Family of 5 Living Off-Grid | BOAT ACCESS ONLY
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Mark and Chera rescued and renovated an old cabin and transformed it into an epic off-grid home for their family of 5. The catch? There's no road to get there, so they had to figure out how to do absolutely everything by boat and barge: transporting building materials, equipment, belongings, workers, as well as commuting to and from town for school and work.
They were limited in how much they could modify the existing cabin, so to make space for the kids' bedrooms, they attached a yurt to the house with a mudroom. For heat, they have a wood stove in the house, a pellet stove in the yurt (to keep a constant temperature for the kids), and backup wall-mount propane heaters for really cold days, or times when they're away from the house during winter (to prevent pipes from freezing). Since propane has to be delivered on a barge, it's really expensive so they try to limit their propane use as much as possible.
For electricity, they have 3 systems. First, a solar power system with 18 panels and a large battery bank which works great in the summer even though they're surrounded by mountains. But during the colder, rainier months, the system doesn't keep everything running so they installed a hydro turbine which creates electricity using water pressure from a creek up the hill, and this provides 24 hour electricity for most of the year. As a backup to these two systems, they have a propane generator but they try not to use it unless they need to.
The kids still attend school in town, and Mark and Chera have flexible jobs so they can work in town or from home as needed. They have 2 enclosed boats with GPS and heat for the 20 minute commute back and forth to town.
We loved getting the chance to spend a whole day and night with this lovely family and seeing how they've made off-grid living comfortable and fun for everyone!
Thanks for watching!
Mat & Danielle
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CREDITS
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Music & Song Credits:
All music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Mat of Exploring Alternatives.
Editing Credits:
Mat and Danielle of Exploring Alternatives
Filming Credits:
Mat of Exploring Alternatives
Photo Credits:
Additional photos provided by Mark and Chera
Seeing the husband, wife and kids living their dream is more then unique😍. They look like very decent people!!!
I am quite sure the kids will not always appreciate this isolation.
jaim haas 20 minutes by boat to town....some people take longer to commute in big cities
@@jaimhaas5170 You should rephrase your statement to say " I THINK the children may not always appreciate this isolation..." You ARE NOT SURE about that.😁 There are people living on private islands all around the world and doing just fine. There are also children being Home Schooled who live with this kind of isolation because of their Faith. They will probably leave to go away to College and reintigrate that way.
*Edited for typos
@@estherstrategicadvisor749 except I know a great deal about child psych and my opinions are based on hard facts not opinions. Can you say the same?
@@jaimhaas5170 Yes I can. Psychological analysis ALWAYS has to bear in mind the VARIABLES and in this case you DO NOT KNOW THESE CHILDREN PERSONALLY. So *your statement is a GENERALIZATION not factual analysis.*
🔹Btw, children who are Home-Schooled have the opportunity to interact with other Home-Schooled children for Sports and other activities. That is ONE of the VARIABLES that undermines your position of being so "sure."
🔹Don't worry this is not a personal afront to your intellectual accomplishments. This is just something that requires further study on your part, which is not possible without KNOWING MORE about THEIR upbringing and PRINCIPLES of HOME SCHOOLING.
I don't know why people continue to say money can't buy happiness. Clearly it can
Let me modify that by saying "money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes it a lot easier to find."
my dad used to say to me when I was a kid, money can't buy good health but today it can.
Have you ever seen anyone not smiling on a jet ski?
-can’t remember the comedian who said this, but it was on point.
Edit: credit to Daniel Tosh. Thanks Dan
Jarrod Underwood many people dont Understand true happiness
@@kevipurielhoungu578 When they say money cant buy happiness, it is true. If you're unhappy and rich beyond your dreams, money cant just magically make you happy. But for someone who has a lifelong dream that would be able to be realized by say, winning the lottery or making a clutch investment. Yes, money can buy you happiness, because you can now realize those dreams and live out the rest of your life comfortably without the stress of finance ever hanging over you again.
