Off-Grid "Temporary" House Ideas

obit11 on 07/06/2021 - 15:04

I have some land to make an off grid setup on.

Things I have considered I'll need:

  1. Some sort of house
  2. Solar Panel and Battery setup
  3. Gas Appliances
  4. Water Tank and Septic

As a starting point, I was considering these https://www.hometechnologyclub.com.au/ type homes. Easy enough to transport and Crain off into position.

So I'm just seeking some ideas for housing that is hopefully cost affective and ideally "temporary". Has anyone done anything similar? Anything to avoid or options that you found easy for the accommodation?

Thank you.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • dasher86 on 07/06/2021 - 15:31
    +1

    Budget?

    Might be better off with a caravan / motor home / "tiny house"

    • obit11 on 07/06/2021 - 20:34

      Yeah I thought about that, but I figured I'd rather spend the money once now then twice should I want a bigger dwelling.

      I'm envisioning 100k maximum should get me everything.

      Thank you

  • Bourb on 07/06/2021 - 15:55
    +2

    Your first step should be to see your local Council, they will tell you what you can , and what you cannot put on your Block.

    • obit11 on 07/06/2021 - 20:35

      Yeah bet they have some silly rules about where I can out something specifically.

  • Muzeeb on 07/06/2021 - 15:56
    +1

    Council permits to install a dwelling on the land.

    Increase in rates due to increase in capital improved value.

    Transport and craneage is very very expensive.

    Site access and gravel path for transport.

    • iDroid on 07/06/2021 - 16:12
      +1

      Transport and craneage is very very expensive.

      These 20ft container houses are actually reasonably cheap to transport as they only require a tilt tray truck (I've moved many 20 and 40ft containers).

      Even if you needed at worst a side loader, then you're likely only looking at $400 - $600 to move within the same state, or $800 - $2000 to move between states.

      Transporting via a tilt tray truck within the same state can be as cheap as $200.

      • Muzeeb on 07/06/2021 - 16:20

        Crain off into position.

        And craneage costs? That ain't cheap.

        • iDroid on 07/06/2021 - 16:35

          You don't need to crane with a tilt tray, they just tilt it off.

          A side loader has a crane like mechanism that can carefully unload directly onto your platform/site/stilts/etc.

          • Muzeeb on 07/06/2021 - 17:19
            +1

            @iDroid: I get it but you are assuming OP is just getting a shipping container.

            • iDroid on 07/06/2021 - 21:07

              @Muzeeb: The linked container house OP linked is a 20ft container. It "pulls-apart" after delivery. I'm very familiar with them. No assumption made.

          • ihbh on 07/06/2021 - 17:40

            @iDroid: How do buyers position container afterwards?

            • Third_Gear on 07/06/2021 - 18:48
              +1

              @ihbh: You set it where it is going to go first shot off the truck and if you need to level it just use bottle jacks and rollers. It actually isn’t too hard to do.

            • iDroid on 07/06/2021 - 21:08

              @ihbh: You have it delivered onto the position. If you can't then different issue, typically you have the truck drop directly on the final position.

  • Euphemistic on 07/06/2021 - 16:06
    +1

    Some sort of house

    Like what? Single room, multibedroom, tiny, enough for a family etc? How much DIY?

    En-suite caravan would be easiest, but not cheap.

    Once you’ve decided on the house, then you can size the solar etc to suit. Deciding what appliances you can do with/without will be important. Living simply, or maintaining ‘normal’ usage etc.

    • obit11 on 07/06/2021 - 20:46

      Yeah I started at caravan and I've made my way to easy dwelling such as above.

      Multi room, at least 30 square metres would be nice I think.

      Yeah I'd say a microwave for instance might do away. Gas would probably be a goer for stove, hot water etc.

  • Htu08 on 07/06/2021 - 16:19

    a yurt!!!

    Yurts are really cool

    • obit11 on 07/06/2021 - 20:38

      Gets pretty cold, they do look cool though

  • EightImmortals on 07/06/2021 - 16:29
    +3

    Composting toilet instead of septic?

  • netjock on 07/06/2021 - 17:02
    +1

    You should tap into resources of the tiny house community. Home on a trailer by pass a lot of rules around permanent structures, if you can meet weight limits you can tow it with more common vehicles (Landcruiser etc).

