My Expertise on setting up your Off-Grid property for Success!
Off- Grid living advice from retired Custom builder and Real Estate Agent. Learning about the ups and downs of Living Off the Grid in Upstate NY. Sign up for New Listings as they come in.
What makes me an expert in Off-Grid living? I lived it! I am also a lifelong Custom builder. I have designed and built off- grid camps and log cabins for clients for decades. In my humbled opinion, I think I’m a qualified expert. I am asked all the time. Whats the best way to set up my off grid cabin? I have the right answer but it will come down to your budget. I’ll break this down in 3 different options. The first will be the least expensive. Each option will provide you with everything you need to be self sufficient. Each option will offer sanitary, fresh hot water, cooking and heat source. At the end, I’ll include a chart that will make your decision easy on how to move forward!
OPTION ONE: Heat with wood burning stove. Large enough firebox to burn wood for 8 to 12 hours. Cistern to collect water from your metal roof. You should use chlorine tablets regularly to kill bacteria in tank. Should never be used for drinking. You may also consider a ram pump. If you have river or stream close by this may even be a better choice. Installing a tankless hot water heater which uses a battery operated ignitor. Tankless is fueled by portable propane tank. Water is gravity fed from cistern and a 12v pump used for RV’s will pressurize the entire system. You can run stove and refrigerator off propane as well. Pigtail (2) 100 pound propane tanks. When one empties you can go fill with out disrupting the system. Led lights where you can install them. I would run a small generator or solar array to maintain charge on your small battery bank. This will keep you in power for your 12v pump and chargers for phones or laptops when power draws down. As far as your bathroom is concerned, this will depend on your local building or codes department. Most don’t allow for outhouses anymore. An alternative is contracting with weekly or monthly service for a local porta-potty company. You may laugh but many do. You just wont have service in the middle of winter unless access is available. Option One, Rough estimate between 6k-8k.
OPTION 2 This option requires you to put in a septic system. Sounds expensive right? It’s really not in the scope of things. Providing your ground perks out. That solves a lot of problems with draining sinks and sanitary. I would still go with the tankless water heater. and pigtail (2) 100 pound propane tanks. I would keep the propane fridge and stove and the classic large firebox wood burning stove. I would also consider a drilled well. Instead of a 240v well pump, I would scale that down to a 110v well pump. We drill an 1/8 hole below the pit-less adapter which allows water to drain back into well slowly from the water line underground. This keeps water out of the line from freezing. In scenario 2 here, I would have 2 generators. One to run quietly most of the time and the larger one to run the well pump. Only when its needed. I see all too often, 10k generators running to keep cell phones charged. More fuel needed and lots of Tylenol from the noise. A line that comes off the small generator takes care of lights, chargers and keeps battery fully charged. Best part is, your’e not running to the gas station all the time and hearing that obnoxious noise. The larger generator will be used to run the well pump. This well pump, pumps water into your pressure tank. This will hold pressure even when the generator is off. Great for a toilet flush or 2 and washing your hands before pressure runs out. When the larger generator is running, disguise the limits. Unlimited hot water, toilet flushes and sink use. Taking a shower is a pleasure after a long day in the woods under this scenario. Rough estimate between 19k- 22k
Option 3 In this scenario, I believe it is a better set up than most homes in America. Best part, you wont have monthly bills from utility companies. This alone makes this option pay for itself over time. I have clients run pellet stoves, air conditioning, take showers, charge laptops and phones, water there gardens etc. Watch cable TV, go on Youtube and have wireless.
Go solar! Include a small solar system array with the above set up in Option 2. Wood burning stove, tankless hot water heater, pigtail (2) propane tanks, propane fridge and stove, drilled well and septic, add just one small generator that keeps charge on batteries for extended days with cloud cover. Rough estimate between 42k- 47k
In the beginning, I lived Option 1. Decades later, I would never settle for anything less than Option 3.
I am retired from building cabins and now a full time licensed salesperson with Real Broker Llc. I would love to talk to you about your Off-Grid cabin build. I will help answer questions about building or real estate. You can reach out to me from my contact form below!
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