“Hello, I’m a casting director with Warm Springs Productions and the DIY network. The first season of the DIY’s show “Building Off the Grid” was such a huge success that we’re now casting a second season! We’re looking all across the country for folks who will soon be building an off grid dwelling (i.e. starting within in the next few months).
We cannot consider homes that are already underway. All types of structures can be considered i.e. straw bale, earthship, tiny homes, yurts, container homes, earth-sheltered, log, stick-built, or whatever else your imagination comes up with! If you’re chosen for this project THERE IS GENEROUS PAY INVOLVED. Please email me at melittlefieldATwarmsprings.tv or call me @ 720-722-2397 if interested. PLEASE NOTE, IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE SHOW, THE HOME MUST BE BUILT ON THE LAND WHERE IT WILL EXIST, AS OPPOSED TO BEING BUILT IN A WAREHOUSE – AND THEN TRANSPORTED TO THE LAND
DIY Network.com
“These houses may be tiny, but they have amazing facilities! HGTV is a top-rated U.S. TV Network. Find ideas and inspiration to transform your home and life.”
HGTV Tiny House Big Living
I am going to build an off the grid overland camper and would entertain having the build be an episode of buidling off the grid. I think this could become a new series because overland camping is really taking off. I have lots of building experience but I have never built a camper before. I am really looking forward to building a light weight , composite panel camper that can go anywhere and have solar power, water filters ,heat and even satelite internet without being plugged in so I can literally work from anywhere!
We recently bought a partially finished hunting cabin on 20 acres in rural upper Peninsula of Michigan.i read u don’t want people who already have started their projects but we were recommended by the company that sold us our solar package to contact a show such as yours bc he felt we have a very interesting living situation.we still need to add 2 bedrooms a garage and metal roof and siding by winter! We have a 13 yr old son and 4 yr old daughter.our phone # is 906 2913299
Please email melittlefield AT warmsprings.tv or call Megan Littlefield @ 720-722-2397 if interested.
Luv watching the show. We r wanting to build in the middle of nowhere. Feel we would meet requirements 40 acres to hook up only solar n build a 2000 sq ft octagon 1 story house
I suggest that you contact the production company via the email address or phone number given in the blog post.
I just watched the show off the grid with a pig farmer from Arizona who had flash floods under his house . I hope someone can. Help . I believe the farmer looked like he had a large goiter in his neck he should be checked out . Thank You
We company has a offgrid home to build in KY
Red River Gorge as it will built on a 500 foot cliff. If interested please let me know
@Kelly, thank you for your reply, and also I would advise people to definitely click on the link for your green home building newsletter, it is very useful and helpful as it gives out information that the producers seem reluctant to give, namely how much one can get if one is chosen for the show (which they try to keep hidden as they say it is GENEROUS pay, all relative I guess) but it’s only 10K.
Owen are you one of the producers of the show or just someone knowledgeable about building off grid? The reason why I ask is that in the story it tells people who want to be on the show, where to contact them by email or phone to get on the show, yet people keep posting on here their desire to be on the show. If the producer of the show does not read the forums, these people will be waiting forever while they are picking someone else. The only good thing about them (mistakingly?) posted here is that your advice and answers is helpful but I thought I should post this in case I am right so they can apply CORRECTLY and actually get on the show!
Owen was just making this information/opportunity available to those readers who might be interested; he had no relationship with the producers. I think it is clear in the announcement that anyone wanting to apply should contact them directly. Also, this post was about 9 months ago, so it might be obsolete at this point. We often get these kinds of announcements and I usually post them at http://greenhomebuilding.com/bulletin_board.htm#media
I just watched your program building Off the Grid Montana Earth home. It’s interesting that your show is about living off the grid but they installed a telephone line and had countless contractors come in and build their home for them. If you didn’t notice, at the end, they sat on their formally dilapidated Bridge eating take out out of styrofoam containers. Tell me how far you have to be off the grid before you can no longer obtain takeout in styrofoam containers. So you want me to watch your show where we build Off the Grid but in your show they install a telephone line – because of some vague accident with their dog, as if they could have called 911 and the dog would have survived – with the public utility company, they hire a number of different contractors to come in and build a home for them and then at the end, as I said, they sit with their Urban friends and he take out of styrofoam containers. You probably failed to show footage of them being picked up in an Uber to attend the Dave Matthews concert 3 miles away. I for one thought that living off the grid meant that you were removing yourself from modern technology and modern amenities and living a lifestyle where you were more focused on day-to-day living and purposely getting away from Modern conveniences.
