We Bought a $50K Cabin & Built an Off-Grid Homestead in 3 Years (start to finish timelapse)

over 3 years ago we purchased this abandon cabin for $50,000 Canadian dollar and since then we've transformed it into our forest Oasis this is how we did it let's start from the very beginning we bought some trees and C oh my gosh this is insane this place needs a lot of work good think it's got two gs ready for after moving all our belongings from the van into the cabin it's time to get to work starting with clearing the yard that was the most fun I've had in so long hey it's so beautiful check it out a clear yard means Van and Truck access to the cabin and we can clear out all the furniture Left Behind saying this cabin needed a lot of work would be an understatement but despite its appearance we could see the potential yeah musle let's be honest who doesn't love a demolition part of a [Music] project living in a cabin was a welcome change after living in a small van this much space felt like a luxury but there was one big problem that needed to to be addressed we couldn't get in and out of our driveway every time it rains the driveway turns to Mud can you hear it I can hear it we have been waiting for this day feels like forever forever forever since we first got here this is our first priority takes time it's finally here it's finally here finally here after a quick lesson we are official excavator operators prepping the land for what's to come just a couple learning matches good the best damn possible anything's possible with that thing holy look what you just did you and I together with the driveway now level and free of any big rocks we roll out an underlayment and get ready for gravel Larry Larry Larry it's gravitation and when I see you it's like a bone to a gold retriever adds up to an easy equation me plus you go good together you and I go good together you and I we go together and after many days of hard work we were able to turn this once mud pit into a beautiful driveway that will stand the test of time it was one of our biggest milestones Stones wo real good we got a driveway looks amazing Excavating the driveway has allowed for another project with the Rocks dug up from cleaning up the land we were able to repurpose them for landscaping a garden every single rock that gets dropped makes me so happy how good does this look cross any mountain what's Out Of Reach sail every ocean me with all the land clear and level we were able to attack a third and fourth project a parking pad for vehicles and leveling soil for our new yard so with more under layment down we got to work [Music] yay I've never been happier to see the last little fill me too I can't believe it look at this it's transformed that machine is a beast we are absolutely loving it renting this machine was probably one of the best decisions we ever made [Music] 100% next up it's time to level and spread top soil the last step before transforming this once overgrown area into a luscious lawn for us to enjoy think baby whoever raes top soil for a living hats off to you it's looking mighty fine though don't know where this things he but I'm not get feel we're laying some Sal at night can you go up yeah that's my [Music] girl it's hard to believe just how much this place has changed in the short weeks since arriving we now have a driveway a parking pad a beautiful lawn but this is only the beginning as the cold weather approached in the weeks that followed we needed to prepare ourselves and that started with building a temporary Woodshed to store enough wood for the season stay for a moment for H for a while you tell me what you want to you stay here walk for miles [Music] one thing about living off grid is its unique challenges with basic amenities we have had to drive an hour to a freshwater spring to bring in drinking water but this was about to change as we opted out for a long-term solution with a drilled well sure doesn't look like much we hit water we have a well at 240 ft so happy it doesn't feel real I know you can't really see it well well well get it we have well I actually didn't mean to do that yay speaking of amenities our next step was to build ourselves a place to do our business an ouse for number two will Doo EXC iice in a big old heat sometimes it get worked up by the modern dream sometimes it h at the room like a m Beast with the structure of the ous completed before winter this project will have to wait for now this roof is insanely bad like it's on its very very very last legs shingles like Jasmine just stepped and this just peeled right off the roof like hardly any pressure and just rolled down like it's it really needs a new roof we're doing it got right it's the goodness that makes dance and sing these end pieces they are time consuming because you got to measure and then like I don't really measure that great Crystal's nor to measure so then she cuts it 5 million times and then I finally works thanks for being so Cooperative yes good job goodness [Music] goodness look at that roof everyone he's looking good it may not look like it but as we tried our best to keep our spirits and our energy up this was one of the most challenging things we have ever done guess what what we're still on the roof we also lost all of our positive attitudes today I will never roof again in my life turns out Roofing is really hard but we did everything we could to press [Music] on and after a few weeks of difficult work we successfully