I BOUGHT LAND FOR MY OFF GRID DREAM: HERE’S HOW
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- Опубликовано: 16 окт 2024
- I bought our 4.5 acre plot of land at the age of 22: In this video I explain how.
When I bought this land it was an empty field. Now, 17 years on and 3.5K trees later, it is a growing woodland. I live here completely off grid with my wife Rachael and our two children, Grace and Albie. We use solar panels to generate electricity and collect and filter rainwater. We grow an increasing amount of our own food (something that we are working hard to build on at the moment) and would one day like to build a house here.
If you would like to learn more about our off grid life please subscribe to our channel and join us on our journey.
Thanks for watching!
Fraser, Rachael, Grace and Albie
The Off Grid Family
#buylanduk #offgriduk #offgridlivinguk
I bought my land 8 years ago. I'll never see the trees I've planted fully grown, yet I still wish to plant more.
It’s great that you’re still planting trees. We are too 😊
Likewise, bought in 2009, 7.5acres for £40,000, started with chestnut, apples, pears, plums, walnuts and willow, taller than me now and fruiting. The rules on living on the land though are onerous, so haven't, which is not the best way to have a thriving landscape full of people improving the land.
Why so and why you didnt planted trees that grow fast and are beneficial too, like i have planted paulownia tree, belevie me trees are almost 18 feet in first year
What a beautiful inheritance for your little ones
Only just found you guys 😊 great video's. We bought our land 3 years ago in West Wales [ 25 acres] It's an incredible experience and very soon we plan to start developing, we have planted an orchard/ blueberry bushes ' hedging and more and now creating the allotment. exciting times indeed 😊😊😊
Every once in a while I watch a you tube video that's really inspiring. Warms the heart and triggers the mind into realising what's possible. Thank you guys for that. Awesome.
Thank you for this ☺️ Your comment has made our day!
Lovely story, and an inspiration to the rest of us who came from council estates 👍
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it 😊
Fantastic, but how did you get planning permission for a residence?
Notice how he will answer every question BUT this one - many people are asking this and he is suspiciously ignoring them all
Same here.. started life on a very rough council estate. Would spend my evenings sat in the library keeping warm. At 11 years old I was reading about cheap land for sale in Paraguay and dreamt of living as you do now (yeah Paraguay.. bit weird, but cheap, even to an 11 year old!). As with everyone else I knew, left school at 16 with no qualifications and no future. Luckily fell onto IT, started my own company and made enough by my mid 20s to buy my dream home. Then trophy wife, kids, life, the business got in the way. Before I knew it I was too old to do any of the things I dreamed of. My fix now is watching others on YT achieve theirs. You're doing great.
Even though you might not have made it to Paraguay, it sounds like you broke the cycle and achieved so much 👍 Too late to sell up and give it a go? 😊
@@The_OffGridFamily In a strange way I created my dream forest, just on other peoples land. My hobby is growing native British trees from seed, When around 6-10ft I give them away. Must be in the many 100s by now. I even visit some of them!! Wife thinks I'm crazy 😂 Thanks for the response and good luck,
That’s a great thing to do! 😊 and yes, bet that’s clocking up into the hundreds 🌳 what a difference it would make if everyone did that 👍
Never too old. My story is the same as yours not nearly 60 I’m just about to start …… so I say go for it. (You’re always 100% of your age, so don’t let ‘age’ be a barrier And the only time that exists is the present. So make the most of it and follow your dreams)
Please answer questions on how you managed to build on and live on the land. Nobody cares about how to buy land, everyone can do that. Please explain how you're legally allowed to put a static on there and stay there full time.@@The_OffGridFamily
Well Done at 22!!! Very clear headed buy. I was 39 when we bought our land.
Thank you 😊 What’s your land like and what are you doing with it?
@@The_OffGridFamily we're in Australia, so it's cleared paddocks filled with grass. We're planning to do what you do and grow crops and animals. The sustainable lifestyle thing.
Excellent work, what a lovely environment you have both created for your kids. Keep it up.
Thank you 😊 Seeing them enjoy it definitely makes the work worth while.
