard and you can make wine, all you need is two rows, towards the south but I know you know that....
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Yes there's that option in my mind too. The thing is that is quite high altitude, 1400m and vineyard is hard to maintain at that level. I will have instead plenty of fruit trees... that means a lot of alcohol from them, distilled. I know how to do it, I did many times in the past.
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Water can probably be purified... but sourcing the other ingredients might be trickier indeed...
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I am purifying the water for drinking, but it still contains too much lime and the taste is not good for beer. It will be a shity beer, expensive to do and maybe not so healthy.
Cost me nothing to bring regular beer. I have a grocery guy that brings me packages to the nearest village. I pay in sats and nobody ask questions. Why complicate things when there are simple?
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I wanted to do exactly the same but found out it is impossible to build it where I wanted in the forest, because of the law. It is simply not allowed to be free. :( I won't give up :)
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You do know Darth is going to tell you what do you care about the law, you did not sign up for it~~
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  1. this is private property. I mean I bought it from a private individual. It wasn't public forest or other bullshit. In that area, entire mountains are private properties. Private deals.
  2. Of course you will not go to whatever place to start building. If you respect the Natural Law, first you go and ask who is the owner and try to enter into a deal with. Buy or rent for 100 years it doesn't really matter, but respect the natural law (don't do harm, don't steal, do not damage property, do not kill).
We need to have respect to each others and behave as intelligent human beings not like animals, just occupying other's place.
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Is your wife supportive of your project?
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Very good question. In the beginning no, she's usually very reticent at all what am I doing in life. But always in the end she came back to my "solution" because there's no other one better.
But now she's supporting me even that still she would not like to live full year there. She's more like a "city girl" (opposite me). I think she just want to see how is going until where I could go... but I think she knows that I am really stubborn with my ideas until I will get them done. Her hopes that someday I will gave up, are destroyed over and over with each achievement I obtain.
I never give up on my dreams, until I die. and I will die working on my citadel for the next 50 years more if is necessary. Never surrender.
Will see if she will come with me... it is a long way until is ready.
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As someone who used to work for a country guy who built a wireless ISP from nothing, who earlier in life divorced a city girl, I wish you the best in this endeavor. Women will always want what other women have and follow the crowd. They wanted the nicer cave, the nicer mud thatch, the nicer hut. people have trouble expanding their viewpoint to a larger time scale, they don't see all the the fiat slavery and debt and hard work and the time that it requires to be away from their families. The here and now ignores the future pain. When we become jealous of others, we are inviting the hidden tragedy, heartaches, broken families that goes on behind closed doors.
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Is there anything like permit for building in your country? In mine, you can't build on your own land unless the land is meant for building and you have the permit for your project.
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Exactly. We cannot simply buy land on a mountain and build anything we want. In fact, I think it is good, to protect the environment. I try to find some land that is allowed to build, but far enough from other humans. It's difficult.
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You protect the environment by respecting it yourself. You do not need anybody to tell you what to do to protect it. Just by simply following the natural law, you will respect the land and the surroundings. You will never do harm, because doing harm to a forest is doing harm to yourself.
We cannot simply buy land on a mountain and build anything we want.
Is my private property, I do whatever I want, respecting the land.
land that is allowed to build
Why to do you need "permission" to live free? Are you a slave?
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Yes I also follow all the other laws, not just the natural law. I must be a slave, I guess. Tell me where is the free land!
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There's no other law above natural law... only codes, permits, licenses and privileges. Those apply ONLY to slave citizens.
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If you need a "permit" to do whatever you want on your property that means:
  • is not your property
  • there's no freedom
Are you living in a nightmare tyranny?
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Anyway, what I'm talking about is pretty common. From ChatGPT: "Land use planning and zoning regulations aim to ensure that land is used in a way that benefits both individuals and the broader community while minimizing negative impacts."
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From ChatGPT: "
LOL facepalm... Can you live without shitGPT ? What will you do in the wilderness if you do not have access to shitGPT? You will die?
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I don't understand why you're so annoying. I was looking for a better explanation of what I was talking about and I used the internet to get it. ffs..
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but not the shitgpt man.... There are plenty of resources without that crap.
Apparently so! Luckily, one can always move elsewhere.
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Please read and think again, what are you doing... #171338
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Wow proof of work indeed.
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What an inspiration! Thanks for posting this. I can't wait to read more.
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Will come soon, I am writing it these days because I am stuck in rain and can't go back to work on the citadel. But I have so many pictures to sort out and prepare them for being published that take a lot of time.
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Amazing work Darth!!! Please remember to add a cow or two 😃🐄
Here are some pictures I took from my visit to Hobbiton in case they can provide any further inspiration. Also includes blueprints of the new section under construction:
🐄❤️👍
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wow lovely! For sure I will have some animals around. But that comes later when the housing is ready.
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Wow congrats 👏👏👏 this is inspiring af
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Fascinating. Taking Your life in Your own hands - that's the way! This journey will be fantastic in any way, I guess.
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Would love to do this one day. Congrats on the progress so far Darth.
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Respect. We undervalue building with our own hands these days. The satisfaction is in the building.
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Wait to see the part 2... that is the fun part and more exciting. Maybe tomorrow will publish it, I still need to write it and organize some pitcures.
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Looking forward to it. This is the way. We make our world stronger by doing the things we want others to do in the world. PoW
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Nothing but respect. You do what you say and you are sharing how you do it. Thanks to you and I hope it helps others with similar goals and dreams.
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Here are all of my sats Darth, just take them!
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spend wisely your last sats man!
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When you're gone, someone will randomly find this place deep in the woods and know that you were a legend and a rockstar.
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And will find lots of information about Bitcoin carved in stones there.
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Looks great. Keep working on this dream of yours. Very inspiring.
Small question, are you anything worried of being doxxed by the pictures you're posting? It's quite impressive what people can gather from small details such as vegetation, type of construction material, etc
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Nope. Why?
  • To reach that place is really hard and almost nobody took pictures there. Is not such touristic place and also is kinda abandoned valley, is mostly for cows. The locals knows me and they know that I started, sometimes they came and visit me, but are my friends. They are just curious about the project, they are impressed about my willing to finish it. Nobody did something like that in centuries there.
  • even if they could locate somehow the region, I don't care too much. If somebody will come I will just ask: who are you and why are you here on my property. I am guarded by trained wild boars too 😂😂😂
  • the place will be revealed when will be 100% ready, but is a long way to the top... if you wanna rock'n'roll
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The outdoor furniture is great!.
Good luck with the construction, it's great to see people following their dreams.
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Nice! I think I saw some similar awesome videos of people in other countries building like this. They were using all kinds of materials in the Forrest to build.
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You should try it yourself. Is fun and enjoyable. But hard, really hard. Those videos you are talking about, most of them are fake and deceitful. Don't believe anything you see on youtube. The reality is waaaay more different.
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Hold up... I think I see "AI" generated "art" in the post. Say it ain't so Darth!
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I think so,. A fellow bitcoiner sent me that image some time ago and I like it. I am willing to change it if somebody will make it manually (even with a dedicated software but by hand).
I do not consider it art. More like a representative sticker.
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stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.