installed a brand new metal roof that will protect the cabin for years to come good work good job we finished the roof everyone and the roof finished off winter came quick and we really weren't prepared so we headed towards the Sun for a few months in our van but we were so excited to return I haveen been this excited about something in so long come home home no I have zero words I don't have any words either oh my gosh I don't even believe we're here this is so much space overwhelmed with excitement we got right to work and our first project of the year was to complete a deck and before we left to escape winter we were able to install the much needed concrete deck sonat tubes allowing us to get to work right away no no no no you know crazy feeling feel feels like family that looks mighty fine wow what time is it it's go timeboard time I'm so excited the there's a sh in the kit I'm not one for repetitive task let me tell you that one I'm not look how far you made it in your thing now it like family feels like family with the deckboards coming to completion it's time to enjoy the fruit of our labor from a once Barren and overgrown yard to a now beautiful place to Lounge and rest it's crazy to think just how much a deck has changed this space there are many challenges living off grid and one of our biggest was a reliable power source we are preparing to install a solar electrical system which starts with clearing space for a solar array oh no oh no wow to make room for the solar we must cut clear and burn sections of trees and level it out with an excavator as well as creating space for a garage that will soon be home for the batteries and the electrical system components we've been doing it wrong this whole time I'm surprised we made it this far but I'm getting better every day oh my goodness now that's how you do it step one to like actually having power like the whole process of getting our own reliable renewable energy source so that we can have power and electricity is a lot of work a lot of work was right as spring sprung itself at full speed one thing we didn't account for was the bugs so many black flies be one be one with them you are not in a good mood from the bugs no they bug me a lot like they just bite me so much they're all around me you're not going to be a good few weeks for me I I can just say that remember that well we drilled last year well it's time to run water lines to the cabin and Beyond and that starts with a whole lot of trenching woo that this is amazing in here no wonder Izzy goes under the house the first trench going from the well to the cabin what a good looking trench it's crazy to me that we're going to have these trenches like all throughout the yard soon freaks me up freaks me out too and the electricians arve to install the well pump and the electrical we're going all in don't overthink it I got to see where we have a trench with some blue lines water lands watered lands water water Waterland get watery get watery get watery the next step in trenching is digging water lines across the property to the Future Greenhouse as well as the garage [Music] come on don't be now for the fun part we're leaving like yesterday SP it's thinking s well well well okay I'm just standing there right I'm trying I'm never the one that untangles things oh my oh no oh [Applause] no when the we dries up what you going to do after a few long days of trenching and running water lines the fatigue was catching up to us I don't think I'm actually coherent right now I just feel like a zombie a little bit but it doesn't matter cuz we're playing with noodles woo we have an hour and a half to rip down this ceiling the inside runos are starting and we're so exhausted crunch time our electrician called last night and he said yo I can fire your house tomorrow you have your roof down and we said no but we done so here we [Music] are better be careful you don't pick up the window we got we got we got a good we got we got we got a good good Dam good work team we did it in record timing they're not even here yet soon after our electrician arrived and started running wire we felt so excited to start renovating the inside of the cabin so we decided to strip it down to the bones to see what we would find you got me f and you can help me any way you choose and you got what I can't resist and I'm into this to get close to you we got we got we got a good we got we got we got a good it's disgusting oh my goodness all right up here it looks like we had a bird nesting or something that's disgusting when we say abandoned cabin this is what we're talking about there's one slay problem we couldn't quite access the front door very well we have been jumping up and down off of this huge drop for far too long for the first time ever we made DIY stringers as we are finally building the front entrance of our house I'm proud constructed a platform decked it used the appropriate hardware and then it was time to make these stairs come together using a lot of Nails Nails Nails Nails Nails Nails Nails Nails Nails Nails Nails Nails holy smokes come on oh Mama [Music] Mia [Applause] y like what are these things these are new these are my dream stairs if I could have dreamed up any stairs they would have looked this beautiful this big and this bold [Music] front entrance isn't done yet we decided to build a boardwalk I'm see youer I'm seeing you see me too and I like all the ways you shake and I can relate to the ways