Great video. I actually just sold land (it killed me to do it), but we just (past Friday) sold off an adjacent 30 acre plot of land so we could be mortgage free at 38 yrs old on our remaining 35 acre homestead. Our plan to get into land, because of the issue of the bank not giving mortgages on land was to buy a house with 100 acres and sever it into a couple parcels which we then have sold off. Solar will be going up this summer. It sucks giving up the land but I see a lot of possibilities now that we are completely debt free and now have the resources to utilize the 35 remaining acres.
We think being mortgage free is the dream. We are yet to build our house, but are determined to do so without taking on debt 😊
@@The_OffGridFamily when buying land do you need to pay any yearly fees to the council ? eg council tax or things like that . loving the videos keep it up.
Wow bro this is really amazing… I felt so happy seeing your land with so many trees and I wish you and your family a very happy life out there..
Great story and now life begins for you both and your children can enjoy growing up in such a wonderful place with nature.
Thank you 😊 Yes seeing the children enjoy their surroundings makes it all worthwhile 👍
Soul nourishing to watch ❤
Thank you 😊
Absolutely wonderful and what a commitment. It's such a shame that the Banks' business models are so outdated! Imagine how many environmental custodians you could create if there were mortgages available for land, changing baron land into something worthwhile. It could also prevent big business buying up swathes of land for future profit! Your channel and family are so inspirational. Thank you!
That would be great and would have such a positive impact on the countryside 😊 Thank you for your kind words. We are so pleased you enjoyed the video 😊
Don't think the banks want ordinary people buying up land, in fact, the government doesn't want people living the good life..... they can't tax you the same
Similar story with me. I brought my 18 acre small holding when I was 27. Couldn’t get a mortgage, no inheritance down in Cornwall.
That’s great 😊 have you been there long?
@@The_OffGridFamily I brought my site in sep 12 been following your channel as I am planning a large solar install just got myself 40KW of panels to go on the barn roof.
Will YOU explain how you're managing to live on the land legally?@@kevxsi16v
wow. great work with the trees. so much more life!
Thank you 😊 It really has transformed the land 👍
What type of land did you buy, and how difficult was it to get planning permission 😊
Notice how he will answer every question BUT this one - many people are asking this and he is suspiciously ignoring them all
You should be very proud of what you've achieved, incredible
How did you get planning permission?
Well done! Sounds and looks great.
Thank you 😊
They wont explain the planning permission side of it. So many people have asked them for a long long time
Awesome. This is exactly what I wanted to do, and then when I researched I saw the same issues. Can't put up buildings unless it's for "forestry" etc. So I'm looking at land in Spain which in some places you can get for €10,000 an acre. Your solar setup looks awesome and just what I'd do to. Really interesting channel, subscribed!
Thank you for your comment and for subscribing 😊👍 We’ve heard a few people talk about Spain and Portugal as good options for land. All the best with your search 😊
im in the same area as you and im wondering how you got PP to be able to build and live there. i'm assuming you had to prove you had to be there 24/7 to tend to charcoal or something under forestry workers permission ?
He wont answer this for some weird reason - he will reply to every question BUT this one - many people are asking this and he is suspiciously ignoring them all
@@mediabreather7942 yea they dont answer, i dont know why.
So inspiring, thank you! Love to hear the birds singing in the trees 🙂 May I ask if you had to apply for change of use permission on the land so you could live there?
So glad I found your channel and to see it can be done in the UK!
super, and so worth all the work all the best,cheers.
Well done mate ,I wasted my youth / and big block of my life with one thing or another I now have 2 kids and live on housing estate, we grow in our gardens and have allotment,I can’t say I will ever earn enough money even thou I’ve started my own gardening business , to buy land especially how the weather has been lately , I will be lucky if we get a 7 month gardening season this year due to rain/ constant cloud cover .i always talk about buying land ,you are inspiration -well done, .
Amazing journey. Liked and subbed :) Were there many challenges with planning permissions etc? Or will there be when you build a brick house ?
absolutely amazing story well done
Thank you 😊
Well done!!! Brilliant! 👏👏👏👏👏👏💚🌳🌻🦋🦉🐕🧙♂️🙏
You both should feel very proud with what you’re achieving for your family and the future. Well done, brilliant motivational vid👍 Thank you
Thank you 😊 We are really pleased you enjoyed the video. Thanks for your kind words 😊
Great job, well done, good luck. Michael
Thank you 😊
That was quite cheap for 4.5 acres.
