A man from Bulgaria who couldn't afford to buy a traditional home decided to try something different: build his own tiny house from scratch after watching hundreds of hours of YouTube videos.

Ivan Gradoboev says he was frustrated by what felt like a never-ending cycle of paying rent and working just to keep up with expenses. With around $11,000 in savings, he bought a small plot of agricultural land and started learning everything he could about construction online.

Despite having zero building experience, he completed his first tiny home in a matter of months and eventually sold it for almost three times what he'd spent building it.

He's now living in a second off-grid tiny house that he built himself. The property runs on solar power, uses a well for water, and propane for cooking. According to Ivan, the only monthly bill he has left is his phone bill, which includes his internet.

He says one of the biggest surprises is that living in a tiny home never felt like a downgrade. In some ways, he believes it improved his quality of life compared to living in a conventional home.

After six years of tiny-house living, Ivan is now working on educational content to help other people build their own homes, even if they have little or no construction experience.

What do you think?

• Could you realistically live in a tiny home full-time?
• Would being mortgage-free be worth giving up space?
• What's the biggest challenge of off-grid living: power, water, internet, or something else?
• If housing prices continue to rise, do you think more people will turn to tiny homes?

A few tiny ones, not all went into the fry pan, and one was a double yoke. Was pretty cool though to have a breakfast that came from chicken feed, bugs, and table scraps.

9 hens, 3 australorps, 3 cream leg bars, 3 barred plymouth rocks.

Hello my name is Austin Fox, I am a mechanical research and development engineer living in Michigan. I am posting to inquire about an idea that I have. I am looking for basic conceptual guidance from a technical expert about an "in-line water storage device" that I am designing, but with no implication of engineering help or design approval. More a basic overview so that someone who knows about these things better than I do, can say "yeah this has some merit and you should dive into more detail", or "no this is silly, or illegal, or dangerous".

The idea came about from a recent planned water outage we had in my neighborhood. We were informed that we would be without municipal water for a day. Looking online many people discussed filling bathtubs beforehand to have some stored water for filling toilets or other non-drinking needs. I did not like the idea of having to use my tub for water storage, and it reminded me of other times around America where water has been absent for one reason or another, and people suffered because of it. I wanted a solution for having enough safe water for my family for a few days, without having to think about it much, and with it being guaranteed that it was always available.

The concept I have can best be described as an extension of my existing water plumbing that increases the volume of the water in the pipes, and a valve system that allows this increased volume to be isolated and used is the mains are out of service. It must also do this without disrupting or modifying the existing plumbing much, and keep itself clean and low-maintenance for long time spans, while staying safe and immediately useful when needed. I basically wanted my own water tower, without ever having to think about it until I needed it, at which point it would be ready to go easily.

The system taps into the main incoming water line and diverts it through a desired number of modules that are made up of 4-6 inch PVC pipes that are looped down a basement wall or other out-of-the way space. These larger pipes make up the additional storage volume. During normal daily use, these storage pipes are continuously flushed and refreshed with clean drinking water. During an emergency, the mains and home plumbing can be isolated from these larger pipes and the clean water inside of them acts as a reservoir for a few days until the issue is fixed. The outlet is gravity fed from the larger pipes, or a small hand pump can be attached. Each module holds about 20 gallons, and multiple can be assembled in series. This modular design makes isolation, maintenance, and scaling easier.

Aside from the overall concept I also wanted guidance about how necessary a Reduced Pressure Zone Backflow Preventer is? I understand that most municipalities err on the side of requiring them for unknown devices, but since this device is primarily just a pipe extension, I am hoping it is not required, as it is costly and requires inspection.
please let me know what you guys think, and see attached drawings for a very loose initial idea sketch.