you move [Music] it looks amazing so welcoming full day all right we're back to building our out house now that the walls in the ceiling is complete we're adding flooring a window and pine paneling inside [Music] it's completely off- grid so we have rain gutters that are collecting the rain from this roof this is simply for washing your hands so the amount of water that we will gather is going to be way more than enough it's actually a foot pump so it's a super simplistic design and it changes our life out here this year we want to increase our growing space our dream is to have many large garden beds we brought in 6x6 local miled lumber and use H culture method to fill [Music] themy cool off p a pause for releas free you don't even have to W to be the C in the Sun oh are you okay are you okay okay what happened what happened CH just just sit down sit down man it hurts so much come here oh my God it hurts so much come here that was was a good fall though eh yeah I got it on camera you saw it right away too yeah oh me my first thought is I can't build the rest of the garden where do you want to elevate I think you're done oh my God no what was I doing I don't know I think I just jumped off but then I had a huge stun did you jump off yeah okay I've had enough I'm going to hop hop around for a little bit no no you're going to the couch Crystal's the worst to make like L should be puking sick and she be like all right so where are we going today I'm like you're going to bed we're creating an ecosystem in this geodesic dome that will allow us to grow our own produce 365 days a year yeah yeah you yeah CU we do what we do we you yeah yeah yeah hey running running Hold the Line hang out window lady come on what are you doing you should try did you even draw your [Music] line it's so beautiful in here I know I love it do you love it I love it yeah so nice these plants are are going to grow and they're going to be beautiful and they're going to keep us full all winter after long days of work and the completion of another project we prioritize time together times and places are all enjoying the fruits of our labor as a family enjoying delicious homemade meals and moments in nature weekend keeping close who you spending with and in time what you find is the time is who you spend it with oh my gosh she goes crazy for the berries I can't even get in you share with w wow so nice oh my gosh today what we're building is some beautiful standing Berry trellises we're Charing the bottoms of the post to avoid rot I'm in love yeah you are with my flamethrower so we have lots of raspberries blackberries and blueberries for years to come which means pies and jams and all the delicious things I'm proud of us it's 100% you know what I'm 100% thinking about right now food food food food now that all the walls are ripped off we prepared the cabin to be insulated good morning Maritime insulators I haven't even brush my [Music] teeth they're spray foaming the cabin they're C ly underneath the cabin as our cabin is propped up on Sono tubes they're spraying in between the floor Joys so that way the bottom is entirely insulated they're going to move onto the walls the attic and the entire inside ceiling Peak I'm very happy with this decision knowing we have 2x4 walls we're going to have the correct our value for a toasty winter yes F change the heat wave turning deadly now the Searing temperatures Coast to Coast going to be a hot and humid stretch across the maritimes if you don't have air conditioning get your sleep tonight cranky folks over the next days I think so thank God the cabin's insul intoed again it would be so much water a world so vibrant and Alive like f you fing Late July you cry into me heading outside just getting out here suddenly feel very alive and all this rain is kind of like a giant reset in the middle of the hot hot summer my you w my heart and you shine like some Skies be light of my darkest [Music] night it's time for a hot tub is there anything quite like building a hot tub with a friend yep using [Music] it we've been waiting 3 months for this to arrive this 12x 34 Workshop is so needed for so many reasons but most importantly to house all of our off-grid electrical system that will bring us power to our [Music] Homestead y I can't believe it oh my gosh they did a phenomenal job getting this in here we didn't waste any time and got right to [Music] trenching we are running 310 ft of electrical lines in the ground to bring power everywhere here digging and conduit laying went up well until the rain started but we made the best of it how do you reckon we're getting this water out of here Porter just going to drain it into the woods yeah with a bucket yeah go team go team Okay so we've made it from the Hickory Barn all the way to theore solar array and we've done that three times and we've done that three times because well one you need solar to your solar charge controller because then you need to go back that way and then into the house there is one blank one just in case one day we want to run something else in the future and that way we already have the conduit in the ground so it will be as easy as Just Fishing the wire through and no more trenching right on no more trenching we're on to the last trench to the cabin and this weather won't give up it's coming down harder 1 2 3 two the first step to the workshop is running wires and insulating we're using wool this time when you think insallation