Its a perspective matter. Money cant cure depression, only you can do that. But it's alot easier to recover from depression if you also dont have to worry about the bills being paid.
It is wonderful to see the way he is looking at his wife while she's talking. Bravo, guys! You are in harmony and in heaven on Earth :) Well done!
These folks are living my dream, god bless them!!!
this is incredible! Kudos to parents for putting al that effort in while raising kids
What effort did you see?? I saw a lot of technology and an unending supply of $$$$$$$ used to give them all of this.
jaim haas well at least they made sure they have money for raising children, unlike many today!
@@jaimhaas5170 so much effort to undergo a lifestyle change like that! It takes so much commitment , their money clearly is being put in the right place for their needs
This is awesome, I would absolutely love living there. Sure, I need to make a few million bucks first. But hey, that's a dream too. I say congratulations. You made it happen.
I love what they did! They are living beautifully and peacefully and that’s great!
To be nestled in a beautiful corner of nature completely connected to the natural circadian rhythm . What an incredible view.
sure if you got the $$$$$$
jaim haas what your issue about the $$$$?
@@brad-marc26 it matters to the 99% that would like to have some "alternatives" too. Don't you think it matters?
@@jaimhaas5170 They did say there was a less expensive way to go about doing it- And there are less expensive alternatives. There are plenty of other videos online that show a more affordable version of this life. I just believe living in alignment with nature and its natural rhythms are best for the human nervous system.
jaim haas it’s an alternative..... Just because 99% of us can’t afford it, that doesn’t mean its not an alternative. All your comments make you look the green eyed monster👀
Really interesting and out of the box thinking compared to both living-off-the-grid and typical living. It's somewhere in-between. I admire how thoughtful they were about soul searching to know what they really wanted and then all the time, effort (in the rain in his underwear with the generator), and money they expended to make their dream come true. Seem like really nice people and they did a good job explaining all the challenges and how they overcame them.
As long as you”re a millionaire, life is good.
Yep, as long as you earned it fair and square, or won it on a lottery or something.....just so long as you didn't walk all over other people, lie steal and cheat to get it...then it wouldn't make you happy...unless you're some kind conscienceless..sociopath that doesn't care about anyone else.
You can accomplish this without being a millionaire, if someone was a millionaire their offgrid property would look better than that, atleast in my opinion and my knowledge
Like I always say, it's better to be rich and prosperous than poor and miserable.
Yes dont listen to those negative people. The life your living is amazing, anyone would want to live out there...Just so peaceful and perfect...
Thanks OPZ!! Thank you for checking it out!
Yeah just don't claim that this is "off the grid living"
Clearly they don't have a clue
Folks, we can appreciate the beauty of the place without having to dog them for having been luckier in the game of life than us. Too many of you are hung up on this being antithetical to your existence instead of just allowing yourselves to be happy for them.
You said it. So many negative comments about their money when the point was to see them living off the grid. No where did it state that they had to live off the grid in a shack.
These clowns are simply jealous ! They are looking to government to hand them a cheque every month.
nobody has to be happy for them. they hoard privilege and they are multi millionaires. you could instead cut out the platitudes about 'the game of life' and see this for what it is: a bunch of spoiled rich people narrating how they spared no expense to fit their fancy.
Nope I'm a jealous bitter better and enjoy them being called out. I don't like lucky people, the need to suffer like the rest of us.
So many negative comments. A family is successful and is able to afford their dream lifestyle. Good for them. If I had the coin I'd do the exact same thing.
You have to experience growing up in a super remote/rural place to truly understand how much of a gift it was growing up that way. The kids will look back in retrospect years later and realize how amazing it was.
You have done a incredible job, thank you for sharing your adventure.
Your living my dream. Thanks for sharing . God bless you and your beautiful family enjoy each other it goes by fast this crazy beautiful sometimes messed up life.
This is perfect for a time like this during the coronavirus epicdemic
it's not an epidemic. It's a pandemic, an epidemic is one country, a pandemic is worldwide.
