I got up this morning, turned on the coffeemaker, walked the puppy, watched a little television news, booted up my computer and went to work.
I bring this up not because it’s particularly remarkable—quite the opposite—but because the New Improved Secret Hidden Bunker in the Rocky Mountains connects to no power lines. There’s no cable for cable television, no phone lines, no sewer or water connection. In fact, it is untethered from what we’ve come to call “the grid.” And, at least for the moment, it’s working.
The journey began as so many epic adventures do—with a simple question. My Sweetie and I were living in the little Colorado town of Nederland at 9000 feet, where to quote actor Will Geer’s Bear Claw in Jeremiah Johnson, “Winter’s a long time going … stays long this high.” After 13 winters, it was time to Go Down.
When we moved to Ned 13 years ago, it was a quirky place whose only real source of income was the Frozen Dead Guy, a Norwegian grandfather kept on dry ice in a Tuff Shed—Google it, even I can’t make stuff like that up — and the eponymous Frozen Dead Guy Days each bitterly cold March. We even marched one year in the Frozen Dead Guy parade through the one-block-long town. As newcomers, we got the ideal position between the herd of alpacas and the bondage sluts riding on the hoods of hearses. Really.
When we decided to leave Ned, it had become the epicenter of the “marijuana revolution” in the United States. The little mountain town of 1200 people and some dogs sported five medicinal marijuana outlets, one retail marijuana outlet, a “smoking room,” three hydroponic gardening centers, a pipe store, 30 grow rooms blossoming with designer ganja and a startling number of vintage Volkswagen buses and tie-dyed T-shirts, as if the Grateful Dead tour had just trucked in from 1968. My Sweetie and I were the only two people in town with reliable short-term memories.
After a year of searching, we found a stunning 34 acres with breathtaking views, close enough to go into the northern Colorado cites of Ft. Collins and Loveland for a good dinner and upwind enough from Denver to miss most of the fallout — joke, JOKE! After all, I was the producer of the first “survival” show, “The Best Defense/Survival,” which laid the groundwork for those that followed. One London newspaper reporter referred to me as “the most depressing man in America” after my guest appearance on the History Channel’s special, “After Armageddon.” I told her I thought I was upbeat and perky as well as heavily armed. You’ve got to expect a certain level of paranoia.
As we looked out over this amazing property, which equally amazingly we could afford, we both noticed an absence of power lines, telephone poles and the other accoutrements of the 21st century.
“What would you think,” asked my Sweetie, “about building an off-grid house?” “Yippie!” my Internal Survivalist shouted. “Hmmmmmmmm,” I said out loud. But the die was cast.
Do you dream of living off the grid? If so, let us hear your motivations and challenges in the comment section.
[mbane]
If you are looking at a catalog from a specific company that makes the product, probably.Not one of the catalogs or magazines that I have or will mention,do that.They sell everything from entry level items up to the top notch products.But , as in life, cheap will limit what expansion the system is capable of.Expensive is not a luxury that all people have. Where my property is, south central Colorado,10,000 feet, we have winter! Solar modules produce more power in the cold, than in hot temps.You can check online for the solar irradiance in your area that you plan to build.I thought I had mentioned the gain in power of solar in the winter.As a Sid note, you can also get large spikes in the power output of modules by a condition known as edge of cloud effect.This is why you aim to have a system that is balanced unit,with roughly a 20 percent cushion for these possibilities…..again, most of the solar suppliers,(not manufacturers) will try to help you choose the system that will fit your needs,as well as future needs…..And yes some salesmen will lead you down the path, that’s why it’s your responsibility to have some knowledge of what size and capability system you are wanting….rsbhunter
Catalogues are designed to sell merchandise. What I would like to see are comments on the practicality of solar in the less temperate areas of the country.
Where we are likely moving to they have four to five months of winter. A salesman is going to tell you what you want to hear.