you don't think you can do this you just can't you don't get to do this I'm very excited look at all of it you just pull it of art you just you just pull it of art it's so cool w fight bear you're [Music] buried oo spooky oh hello no Spa is complete without a SA now you see we do have our priorities straight as we work away at getting electricity we also know how important it is to spa and out here it's all Wood [Music] Fired woo got the hole in thisa woohoo you're [Music] funny are you ready for this don't it goes this I'm always running like a mad like I'm breaking down the doors that I shut you have some peel and stick tiw that you need to get off you literally just use a haird dryer or a heat gun I would say technique approved I'm already flying away I lost the COC to my Croc with all the old sticky flooring gone we're going to crush this floor here's some new floors feeling more like home every [Music] day team team work Makes the Dream Work we did it yeah we did you and me will be together season change so whatever this is a 30in Sono tube second all right so before we put the Sono tubes in the hole now that it's prepared we are going to put some Stone in the bottom and that has a lot of purposes like for example drainage but also getting the sonal tube completely straight and flat sitting on an even surface so we're going to start with some 2in because it is really Mucky down there and then we're going to put some 3/4 in clear Stone on top cuz that's what the instructions call for and we're following the instructions to a tee we got these massive Sono tubes in the ground leveled it up and back filled with Stone Place the pole and with a lot of teamwork and concrete the first one is perfect around come on everybody everybody if we want change tomorrow we got to change today we got to come together and find another way one more bucket the second one failed immediately due to the ground being too wet so we got ourselves a trash pump I'm honestly starting to think that we have our own natural spring here on the property the way that the water is flowing into this hole what's the plan no project is complete without some ups and some Downs we're back on track and the trash pump worked flawlessly okay the pump is definitely doing its job but it just keeps getting clogged because of how much Gunk is down there so basically now Porter has jumped back in the excavator we're going to be digging another ho and then a trench that hole to try to divert the water to the other hole So the plan is instead of back filling with all of the fill that we've taken out instead we're going to be using the 3/4 in of the base layer to make sure it's complete level we're going to be taking 2 to 4 in gravel and that is going to be going around the Sono tube that way it doesn't cave in again like the first day now take it home take it home this is the most important part can't believe we're at this stage it's always the people you're with that make or break the experience this is teamwork this marks one of the biggest milestones at the cabin now take it home take it home we did it everyone get in here Porter it's a Memory it's that dry man you w high five foundation's done I can't even get over it I can't over here oh oh yeah I want Power already well today's the day the solar array is getting assembled and we've got our friend Adam here to help pull it together we're working with some heavy Hardware today it's hard not to get emotional as we've been without power for 2 years now I have no words today I'm just so I'm so excited I'm so emotional to see this like it's just like I don't know what it is and we know that's about to change really soon holy I can't believe we're at this stage I'm in awe in a couple weeks though we hooked up wires run batteries connected big moves power baby I think we're going to make the winter wow I yeah I'm super hopeful they're stunning I wish I could sleep on them I can't wait for the sun to come out and shine so bright on them it's like they've done it before wow it's amazing Perfection they crushed it they crushed I just like I'm so I think I need to have a nap and wake back up cuz it doesn't even feel real back to the workshop we're putting up ply and we are framing a room for the electrical system and we thought we would tell you this is a framed wall [Music] has anyone ever got a dor in first try I would really love to know this is sturdy first time again we're on a roll maybe I'm speaking too soon oh no we're in we're very excited to bring you along over the next few weeks as we tackle every component that will be fitting on the back of this wall behind us and finish off the solar build and the electricity build the offgrid build the offgrid system Dollar Baby here and you all I can see I'll by your side till golden [Music] Bells hi bear I'm my body [Music] [Music] Yep this is our bathroom but that's going to change let's get going because apparently this takes 12 hours to cure nice color it's not staying like that as you can see the product is called redard but it goes on pink and that is because once it turns red that means it's completely dry basically we're creating a waterproof membrane so we need to apply the Red Guard very thick as we're going to be waterproofing literally the entire bathroom [Music] okay this is yeah it's a water membrane that we're going to put all over the entire floor the tiles go on top of that bam shower a wake up C to get up off the couch and