Greg traded his spacious 2,000-square-foot home for a a lot smaller 399-square-foot tiny residence to construct a snug off-grid residence.
His tiny residence was designed to help a debt-free life-style whereas providing breathtaking views of the Milky Means and the liberty of self-sufficient dwelling.
For anybody fascinated with downsizing, Greg’s story supplies a real-world have a look at what it takes—and the way a lot it prices—to make the dream come true.
How downsizing led to an off-grid residence
Greg’s determination to downsize didn’t occur in a single day. It was sparked by an surprising affect: his oldest son and daughter-in-law.
“Once we determined to downsize, it really got here from my oldest son and his spouse. They downsized and simply streamlined their entire life and removed a number of stuff and bills dropped, and simply the expertise of life dramatically elevated,” he stated.
Watching his kids discover extra freedom and happiness with much less impressed Greg to contemplate an easier life, too.
Quickly after, a transfer to Colorado deepened this want. Greg and his household fell in love with the panorama and located a chunk of land on the market close to their son’s residence.
Nevertheless, the distant location lacked conventional utilities, which pushed Greg to completely embrace the thought of constructing a snug off-grid residence.
Discovering the best tiny residence for off-grid dwelling
After deciding to go tiny, Greg started looking out on-line. However he shortly realized that seeing photos wasn’t sufficient.
“I used to be on-line taking a look at them; it was onerous to get the angle of the scale, the size of the house till we really noticed one on the Royal Gorge.”
The go to to a customized residence builder modified every little thing. Impressed by the design, Greg contacted the corporate to begin the shopping for course of.
Greg selected a mannequin which value $150,000, together with supply.
Due to the sale of their bigger residence, Greg and his household might afford the funding with out taking up new debt.
Constructing the dream: Land and utilities
Shopping for the tiny residence was only the start. Greg additionally bought uncooked land for $85,000.
“We did buy uncooked land for 85,000 which doesn’t embrace a water properly, buildings, septic, roads, nothing included, simply uncooked land,” he stated.
Growing the property meant including every little thing from scratch—roads, water, and sewage programs.
One of many greatest hurdles was securing a dependable water supply. Greg drilled a 400-foot-deep properly, which value about $25,000.
Getting financing for uncooked land was additionally completely different from shopping for a daily residence; banks required a much bigger down cost as a result of there have been no present buildings.
Luckily, the proceeds from promoting their earlier selfmade upfront prices are manageable.
Contained in the Luna
The within of Greg’s snug off-grid house is fastidiously designed to maximise each inch of house whereas nonetheless feeling open and alluring.
The center of the house is the lounge. Greg stated, “The lounge space could be very good; it’s the primary house you see once you stroll into the tiny residence… essentially the most snug house within the residence. The perfect place for us to form of chill and loosen up is the lounge with the 2 chairs right here as a result of we acquired nice views from throughout.”
Giant home windows flood the house with mild and join the indoors with the encircling nature.
The open-plan design additionally hyperlinks the dwelling space to the kitchen and eating house, making it simple to entertain or loosen up.
The first bed room is positioned on the entrance of the home and options unimaginable home windows.
Greg described the bed room as a spotlight of the house, because of its massive home windows.
He stated the views of the Milky Means, the Orion constellation, and taking pictures stars at night time create a peaceable and unforgettable place to sleep.
The home windows are dual-paned and insulated, conserving the house cozy year-round. On the identical time, a propane heater provides additional heat throughout colder months.
Behind the lounge is a well-equipped kitchen. As a substitute of the usual electrical range, Greg selected a two-burner propane cooktop.
“We used to have a four-burner cooktop in our earlier residence, however two-burner is ample for us, and we’re additionally fascinated with simply as an possibility to position an oven on this house,” he stated.
Different options embrace a big farmhouse sink, soft-close cupboards, floating cabinets with under-lighting, and house for future upgrades.
Due to its raised ceiling, the full-size rest room in the back of the house feels surprisingly roomy.
It includes a walk-in bathe with fashionable fixtures, a full-size bathroom, and an arrogance with a backlit mirror. An electrical heater retains the house snug throughout chilly mornings.
Good storage is constructed all through the house, from a residential-size fridge-freezer to pantry cabinets and closet house within the bed room.
There’s additionally plumbing for a washer, although Greg plans to maneuver it to a storage to higher help their energy system.
On the coronary heart of this snug off-grid house is the Titan 240SP energy system.
“Getting energy to this location is tough and may very well be costly because of the distance to the transmission lanes. I appeared into a number of alternate options, and that is one of the best resolution,” Greg defined.
The modular system consists of photo voltaic panels on the roof, battery storage, and a robust inverter, offering dependable, self-sustaining vitality.
Rewards of dwelling in an off-grid residence
For Greg, the transfer to a snug off-grid residence has been life-changing.
Downsizing not solely simplified his life-style but additionally deepened household connections.
Greg shared that transferring right into a tiny residence was simpler than initially thought.
By simplifying his life, he discovered extra time to attach together with his household and luxuriate in a slower, extra significant tempo away from the frenzy of metropolis dwelling.
One of many greatest rewards has been reconnecting with nature.
“Nicely, you possibly can see the Milky Means, falling stars, meteors; it’s simply an expertise to sleep with such a home windows,” he stated.
Whereas the transfer required a major upfront funding within the land and infrastructure, the long-term monetary and private freedom has made all of it worthwhile for Greg and his household.
Right here’s a fast tour of Greg’s snug off-grid residence:
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