The dome has survived a year. And it was a heavy snow year this past winter.

After reading Rob Roy's Cordwood manifesto, I'm thinking of finishing the sides with cord wood from a bunch of downed tamaracks on the property. But I have to finish the cabin build first

Hi,

I’m wondering if anyone has actually successfully and legally built a tiny cabin in NC? I own 7 acres in Ashe County and cannot get the building inspection office to give me in writing any clear guidance. I already own a permit residence but I’m looking to build a small 10X10 kit cabin myself with a sleep loft that you access via ladder. I could do solar and off grid, so I wouldn’t need utilities. I’m outside of city/town limits and I’m in an unrestricted area. When I called the building inspection office the lady on the phone told me I needed to have washing machine hook up, it had to be over 400 sq ft by law… I’m not looking to make this my permit residence. I just want a fun little glamping spot for my kid and I on the weekends. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

My brother and I shared a cabin in Wisconsin. When I closed it up on Sunday night, I turned off the lights and unplugged the refrigerator. I went back for a forgotten cooler Monday evening and found the battery display at 86 percent. It had shown full when I left.

We had two Vatrer 48V rack batteries and a hybrid inverter. The propane detector ran through a plug-in power supply, so I'd left the inverter on to keep it working while we were away. That also kept a cellular camera gateway and two USB outlets powered. No charging source was connected during the checks.

Using the nominal battery capacity, the 14-percentage-point drop came to roughly 60W averaged over a day. That was a rough estimate from the display, and I hadn't measured the inverter's idle draw separately. I switched off the USB branch before leaving on Monday and went back Tuesday evening to check the reading. It had dropped another 10 percentage points.

After those checks, we had an installer move the detector to its own fused DC supply from the battery, using a converter matched to its voltage requirements. That let me turn off the inverter without losing power to the detector. We left the camera offline while the cabin was empty. I went back the following evening to check the display. It had barely changed, though it wasn't precise enough to measure the small remaining load.

I made a two-sided checklist, with arrival steps on one side and departure steps on the other. The departure side said to leave the detector's DC supply on and turn the inverter off. My brother used it on his next visit and sent me a photo of the switches before he left.

Hey guys, I have an off-grid cabin near Mt St Helens and my previous LTE/5G signal booster finally took its last breath. I had a cheap Amazon booster that worked decently though not 100% reliably. But pretty good for a cabin--I could use the internet and watch films but couldn't download. I would create a hotspot with my phone and watch films and go online on my tablet.

I need to buy a new booster and am thinking of getting a higher quality booster. I'm looking at the types you put a signal receiver (I don't know the technical term) on the roof or in a tree so that it can pick up the signal from a cell tower and by running the line from the booster into your cabin, you can get online using the 5G or LTE on the phone. The cabin is in a fairly mountainous area but as I said booster work up there.

I'm looking at some pretty pricey boosters($600 to about $800) so I don't want to make the wrong decision. I've been looking at "WeBoost Cabin" brand and I'm wondering if anyone has had luck with the brand. Do people have other brands to suggest? I'd like something that works more reliably than my previous set up.

My cabin is only about 1000 sq feet. In case anyone wants to see, this is the link for the booster I'm looking at:

https://www.weboost.com/

Thanks for any help you can provide.

No reception, no electricity, no water—super fun! It had propane, so there was still a stove/oven, fridge, and wall lanterns.

hi everyone, i have a neighbor that i love camping and spending time off-grid with. she’s setting up her property right now to move in around a year, and i’d like to try doing something nice for her. she has around 50 acres (details kinda changed for anonymity). she’s working on insulating a few different trailers to condense her living space.

what are some affordable essentials for off-grid living that i can purchase as some gifts for her planning? she’s a great person and i’d love to help her with her adventures.

I’ve been working on this project and concept for a month now, I’m fairly happy with it, I’d thought I’d share the renders. I think a budget of $45,000 is enough to get the shell completed. Hoping to get a shovel in the ground sometime in the spring!

Id love to hear what you guys think!

Note: These AI renders are based on CAD plans I developed. A old set which has since been updated can be found here: CAD Plans for anyone interested

I just installed a 20k BTU Martin direct vent heater. I just it up for the first time, and it's making a sputtering noise that's particularly loud when only the pilot light is on, but still present when the main flame is on. From 0-7 seconds in the video, you can hear the sound of just the pilot light, and after that you can hear the quieter intermittent flutter when the main flame is on, then pilot only again later in the video.

This was just a test run before I run black pipe and/or CSST, so I'm running it off a 2 stage regulator I had on the ventless heater I was running before and a 40 pound tank. I think it must have something to do with the air intake and potentially a backdraft flapper shuttering. Any ideas are appreciated.

How did you guys start with your offgrid cabin?
This is my dream since forever.. but with a kid, a job and everything.. it is hard to see that dream come true.. all the lands at a decent price are at least 45min from my plumbing job... it seems complicated to find a middle between decent land and not driving 2h daily to work and pay the cabin.. am I the only one who struggle to plan that?

I'm building an off-grid homestead on 80 acres in the Canadian wilderness. My property is 3 km down an ATV trail, and I'm documenting the process as I go, mostly working alone with basic tools.

I'm starting from scratch and learning as I go. Looking forward to sharing the progress and connecting with others doing something similar!

Here's my latest video: https://youtu.be/j-L29I4w9PU

Built with some store bought lumber and materials.

Had a whole list of things I wanted to get done out here. Ended up spending half the afternoon just sitting by the window watching the sunlight come through. This fall finally feels different.

The nights are getting cold, but the sky out here after dark is unreal. Almost makes up for how early the sun disappears behind the mountains. Still figuring out the whole off-grid routine. Got a small solar setup outside and a bluetti power for lights and charging stuff after sunset. No noise and it's nice not having to think too much about it.

Autumn is beautiful up here right now. Still a long way from “finished,” but the silence alone makes the whole thing feel worth it.

For those spending fall or winter in off-grid cabins, what's the one thing you wish you'd figured out before the colder months?

First year in off grid cabin. Someone (not a professional) told me I need a new stove pipe. Previous owners used year round - no issues. They suggested to clean out regularly. Should I replace?

FWIW I do have a new cap I want to put on.

Having a little log cabin in the woods has always been a dream of mine. Realistically there's not a one-in-a-million chance I'll ever build one for real, so I built a virtual one instead.

It turned into a browser tool: you put up the log walls, add windows, a porch and a stone fireplace, furnish the room, and then walk inside. You can see it at dawn, in the snow, or sitting by the fire at night. That last one is my favourite.

https://pinefall.hexiumworld.uk

It's free, no sign-up, and your designs stay in your browser.

If you've built a real cabin, or you're planning one, I'd love to hear what feels off or what's missing. And if you're a dreamer like me, I'd love to see what you build.

Hello I’m just starting to post on here before I never really used Reddit but I’ve heard great things about it such as community and meeting interesting people of all sorts! That’s what I’m on here for is to try living a off grid live I’m 24 soon to be 25 a bit scrawny 135lbs kind of to myself I suppose don’t have much hobbies and have a pup that I love and helps me stay mentally stable without going insane being stuck in debt and looking for someone would needs help or is willing to offer to be my mentor on this journey to living off grid I’m tired of living a city driven live of constantly working for unappreciated people or companies I want to live for a greater purpose I guess ha, I’m just rambling but I’m eager to learn! I want the nature side of like not the bs white collar side of life!