stand up tall to see the world outside what is going on like it's so pretty the party it's a hell of a ride Grace land maple wood oh oh rookies no it fits perfect it's so Prett look how pretty that is really starting to feel like a bathroom eh wow I'm washing my hands in the cabin wow can you believe we have a shower in the cabin it's amazing this is amazing J wait until you get in here showering in my cabin bathroom is half complete but you'll notice we still don't have a toilet but look what came when winter and not just any winter a polar vortex really really cold a polar vortex is a huge system of cold Arctic air trapped around the North Pole and usually it stays there but every once in a while it's forced South trapping the extreme cold weather here on us at the cabin we're basically in the Arctic and our toilet install requires access to the roof we didn't have this toilet very long because it didn't work great and I basically gave my hands frostbite installing it so cold you did it though I did it and we still have no power and we're pulling a generator one more too coold no good thing we have a backup generator for our generator [Applause] look at what the last cold night of the polar vortex has gifted us you've had me all along we've gone a long way now take it home take it home [Music] it's been a long few days hey Bella but I think it's over it's definitely over now that the walls are up it's time to try our hand at drywalling the ceiling in all honesty this ceiling took us forever we did it winter was a lot of interior cabin work but it was also slowing down chopping logs warming up in the sauna plowing the snow and making the best of the cold frigid [Music] weather want to go way out Beyond do [Music] you what a we're installing a 48 volt electrical system with over 10,000 watts of solar to harvest the sun's energy and 28 KW hours of battery storage and with the help of Adam our electrician and his furry companion beloo it's time to get started O Come On Everybody all the components are being wired and connected all three buildings on the property are going to have power which is incredible there we go so if you hit that this will tell you it's working what it's running off the batteries are you serious are serious you have power you have power get the switch on the wall there beside you it's emotional I don't even know how to feel it's kind of crazy yeah 603 days ago we moved into this abandoned cabin with nothing but each other our dogs and a dream a dream to make this place our home a space to grow Our Roots while we embrace the next chapter of our lives with the countless challenges while living off grid we are grateful for the support of our community and all of the devoted traits people every small step on this journey has led us to this point to our biggest Milestone yet thank you thanks spls on you every day gets better and this kitchen is my dream come [Music] true this is wild absolutely wild I got the holy me kitchen finally turn turn the water on and then have a sink with running water in our cabin for the first time ever this is going to be so exciting you are you are again you are again you [Music] are wow wow y but the kitchen won't be complete without counters do you love it love literally so bright beautiful these look so clean like there was just so many like pieces of plywood and now it's just like wo as the years go on WE yet again want to increase our garden space because these green thumbs are so big wind is only and falling good for making honey cotton rain is only water we planted our seedlings and raised them to be transplanted into the greenhouse all right look this is my favorite place ever and because I love it so much we decided to build a yoga deck inside of our Dome [Music] it's window day baby or should I say window week we are about to transform this cabin to a glass Cabin in the Woods you are going to be blown away this room is [Music] transformed com me through [Music] woo W next one boom good work go I got a hole in me house rude girl rude girl this door is not even completed yet as it's actually very tricky tomorrow though save me save me warmed so you could just use it as W door you play the accordion and now everyone can hang out no matter if you're outside or inside have you ever been two places at once go down so cool welcome to the inside outside bar here you are thank you enjoy cheers and for those of you who are wondering we have our screened in porch retractable look at all the black F see you later sucker this is embarrassing I can't believe we're showing this on National Television where do we even start what's the game plan I don't even know how we let it get here yeah we've definitely been putting this off it's been a long time coming after hours of cleaning we finally put up plywood walls ceilings in the workshop painted the floor and reorganized got you in the Walker I saw stronger than you you're going in the locker I'm going in the locker I'll put myself in the locker later and stay there for a week after building the workbench the garage transformation slow slowly came together now we're ready for anything welcome to the garage makeover [Music] tour I'm mixing micro cement it's very timeconsuming to apply but it's a very cool material we did all of our ceilings in it here they are 1 2 3 and four we've been missing an essential piece to our spa area and that is cold water therapyed draing wheels was too we ran plumbing and installed