Bet it would be quadruple that these days!
My grandad always used to say “they aren’t making any more of it”
Yea dare say it would be a lot more now, but then isn’t everything?! 😩😩😩
love this! Found your channel today going to follow along, as I have plans to do this, just no clue where to start! or what to be looking for when buying land!
I have the funds just no knowledge, hopefully that will change by watching your channel
Bravo and Godbless
Thank you ☺️
Great video, best you have done to date. I wish I had done this in my 20’s (having just turned 41 I’m not holding out much hope for me to be able to do this anytime soon :-/ )
Thank you. So glad you enjoyed it 😊 It isn’t easy without a tonne of money behind you but at 41 you still have lots of time 👍 my dad was in his 40s when I bought this and he never thought he’d see the trees grow tall, but 17 years on it’s a proper woodland 😊
I’m just about to start and I’m coming on 60…….; if you get planting trees today you could have a forest by the time you are my age poplar and eucalyptus grow at over 2 m met year. That’s a 40 metre (120ft ) tree … I wish I’d done it when I was your age. -- go for it. Your never too old
Have you seen how insanely expensive even "cheap" land is now? 4.5 acres of land that would fit the same description as yours did has absolutely mooned over the past few years. I've been wanting to buy a plot and start this kind of life for the best part of a decade, but the price of land has gone up faster than I've been able to save.
Sorry to hear you are having problems getting land. Fraser had to take a personal loan in order to secure the land because he too wasn't able to save quickly enough 😩 All the best with your search - we hope you find something affordable soon 👍
@@The_OffGridFamily thanks, appreciate the good will. I have used that time to build prototype off-grid systems though, so it's not a complete loss. I've got a fairly good "micro scale" self sufficient smart hydroponic greenhouse built that I think would scale. Maybe I should sell the system and hope that gets me enough to buy some land 🤣
Sounds like you’ve used your time wisely and that once you get your land you’ll be able to progress quickly 😊👍
Inspirational, well done! Imagine if 100,000 families in England each bought 5 acres and planted it up with trees and lived a sustainable off-grid life there! There'd be 500,000 acres of extra trees! (making up 1.35% of England's total area of 37.3 million acres). And there's a lot of space in Wales too (5.1 million acres!) Mid Wales especially is almost entirely empty and sadly bereft of trees.
Where would we put all the immigrants? 😂😂😂
Beautiful bro 🤙👊 x
Thank you 😊
If you don`t mind me asking;- What type of accommodation are you living in on the land?....Caravan? Campervan? Shipping Container? Tent? Gypsy Hut? - Are you legally allowed to live on the land as a night watchmen?
He'll clearly never answer this - He is flat out ignoring everyone asking but he will reply to every question except this one - many people are asking this and he is suspiciously ignoring them all
Good on you , you were a smart young man!
Reality is though that same plot these days would probably set u back £50-70k!
Love to chat to you as im thinking of doing the same and wonder what checks you need to do on the land for building on before you buy
Notice how he will answer every question BUT this one - many people are asking this and he is suspiciously ignoring them all
But how did you manage to transition from it being agricultural land, to being a place that the council seemingly have allowed you to live on? This would be a dream, but it seems like nothing but hoops and brick walls in the UK.
How did you manage to get planning for a dwelling there if it's agricultural land?
He'll never answer this - He's flat out ignoring anyone asking this - ad theres many of us asking- but he will reply to every question except this one
How did you get permission to live on the land? This is what holds me back. Perhaps you've already done a video on that? Anyway, what an achievement... breaking the cycle for you kids resonates with me.
Looking for this as well....everything is lined up but this is my major stumbling block it feels impossible
Notice how he will answer every question BUT this one - many people are asking this and he is suspiciously ignoring them all
Hard, very expensive, too many rules and regulations in the UK. That’s why I’ve moved to Portugal. My own country is gone to pants😢
he probably doesnt
I come from a similar background to you, but have an entry level job at the moment. My first steps is to gain more qualifications to get a better job. I want this life for me and my family. I'll be in my late 30s when I can probably do this, but life is about the journey.
