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nateoffgrid
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 09:27am
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Thanks for the responses in advance! I want to build off grid in Florida(which is why concrete blocks seemed ideal). By off grid, I mean not connected to county electricity, water, or sewage.
I specifically want to know how cheaply I could build the home if I do most of the work myself. My idea is really quite simple. Land here is cheap. If I could make a livable place for 10k-20k, it would be basically the same as renting for a year(with the potential to sell and recover the money, if I want). As far as layout goes, I would be looking to make something very simple( 1 bedroom/studio size). Solar for electricity, rainwater collection for water. Because I am not an professional builder, I would like to know if this budget is even reasonable. The main costs I foresee are:
LAND. I can get an acre for $1000–$4000, depending on what location I choose.
FOUNDATION. Although I'd be happy to learn how, I have a feeling I'll need to pay someone to lay the foundation(if I could do it myself, just let me know).
MATERIAL COSTS. I figure I can do the block work, and most of the wiring myself. Not sure about sewage or plumbing. Also, solar panels would definitely be expensive(although I think I will start small and add as I go).
PERMITS AND OTHER. Naturally, my county requires a host of permits to build anything. I do know a few licensed contractors, so my thought is this: Do most of the work myself, and ask them to sign off on it. I would likely ask my electrician friend to finish the connections once I've installed the wiring. I'm sure this would still involve some cost to me, but I feel like this approach could keep the costs within my budget.
What do you all think? Could I pull this off and stay close to my budget? What advice/suggestions would you give?
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ketchgould
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 10:00am
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Curious what county? I'd love a place in Florida to get away too as well.
I think you could do it for 20k easy. Maybe plan the building in stages so you can move in to a finished structure and add on once you get there and stop paying rent elsewhere.
Garage kits for a 24x24 garage are about $6000, so a house to just get a certificate of occupancy should be possible for 20k.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 10:32am - Edited by: gcrank1
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Imo you need to ask of the locality you want to be in what is the smallest allowable habitable structure and the requirements thereof.
Without that you dont know where to start with making a plan.
Once you have that and get over the shock.....
You may want to start looking for a suitable existing small home that needs some love.
Advantages: (btw, I did this)
Sewer, water, gas and elec are likely already there.
Grid. You will like it. It would cost you BIG to make a system. You will need good power to build with; just start paying the monthly bill.
You will develop skills you need to build from scratch
You may actually live in it while refurbing
The resale may be easier
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FishHog
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 10:47am
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In Canada an off grid sewage system would use up all your 20k
You really need to find out what the building requirements are for your area. Many could price you out of your idea
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nateoffgrid
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 11:27am
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Quoting: ketchgould Curious what county? I'd love a place in Florida to get away too as well.
I'm in central Florida. I'm not sure if I'll buy in Osceola, Polk, or Hillsborough yet(but they all have similar building codes).
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nateoffgrid
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 11:41am
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Quoting: gcrank1 Grid. You will like it. It would cost you BIG to make a system. You will need good power to build with; just start paying the monthly bill. You will develop skills you need to build from scratch
I'm curious. Would a basic rainwater collection system be more that a few thousand? And if I minimized my electric use, could I get by with a solar panel or two?
I like the idea of buying a house as well(although I would much prefer to live off grid). However, I'm not sure if it's possible to find a home within my budget. I've seen foreclosed homes for 40k-50k. Some homes are auctioned at a much cheaper price, but I assume they sale for much higher prices. I'm not sure how to see auction results.
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silverwaterlady
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 12:10pm
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Out of curiosity, how will you cool your off grid cabin in the heat and humidity of a FL summer?
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frankpaige
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 12:48pm
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silverwaterlady
Same as we did growing up. Opening the windows. Humidity? That's a great one. I grew up in FL. But only visit in Dec, Jan or Feb because of that humidity. It's all what you get use to.
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frankpaige
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 12:51pm
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nateoffgrid
Polk might be your better choice. It is all near blight, IMO, anyway. I have property there, so I have standing. Plenty of off grid houses around.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 01:03pm
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Our 940sq.ft. house is an old country refurbed schoolhouse with all the stuff. We 'live low', grid-elec, had LP until they ran Nat Gas pipe a couple years ago, our own old well and septic tank/drain field. Bought it like 35yrs ago and been living in it and fixing it up all those years. Beats living in a tent or van (btdt too). Our utilities are 'normal' but our expenses much less than most of our friends and neighbors.
Most of the following is for perspective, it wont make 'code' if codes exist where you are.
Our off-grid-dry, simple, rough sawmill boards cabin is plain old country living like many lived pre-WWII. Because we have lived low we were able to save and buy the cabin on 9+ac. as our get-a-way.
By 'grid' in my my 1st reply there I was meaning electric specifically. You want to use hand tools or power tools? Power tools mean a generator with beans, not a starter solar system you have to build first. It also doesnt mean one of those mis-named 'solar generators'. They are a battery power pack with a bunch of ports that wont run power tools to build or refurb a house. The 'solar' for those is extra. A good gen can cost thousands, or cheap off of 'craigslist' but buyer beware; do you understand the care and feeding of generators?
