A Guide to Off-Grid Living

As the cost of many things across the country continues to increase, especially large and important costs like home prices and utilities many more homeowners are looking into the possibility of starting an off-grid lifestyle.

It is estimated that somewhere around 250,000 people in the United States are currently living an off-grid lifestyle in some form. Now more than ever there is the possibility of becoming self-sufficient in your housing with a big interest in smaller homes and energy-efficient housing alternatives.

The definition of an off-grid home

The off-grid lifestyle can be different depending upon the person and their perspective of who you were asking. For some, it means to be completely disconnected from any utility services whatsoever. This means a home is totally self-sufficient not relying on any other system to function. For others, this could mean that you are partially living on systems that are self-sustaining.

And yet for others who are totally extreme and hold out for full self-sufficiency, it could mean going back to times when everything you need to survive is because of products you have produced or obtained completely on your own. For example, having no electricity hookups, no water hookups, growing your own fruits and vegetables and hunting if you choose to consume meat products.

Where can you find an off-grid home?

Off-grid homes can be found anywhere but there are some regulations to living an off-grid lifestyle in certain areas. The most currently popular type of off-grid homes are tiny homes and some that use a creative means of housing structure are gaining a lot of attention such as shipping container homes and bus homes.

It is more common to find an off-grid home in a rural area that is quieter where land is more accessible. There are however some people who have turned everyday traditional homes within cities into full or partial off-grid dwelling places to help them save some money on the cost of living.

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How much do your off-grid homes cost?

The answer to this is not set in black-and-white as there are 1 million different ways to begin the off-grid lifestyle. As mentioned above this could be in the form of a tiny home, or in the form of a traditional home that is remodeled with systems that allow you to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining.

The average tiny home is said to cost about $45,000 and the majority of people build or purchase tiny homes anywhere from a mere $15,000 to well over $300,000. Of course, this all depends on the specific land and who you choose to build your home. One burgeoning trend with tiny homes is to have well-known architects design and build them this of course costs on the higher end of the scale.

For traditional homes, it depends upon the system that you try to install into the home and the exact technology you hope to use. In the world of solar energy, you could choose to install panels on your roof or in your yard or you could go all out with the aesthetically and design pleasing brand new solar roof tiles such as those made by the Tesla company. All of these are going to bring different costs to creating an off-grid lifestyle.

Are off-grid homes more difficult to maintain?

Living an off-grid lifestyle does save a large amount of money, in some areas it is said that an off-grid lifestyle can save as much as $1000 a month. But the trade-off in lower utility bills is more physical labor and upkeep.

Solar panels can be fairly easy and straightforward to maintain but items like growing your own food will require a larger amount of land and more time for weeding and tending the garden. So if you have a lifestyle where time is money, it might not be the most viable of options in some areas.

For more information on all real estate in Columbus Ohio, including eco-friendly homes that can save you some money, please contact us anytime.

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The best way to find these types of homes is to contact our office and let our agents do the searching for you.