Fraser is 40 so it was similar for us. We know that it can feel impossible, but being prepared to take your time and play the long game (especially once you’ve bought the land) is key 👍
Just come across your channel andove the look of it. I have be planning of emulating what your family have achieved but never managed to make the move.
Would love to see a full story of you journey.
Also would to know where in the UK you are and if you allow people to come and visit you?
Glad you’ve found us and that you’re enjoying the channel 😊 We are in Lincolnshire. We don’t currently have visitors but a few people have been asking us recently so it’s something we may consider in the future 😊👍
Nice video and well done. I purchase a house (which is built on land) at about the same age. I like what you have done but I certainly could not manage it myself.
Thank you 😊 Glad you enjoyed the video. It has been a real labour of love and is an ongoing project but we enjoy it 😊
Hey, thank you for sharing. I was wondering if you can let me know how long was the process from buying the land to being able to live on the land? So, did you have to apply for Agroforestry being granted before being able to live on your land?
why cant you simply answer all the dozens of people asking how you found land you could build and live on? How did the planning permission for all of this get sorted? It strikes me as extremely odd that you are helpful and responsive to every other question being asked but this one. It makes me think its because you know what you did was not something any of your viewers can replicate and that may burst this bubble your building that the perfect 'off grid life' is somehow achievable so long as we just keep watching your videos...
Just maybe he doesn't want to answer because the way he did it wasn't exactly via the legal route, and who can blame him.
Great video - have you ever shown your living arrangements?
Thanks, we're glad you enjoyed it ☺️👍 We talk about it in this video which focuses on how we set up our off grid life: ruclips.net/video/j41bXxLLg3o/видео.html
If there is anything else you'd like to know just let us know ☺️
Why don't you answer people asking the obvious question - how did you find and buy land with the permissions to live and build on it (even as an off-grid lodging) ?@@The_OffGridFamily
Hello, lovely family!
We’ve been thinking of doing the same for a while now.. But am completely clueless on where to start! All the research that goes into what we would be allowed to do with/on the land.
If you could, and are more knowledgeable, would you mind sharing a little guid or point us in the right direction? Thank you! I’ll be watching adds for you as a thank you 😁 Cheers, Emma.
Hi 😊 If you drop us an email we will be happy to share what we’ve learnt along the way 👍 familyoffgrid@gmail.com
I think you’re journey is also an important example of what can be achieved by not wasting all your money on crap. You had no choice but to pay for everything as you went, could be wrong but I can’t imagine you have a £65k car on finance!
03:15. Wow you built a solar system? 😆
Awesome! How long have the trees been growing?
We started planting about 16 years ago, but most have been in about 10 years ☺️
Is it legal to build a dwelling on your land?
Here in the USA, people will drive a $90,000 truck, pulling a $90,000 bass boat, dine out 10 times per week, buy $4,000 gaming computers, while living in a mobile home. Then wonder why they can't afford a quality home, an off-grid solar system and they are constantly divorcing each other due to stress, debt and dopamine/oxytocin fixes.
It’s interesting to see how people choose to spend their money. We try to avoid debt at all costs, but things are getting very expensive 😩
Fantastic. Did you have any idea at the time how important owning woodland will be for your future 'carbon ration'
I am sure you have got a lifetimes work ahead. Really important getting flowers for bees, then you can become a bee keeper and sell honey
Love this I’m very inspired by this and have watched a few video’s so subbed. As a UK resident are you allowed to live on your own land as i thought u had to have planning for a residence? Obviously you are but what is the legal part as obviously people would have complained like with the trees
how did you started living on the land from regulation point of view? can i buy agri land start living in motorhome/rvi/small shed size building?
any videos on agroforestry?
How did you get planning permission to build on the land?
I was thinking the same thing - it would be good to know if there's a useful loophole to exploit!
He is ignoring everyone asking - clearly something dodgy or something they know literally no one else can replicate so they dont want to answer as it will expose this 'dream life' they are trying to sell us as unrealistic and unachievable to literally anyone else.