As to part numbers, models, brands, etc, you are asking a question that has a million variables.What aspect off a off grid cabin/house are you needing info on? Without knowing all of the requirements you need, the land location, how many people, what comfort level you want, etc, it’s not a question that can be answered with any accuracy…Fill in all the blanks, including the target budget you have, and I’m sure everyone here will help with what they can…..rsbhunter
I read the story on Michael Bane’s off grid house.It would have been much more helpful if he would have told us (those of us who are planning an off grid home) about names of products, part numbers, how they were used, etc., etc. It would save some of us many wasted hour’s of research Please help- and I’d gladly pay for all the info, just to save myself many, many hours of research./ Thank You- William Condon
yes this is a facebook page but check it out. There is a lot of fluff but also a lot of good info in the older post.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Living-Off-the-Grid/228080417303590?hc_location=stream
I truly believe in what you wrote. It’s not escapism, it’s realism on our own terms. Live a long happy life in your choice of solitude. The only thing you said that’s still a problem is the cost of alternative energy. You’d think that the government would demand lower cost for the devices since they always talk about it BUT, perhaps the oil companies and electric conglomerations forbid it. Oh well, maybe some day.
There are a bunch of forums, catalogs (backwoods solar) and solar suppliers websites that will help with the selection of matching components.Though I am far from an expert on solar power, I have put together a 2800 watt solar setup using components that are ALMOST plug and play.The only suggestion I will make is to spend the money on a MPPT charge controller.It is much more effiecient than the other designs…rsbhunter
Thanks for the tip on, “HOME POWER MAGAZINE.” that looks like a good place to start.
So, where is the rest of the story?
I agree with Miles. Lots of comments, no story. C’mon Michael Bane, lets see it please?
The best advice i have is to make sure that this is feasible for you to do…if you’re talking about what most people consider going “off grid” it might be a major undertaking. If you work from home, or are retired, then it’s alot easier than having to go to a job everyday. This , of course depends alot where your property is. Some people live close enough to a town, that they can travel everyday.My property is 10 miles on a dirt road at 10,000 feet altitude…And the small town (pop. 500) is not an option for work. But, in 3 years i’ll retire, and then make the move there full time.Home Power magazine is an excellent source for info on solar, wind and hydro power in off grid situations…and suppliers.I encourage anyone that wants to go off grid to do it, but research all of the sacrifices you will have to make against the benefits, to make sure it is a lifestyle you can live with…When i’m working on my solar shed, the peace i have is awesome….but the work involved is incredible…just look at all the angles before you dive in, and if this is a dream that you have had for awhile, then make it happen….Good luck…rsbhunter
I would love to do this in North East Oklahoma but really have no Idea How to start or anything about it at all. Can you help me?
Solar produces more in sunny ,cold temps and less in the heat, generally…which is a big bonus as there is less solar exposure in the winter (shorter daylight hours)…rsbhunter
We got into solar power way before it was fashionable and before the web really had lots of information, and well before tax credits. Today, most if not all is on the web – just Google it and start reading.
Much of the research we obtained was from the Federal’s Government’s National Labs in Golden CO (where they did lots of original research in wind and solar), and there are studies that have been made by geographic region for the efficiency of solar. So, recommend that you overlay your location with these studies to gain the output. For us at the time (15 years ago), we built our solar structure to hold 15 150 watt panels stationary at a 45 degree incline (roof line to edge)… facing due south and that is the best trade off for year-round power at our latitude – with maximum performance in Spring and Fall. If installed properly, the only maintenance is the deep cycle batteries replacement every X years, depending on usage, load exercised and how you engineer the system. Go for it!
I would appreciate some advice from those of you who live in less temperate areas as to how viable solar electricity is?
Keep us updated!
Wish you the best love your story. I am getting to old and my wife likes the comfort might convince her if I could get the whole family to go sounds like a dream. Will just have to wait for heaven. God bless you both.
Dumbest and borringest story I have ever read.