a cold water shower and filled up our plunge tanks you w't oh my gosh she did it even under what the heck is going on she did it our tag about to break Roots can no cage contain me you're about to know the truth some people can't box me out I'm about to take home human Spa is now open ooh yeah she's going Cold Night by it's good oh so good w be there good girl be amazing it's your own pool be this summer is the summer that we side our [Music] cabin after doing the blue skin underlayment we chose charred Cedar shiplap from our friends at Blackwood siding [Music] and it turned out better than we could have ever [Music] imagined are you ready for a 10,000 ft lawn transformation the lawn makeover was that is a lot of raking all of it and this thing is going to make the job of leveling fun and fast say goodbye to my little friends the RS oh my goodness we just saved our bodies eh and like it still has so many hours of Sun that now that it's been moved around and kind of flattened it'll just like dry it that much more I think it's going to be massive [Music] literally moving really fast around here wake up with your holy water boyfriend and every insecurity will f look at that fire pit that's a big pck that's a massive fire pit it looks great C there's no reason to believe in magic from a muddy puddle fi yard to this this feels like all the hard work we've done this year is getting pulled together time to rake it all in h kidding pack finally after years of intense groundw work all the trenching is done and the yard is back no more mud and puddles but rather a green open area to roam a place for everyone to enjoy and the girls to retire on they love it a brand new tractor path for Clementine and a place to stay into the wee hours of the night when the Embers of the fire glisten we really needed this a dry Place in the Sun to store many cords of wood to keep us warm in the winter months this Woodshed is an essential part of our Homestead [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] now that we have the bones you can only guess it's going to get a hat and a scarf and it's going to be nice and warm for the [Music] [Applause] [Music] winter curious to building the best bathtub ever when I first Vision living off grid out here I definitely imagined a beautiful outdoor shower and bath area and now after all these years it's coming to life it is so sweet I cannot wait to use this area trying to find some new words here other than it looks amazing it's so beautiful even though that's all I want to say because I'm super happy with it already [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] I if they were going to just throw this away it's a [Music] dream we got that perfect by the way that's insan [Music] from Little waitresses dreaming of having a window they were serving customers at to having it in their own house cheers Everyone by it is so quiet and so special out here we need to spend more time on the lake in my hot TOS I sit back and wait right here it's your perfect day out here I wish it could be like this [Music] [Music] forever be like this forever I wish you could be like this I wish it could be like this hand is up the window like an airpl surfing through the clouds of my own way wish that I could stay right here I just want to stay right here I wish you could be like this forever our cabin is two bedrooms but we wanted to make it [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] three love the pack I SP all night sanding and staining this we have a third room we built a bedroom in our attic the inside of the cabin was nearly complete we beefed out the beams to finish the [Music] ceiling o when you let your love Run free honey you can count on me with you in the passenger seat we can drive all night on the sh an artist made these by hand they are absolutely beautiful it's so pretty beautiful it's oh my gosh look how nice they [Music] look want I'll go it's a matter high or low with you in the pass to see by and transformed the spare room with our own off-grid laundry setup a Murphy bed and a workout [Music] space how good so good face I love it oh my gosh amazing this is our bedroom and today is the day we finish it too find words to say this time I'm an honest man will try and speak my mind it's hard to find your way without a lifee when we drink wine you have a way to slow the motion in my mind all the while can turn me back to you in midf Flight it's hard to find your way without after years of learning overcoming and sharing thank you to everyone who is inspired this journey and come along with us through it all from all the support helpful tips and encouragement we could have done it without all of you we hope this story inspires yours too you can do absolutely anything you put your mind to you can build it you can fix it and you'll never regret trying [Music]

Channel: Vanwives

Views: 631,439

Keywords: vanwives, vanwives youtube, vanwives tour, vanwives cabin, vanwives youtube channel, we bought, 50k cabin, Cabin, cabin build, off grid, homestead, 3 years off grid, 3 years alone off grid, 3 years living off grid, 3 years alone & off grid in the canadian wilderness, Canada, start to finish, start to finish build, time lapse, 3 year time lapse, home renovation, home build start to finish, tiny home build start to finish, we built, Tour, 50k home, cheap house

Id: tSY-sf71cDo

Length: 56min 28sec (3388 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 02 2024