Mate i really need your help, im looking to build a shipping container house on agricultural land but im having trouble getting planning permission
Is there any way i can do about this? Any advice from your experience
Love your channel, just found you as at the moment installing a solar system in our at the moment house, in prep for buying a piece of land. A bit concerned with this as it seems in UK that there are so many restrictions. Is it possible to buy a piece of land and put a caravan or mobile home on it without planning permission? Have you any good solid info in this journeys as it is very confusing looking stuff up and the info very contradictory> I would be planting trees and growing my own food as here but without a morgage, is this legal?I am a lot older than you, but I think I am younger so hey, never too late, only too late when you dont give yourself time! Another question, do you pay council tax on the land or your mobile home? May seem a silly question but cant seem to find an answer for UK. Great stuff you are are creating for yourselves and your families future X
3k an acre!
Closer to 10k now, though thats all id want.
Hard to find small plots
erm!,,,,,,,, wow!!!!!!!!!!
Forgive me if you’ve already covered this but how did you go about planning permissions etc?
We haven't covered this yet but have been asked about it lots of time so are planning to in the future ☺️ Watch this space 👍
I'll say the old thing......
If I knew what I do now I would of made the decision as you did.
Instead I did the work my arss off for a mortgage with a cracking lass, but coz I was working so much she didn't see do moved on, this is where I went wrong......I bought a family home pushed my limits...... thought was IV I meet someone I'd already have a family home......this was when I was 28......now at 48, IV meet the wrong person (always wants more ect) IV no children and IV just given up now......IV lost my get up and go.....
But on the plus side I'm pleased that your self and family did do it and are making it work.
We often reflect on the fact that we were incredibly lucky to find the route we wanted to take and the right person to take it with quite early in life. We are so programmed to push for the biggest house we can get and take on lots of debt. Seeing that and wanting to get out of is hard 😔 However, we know of people who have made the transition to a freer, debt free life at a later stage, some with their parters and some as a divorcee, and are happier for having taken the leap 👍
Very inspiring, but does not mention how you were able to get through planning regulations to allow you to live there....I am, under the impression that this is the real difficulty...Best example I have had so far is to claim the home is a temporary workers dwelling but that means your supposed to officially live somewhere else most of the year. How did you do it? ie go from agro-fostery to somewhere you can live off-grid? Maybe I am just confused by what you mean when you say your living off-grid?
Thanks for your comment ☺️ We are happy to chat about planning over email if you want to drop us a line ☺️ familyoffgrid@gmail.com 👍
❤🔥
I would love to stay in U.K. and have my own land but it’s to expensive and to much laws and cancel Are horrible 😢😊
What about the main issue planning permition
Don’t get it.
I need some help to do this...
Well done, two very small words that look a bit inadequate.
Thank you 😊
@@The_OffGridFamily you are very welcome, best wishes to you both from Scotland. David.
I'm having a dream of relocating to uk. Earn some money and buy a rich soil property in the border of England shore or atleast which is having a moving water body by the property. And live offgrid with hens, goats, fruit forest and veggies. The reason behind i choose uk is that it rains certainly high over any other country. You can say Netherlands. But we have to use bicycle cus cars are less used out there. So that made me to choose uk. I can live same off grid life here in India. But now we barely have rains in countryside.
We have plenty of rain! 🌧 However, there are strict rules on being able to live off grid and lots of people find it very difficult to buy a piece of land and then live on it, which is a real shame 😩
@@The_OffGridFamily I've seen few lots in the uk market listings. It were not that unaffordable thing and when we have enough rains automatically the crop will grow better. We have better crops in rainy seasons in India. I think people are not enough educated about farming out there. That's why many feel difficult what and when to grow.
So explain how you did it.@@The_OffGridFamily
I just don't understand how you find (affordable) land for sale .
We bought our land a long time ago. Things are definitely more difficult now 😩
Shame on UK Gov
You are giving planners all the information they need to draft new laws to make your way of life illegal. This country hates ordinary people owning land and doing as they please.
You haven't addressed all the points about planning permission and you sound too well educated to just be a tree surgeon. Buying land is fraught with hidden problems like rights of access, underground streams , infestations, radon gas, toxicity of soils, and a whole plethora of stuff that can bankrupt you or have you up in Court if someone 'claims' they've been injured on your land.
Do you guys have Instagram, we've just come across your you tube account xx