@@camchc5563 so Pitbull is a pandemic
@@jvaish 😂😂😂😂
@@jvaish 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😭 this cracked me righttt upp...good one !!!
jvaish lmfaooooo
Off grid in a million dollar homestead.
Easy peasy.
Yeah not having a budget can seriously help with any plan.
@@jaimhaas5170 just because you have a budget doesn't mean your plan is going to go well
@@tynao2029 what?? I think something was lost in translation for you there.
don't Care it’s not a homestead. They don’t grow anything there. They just harvest wood, from what l could tell.
@@jaimhaas5170 All his comments are kinda the "huh what" category.... Pretty sure he is not understanding the sarcastic tone of the comments he's commenting on! LOL :)
This is Fabulous and speaking from a Teachers point of view your kids will not only be Survivors but they will want be Thrivers! This is the very BEST for you and your children. I am envious but I am stepping out more and more. Thank you for sharing - it’s such a WONDERFUL LIFE living this natural way. God Bless you all. 🙏🏻🔥
This is what I want right now given this Coronavirus spread due to the travellers and living in crowded cities.
the scenery is breath taking....just woow!
Gorgeous home, family, pets and surroundings! You did such an amazing job. God bless and protect you, your family, your land and your home.
For anyone abou tto comment: Off the grid does not mean self sufficient. It means you're no longer connected to the main power grid.
Not entirely
It mostly has a meaning of being disconnected from society; i.e. self-sufficiency.
A number of people live in the city, but have solar panels, and actually feed back into the city electric grid. It doesn't mean they are 'living off the grid'.
@@walterbrunswick you're right it can mean that as well. The issue with english is that many words can mean many things lol. We're both right.
@@Liefx Also PS Having two boats and using satellite for communications, is NOT living off the grid, not by a long shot 🤣
Lovely. Plus, since they are relatively isolated they don't have to worry about coming in contact with anyone infected with the coronavirus.
I think you have made a wonderful slice of heaven. I am happy for you that you can live the dream.
There are thousands of families living like this around the world. Some of them because they made a decision but in most cases because they don't have alternatives. I think living off grid is not a style of living. It is just another way to live and it demands a lot of hard work.
Thank you for the channel.
This place and the lifestyle it affords one this family I'm sure, demands that one already has, or is making, A LOT of money. I couldn't afford it, but good for you guys!
Off-grid, independent they say... They don't even have a garden or any chickens...
Not to mention they're taking their trash and recycling back to town every day when they go to school and work places that rely on the grid.
Off grid just means no connected to the power grid. Not farming.
They're gonna build a KFC onsite, so it will definitely be off grid.
One Inch Punch 😂
off grid means off the electrical and water grid theres no rule says theyhave to grow their own stuff
God bless this family. This is living large!!!🤗🥰
This is literally my ideal home. It’s beautiful.
Must Be Nice To Be The Cat And Dog There 😂😂😂👌🏾
A beautiful place on this planet. Very relaxing to watch, so, thank you for sharing.
Awesome! I love how the Yert connects to the house.
Yerts tend to get moldy...
This is a set up that I have not seen before in off grid. This is pretty fancy and looks so cozy and comfy.
Wow.. I'd love to live off-grid especially with a house like this.
These guys are awesome. Lucky. Great job. The place looks great. Good for you.
This has to be beautiful British Columbia
Hey Guys, Its me Michael... just watched the video and feel a deeper sense of connection. It's funny that I've seen and stayed at your place with your beautiful family, before having a chance to watch this short documentary. Hopefully I'll see you guys there this weekend. I don't think people realize the intense amount of work a place like this continually needs in order to maintain the internal workings. It's nothing short of living on the edge of the wild and unpredictable. Adaptation is your strongest skill-set and in my opinion you have all done an amazing job. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience your kindness and hospitality but most of all your family's love for each other. Thank you deeply for everything. Cheers, Michael
Totally inspiring and Bold. Love the idea that people are deciding to live in Nature and off grid.
