Have you dreamt of being off grid?

How to build an Off-Grid home! With rising energy costs, I am sure many have googled ‘how to build an off-grid home’… So I caught up with my cousin Abigail about her self-build home…

In the end, they abandoned their dream of being ‘off-grid’ due to supply issues from Tesla over the battery. Here is their story.

Have nothing in your HOME, that is not useful of Beautiful

TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOU.

I spent most of my adult life living & working in Oxfordshire, where I met my partner Paul in 2005. We got engaged in 2008 and we had our one and only child in 2011.

After a prolonged & unsuccessful property hunt before falling pregnant and deciding after returning to work from maternity leave in 2012 that I wanted & needed a better work/life balance.

We decided to take the plunge and move up to Lincolnshire to be near Paul’s parents & his family’s farm.

Luckily Paul can work from anywhere, so long as he has internet access!

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR HOME?

Our home is built on the site of a former cottage on the family’s farm. We feel very privileged to be able to do this and it has a special connection for us.

We wanted to create the look of a farmhouse that is sympathetic to its rural surroundings… That looks like it has organically grown & been extended over time.

Our home only has 3 bedrooms, with large social living spaces and practical areas that you usually can only find with a luxury 4/5 bedroom home e.g. utility/boot room/dressing room.

Simple LIVING

So why did you want to live off-grid?

Yes, The plan was to make our home as highly energy efficient as possible to support off-grid living. We also wanted to make our home as maintenance-free as possible too.

The house is fitted with an MVHR (mechanical ventilation heat recovery). We also have solar panels that were bedded into the roof as decided in the design stage.

GSE Integrated Solutions is the system we used to integrate the SolarWorld panels within our roof into our garage/workshop roof. Installation was done by Chris Williams Electrical Ltd.

You can read more here in this guide to Solar Panels.

The idea of being off-grid was a dream of Paul’s to be less dependent, to prove it was doable. With LED lights, appliances, and devices being more energy-efficient it certainly felt possible.

Also, it was going to cost us £26k to be connected across the farmland to the nearest power line.

Why did you give up on the dream of being off-grid?

Unfortunately being off-grid was dependent on the Tesla Powerwall. At the time of building it was new to the market at the time but did not support off-grid initially.

In the summer of 2017 – whilst Tesla kept saying off-grid support was imminently coming – we moved in and managed 6 weeks of off-grid living using 12v lead-acid batteries and a big diesel generator.

But as autumn approached I didn’t like having to decide between using the tiny amount of stored electrical energy to either watch TV/put lights on at night or run the central heating pump in the morning, as there wasn’t enough energy to do both!

Our WHY…

An opportunity to build on Paul’s family’s farm so our son could grow up next to his grandparents, and have space to roam & be in the catchment area for good schools.
The plot’s 360-degree views on the edge of Lincolnshire Wolds, an area of outstanding natural beauty.
To get a unique property that suits us & how we want to live.
Leave a lasting legacy.
Build our own ‘Grand Design’ after watching Kevin McCloud’s TV series & thinking I could do that utilising my Prince2 Project Management skills!

Is there an option to go off grid in the future?

With the current high electricity prices, which will only get worse this year, we’ve recently reviewed going off-grid again and have decided not to.

The batteries required would pay for themselves in 10 years, assuming high on-grid electricity prices remain, but with battery storage technology advancing all the time maybe a better solution will come along in the near future.

Plus with the government’s plans to end sales of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030, charging an Electric Vehicle would then consume much of the excess Solar Panel generated energy we currently export.

You’re a fan of Upcycling

I had a Ducal Pine Blanket Box and Chest of Drawers and Paul had a pine King Size Bed Frame he had designed and built himself that he was sentimentality attached to as a result. To make them look like they belonged together in our Guest Suite & update their look we thought we would paint them.

They were painted by Andi of Willow and Hobbs.

I got in touch with Andi and arranged for her to come out to look at the pieces in situ as she was fairly local and to come up with a proposal/quote that met our brief.

I was so impressed by the sample boards she produced, using inspiration from the wildflowers in the field margins around us, that I immediately gave the go-ahead. Andi collected the furniture, worked her magic & I’m sure you’ll agree a transformation that’s perfect for our property.

How would you describe your style?

Farmhouse Country Cottage

FAVOURITE PART OF THE HOUSE AND WHY?

Paul would say it is his integral garage/workshop with home office above because it’s his man cave, which he can access in his slippers and it made a great party room when the weather wasn’t conducive for an alfresco celebration last summer.