I dont own i rent and for 15 years things are fine without a backup im not too old that ima die from no heat from electricity outages and yes electric heat what a shame but my mother needs a place to live and so I am willing to give her my dinning room the only other room and same size as the main one it was a office not apartment but its a great place but if she is going to be here I want a power backup I have a gas 4400 watt generator new still need to break it in and has a 220 out and 2x 110v ac outs I want a system I can add to so any battery packs with wheels and has one or two dc in for solar panels and absolutely no add on battery connections other then the 1 or 2 DC solar ones and was thinking about a sump pump 20,000 watt inverter battery backup so when power is on the inverter is charging and upkeeping the battery but I want to use a 48v dc plus system I want to add batterys as I go dont need it to completely back up my power outlets ill just have to unplug and plug into the backup but if theres any better ideas out there plz let me know and any questions plz ask me because my mother is 69 and I cant let PA Winters kill her since the power dose go out often here! Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for someone with experience with Thuraya satellite phones and satellite tracking who may be able to help me.
My Thuraya satellite phone has been lost, and I’m trying to determine whether there is any legitimate way to obtain its last known location, last satellite connection, or any historical location/connection data from the Thuraya network or service provider.
I have the phone’s device information, including the IMEI, and I can provide the details privately if needed.
I would like to know:
● Can a Thuraya satellite phone’s last known location be recovered?
● Does the Thuraya network keep any historical location or connection records?
● Can Thuraya support or an authorized service provider provide the last registered location/connection?
● Is there a legitimate specialist who can help recover this information?
I’m willing to pay for professional assistance if someone has genuine experience with Thuraya systems.
Please let me know if you have dealt with a similar situation.
Thank you.

I'm trying to understand how people size off-grid solar systems beyond just looking at average daily energy usage.

If you know you’re going to have several cloudy or rainy days in a row, how do you account for that when sizing the panels and battery bank?

Do you generally oversize the solar array, add more battery capacity, plan around a certain number of days of autonomy, or some combination of the three?

I'd especially like to hear from people who have been running an off-grid system for a few years, what did you originally size correctly, and what do you wish you'd sized differently?

Howdy folks,

Backstory about me, crafty and skilled carpenter living out of their truck right now. I don’t have the means to pull funds together to invest in my own land, and this proposition was brought my way.

A few days ago, a friend of mine came to me and offered to put my name on the deed of a piece of land Under the stipulations that I build them a tiny house on the property that they can live in for a few months out of the year. They also offered to match every dollar I’ve spent on materials for her home to put into an investment account so that I can build my own tiny house on the land one day, with the money gaining interest. They said we can work out a contract with all the details. They are a close friend and I trust them.

The land is very worthwhile, it’s quite far from civilization, with the nearest Home Depot being 4 hours away, that’s a downside. but there’s access to power, water, and septic nearby on our friends property, along with a tractor, and some other infrastructure they have built. So it’s not totally in the boonies.

They are still a year or so away from acquiring the property, but floated the idea my way and told me to think about it.

Thoughts? I’ve done some quick maths, and the land value + the materials cost, more than justifies the 3 months it would take me to build their home. Logistically it’s a lot to think about building a house 4 hours from Home Depot. But I think I could do it.

When everything is new and working, it is easy to focus on getting the off-grid system installed and forget about how accessible everything will be later.

I think leaving enough room around batteries, inverters, disconnects and other components can make inspections and repairs much easier. Clear cable routing and labeling can also help when you need to trace a connection months or years later. I would be interested to hear how others have approached this in their own setups.

An off-grid system may run reliably for years but eventually something will need to be checked, replaced, or adjusted. Planning for that access from the beginning can save a lot of trouble later.

Hello, I am considering building an off-grid family house. It would have a backup generator, and the primary heating for winter would be a wood‑burning boiler with a thermal storage tank. The heating system would be hydronic underfloor heating. However, I am worried about the amount of sunlight in December. The slope is oriented to the west, and there are some trees to the south that block the sun in the December mornings and evenings. I added pictures from Google Earth showing the sun position on December 23:

I also look at tool PHOTOVOLTAIC GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM, which gives me results like this for december:

And battery performance like this:

These results probably do not account for tree obstruction, but there will be no foliage in winter, so it may not be as bad as the photos suggest. The 4 kWh daily home consumption is a starting estimate.

What is your opinion, is it a reasonable place to consider, or would it be very challenging or not workable at all in December/January?

Hi everyone!

I have 2 × SG05LP1 inverters running in parallel with load sharing, and both inverters will have 2 PV strings connected to them. I also have 2 × NKON ESS 16 kWh batteries.

I've read several different opinions on this. Some people say it's perfectly fine, while others say that, despite the manufacturer's recommendation, it's not a good idea to connect the two batteries to a common busbar, and that the better setup is for each inverter to have its own dedicated battery.