Gary, excellent point!
I’ve been on solar for 30 years, started out with raw land, built my own home all by myself while living like a hermit.
It was an experience of a lifetime, one, every young man should endure, that was when I was 30 years old.
Over time, you add a few things, such as phone, because there was no such thing as cell service rurally speaking back then.
Oh, and I lived a real Green Acres moment, where the phone company had some odd 60′ limit on wire and the closest tree at the time was 50′ away from the pole and down over the mountain, so they had to keep the line off the ground some, 12′ which resulted in my climbing a ladder up the tree to answer the phone for the first year, (but I had a phone and that’s all that mattered).
Did I mention I live 1 quarter mile below down by the creek, 500′ in elevation lower than the phone? Yeah, I’d have to run up the mountain to answer it.
Point is, living off-grid doesn’t mean you are forced to make candles out of tallow and tan hides for clothing, but it does mean sacrifices.
When I bought my land, I had no neighbors for miles around, now the city is literally knocking at my door, no night sky from light pollution. A city grew overnight it seemed like, just 12 air miles away.
I guess what I’m saying is, if you truly want to live remote, it will be extremely expensive and you are forced to make sacrifices simply because to undertake such an adventure, takes a lot of money, and as you pointed out, this home simply decided to not connect to the grid (YET) for the sake of the series.
Can you imagine trying to find contractors willing to drive hours with crews to build remotely?
Nah, me either, unless you’re willing to pay three times the cost that it would if it were on the outskirts of town.
I now have every amenity known to man ( I met my wife) and am still on solar and love it, and I bought my panels before the leftist “Green Energy” lie, long before govt subsidies, long before it was cool and most people thought I was nuts.
My endeavor has cost just short of a million, for what amounts to nothing more than a 50 thousand dollar home, and much of that came from buying gas to subsidize solar in the Winter months.
Panels/batteries, wire, all of this costs money, I’m on my third and final battery bank, 37 thousand dollars worth of railroad batteries supposed to last 20 years.
And yes, we’re still sacrificing with a huge solar array, because trees block the panels 3 months out of the year, only giving up 3 hours of sunlight, assuming there wasn’t a storm.
Hello,
I watched your show for the first time last night. Interesting. The name caught my eye as we currently own land in Northern Minnesota that is considered off-grid and breathtakingly beautiful. Currently, our 7 acre lake lot is third-party family owned and for sale with 2 of 3 families needing to sell. Our dream has been to buy it, build and live there, but that dollar gets in the way. Now that we are looking at retirement, it is even harder, but we are saving. We want nothing huge, but enough room for our 2 boys and their spouses and hopefully grandchildren soon. The bedrock and cold temperatures make it rugged and challenging; Our 900′ meandering wooded driveway required dynamite. Please let us know if you have interest in helping us build, or how this works. We do have some family in construction and drywall but they are very busy and this location makes it difficult for them. Thanks!
I’ll be blunt. What is in it for the wife and myself?
I’m an expert in the field, retired as a business owner in the field, been off the grid 30 years here in the Sierra Nevada Mtn range, but I’ve had it with the socialists leadership in the State and I’m in search of raw land in either Idaho or Montana, considering burying shipping containers to build a home off grid.
Let’s talk. Tom.
