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