Nature! We’re surrounded by hundreds of acres of farmland and mountain woodland, which fills our days with wildlife, stars, and open sky instead of skyscrapers, car exhaust, and people.We have the power to redesign our systems to make them better, too. That said, we definitely have periods without electricity and water, but we have more control over when and why those outages occur. There are no unsafe water notices from the rural water authority, no power outages in severe weather, no dry well in a drought and no interruption in electricity during maintenance on the power lines and poles. Our house is all-electric off-grid with solar panels, composting toilet, and rainwater catchment. It’s more enjoyable to live here, too, than it has been to live in non-customizable apartments and houses: we have a window seat entertainment area for books and movies, a balcony for all sorts of enjoyment and housework (like laundry), a spacious kitchen for cooking healthy meals, a bed loft that feels like glamorous camping, a multipurpose work table, and a (comparably) large central hallway for exercising and spreading out when needed. The aesthetic of a woodsy cabin feels like home to us more than the modern whitewashed stainless steel look.

This gives us flexibility in maximizing what we get out of a very small space. We’re still living here and enjoying (most of) it! I think it’s good to see both sides in a balanced way. Here are my Top 5 pros and cons after living for almost one year in our off-grid tiny house.

Little house off grid