There is a four-bedroom, two- and-a-half-bathroom home in Ontario, Canada.
The home has a solar panel, a propane powered backup generator, and a well.
Better Me is a series about improving your lifestyle and helping society through sustainable efforts.
A couple is building a home in a small Ontario town.
Ridgetown is a small rural community located in the southeast corner of Ontario. James and Klaudia were married in October of last year and welcomed a baby boy in December of that year.
On their TikTok account, they documented their move and build process. The family has amassed more than 85,000 followers after posting their first video.
They decided to build an off-grid home because of money and space.
James and Klaudia's off-grid home is the largest project they've worked on together. After they married, the couple built their first house.
We were planning on having a baby in that one-bedroom carriage house.
They knew that the space wouldn't be their permanent home.
James, who works for a home builder, said that the price of energy at their old home was expensive because of Hydro One.
James said that they were paying to have power brought to their house but were barely using it. We paid $80 to bring the power to our house after using $20 in power. There was nothing left to say. We wanted to make it so we wouldn't have to pay anything.
They decided to sell their old house in April 2020 and it sold in a week.
After the coveted listing hit half price, the family bought the abandoned race track.
When one of their dream properties came on the market with a price cut, they were able to live in a renovated trailer.
The investors wanted the same property and they offered over asking. We offered because we couldn't afford it. The person sold it to us.
The abandoned race track and property were purchased by a couple for $280,000.
The old race track had a lot of garbage, bleachers, old buildings, concession stands, and hydro poles that fell over.
James and Klaudia wanted a long-term project despite the workload.
She said that people didn't want a big project of cleaning it up, but that was what they wanted. James was bored after he built the old house. I don't know what to do now. We saw work for two decades when we walked this property.
They moved into the house in November after the new home was built.
The project took three years to complete, according to James. They moved out of their trailer and into the house when the space was ready.
When we moved into the house, we had no power, no running water, and no bathroom. We roughed it up for a while.
There are four bedrooms, two and a half baths, a full basement, a balcony, and an 800- square-foot garage in the home. The house cost a lot to build.
One of the goals of the new home was to be sustainable and off- grid, which they achieved with a solar panel.
A couple said that their home is powered by a large solar panel in their backyard and an inverter in the basement that turns the solar power into electricity. The batteries that they own can be used in the future.
Lower monthly utility bills, increased home value, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions are some of the benefits of solar panels.
James built the solar panel by using a crane to place the panel on the base. They hired a professional to finish the wiring in the basement.
James said that the process was large. The work was done in two weeks.
Most of the power usage was attributed to air conditioning.
James and Klaudia told Insider that they are trying to be efficient while using the home's power.
James said that when it is sunny out, they do everything. When it was sunny out, we would crank the AC cold, then turn it off when it got dark because the air conditioner would just drain the batteries.
The battery bank is good for two days of darkness in the event of a power failure.
The biggest learning curve was that one. Knowing when to use power and watching our power usage.
A well for water is one of the things the couple has.
The family's system took between two and three days to be installed, but they already had a similar system at their first home.
James said that they have a very basic, cheap system that is nice.
A propane-powered backup generator and a well were added to the home when it was purchased by the couple.
The front porch of the home is made of timber.
From the front porch, you can see the high cathedral-style ceilings of the home. The siding on the rest of the house was dark blue.
There were glass panels on both sides of the front door.
The living room has hardwood floors and faux wooden beams on the ceiling.
The main foyer transitions into a modern living room with large windows. There is an indoor hanging swing chair, dark gray furniture, and a stone accent wall in the living room.
James said they made a list of what they wanted their home to look like. We wanted a big fireplace, a bridge and a walkout basement.
There is an outdoor sitting area in the living room.
There is a second wall near the sliding doors. James admitted that it can be difficult to pick the right color and texture in an interior design project.
"You pick everything and hope that it looks good together," she said. "We were on a budget, so we went into stores, and whatever was on sale, we asked, 'This one or this one?'
There was a lot of things.
The kitchen is next to the living room due to the open floor plan.
The gray theme continued into the kitchen, where tiles wrapped around the walls. There are hanging lights above the kitchen island.
A walk in pantry is connected to the kitchen.
There is a bathroom in the master bedroom.
The bedroom has green walls and white furniture.
Hanging plants and a marble-counter sink make the bathroom relaxing.
The hanging plants give the bathroom a pop of nature and color. The bathroom has a marble counter next to it. There is a toilet on the far side of the bathroom.
A nursery is included in the home for James and Klaudia's baby boy.
There is a hanging chair and cute stickers on the walls.
The furniture in the couple's guest bedroom is made of wood.
A large window, hardwood floors, and wood furniture can be found in one of the home's rooms.
There is a detached bathroom in the guest bedroom.
There are fun add-ons in the guest bathroom. The laundry room is also doubled as it is.
A family has a balcony.
The length of the home's side is extended by the balcony. Privacy and nature can be enjoyed on the 27 acres of land owned by the bultjes.
The off-grid home built by James and Klaudia has helped them save money.
When asked if their current home was cost-effective, both James and Klaudia said yes.
She said that they now have a mortgage as opposed to a water bill, power bill, or hydro bill. When there is a power outage, they are the only house that keeps power.
Some of the extra space will be used for a wedding venue.
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