Dandelion+Burdock

This month’s blog post is coming in under the wire. Spring is always hectic, but this year it has been even more so due to a leaking toilet and a renovation I hadn’t planned on. From the end of April until this very weekend, I have been slowly getting my bathroom back. Although I am handy, I wouldn’t call myself good at construction—but like a lot of women living solo, I’ve learned that sometimes you just figure it out as you go.

The original plan sounded simple enough: replace the toilet, sink, and vanity, install new flooring, and add a sliding door to hide the mechanical closet. It turned into a month-long project full of trial and error, YouTube tutorials, and more than a few moments of “what am I doing?” But in the end, I got it done—and if you’re facing a similar project, I hope my experience helps you feel a little less intimidated.

Bathroom Plan

My bathroom is tiny—just 5’ x 5’—so space-saving choices were important. I ended up ordering a compact toilet from Amazon because I found more options there than in local stores. It works well and takes up about 6” less space. I had planned to keep my old pedestal sink, but I managed to break it during demolition (oops), so I pivoted to a small vanity that offered some much-needed storage. It wasn’t the easiest to assemble—the instructions were vague—but I took it slow, and it came together pretty well. The marble sink and faucet that came with it were nicer than I expected. For the flooring, I put down a new subfloor with MDF and a product called GoBoard—a lightweight waterproof panel—before adding a membrane and re-laying the tile. 

I would give you all the gory details of the actual work, but honestly it wasn’t pretty and I did most things three times. Over the course of the project, I broke it down into manageable stages: demolition and dump runs in week one, subfloor and tile prep in week two, toilet install and tiling in week three, and sink, plumbing, paint, trim, and closet door in week four and five. It’s not perfect, and I still have some finishing touches to do, but it’s usable now. I even got a new direct vent water heater installed—my first one in three years.

That might sound like a small thing, but for anyone who’s gone without hot water, you know it feels huge. In past winters, my heaters froze and cracked, so I gave up for a while. This time, I’ve got a plan: I’ll shut it off, drain it, and seal the vent during the coldest months. Three months without hot water? I’ve already done three years. (Scroll down for my hot water workarounds if you’re in a similar boat.)

Women Over 50 Embracing Solo Homesteading

As I chipped away at each task, I kept thinking about how many women are doing the same thing—often with no prior experience and no help. There’s a quiet but powerful shift happening: women over 50 are choosing to live self-reliantly on the land, many of them learning construction, maintenance, and homesteading skills as they go.

Take Cynthia, for example. She began homesteading alone at age 60 after years of dreaming about it. She’s honest about the physical demands and moments of loneliness, but talks just as much about the deep satisfaction of living close to nature and fully on her own terms.

Then there’s a woman in her 50s from rural Canada managing a 100-year-old farmhouse and homestead by herself. She’s taught herself how to do roofing, plumbing, electrical, and even barn-building using online tutorials and sheer persistence. She’s not a trained carpenter or contractor—she’s simply determined.

Another woman shares her experience of building animal shelters and using tools like hydraulic jacks and “third hand” devices to aid in construction tasks. She emphasizes the importance of creativity and learning in overcoming physical limitations . 

A homesteader discusses how she broke down large projects into manageable parts, using her tractor as a helper and learning to enjoy the process rather than focusing solely on the end result . 

These women, like many others, aren’t experts. They’re learners, doers, and problem-solvers. They remind me that there’s no “right” way to homestead. It doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to work for you.

If You’re Thinking About Doing It Yourself

Here’s what I’d say to any woman considering a solo project, big or small:

• Start where you are. Don’t wait to feel “ready.” You’ll learn as you go.
• Use what you have. Reusing materials (like my tile) can save money and feel satisfying.
• Go slow. Breaking it into small stages helped me stay sane.
• Ask questions. YouTube and DIY forums are full of answers.
• Don’t worry about perfection. Progress is more important.

This experience—messy, frustrating, and surprisingly empowering—made me appreciate what so many women are building for themselves later in life. It’s not just about fixing toilets or learning to tile. It’s about discovering that you’re more capable than you thought.

Tools I Used to Renovate, including the demolition 

• Cordless drill with sets of drill bits
• Hammer
• Crow Bar
• Japanese handsaw 
• Handsaw
• Measuring tape
• Circular saw
• Grinder 
• Jigsaw
• Set of wrenches
• Set of screwdrivers 
• Boxes of screws and nails
• Shovel

Hot Water Hacks

Hot water is a luxury from a global point of view. Living without it isn’t hard, it just takes some planning. 

• For showering, I use a USB charged water pump that submerges into a five gallon bucket of hot water I heated on the stove. Five gallons is plenty enough water for a shower. 
• in warm weather, I used a camp shower hooked to a propane tank in my greenhouse. It was so nice, I might be doing that again this summer.
• My kettle is on most of the day for hot water when I need it for washing dishes or cleaning.
• My compact washer only uses cold water, which is also mich better for your clothes.
• When my well pump froze, I managed to heat water over a campfire. Read blog post here.