“off grid” does not mean “outlaw, nor outcast” . This is a life style , not a cop out. I don’t think that most off grid people believe they will become “invisible” to the Gov’t.. It’s hard to hide from thermal cameras, satellites, etc… What my goal is , includes being able to live within my means at retirement age, not living in fear that my water bill, electric bill, or other bills that i don’t control for day to day existence , don’t control me. Yes, sacrifice is a major part of off grid…but what i sacrifice in “creature comforts, i more than make up for in living my life by mostly my choice of style.. This is not running away, nor disconnecting from society….it’s just having a few more freedoms, than by being on grid…..When i’m on my property, at most i hear a chain saw, a jet flying overhead, or an atv. I can honestly say i know more of my neighbors there, only working on the cabin on weekends there, than i do at the home i have in the city….that iv’e lived in for 10 years…..It is not for everyone, but then again, that’s why we choose to live in America, because we have the right to choose for ourselves….As for the cost of solar, it’s not cheap, but it is cheaper now than ever….i know people that got into it when panels cost between 3-5$ a WATT!….But again, each to there own….rsbhunter
You did not define “off grid”. I would prefer to have a house owned by a dummy corporation or trust such that there was no record associating my name and my address, but that is tricky. You must know you cannot put a PO box address on the papers you fill out when you buy a pistol, and I like mail, UPS deliveries and trash service. I am on the grid, but I have a propane Generac and a good deep well in anticipation of grid and water delivery problems. A solar energy system would be nice, but not at current prices. This way seemed more practical than a real hideout.
HOW ? !!!
Were we able, we’d do the same. Nothing would make me happier than to be independent from the tethering of forced society. I’m not anti-social, just the opposite but independence, privacy and security offers more peace of mind than any other. Good for the Banes and anyone who can achieve it.
Good comment and advice.
I think location, location, location may be a key element for what a lot of us would like to do. My ex boss, (the guy with the mountain top) went into the alternative energy business and when he visited my ‘casita’ on the beach at Baja he noted that I had a constant sea breeze. He judged that I was an excellent candidate for wind generated power.
It took seven years for them to get electricity into our area and then they wanted $1,000 to hook up for something I only used for a few hours at night on weekends. I opted for a gas powered generator. It was noisy but it only cost me about $300 and did a good job for electricity on demand.
The unit he suggested looked like a miniature oil derrick about eighteen feet high with about a six foot fan driven by the breeze. He claimed it would be so quiet I wouldn’t even notice it. He said he could install it for about $1,800 and with the battery back up and an inverter it would give me all the electricity I could use all the time. Frankly I was afraid that only being there on weekends, the way things were changing south of the border, I’d come home to four studs in the concrete post and darkness.
When we do relocate north, it’s an undeveloped area. I’m seriously thinking of solar power for electricity, a back up generator which we already have for emergencies, wood and propane for heat and a well up hill from a septic system. Am I missing something?
I’d really appreciate some comments from those of you living in the colder northern states in rural areas as I’ve always been a city slicker in sunny southern California . I see that the folks up there have their big propane tanks out back, but few have fireplaces and that last time I was up there I didn’t see solar anywhere.
The best advice I was ever given was that when you go off grid, you need to adjust to your new lifestyle, it won,t adjust to you.The biggest thing to overcome is adjusting to the limits of water, solar,etc.Check into Home Power magazine and all of the backwoods, and other magazines….they are a goldmine of help….rsbhunter
Michael – Enjoyable article! Thanks…
Off the grid is not only possible, but doable if you combine today’s tech with old fashion hard work and the basic engineering that pioneers and farmers employed (like gravity feed pressure).
We have lived completely off grid for over seven years on a 522 acre ranch, surrounded by National Forest at 8,800 feet between Vail and Steamboat. We built and installed most of what is there now, including 2 fire hydrants, underground water system and sewage systems! We power two luxury homes, a 40’x100′ insulated metal shop (complete with welder and other 220volt power equipment), and a yurt with a combination of a Capstone micro-turbine (over 120,000 hours and runs on propane from underground tanks) and solar. Voice and internet communications is handled by a combination of a cell tower 30+ miles away and satellite. In fact, I’m writing this blog from our Ranch. To see pictures, check out:
http://coloradodistinctivehomes.com/aspen-ridge-ranch-11394-county-road-11-kremmling-co-80459
Most people don’t realize the joy of the quiet and a milky way filled sky.