WOW! What a Beautiful set up those folks have!!! Just breathtaking 😍
How could you get mad about this? This is wonderful.
people are jealous
Incredible site. Sometimes, I say to myself, "How is this possible for the common person." Well maybe it isn't, but it shows what is possible in landscape design, and energy efficiency. Now, instead of "no way," I say, "Cool. Good ideas. I can adopt some of these ideas." Thanks for describing and showing the possibilities.
I guess I missed where this is located? What city? Is that a lake? Or ocean inlet? It all looks beautiful. Good on you guys for creating this wonderful, peaceful spot for you & your family.
My guess is somewhere in BC but I don’t think they said
Absolutely love it!!! Looks like the perfect place to grow up!
I love this concept. Very entertaining better than some of the content on UA-cam. Well worth my time. Thank you. Currently building my family dream house and retreat. Great ideas
This isn't really off grid, it's just a luxury resort.
This is a beautiful home. Of course it's unattainable for many people but thank you for letting us live it through your eyes. Just a little bit. This would be my dream, but in a more temperate climate. Thank you!
That has to be one of the most rare set of lives on the planet and an amazing one at that! Shit...... who wouldn’t trade a city life for that!
Alot of people, myself included. It would be awesome for short term but i would never want to be that isolated long term
Only in my dreams... Just beautiful ❤️ I could only wish I could live like that it would be so wonderful!!
Off-grid and luxury. Love it! 💚🍀
This is so damn special. I’m definitely interested in the costs though. Thus kind of off grid experience would be brilliant for adults and kiddos.
You do you, god bless keeping your babies wholesome and connected with love and a good life
This is how wealthy I wanna be 😭 but I want a farm and like 17 kids
I always thought the same thing if I was a millionaire I would love to live in a farm and have farm animals .
How ironic. Both of them are Vancouver city realtors. Sobering
It's beautiful ,I love it..happy life away from annoying people
Rich bloody rich able to do this, so lucky
Man this is so unrealistic for 99% of the population, that’s easily 3 to 4 million.
Doesn't have to be so elaborate and could be a very comfortable house boat in Powell river decked out for about 150,000-250,000... Can be done. Most don't have the imagination to get up and do something different - smacks of effort.
I don't think they did it with being an example to 99% of the population in mind. They could afford it and so they did it. I would if I could too!
Where you at, Rasmusson? Refute the 3-4 million claim!
@@permacultureresearchinstit2953 Most households in USA are 50 000 in debt.
more like 99.9% of the population. This is seriously out of cost reach for the majority
WOW!, my dream.. just wondering what the Canadian definition of "really, really cold is.."
Such a cool life, and they've worked hard to create for their children, and family 🤗
This place looks lovely. I wish it said where they are. I gather it is somewhere in BC.
They are good at often ignoring two important facts 1) location 2) costs involved. This sort of puts me off since most of us want to know these.
This home is absolutely beautiful!!! Like I totally wouldn’t mind living here either!!!! It’s so beautifulll!!!!!
I don't know. It seems the more I watch these types of videos the more I seem to think that trying to live a simpler life is way more chaotic and hectic and expensive.
I think its more expensive actually...imagine the cost and maintence of all those energy systems...cost of access to the site...the work required to keep the house warm all the time...too much work to live comfortably
Normal people off grid is usually a vehicle of some kind or a small cabin. This here is upper echelon type of off grid
Yeah so many of these types of videos showcase an inordinately wealthy person(s) who's merely looking for a specific lifestyle as they're bored or dissatisfied with their own and think working harder for the necessities, but *by choice* is quaint.
Same deal with the tiny home trend. It's rich ppl wanting a lifestyle that doesn't scream "wealth" yet requires inordinate wealth to achieve. The average person is not gonna spend large sums of money to downgrade their home to less space (eg. 2000sqFt to 400sqFt), they just want to afford a reasonable place of reasonable size. But, when u can afford whatever it becomes less about the space and more about the ostensible lifestyle. Same with the "minimalism" trend. Only those with access to everything are willing to spend massive amounts of money to have measurably less for clearly more.