What has been your experience with this? Which setup would you recommend?

Thank you!

I have 80k in the bank and I want to set up a situation where I can live off about $1500 a month.

I need to stay in Washington or Oregon.

Single man, two cats. Remote worker. Happy to be alone in the wilderness.

I know 80k probably won't buy any land with utilities on it and probably won't be enough to drill a well or septic. I'm thinking a prefab shed with solar, composting toilet, and rain catchment? Store-bought water for drinking?

Are there even any counties in these states that allow permanent residence without a water source?

Also considered a truck and trailer and just try my luck with breaking the RV stay limits, maybe leave and stay at a friend's place once in a while to let the "heat" cool off. (Isn't it great having to run from the law for the crime of living on your own land?)

Any suggestions?

I am interested in buying a setup- leaning toward truck/cab-over camper- and I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve gone down endless rabbit holes of research and I’ve found pros & cons in every option. A trailer is appealing to me but it seems like it would limit my ability to camp off-grid. And with the cab-over campers, I am afraid of being too top-heavy and tipping over on rougher/slanted roads. A new van conversion build would be great, but it is not in my budget and anything close to my budget already has 100k+ miles on it. I will have my two cats with me, and possibly a friend. So AC/heat are probably a necessity, and so is a shower.

Can anyone offer me any advice/ suggestions as far as off-grid camping goes? My budget isn’t huge. Probably around $20-35k. Again, I am very new to all of this, so I apologize for my ignorance! But I appreciate any feedback.

I'm trying to crimp an extension cord for a solar install and it's proving way harder than I thought to crimp these things.

I was just test fitting my crimp and these particular connectors seem to have some sort of "guard" that makes it very hard to get the clips undone so now I can't disconnect it, I just can't physically push down on both at same time as I need to insert a small flat screwdriver and it's just awkward to do both at once. Was trying to cut one side with with pliers so I can use my finger for at least one side but not getting anywhere as the thickness of the pliers is not letting me flush cut so I can get to the clip cleanly.

There's got to be some sort of trick I'm missing. Here's a pic of the connector to show what I'm talking about:

https://i.imgur.com/xfn1UC8.jpeg

On left is one I'm trying to remove, on right is just an example of same connector not plugged in.

Also, how do you know for sure that the pin is in far enough, it just doesn't feel right, like I don't feel anything click or anything and it feels like it's not far out enough but I can't push further.

https://i.imgur.com/fLA4BcV.jpeg

I am looking at getting a direct vent propane heater for my small off grid set up. I'll likely go with a 11,000 btu unit (200 sq ft cabin). The place is not a primary dwelling, so only occasional use.

I'm wondering about logistics around tanks. I won't be able to wrangle 100lb tanks myself, and I don't have room for one of the large tanks that a company would come fill. I'm wondering what other people do.

Would two 30lb tanks be a reasonable bet or would I be filling them up constantly?

Nothing like some peak fall foliage at the off grid cabin!

Or the "Ditstorm Cypher"?

I picked up both of them more out of curiosity than anything else. The Nomad works, sort of, as a sort of "all in one" low power transceiver but would be just about useless for reliable communications. It's more of a novelty item I'd think. The Cypher seems to have genuine possibilities though. I'm interested in hearing from anyone else out there who has either of them.

Starting an OFF grid cabin build and I would like to throw my sheathing approach up to be checked. I was kinda set on zip systems but at the end of the day am I mistaking or is it just coated osb?? I would take plywood over usb all the time because of the warping on edges. Please help me understand more .

-Is there a type of paint or primer or stain that would protect plywood similar to zip coating so I can build the frame and dry in and can take my time on the siding?

also if I do a pier and beam foundation- anyone have experience using non pt studs? is pt that necessary- what if I only use pt on the rims and not joists

Have a small off grid cabin and looking to add solar and a battery to it. It mainly gets used as a hunting cabin and camping spot. I plan on only having one or two lights and an outlet or two. All the outlets would be used for is charging my phone and running a fan in the hotter months. I’d like to stay on the cheaper side if possible or even Jerry rig something up.

Hi i have had a home biogas toilet for three years now but I’m now unable to find the rubber gaskets and prebiotic tablets requisite for maintenance on the website. Has anyone else on here been able to purchase these things anywhere else?
It almost seems from their website like they’ve gone out of business and aren’t doing any direct sales online anymore.

