Last Updated: Nov 6, 2023
Rudi Fowler is a doer – the type of person who sets lofty goals and simply makes sure he reaches them. That mindset was no different when he and his wife decided to build their dream home on a secluded piece of land in rural New Brunswick, Canada.
Rudi's distaste for having monthly bills quickly turned into action by way of setting off to build a completely self-reliant, off-grid home. And while this might seem a bit extreme for some, this home is proof that you don't have to compromise when it comes to taking your home off-grid and it might not be as pricey or as difficult as you may think.
It's always interesting to see how folks approach going off-grid, because to date, it's a very involved process from the homeowners' perspective. A lot of time and research are devoted to finding the best systems and products that will ultimately make up how the home is put together. Rudi's experience was no different.
For the average homeowners who dream of taking their home off-grid, Rudi's advice: 'Plan your off-grid around the build. Learn about wattage, and become familiar with appliances and systems in terms of how much electricity they use. Forget about electric heating elements altogether, and consider alternative heating options. Also, consider passive solar as an approach to building.'
This log home blends beautifully into its environment, and despite having more than 5,200 square feet of living space, it still looks and feels cozy. A variety of natural materials and elements were used in conjunction with the logs, such as stone. One of the striking features of this home is its 40-foot tall fireplace. Aside from being built from solid concrete block, it is accentuated by roughly 5 tonnes of rounded rock, sourced from a local rock pit.
The home is built on top of ICF (insulated concrete forms) on both sides of the concrete walls of the foundation.
Log homes can be a bit challenging when it comes to insulation. The main floor actually has no insulation. The second floor has blown-in R-24 and the roof has blown-in R-60.
Being surrounded by trees makes owning a wood stove much more logical than in busy city centers. A wood boiler was used as the main heat source, and a hydronic in-floor system is used to distribute that heat. A propane boiler was also installed as a backup but has yet to be used. A wood stove from Pacific Energy is used as secondary heating.
The same wood boiler used for heating the home is responsible for hot water heating in the winter, while surplus electricity from the solar panels is used to power an air-to-water heat pump that heats the water in the summer.
Bringing this home to off-grid status meant an investment in a solar system, one that would allow Rudi's family to be completely independent of the grid. They're actually about three kilometers away from the nearest line. Power is gathered by a total of 20 panels (230 watts each), which were installed on a free-standing aluminum rack. The energy is stored using a recycled forklift battery and distributed using a six-kilowatt Schneider Electric inverter. Rudi had a bit of an advantage on this front, as he also happens to run Epic Energy, a regional installer of solar panels.
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