Simple has little to do with it. In fact many of the luxuries we have today would require great effort and cost to reproduce via a "simpler" lifestyle, as we've seen not just in this video but many others. If ppl want to live that way, more power to them, but it seems like a lot of work, effort and money to "appear" a certain way, regardless how true it actually is.
Just beautiful.
That’s what I want to live same like you guys so good
Why does everyone keep hating on them ,good for them
Everything amazing!!! Love it!!
beautiful home, never-mind the haters.
These guys are living in heaven
I would’ve thought people interested in alternative lifestyles and off grid living would be a lot more positive but all I see is negativity in the comments. If I could afford to live an off-grid life in luxury I would aspire to live just like this family! In fact, I plan on starting small but eventually building a wonderful homestead like this! Not everyone needs to be living with VERY less. This is still them living minimally compared to most people with their perceived wealth in the city. And it is definitely off grid if they fish and build a veg garden! Stop with the negativity. It’s like you’re not happy unless someone lives in a tiny 15 ft off grid camper.
Stop being a baby. Only a rich person could do this. Grow up.
Everyone’s just a bunch of haters full of jealousy. Making money is easy when you know the game and how it’s played, and with the age of the internet where there is a free flow of info and connectivity, you have everything you need. I live in an upscale area in northern Virginia and transition to the village life in Sri Lanka over the summer. Its both off the grid and sustainable.
Believe me you have the best kidds in that kind of environment as long as God's first,
Your story gives inspiration to those who are planning to live in rural. We would love to share this with our customers who bought vacant land from us and planning to live away from the city. They will surely get awesome ideas from your videos.
I just wanna know where this is, so when there's a zombie apocalypse... i know where to go lol
Amazing, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching, happy you enjoyed the video :)
Peaceful when I'm not thinking of bears 😊
This is the dream setup!
if you wonder how expensive that whole setup cost... EVERYTHING you see included, the work etc etc.... we're talking more than a million$ EASILY.
stop throwing numbers out from your ass like you know what you’re talking about
@@Andrew-sx2st LOL if you think bringing multiple industrial level exacavators by boat through a river , installing turbine systems, generator, the 2 boats, the whole house itself etc etc etc is less than a million then you're not the brightest !
Im sure this is not inexpensive, but its gorgeous and enjoy it well.
What’s so difficult about putting the location (country) in the title?? Or at LEAST in the description?!!
BC Canada for sure, and likely either an island off of Vancouver Island like Sidney Island if he works in Victoria BC, if by the city where he works he meant Vancouver, then somewhere like Bowen Island. They said 20 minute boat ride to the marina but no other commute times so hard to know.
Not sure I'd call this living off the grid in the normal sense.
@Michael Cera We can see real off the grid living people all the time. All the hobos on the street. Cannot be tracked at all (one meaning of off the grid), their homes don't consume any electricity, they use clothes to not freeze, drink from places that offer free water. That's off the grid.
Absolutely awesome. In today’s world who wouldn’t want to live there
People in the comments are sad/jelous who cares that they are wealthy people living off grid. The title doesn't say "how you can also love off grid"
These are people who've worked hard and have made a life that they wanted. People getting hung up on the money side of things they just wanted to show what they have created. Get real
"Worked hard"
Nicely done and great story, and what a amazing beautiful place for living in peace and harmony with the nature's surroundings,
Life in heaven 👍👏😍best place on earth
OMG this so beautiful I wish I have something like that live out of the city.I live out of the city and I think it's peaceful imagine there how better wow Good blessed u guys at at that beautiful life you u guys live.
Perfect timing, to move on to their own island right before the pandemic hit
Perfect place to live
Wow!!! That's luxurious living plus a very healthy living for soul and mind!!!! High-tech too!!! Off-grid?!!! Nah?! It's an everday adventure eh😊❤️❤️❤️😎👏
Wow. So many negative comments. They probably work hard for their money and chose a paths of careers that are lucrative. Why can’t people just say, “how nice for them and what a beautiful home and property”.