    Cost of truck with crane is expensive. 20ft container from dock to metro Melbourne is $600+, to country town 2hrs from Melbourne is $1600+.

  • Jolakot on 07/06/2021 - 17:24
    +1

    If 'temporary' is in the span of decades, then a really affordable option is to buy a dead/disused caravan, have it towed to the block

  • Mechz on 07/06/2021 - 20:36
    +1

    What most do is have a caravan as their 'dwelling' to get past the council rules of permanent dwellings then build a shed to store their beds etc.

  • iDroid on 07/06/2021 - 21:18
    +4

    I was considering one of these type houses, but ended up designing and building this: https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/82137/89442/container-…

    It's a high cube 40ft container that's been fully lined, insulated and gyprocked, full bathroom, 2 bedrooms and a lounge/tv area

    A lot cheaper, though more work than the linked container house.

    • dasher86 on 07/06/2021 - 23:34

      Not a bad design, did you use two containers?

      How much did it end up costing?

      Bedroom into a bedroom slightly odd.
      I would have out the lounge in the middle with the entrance there and the bedroom and bathrooms on either side.

      None the less well done.

      • iDroid on 08/06/2021 - 10:07
        +2

        That part is just 1 x 40ft container. We also have a second 20ft container done in a similar fashion that's got 2 desks for our office (working from home area) + a kitchen space. The space between the two will soon be covered to provide an outside but covered kitchen/utility area.

        Yes the bedroom to bedroom is odd, but IMO the other simple options have their own problems.

        If we put the lounge into the middle then we'd be entering into a bedroom and need to walk through the bedroom to get to the lounge - we didn't want that. This way it's also easier to block off the lounge and only heat/cool the bedrooms at night.

        Cost was about $7,000 excluding the container cost (I already have a few so I just used one I already had). That includes:

        • Steel frame for internal cladding
        • Sarking internals (walls and ceiling)
        • R2.5 insulation to walls
        • R3.5 insulation in the ceiling
        • Suspended ceiling throughout
        • Power points
        • Down lights
        • LPG hot water system
        • Plumbing (hot and cold water)
        • internal cavity sliders and doors + hardware
        • External doors + hardware
        • Second fix materials (architraves, etc etc)
        • Window
        • Show cubicle
        • Bathroom tiles
        • Vanity
        • Toilet
        • Paint

        Labour was free as my mates and myself did the work.

        • dasher86 on 08/06/2021 - 10:29
          +2

          thanks for the detailed reply.

    • Euphemistic on 08/06/2021 - 05:39

      Kitchen?

      • iDroid on 08/06/2021 - 10:07
        +1

        We also have a second 20ft container done in a similar fashion that's got 2 desks for our office (working from home area) + a kitchen space. The space between the two will soon be covered to provide an outside but covered kitchen/utility area also.

  • Gros21 on 09/06/2021 - 08:15

    ok ive went through this some facts.

    Speak to council some councils wont allow a basic septic system and want a treatment plant. Also alot of councils dont have a planner you can speak to so you just need to ask questions and get a yes or no.

    Dongas and similar are option but footings are $500 each with the ex curtis island dongas requiring 8 and approx 1k delivery.

    off grid solar you will need to know what you require, it gets expensive and you need roof space. but speak to a few local installer you may be able to get some older pannels to keep you going.

    Liveable shed while kits are cheap add up very quickly.

    Caravans are made for traveling not living small things like laundry and space will drive you crazy.

    water is not a major issue water tanks are cheap and its $150 to fill a 25000l tank you can also use 1000l ibc tanks and fill them up elseware i know a guy that had 3 in his horse float and filled them up at work (yes 3000kg of water + float made him 4 tonnes) food safe IBC would be from a concrete plant as they have a calcium based hardner in it (i used one for a marine tank water top ups zero issues)

  • Chuckler on 08/07/2021 - 13:38

    I hear from the vandwellers subreddit that the latest in toilet technology is combusting toilets that incinerate the output into a ridiculously small amount of ash.

  • poohah on 04/08/2023 - 20:10

    There is an article on plumbing here https://www.cabins.com.au/blogs/news/how-do-i-connect-up-the…

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