If so, you’re in the right place :)

Off grid living and homesteading has recently exploded all across the world!

Over the past few years a new generation of people like you and I are designing, building and owning their own off grid homes.

And not just any homes but sustainable, energy efficient, low cost homes that aren’t supplied by power from the “grid”.

What’s really interesting is that these homes are often built more robust and sustainable than commercially built homes.

And that is why we built our solar powered cabin the way we did.

Best of all the financial, physical, emotional, environmental and intellectual perks of living off grid are endless.

“What’s that?” I can hear you asking. Perks to living off grid? Absolutely! 

The liberation of letting go of something you held so dear far surpasses the feeling of loss. ~ Debbie Cameron

Debbie and Mike Cameron pose with their five-year-old golden retriever, Ben, in front of their off-grid home near Pugwash, Nova Scotia.

Living a life of freedom on your property and on your terms is a dream shared by millions of people around the globe.

Designing your own home, building it to your specifications, and doing so on a piece of land that is all yours is what it’s all about.

It’s also about having choices. 

It’s all about putting the ability to choose back in the hands of the people who want to live life on their terms.

• Some people wish to downsize.
• Some go off grid for financial reasons.
• Some people want to live a life of freedom, opportunity and privacy.
• Some only live off grid part time for a weekend or summer getaway and still get all the benefits it can afford.

Whatever the reason, it’s about having a choice.

Wouldn’t you want to choose how you live as well as where you live?

Off grid living can afford you those choices and so many more.

It’s not about being poor.

Or living a life of squalor.

When I first Googled “living off grid” these were some of the first images that came up.

This is NOT the lifestyle we think about when we think of living off grid!

Thankfully, thing get better the further down you scroll.

You’ll find happy people smiling, thriving in fully sustainable homes (not shacks) and successfully enjoying a lifestyle that we ‘re proud to be a part of.

It’s not about building a shanty town or having to grow your own food.

Do don’t need to suffer through cold winters and going without all the same amenities you have on the grid.

It’s quite the opposite if you choose it to be.

You can have everything folks have on the grid… and more!

And living off the grid is not just about escaping city life, avoiding taxes and desperately trying to lower monthly utility bills.

Those are just some of the perks!

You want to live frugal? That’s your choice.

Want to live a life of abundance? Go for it.

Again, it’s all about having choices to life life on your terms. You design it. You built it. You live it. That’s our motto!

Remember, living off grid is about having a CHOICE.

You’re here for inspiration… direction… information… motivation… and probably answers to a hundred different question.

We’ve got you covered!

You’ll find answers to common questions like… 

• Where do I even start with designing or building an off grid home?
• Wait, how do I find land to build on and what kind of land do I need?
• How much does it cost to live off grid?
• What about hot water?
• Can I still have a shower?
• Do I have to have an outhouse?
• What about a fridge?
• What about TV, internet, a phone?

Here at The Off Grid Cabin we’re about inspiring, teaching and supporting.

We’re here to answer all these questions and more.

So, whether you want to learn more about the off grid lifestyle or the “how to’s” of building a home from scratch, or the ins and outs of solar system and how they work… we’re here to help in every way that we can with the experience we’ve got.

We also share some truly amazing and practical content from fellow off grid bloggers and homesteaders that we’ve come to know, like and trust.  

My name is Steve Barnes and I started blogging in 2012 shortly after I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

I was a military helicopter pilot and I had just returned home from a nine and a half month deployment when I was diagnosed. If you want the details feel free to read my comeback story here.

The short story…

Stuck at home recovering I was searching ways to make an income. I came across a man wrote a blog about his battles having lost a professional baseball career due to a shoulder injury. With his story his blog grew and he ultimately inspired tens of thousands of people along the way not to give up but to do that same and find a new voice online.  I was one of them. We eventually became friends and learned some valuable lessons about blogging, teaching, and sharing that changed how I looked at my life and everyone around me.

And so I poured over every YouTube video and Googled every web-page that taught blogging. I put as much effort into building my very first website and delivering the best material that I could as I did in getting my military wings. In loosing what I thought was my purpose in life, flying,  I found a new purpose. I discovered a way to use a website to amplify my voice and grow a community around some truly great ideas.

I enjoyed what I was writing and sharing . So did some other people.

A lot of other people in fact.

My very first blog was a personal one. I talked about my battles with cancer and how that had fight cost me a “dream job”. But it was also about how I overcame it. I began a YouTube channel and taught people everything I knew about building a brand online, blogging and my new found business skills. I happened to get noticed by some big names in the on-line blogging world and I was even flown to other countries as a guest speaker for some high ticket blogging events. Completely out of my comfort zone and standing on a stage I shared my story.

That first little blog of mine grew in readership over the span of its first year it had several thousand readers. However, writing and talking about cancer was a constant reminder of who I was and not who I wanted to be.

I needed a break.

I needed to get OFF GRID! 

Today I am happily retired from the Air force and blogging full time from our off grid cabin here in the beautiful backwoods of Nova Scotia Canada.

I decided to start The Off Grid Cabin website so that I could share my families journey of designing and building our off grid cabin.

The doors are wide open to anyone interested in living the off grid lifestyle.

To be honest, I tried to find all the information I could on designing and building a cabin on-line and what was out there was shockingly bad. Not that I’m an expert mind you. However, I have ten years’ experience as a naval weapons technician. I attended Canadian Forces Naval Engineering School (CFNES) for electronics, hydraulics, pneumatics and mechanical systems training. My father has built houses in the arctic and has been an accomplished craftsman his whole life.

While it may seem that a blog about living off grid wouldn’t be all that interesting – within months of launching The Off Grid Cabin website our readership grew.

And it grew FAST!

Today we’ve reached over 2.5 million people! 

Today The Off Grid Cabin has become so much more than just a blog.

Our Latest Blog Post Section has several “how to” articles and inspirational stories of fellow off-gridders and homesteaders.

You’ll also find the Building The Cabin section quite the hot spot for all the step-by-step details of how we build our solar powered off grid home.

Feel free to browse around and please leave us a comment on any of our blog posts.

We’d also love it if you would share any of the posts that you find interesting or helpful.

It’ll take you back through our cabin build, share with you our most viral Facebook posts and is filled with all our latest tips & tricks, videos episodes and other news from the off grid community.

We even started our own Amazon Off Grid Store where we’ve curated only the best and proven items, books, tools, equipment and resources that we recommend.

I trust that you’ll find us to be a useful resource in your off grid adventures.

Please feel free to join the many conversations happening around the site in our comments section and drop us a note any time on our social media pages – I’m particularly active on Facebook and look forward to connecting.

Dive in by clicking one of the buttons below to get started on your off grid adventure!

Whether you’re looking to learn more about the off grid lifestyle, how to design & build your own fully sustainable home or just want to see how we did it…

ENJOY!!

Steve & Mireille Barnes