Keep up the great work!
Mike we have met a couple times at EOT and WR and spoke.
As a full time RVer now a 40′ toy hauler that has a 10′ shop for storage , reloading, and laundry room when parked, Use to house a beautiful HD ultra classic bike before the accident.
But how sure you generating power solar, wind, or hydro?
Satellites will give you tv, and intranet if you can power the recvd/transcvr
Cell will give you phone and or internet for small stuff.
A good creek or larger will give you water even pressurized water lines if it is pumped using a battery and solar recharger like a 45 wt kit from harbor freight for less than $100. You will need a barrel for accumulator iirc other than that you got good clean water with less chance of getting an illness than from city water if you filter it correctly.
Sewage is easily handled by a septic tank .
So if enough money wisely thrown at the right places can make an off grid home as comfortable as an on grid home. The problem is having the money up front for all the different systems. I forgot the easiest source of power a generator big enough for the house, and it’s appliances but I would have it set up as a backup to the renewable energy producers.
Because you can still have one of those big propane/gas tanks attached and be off grid so to speak.
Now that I threw out several ways it could be done please tell us how it was done and why you chose your methods. Tia.
On the same line of thinking..I am just finishing a 20×12 foot “solar” shed.Property is at 10’000 ft, totally off grid…cabin will be 20×30 ft …a lot of work by myself, do this while you’re young! Located near San Luis, Colorado….
Carroll the Irishman: Is there anyway you could plug in some pictures and tell us more about this type of construction? I had a vacation home in the 80’s right off the beach at Baja. It was a low budget addition to a trailer but it was very comfortable until we got neighbors.
An ex boss had one built in an exclusive area off a golf course at San Felipe. It was built out of straw. It was beautiful. The walls were about two feet thick bales of straw wired together then plastered. They were cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter but field mice eventually wore their way through the plaster and then you had visitors. His had all the amenities but cost him about $150,000. My beach hose was only about $3,000.
The wife and I are considering building on some beautiful wilderness property we own in Michigan but I’m paranoid of some careless SOB with a match setting the forest on fire. I’d like to know more about this earth bag construction.
Look on Facebook. There’s tons there. Good Luck.
I know Nederland, Loveland, Ft. Collins and about the dead dude. Colorado is a great state for survival/off grid living. Keep us all posted and up to date on your new free open space. By the way, you forgot Boulder but, that’s a different story. Good luck on building your security and privacy. You might consider building with earthbags. Cheaper and is pretty close to being bullet proof. You’ve got all the elements to build all around you. What you’ll need can be bought cheap with the exception of the air compressor. It’s about $1,500 and the sprayer is about $250. I’m building with it but, I’m using scoria to fill the bags. That would be real good there because of the winters. Check it out. It might be a great alternative to a regular box wooden house.
I would really like to hear how you were able to get this done from start to finish.
It would seem that being in that location, close enough for a good dinner in town, would also have some city/county building code enforcement.
Were they knowledgeable enough to understand what you were doing?
Ready for the next read!
Michael, please keep chronicling your journey into off the grid, I’m really interested. I live very close to you, perhaps we could discuss it over coffee. omicron dot forums at gmail dot com.
Michael:
I’d really like to learn more about this and I’ hopeful you and others like you will be our guides. About 30 plus years ago an ex boss of mine bought a secluded mountain top in a remote region of Orange County in Southern California. After bulldozing off the top he built a pre-fab’d compound that was truly off the grid. It was about a half mile off an unmarked exit from the highway. With the exception of propane everything else was self sufficient. If I could find it again I’d like to take another look at it. He had: water from his own well, his own sewage system, solar and wind generated electrical power plus a small diesel powered backup emergency generator. There was nothing primitive about it. My wife and I are looking forward to something like that to retire to.
try this site. Yes, it is facebook, but the site is called “living off the grid”
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Living-Off-the-Grid/228080417303590?hc_location=stream