For me, it is a draw between

Our master bedroom because of the great double aspect sunrise views, whilst sat in bed having the first cuppa of the day. On moving in I thought if I became bed/housebound in my old age I’d never feel bored/trapped with the ever-changing big Lincolnshire skies to watch.
The open plan kitchen because it is the most functional/social kitchen I’ve ever owned and Sitting at my kitchen island I can enjoy views across the farmland down to the coast and watch the weather rolling in – I’ve never before seen so many rainbows!

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BEST BUY AND WHY?

Our best buy has been our Miele Frost Free Blackboard Edition Fridge Freezer, because it’s A+++ energy efficient, has one of the lowest decibel ratings – which is great for open plan living – and I can write up our menu for the week, and easily leave notes/job lists for the boys.

Also, we were snowed in for 5 days when the Beast from the East blew through, and having a well-stocked Fridge/Freezer is essential as the wind whips the snow off the fields onto our track and cut us off in February last year too.

worst buy

The Laura Ashley Claverton Floral Natural Wool Rich Rug for the lounge, although it looked lovely… I sold it soon after! As it shed so much it created so much extra housework!

IS THIS YOUR FOREVER HOME?

We built it to be, but realistically I can’t see that far into the future!

WHAT IF ANYTHING WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY IF YOU WERE TO BUILD AGAIN?

Gosh, there is so much – I think I have a book in me ‘All the things that Grand Designs doesn’t tell you, but you need to know!

I would definitely use a Local Authority rather than a private Building Controller and insist on a warranty scheme like the NHBC.

I would also read the small print T & Cs of Legal Insurance Policy, no matter how small & lengthy, and not rely on a broker only selling you cover that meets your needs.

WERE THERE ANY DISASTERS?

The architect’s energy specification for the sliding sash windows didn’t exist! We only found out after the openings had been built. The specification was for a ‘u value’ of 1.4 but the lowest we could find was 1.6.

The windows that the builder had based his quote on were unsuitable too, even though they had a good energy rating.

We eventually sourced Internorm Windows after visiting a self-build show at NEC as weren’t happy to compromise on aesthetics. This, however, added a big delay to the build, which added to the problems of the property becoming weather-tight. And therefore adding the cost for temporary fittings to keep the worst of the weather out.

We are so pleased we didn’t let the situation pressure us into accepting an inferior solution from the builder. We now have maintenance-free powder-coated aluminum on the outside and wood on the inside.

Soon after this, the builder resigned, leaving us the shell of the building. We then had to source new trades and wait for them to become available causing a long delay.

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP TIP TO ANYONE BUILDING THEIR OWN DREAM HOME?

If possible do a non-dream/forever home build first to cut your teeth as a self-builder. There is so much wealth of knowledge you gain from first-hand experience that no course/book/research/self-build show can prepare you for.

Plus you get a little black book of trades that you want to work with/suppliers you wouldn’t hesitate using again.

For example, the carpenter & plumbers we employed on our build became the ones we used on converting The Stables on the Farm to Self-Catering Accommodation.

Whereas the Builder we originally awarded the contract to for our home we wouldn’t use again under any circumstances!

You love to bake,,,

Yes, I think our house was built on tea & cake LOL.

I enjoy cooking so much it’s probably the hardest question you’ve asked ???? Probably anything I can cook for pleasure rather than necessity is the easy answer!

My current favourite is Mansion Farm’s Limited Edition Lamb Henry, just put it in the slow cooker with a mug of red wine and a mug of stock, leave it to slow cook for 6-8 hours on low, and hey presto you have the most wonderful tender lamb with such depth of flavour it tastes like you’ve slaved over for hours and it couldn’t be simpler, serve with mash for a satisfying supper.

My all-time favourite is Christmas Cake on Stir Up Sunday, for the tradition and anticipation of festivities to come. I can remember being repulsed on learning locals have with a slice of Stilton but now I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Quick Fire Answers…

SHOW HOME OR LIVED IN? Lived in Home….unless company coming or boys go away without me!
FAVOURITE PAINT BRAND? – Farrow and Ball
CARPETS, WOOD FLOORS OR SOMETHING ELSE – Hard flooring (as we have underfloor heating with Luxury Vinyl Tile), but fitted carpet in bedrooms
FAVOURITE HOME BRAND? – During our build, it was Laura Ashley, John Lewis since moving in
IF YOU COULD ONLY USE ONE COLOUR FOR ALL THE WALLS WHAT WOULD IT BE? – Magnolia as it is a warm neutral colour that can blend with almost any other colour to create a warm finish. It lets the views take more of a centre stage and fabrics, furniture & accessories can add colour/ interest instead.
READY TO CHECK IN? – If like me you are inspired by the beautiful big skies and quiet life, then you might be interested to hear that you can rent the Stables for a holiday cottage home away from home – visit the website here>

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