Off-grid living in a yurt year round might sound intense, but you'd be surprised how cosy it can be! In this episode of GridFree Living, we visited Morgan and Jessica, two Californians who made New Zealand home and purchased their yurt from Lifespace Yurts in Whangarei, known for livable yurts and their attention to detail that really benefits permanent yurt living. After 10 years living in Wellington, they decided to take the plunge and move to Northland, an area of New Zealand they loved and that reminded them of where they grew up. Morgan's rural childhood was full of forts, climbing trees, and hiking—something they both wanted their children to experience. Part of living off-grid was so they could raise animals too—part of a slower, simpler life they craved. Living in a city keeps you busy, Jessica said, and what living grid-free gives is a chance to be close as a family with more freedom.
A positive experience in livable yurts happened at a holiday park piqued Jessica's interest in yurt living, as she appreciated the closeness with her family there. On their acre of land, the yurt is the main living space and focal point that provided needed indoor space for their family and they're currently adding on to their home, using a caravan as their kitchen, a temporary building for sleeping, and a shed for Morgan's office.
You might be hard-pressed to say the right time to set up livable yurts is at the start of a lockdown, but that's exactly what happened to Morgan and Jessica. They had to get creative with solving problems they had that they didn't know they would have. Their off-grid journey for living in a yurt year-round was learn as you go with resources from the internet and trying things out. Jessica says the challenge of beginning life off-grid at the start of lockdown helped. "Our confidence built up, just surviving those first five weeks without absolutely nothing and actually no support either—not even from the power company...it was like, 'Yeah, we could do it!'" Inside their permanent yurt living space is cozy with a small wood burner and a wide open floor that's got bookshelves, and guitar on a hardwood floor Morgan built as a project during lockdown.
Adapting to rainy days, Jessica says, "It's muddy but it's not that cold and it's still beautiful. Even though it's grey you can still go outside and enjoy yourself." Finding solar power during cloudy days is part of the mindset change...and probably a day, Morgan says, not to run the vaccum cleaner. "In the summer, it's a free-for-all—you've got power to burn." Jessica runs a swimsuit business from home and has her sewing machine running and Morgan's computer going too—they knew they would have specific power requirements which is why he purchased and installed the DIY solar GridFree Freedom Kit. Morgan said about setting it up: "It was pretty straightforward to do and saved us money."
Is permanent yurt living for you or are you in the planning phases of living in a yurt year-round off-grid? Check out our GridFree Freedom Solar Kit over on our website. You can also find more resources you need for off-grid living in New Zealand. We are the off-grid solar energy equipment supplier with a DIY attitude.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:56 - Backstory
01:36 - Outside Tour
02:09 - Where the Yurt came from
02:26 - First Arriving on the Land
03:02 - Outside Tour Continued
03:44 - Learn as you Go
04:31 - Chicken Coop
05:08 - Adapting to Winter
05:50 - Tree Fort
06:20 - Solar in Winter
06:54 - GridFree Experience
07:28 - Yurt Interior
08:41 - Why a Yurt?
09:19 - Kitchen
10:12 - Advice
10:39 - Morgan's Office
11:34 - Values/Outro
The Freedom Kit:
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