Have you checked out the Ozarks yet? I’ve done quite a bit of research lately on the Ozarks and think it has very good potential. The relative ease of growing food year round and obtaining low cost timber sound good. As always, you’d want to go there and check things out carefully.
https://naturalbuildingblog.siterubix.com/areas-no-codes-ozark-plateau/
LOL! My wife has 50 raw acres in the Ozarks she wants us to utilize, but after living in low humidity all my life, I know there is no way I could tolerate the summers.
This reason, and the fact I escaping socialism and want the freedom to drive my side by side on the road and not have to worry about being constantly harassed by law enforcement.
Did I tell you just how much I hate what the leftists have done to my native State of Ca? Yes, I hate liberalism on every level, something Idaho and Montana have avoided up to this point, besides, I love cold climates.
My wife loved your response. ( ;
Hi there. We live in Northern Ontario and have a beautiful island that we were luck enough to be at the right place at the right time (almost 21 yrs ago). It is less than half an hour from our home. The camp (cottage) is a real charmer. Due to carpenter ants on our island they are sadly eating our camp from the inside out. We have cement forms made on the other side of our property for a 16 by 24 cabin. Had to be put on hold as my husband was diagnosed and is not able to participate for several months as he recovers. We run by generator when needed. There is no hydro on the island. Would love to be considered if you were in Northern Ontario, Canada
Does it have to be in the US? We are going to be starting an eco cottage on an out island of the Bahamas. There is a public runway right behind the property, and it is very close to Nassau. We are completely off the grid. Would love to be considered.
Been working on a 50 foot sailboat to get off the grid, always thought this kind of show might go
This sounds interesting to me, I’m making another steam bent yurt with a rocket stove this year.. It will be my second one, and I’ve been living in the first one off grid for over a year.
I will be starting from logs and and bandsaw mill, re sawing and doing some cool steam bending stuff, then char curing the wood. I’m in western Massachusetts. Because of building codes, I’m keeping it at below 200 sq ft. (16 ft diameter yurt)I’ve been on two other shows that watched me make wooden bows, but making yurts is my new passion.
Appearances:
http://www.craftsmanslegacy.com/craftsmen/SEASON-2/Greg-Anderson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf18JhgYOas
I own and operate http://northwoodtraditionalarchery.com
Thanks. Sounds interesting. I will check out those sites.
What about the earthbag? What is the time needed for that and what conditions does it protect against and what does it not?
See above. We’ve covered earthbag basics endlessly here.
Oh ok! Sorry, new here!
https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-an-Insulated-Earthbag-House/ This will help me a lot, at Owen.
I am considering a cob house with slab siding. I am in Dallas, NC. Plan on doing it in April.
Cob is one of the slowest building methods. But you should be okay with some helpers because this house is so small. Even then it might take 6 months to a year just for the walls. Other methods like strawbale, earthbag, etc. are way faster. That’s why we promote them more. Also note, cob is better suited to organic curves because it’s hard to make straight walls. Slab wood is easier to install on relatively flat walls. The absolute fastest method is probably strawbale. Two workers could build this house is 1-2 days. Use poly baling twine to attach 1×2 nailers to the exterior and you could attach the siding in 2 days with a rented nail gun. Total time comparison: 1 month move in date with bales and siding versus 1-2 years with cob. Bales are not ideal in rainy climates so study the options carefully.
Ugh.. Idk that. I live in a place with all 4 seasons, plus hurricanes.. it rains. I would like to move in asap, but would need something that can take the rain, etc….
You will not move in “in a snap”. No way. It takes a lot of time and effort to build a house no matter how you do it. If you need immediate shelter than maybe buy a shed and fix it up. But of course that could just blow away in the next huricane. Earthbag is one of the strongest, safest building methods in the world.
I don’t need shelter, just want to get out of the dump I am in now, wasting $ on rent every month.. Landlord never does anything when something messes up. Like he does not care.
I got rid of my TV decades ago. One of the best things I’ve ever done. But this show does look interesting. Maybe it’s available online?