Would be a thousand or more, if you do it legit. Gotta have a permit. ... On the other hand, you can do very shallow wells yourself but likely not potable because it's surface water but would be good for irrigation.

Old picture, but this is the basic idea.

The old Coleman stove has since been replaced (working parts anyway, I used the case/wind shield with the new propane burners). But here's the sink I built.

I think this is great.

I'd love to live in a nice house with modern amenities totally on the grid with wifi but 40 miles from anyone out in wilderness.

pretty sweet, hope u got some guns and ****

Haha yeah. I suspect one day that might be me. Right now a part of the motivation here is money. I can basically pay this all off in fairly short order.

There's an island off Canada ... Actually, here's the video. You can see a huge range of "off the grid" living.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prN8xW_e4A0

and no trouble getting dates.

i guess you are male and you date females?! this is not about friends coming around.
so: how you do it? how do you get a girl (or woman) to date you? you just talk to someone you see in the streets and you go: hey there, i got this nice little hut out there in nowhere. wanna come by?

just curiuous beacuse i am lol bad at getting dates (even though i shower and have electricity in my flat).

Since you work at home and are living off the electric grid, why did you choose to live in a place that can get very cold in the winter? I assume you could've bought affordable wilderness property in a more temperate region.

So OP, do you actually think you could survive a winter?

Some people aren't interested. Other people find it intriguing. This is a very outdoors-oriented area, so it's not like I'm trying to convince a woman in NW DC to come back to my shack.

Plus, it's cozy and comfortable and peaceful. Most people come out and think, "this is great." They may not want it for themselves, but that's different.

I survived last winter. The walls could use more insulation, but the roof is R-50 or so, I jammed as much insulation up there as I could. The stove cranks out heat in the small space, the land has no end of wood. I'm adding thermal mass to the stove for this winter, to try and even out the ups and downs of heating a small space.

Getting through winter isn't really a problem. Getting through winter comfortably is a different question. I enjoyed last winter, though like I said, it wasn't typical (we still got down to -10 one morning, it just didn't stay there for weeks).

My brother and his wife live in Ithaca, not too far away. That was the initial draw. ... I started out looking at properties within 30 minutes of downtown Ithaca - figured I could find work there, if freelance gigs collapsed. I've also spent some time in the area before, and know the summers here are amazing.

Money, location, what was available, all played a factor.

...

This is what the place looks like this morning. About year after the first photo.



The woodpile, and my "backyard." Eventually I'd like it to be a bit nicer, gardens and maybe fruit trees. But it's a bitch to clear and prep, so right now I hang out and watch sunset around a fire.

There are some fruit trees, apples and cherries, in different spots around the land, but the entire thing is overgrown and so they don't get the light the need in some spots.

title must be grid-ironic.

I just posted this in the bread thread. Part of what I love living out here is being able to do stuff like this:

All very cool.

Sapo,

What's the hunting and fishing situation around there? Are those things you're interested in?

LOL at all of the nits.

Very cool, OP. More pics, plz!

Fishing is fun. Hunting is huge around here. Lots of deer, and they're a pita. My place is literally a couple hundred yards from Finger Lakes NF, so in season I hear gunshots all the time. Finally got over the city-urge to call 911.

It's a little deceptive, some of the "forest" is really federally owned grazing land, but some awesome trails cut across it.

This is a mile from me, FLNF:



I live near the center of this map.

How exactly did you find this piece of land and a cabin? Is there some section in real estate, or how did you buy it? Is the cabin legal?

I mean at least in my country it is not so easy. You need a ton of permits even for a tent and more for something with solid walls.

Very cool living. I am soooooo jelly.

I used Zillow.

I looked at other plots: 13 acres for $13,000 seemed awesome until I tried to get to it. It was landlocked by other properties, accessed by an easement, on a steep grade. Another place, too far down a seasonal road (unplowed in winter).

When I found this place, it was covered in snow. Looked flat, I liked the location. Called the listing agent and talked to him, made an offer.

This is all -- and here's where it differs from a lot of off-grid setups -- this should all be legal. I had to get a permit for the road and cabin; technically it's a shed, since there's no utilities running to it. While there's probably some not-totally-above-board parts to me living FT in it, the structure, land, road, etc., are all legit.

But you're right, in that people trying to do this often run into regulatory issues. There is no zoning here, which helps. But I did file for and get permits.

If you live in a big city, you'll understand how shocking this was: Receiving permits took three days, even counting in the mail.

I have invested in deals that required building permits from DC and it was quite a bit longer than three days to receive those permits.

Also, your setup seems great. Like rbk said I'd prefer all the amenities, but the location is beautiful.

guy spits hot fire.

my uncle kinda lives like this. 25 mins away from any/everything, ****ty old trailer falling apart (literally), only heats/cools one tiny little bedroom, plywood on the floors so you don't fall in, etc. every time I start to think I'd like being away from everyone, I call him or visit and after 15 minutes of him completely non-stop talking bc he hasn't heard another human voice in weeks I realize I'm better off with central air and without a raccoon-drowning puddle/pond...

def will keep up with this thread though, I def would enjoy gardening/farming and building cool **** bc I had nothing else to do...

Where does that sink drain? Do you poop over a hole in the floor?

Oy vey, you have to schlep to town for water? You should do a well if the water is good there. Then you could shower twice a week.