Solar: A basic small van/rv system can cost a few hundred but wont do much. A few thousand will get a decent small place system that will run led lights and a small fan but struggle to run a typical small dorm fridge And NO Way a microwave or AC. The panels, controller, wires, psw inverter, etc are just the start, the 'storage'; ie, battery-bank will cost BIG. You run the gen for the high-draw loads; how many hours do you and your neighbors want to listen to that?
My cabin basic rainwater system is a big black (dark to avoid algae growth) plastic 'pickle barrel' with a 'first flush'diverter to clean the roof section before it starts to fill the barrel through its own filtering media. I built it for $10 with a bunch of bits and bobs I had accumulated. It provided way more than the two of us need for utility water which is the biggest water use. You can put in as big a cistern as they will let you. Then the pipe, pump(s), pressure tank, etc until it emulates having a well. But you still wont have a well. We carry in potable from a public access artesian well 7mi. away en-route; great water (tested by the muni) for free.
Septic: Luggable Loo (yep, ya bag it).
Grey Water: Variation on a small French Drain.
Real World Living Within The Culture (such as it is):
Keep in mind that even if you have all the amenities of being up to code doesnt mean you have to use them all to excess like most do. Minimize your impact where-ever you are. LED lights only on where you are, light water use, short showers or spong-baths, etc. The average daily water use per person is extravagant, you can cut it easily in half or even to 1/3 by being sensible.
Bicycle or E-bike, scooter or motorcycle rather than car.
Live low, keep dreaming and
Be Happy
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nateoffgrid
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 01:08pm
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Quoting: silverwaterlady Out of curiosity, how will you cool your off grid cabin in the heat and humidity of a FL summer?
Great question! (I'll be honest, I didn't think about that at all.) The simple answer seems to be I won't. After the initial project, I will invest more solar panels. I'm sure I would take that additional power and use it for fans ASAP.
To this point, does anyone have cheap cooling ideas?
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DaveBell
Moderator
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 02:41pm
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Quoting: nateoffgrid To this point, does anyone have cheap cooling ideas?
A dehumidifier plumbed to the outside and a ceiling fan.
It's not the heat that makes you feel so miserable, it's the humidity. When I was in the Army at Fort Huachuca, Arizona (high desert) it could get to 100 degrees and because the humidity was around 4%, it just felt warm. Your sweat evaporates immediately cooling you.
FYI to all, a swamp cooler puts humidity into the air and only works to cool in the desert.
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nateoffgrid
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2021 04:29pm
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Quoting: DaveBell A dehumidifier plumbed to the outside and a ceiling fan.
Thanks for the suggestion! And yeah, those swamp coolers are terrible!
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2021 09:37am - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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All of those options require electricity.
I remember the old days in Jacksonville visiting my Uncle when I was a child before everyone had ac. How hot and humid it was. We went to the beach or sat in the kiddie pool in the backyard. As soon as the sun came up we had to get out of bed because it was so hot.
The population explosion of FL has a lot to do with the availability of ac.
I have two siblings that live in S FL they love the winters but complain about the heat and humidity of the long summers.
It would be awful if you built your cabin far from power lines and than required power to run ac.
Or could only visit certain times of the year because of the humidity.
Something to be very serious about in my opinion.
A large screened in porch would be a great idea too.
Lots of biting bugs year round.
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BobW
Member
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2021 02:54pm
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I think all Florida counties now have an "Impact fee". This is an amount starting around $7500 an up. Some places the school system has a $10,000 fee plus whatever else the county adds. This is statewide to offset the cost of infrastructure for people moving to Florida.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2021 04:48pm
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So, $7500 toward $20,000 before building permits
Well, $10,000 est, average WI
Septic, $10,000, same
Elec, $2500, same
$30,000 to $50,000 on top of whatever the land costs before you even put a stick, or block, on it?
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Peewee86
Member
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# Posted: 19 Mar 2021 09:54am
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If you can live without air conditioning then solar could be viable. I know that I couldn’t live in Florida with out A/C. If the land is sold in one acre plots that means that you would be close to your neighbors. A close proximity to neighbors makes it more critical that you follow all zoning requirements. If you don’t, the nosy neighbors will turn you in. I am hesitant to believe that you could pull off your plans with your budget.
Perhaps you could purchase some land and a small used camping trailer and stay within your budget. As your finances allow you could build an rv shelter to protect the camper from the brutal Florida sun. Find land close enough to an rv dumping station so that you can regularly dump the black and gray tanks and refill the fresh water. This plan requires that you own a capable tow vehicle.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 19 Mar 2021 10:13am
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If you can find a county that allows for travel trailers parked with no hook ups in FL.
To have to move a trailer every few days to dump the holding tanks is unrealistic.
The only thing to by pass that is using a huge tote on wheels made for RV’s that will hold the equivalent of both your holding tanks. Being able to slowly tow (5 mph) to a legal dump site.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 19 Mar 2021 04:35pm
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https://www.primalsurvivor.net/living-off-grid-legal/#fl
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 20 Mar 2021 11:46am
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Live in a trailer/camper but Do Not Use The black/grey water holding tanks. Use the Luggable Loo type, 1-2 people gont make much to dump and with the proper 'gear' you can do it safe and secure.
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