Am I the only one who doesn't know where this is and would like to know? Is this in the US or Canada? Seems like Canada to me, but it could also be Washington State I suppose. I was waiting for them to say the word *about so I could figure it out, but I didn't hear it. Didn't hear them sound Canadian in their *outs and *abouts. Do all North Americans know where this is and that's why no one is asking? lol
The wanderers ::: Coastal BC & Wa. have lots of beautiful small islands.
The way he said "house" sounded Canadian to me . . .
Sunshine coast
life styles of the rich and famous !! over 1 million i bet !
Stunning I’d love this x
Wowww... Subhanallah!! 🥰🥰🥰 So beautiful view..
Macha allah
I absolutely love this !! You are guys are living the best life.
Such a beautiful place you guys have there i would love to visit with my family someday
Beautiful build! I would’ve liked to see more of the interior of the cabin also.
A pellet stove...really?? That's like the most insane 'non-off the grid' solution i can imagine.
@@ebaziuk Chopping wood and other manual labour is for peasants. They can't be bothered with actual work like that.
@@ebaziuk They have one pellet stove and a regular one. Did you not watch the video and see the pile of wood, or were you too busy trying to find a reason to shame someone for building a life that the enjoy to see it?
Yes,but the pellet stove has a co2 scrubber that will save the planet.
@@gerald4027 😂
Some great ideas - making the most of what you have, excellent! Thanks for sharing.
Off the grid: Rich people edition
he still works, not a lame-bo bum who wants his children wearing second-hand clothes from the thrift store while driving a truck that counter-acts the point of living off the grid, as some off-grid people do...
@@confused5573 it's not off the grid if you make your own grid.
Yeah , can they use a six family member
Great comment I was wondering the same thing, like where this guy gets all this money, guy has 3 Children 2 expensive dogs, two boats... etc... I have 7 companies and I don’t have the money to buy all that.
Jason Heward
Off grid means off the main grid.
Moral of this story: Just stop being poor.
Or save and invest your money carefully?
Yeah. And when you are rich, it is fun to play pioneer farmers; especially when you can return home to Lakeside mansion.
lmao, that is a good advice at same time as a good moral
@mark fenter 30 years ago old man. Times have changed.
@@justdrop Bought my bus in 2018 for $1500. You can still get them on the cheap and invest a few thousand dollars in making it a home, which ain't much for a house.
If I was a millionaire this is the kind of stuff I would be doing. Screw the new cars and gucci clothes. I would build a custom house away from the city but close enough for me to be hospitalize in case of an emergency.
Make an helipat and buy some heli bro
@@funlife4323 😂 right a millionaire can do this
☀️
Me too
well i sure dont know any plastic bag trees, so....
"Renovated an old cabin"= built a multi million dollar private resort..
With 2 boats!!
That is my first question every time when I see guys living off-grid, where the money from? 🤷🏻♂️ This building did not jump out from the ground. And the land is not free, as well. That is f..king hard to find a land wich is peaceful as this in Europe. And - off course - must have construction permit. So I dont know what are the rules over ther, but here is almost impossible to build something like in the video.
@@krisztianbazsik4814 guys look like 40+. Probably had a good job or business. Saved up and went off grid. Not really impossible
@@krisztianbazsik4814 offgrid lands are pretty abandance in us. You can get 5-10 Acres of lands for like 40-50k
@@lzcats7431 oh yes, I understand that. I just want to say it is rich enough or young enough to leave the system. I just purchased a house in a small village in Danmark. I am 37 and a proud father of two lovely girls. Although I want to get a peaceful place, where we can grow veggies in the garden and weak up for birds song. And build clever solutions wich help in climate change fight.
🖖🏼
imagine coming home early and seeing another boat
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
This comment wins.....
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha . . .
Underrated comment
🤣🤣🤣