Vacation Houses Were Too Expensive, so We Bought Land and a Trailer

We started dreaming of dwelling on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula whereas on trip there in 2010.

I might picked up a journey brochure in regards to the metropolis of Port Townsend and joyfully learn it aloud as my associate, Carol, and I drove by the realm.

It described a spot nice for kayaking, mountaineering, and biking with an lively crusing neighborhood and emerald forests — all issues my outdoorsy mate loves.

We had been much more offered on the realm after I discovered about its charming Victorian properties, historic seaport, array of music and humanities festivals, and thriving native writers’ neighborhood.

This was the best vacation spot for our second residence. On the time, we had been each working and dwelling in Arizona, solely returning to the Pacific Northwest for brief journeys.

However we did not wish to simply trip within the space; we wished to determine a foothold and be part of the neighborhood for a number of months annually.

Sadly, our dream appeared financially out of attain as housing costs within the space continued to climb. Many listings had been priced over $500,000, which was properly out of our price range.

Our prospects appeared dismal till our real-estate agent despatched us a list for a wooded lot of bushes and wildflowers about half-hour out of city.

It did not have energy, sewer, or water, and the one everlasting construction was an outhouse. However the property did supply a developed street and quick access to Freeway 101, in addition to glorious cellphone service and WiFi connectivity.

And it was inside our price range.

To realize our dream of getting a house in Washington, we embraced dwelling off the grid

In 2022, we bought the 4.6-acre property, sight unseen, for $160,000 and ordered a rugged, 20-foot Airstream Basecamp for $65,000 to function our new abode.

Slightly than growing the land, we determined to stay off the grid. We bought transportable photo voltaic panels to reinforce the system on the Airstream’s roof.

We seize rainwater and boil it for home wants (washing dishes and fingers) and haul water from a facility about 5 miles away for ingesting and cooking.

To make issues slightly simpler, Carol even arrange a small, battery-operated pump for delivering water into our trailer.

We have additionally created methods for conserving vitality, like charging our telephones, computer systems, and battery-operated gardening instruments after we drive into city.

Our cozy little Airstream can get a bit crowded, so we put up an outside tent with a propane range, a foot-operated pump for laundry dishes, and a desk and chairs for out of doors eating.

Carol joined an area band, so the out of doors tent additionally serves as a rehearsal area.

Our property is landlocked, so Carol pays a month-to-month price to retailer her kayak at a ship haven 18 miles from our property. This additionally provides us entry to a marina 8 miles away.

At both location, we will use the coin-operated sizzling showers and rubbish amenities to get rid of our trash. Although we’re conservationists, we’re not full Luddites.

One can solely sacrifice a lot.

All in all, it is nice to spend a part of our yr dwelling within the forest

Residing off the grid has been an attention-grabbing journey, however we do not remorse our determination.

The Pacific Northwest is now our residence for 3 to 5 months a yr, similar to we dreamed. We spend the remainder of the yr in our on-grid residence in Arizona.

Earlier than we migrate south for the winter, although, we all the time prep our using garden mower for the chilly, put extra gravel on the filth roads, lubricate the hinges on our storage container, and trim our bushes.

All in all, I am grateful we have discovered a technique to get pleasure from Washington with out the hefty value of homeownership.