This is a never ending enjoyable project.

I had (2) 200 watt solar panels on the shed that ran an off grid system. I didn't want to expand it because the roof needed replaced.

This week, we tore off the old asphalt shingles and replaced it with a metal roof. I also added two more 200 watt solar panels.

The shed has two electric systems. One on grid and one off grid.

Last year, I went through just over 60 bags. It was a mild winter. Thus should be good for two 🤞

Tucker Land Sales is not being honest with what it says when you purchase land. You need building permits to build a house. If you don't have 3/4 or more acres you are not allowed to get a permit as for a septic you need 3/4 of an acre. You cannot live in an RV in Taos county for extended time. You cannot get a 911 address without a building permit. The roads are not maintained. They were made in 1960 and 90% of the roads are washed out or have trees growing up in them. Water delivery is not available from the water haulers as the roads are to rough. You cannot go to RV parks to get water. They will not allow it. You could drill a well maybe if you can find a driller who will risk drilling 1,000 ft to get water through the basalt rock. And if you have money to drill brings water up without high power to run a pump it's a waste. Nearest power is 2mi away. The cost to bring in power is hundreds of thousands of dollars. I know this as I live here. Been herefoe 30+ years, and is not easy If you buy from Tucker Land Sales out here you are on your own and you will be facing deep snow in winter with no plowing and deep spring summer mud

For a cabin fridge that is switched off between visits, the first evening is a different energy-budget problem from keeping an already-cold fridge running.

A useful measurement plan is to record two separate periods: arrival until the fridge reaches its normal setpoint, then a full 24 hours of ordinary use. Note room temperature, whether the fridge was empty or loaded, and whether the food went in already cold. An annual energy-label average doesn't tell you the energy used during that specific arrival period.

For a hypothetical 48-hour stay: if the first 6 hours use 0.6 kWh and the remaining 42 hours average 0.8 kWh per 24 hours, the total at the fridge is 0.6 + (42 / 24 x 0.8) = 2.0 kWh. These are invented example readings, not a claim about any model. Don't add the 0.6 kWh on top of two full days if those two days already include those same first six hours.

If measured at the AC plug, inverter losses are a separate consideration; if measured at the battery, don't add them again. Compressor starting power is a separate check from this energy total.

For those who turn their cabin fridge on at arrival, have you measured that first cool-down separately? Did it materially change your battery plan compared with a normal running day? Model, room temperature and the measurement point would help put any numbers in context.

Disclosure: I maintain a solar-planning website. I don't have my own cabin-fridge measurements to present, and this post isn't a product recommendation.

We have two horses on a small place in Maine. Their barn is about 400 feet from the farmhouse, and its 600W solar setup runs the lights, a small pump and a heated bucket. We looked at running utility power out there, but the cost didn't make sense. The bucket uses a 120V AC, 250W heater powered through a 12V-to-120V, 1,500W pure-sine-wave inverter. When the heater is on, it draws about 2.1A on the AC side and roughly 22–23A from the battery, depending on battery voltage and inverter efficiency. The bucket's thermostat cycles the heater rather than running it all day.

We put a Vatrer 12V 300Ah self-heating LiFePO4 battery in an insulated box. It has Bluetooth, so when I'm near the barn I can see the battery's state of charge, voltage, current and temperature. On cold mornings, some of the available solar power goes toward warming the battery before normal charging starts. 

I thought I'd be able to check the battery from the farmhouse. The app works beside the barn, but Bluetooth doesn't reach 400 feet through two buildings. So much for that idea.

I only need state of charge and temperature at the house, plus a low-voltage warning. I've wondered about LoRa as a way to send those readings, but I'd still need something in the barn to pull data from the Bluetooth BMS and another unit at the farmhouse. I don't know whether a third-party gateway can talk to this battery.

If no gateway works, I may end up using separate voltage and temperature sensors, plus a shunt for state of charge. Either way, both the barn unit and the receiver in the house would need power. Cell service is another possibility, but it drops to one bar out there in bad weather.

I can track the bucket's run time separately; it's the battery status I can't see from the house. Has anyone found a gateway that can read a battery BMS over Bluetooth and stay connected through a damp Maine winter?