We have decided to move to a retirement community from our beautiful off-grid, solar home on 60 wooded acres, backed by DNR and National Forest on two sides. No restrictions or CC&R's. Our home is about 3 miles up an unpaved county road. We are about 1,500 feet above the town of Chelan which is about 11 miles away. The gravel driveway from the house to the county road is about 1,000'.
We had the shell of the 3400 square foot, two-story home finished for us in 2004 with all required permits, and have been slowly completing the interior which is now at least 80% done. We'd obviously prefer all cash but would take $300,000 down of the $495,000 sale price and carry the rest for 10 or 15 years.
Communications/Power
We are totally off-grid. Underground power and phone is about 1,000' down the county road from our Property. We have no desire to hook up, but power and phone lines are available, for a price.
We have internet and wifi via satellite uplink-downlink dish. Our internet service is by HughesNet. Reliable but not as fast as wired. HughesNet sends us offers to upgrade to a new Gen4 system, which is faster, but we haven't done it. We have no landline phone, and cell coverage is via antennas and amplifier system.
There is very marginal cell coverage, so to get service we have a 6' receiving antenna mounted on a mast outside that feeds an amplifier in the house that rebroadcasts the signal via an internal antenna. I purchased the components for Verizon frequencies. If you have AT&T or others, you would have to replace the amplifier, about $200 or so.
House
We had the shell of the 3400 square foot, two-story home finished for us in 2004 with all required permits, and have been slowly completing the interior which is now at least 80% done. We designed the house and have the plans. I can send scanned copies to serious inquiries.
The downstairs (1700 sq ft) is finished with a huge family room, two bedrooms, pool table, stone fireplace with cooking crane, a freestanding wood stove, a guest kitchen, 8x12 walk-in pantry, battery/storage room which also holds the inverter for the solar panels, shared full bath, vanity/sink in both downstairs bedrooms, and ceramic floor tile.
The upstairs (also 1700 sq ft) is partially finished with drywall and paint already done throughout. The kitchen/great room is about 900 sq ft. We are currently working on the main kitchen area which will be approximately 500 square feet and ceramic tiled. The kitchen has a professional Garland 6-burner stove with large griddle, salamander, and two large ovens. The stone fireplace with cooking crane faces into the kitchen. The great room (which is open to the kitchen) includes a freestanding wood stove and also opens to the 10'x42' covered front deck overlooking the driveway approach and the valley to the North. The adjacent master suite is approximately 550 square feet and includes a walk-in closet, a separate toilet room, large (unfinished) shower stall, and space for the vanity and soaking tub. Except for the ceramic tiled kitchen, powder room, and master toilet room, there is no floor covering on upper floor.
Water/Wastewater
Our well is 560' deep and is tested.
We run a generator to pump the water out of the well about once every week or so. We pump it uphill to a buried 1000 gal. holding tank. From there, it gravity feeds back down, giving us our never-fail, power-free water. We have a propane tankless water heater for hot water.
Wastewater from the house gravity flows to an approved energy-free disposal system. No pumping!
Outbuildings
The working chicken and duck houses have a solar-electric fenced yard. The chicken and duck houses consist of two 8' x 8' double walled, insulated cubes separated by a 4' wide hallway. We currently have 6 Muscovy ducks and 12 Black Jersey Giant chickens.
There is also a 24' x 30' enclosed shop, 10' x 12' woodshed, 8' x 8' generator shed, and roofed RV parking space with septic system.
Neighbors
For a mile or so in all directions, there are two year-round neighbors and about a half dozen weekend people.
Property to the west and south of us is either DNR or Forest Service land.
Property to north is about 300 acres owned by one person, our closest neighbor when he visits his vacation home on weekends.
Property to the east is currently vacant and about 60 or 70 acres. It is owned by a couple who use it occasionally on weekends with their tent trailer.
Location
Our home is about 3 miles up an unpaved county road. We are about 1,500 feet above the town of Chelan which is about 11 miles away.
The gravel driveway from the house to the county road is about 1,000'.
Extras
- And, if all that wasn't enough, we are including the following with the sale because we are moving to a retirement community as soon as the house sells.
- Generators.
- Kubota 4-wheel drive diesel tractor Model 3710 with Kubota loader and less than 600 total hours.
- Kubota 3-point snowblower; clears 6' wide in one pass.
- 3-point brush mower attachment for tractor; 6' wide.
- 3-point pallet fork attachment.
- Great Bend 751 3-point backhoe attachment; digs to 8' deep.
- Hobart Handler 175 MIG welder and tank - 220 volt.
- Oxy-acy torches, hoses, and tanks.
- 10" table saw, 6" band saw - metal, 12" bandsaw - wood, 6" joiner, 10" radial arm saw, planer/molding cutter, power and hand planes, saws, belt/disc sander, drill press, hand tools,
- 12' aluminum john-boat, seats, oars, electric trolling motor, fishing rods, reels, tackle.
- Woodworking, tile, electrical, automotive and plumbing tools.
- Portable air compressor, hoses, nail guns, air tools.
- Honda powered pressure washer.
- Honda powered log splitter.
- Lawn mowers.
- Airless paint sprayer.
And a lot more. All the spare parts and little bits and pieces it take to run the place that we won't need.
Please contact offgrid150@yahoo.com for more pictures or more information.
