Man used YouTube videos to build a tiny house for $23k and now lives off grid with no rent or bills
A man who, like many, was desperate to buy his own place, but didn't have the funds, came up with a solution. To build his own tiny home. Now, he's not only free from rent, but bills too, due to his off-grid living.
Ivan Gradoboev, 35, from Sofia, Bulgaria, is now living off-grid in his second self built tiny home, and now wants to teach people how to build their own tiny house, with no experience, just like he did.
"I just hated the feeling of being in a never-ending rat race, which I’m sure everyone who’s renting or paying a mortgage can relate to. You just can’t stop, because if you do, it’s only a matter of time before your life starts falling apart," Ivan tells UNILAD. "The only tiny little problem was that I couldn’t afford to buy even a small apartment, let alone a whole house."
After a lot of research, and $11k in savings, Ivan realized he had enough money to buy a small patch of agricultural land and some basic materials.
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Without any knowledge, or clue what to do with it, the 35-year-old bought first plot of 200 sqm (2,150 sqft), and since then, learned about off-grid living.
Those who live off the grid live self-sufficiently, without relying on public utility systems including manual electricity.
"I could tell you a beautiful story of me wanting to go all green, but the real reason behind that was the limitations of the property. It was simply way too expensive or impossible to connect to the grid," Ivan explains about his solar powered, energy efficient tiny house.
Amazingly, Ivan had no previous experience in construction, or knowledge on off-grid living - but this is where YouTube became his best friend.
"I watched hundreds of hours of YouTube videos on construction, and funnily, the more I was learning about modern off-grid systems, the more exciting it all felt, as I realised I could actually become independent not only from rent, but from the monthly utility bills as well," he says.
Due to his new way of living, the only bills Ivan pays, is his 5G internet, which is included in his monthly phone bill.
Ivan - who is now living in his second self built 420 square feet tiny house, uses solar panel for electricity, a propane for cooking, and a well for water. He's lived in there for three years, but overall, it's been six years since his tiny house journey.
Ivan started building his first tiny house in September 2020, and moved in on New Year's Eve that same year, as soon as it was 'remotely liveable to use the money for the build instead of renting, and spent the next year finishing it.'
However, it didn't come without challenges.
"I’d be lying if I said I never doubted the initial decision to get into all this," Ivan tells UNILAD.
"Sometimes I’d look around and ask myself - man, what the hell are you even doing, building some house in the middle of freaking nowhere, completely on your own? It definitely wasn’t the easiest year of my life mental-health-wise, but it was totally worth it. And I am super grateful to my past self for what he invested in the life I have now," he adds.
After under two years of living in his first property, Ivan decided to move onto bigger things, although, not much bigger. After spending €20K ($23K) on the house overall, he managed to sell it for €54K ($63K), which was almost three times as much as he put in.
Ivan then moved onto building his next house, which he describes as 'pure childlike joy,' after learning about what to do, and what not to do, in his first build.
In his first tiny house, Ivan says he compromised on having 'a full-size kitchen with an oven and a dishwasher, a big fridge,' something he now doesn't have to.
The 35-year-old says he spent €50K on his second house, and is now used to living off-grid.
"My batteries almost never go below 80 per cent, but I still use A+++ appliances and turn on the water heater only when I’m about to use it. I finally have a well with unlimited freshwater, but I still use the urinal and close the tap while brushing my teeth, because it just feels stupid not to," he explains.
And in fact, living in a tiny house hasn't been a downgrade from a regular house at all. "In many ways it actually felt better," he says.
Although Ivan has the skills, and money, to buy a bigger house, he's holding off right now. After having built his own homes, the 35-year-old says he now channels his time and resources into sharing the knowledge and experience he's gained with enthusiasts like himself.
"I am already working on an educational system that will help everyone to build their first tiny - or even not so tiny - house, that will include a series of free video lessons with every step explained and displayed so that everyone with little to no experience can follow along," he tells us.
"I’m not saying that everyone should move into a tiny house. But for me it definitely was a turning point and a solution to a problem I thought was unsolvable – and something tells me I’m not the only one."
Tiny homes are incredibly popular, here's where you can buy a flat pack one now:
Topics: World News, Features
Kiesha Dosanjh