Having an off-grid home — living on land that is not reliant on typical services from utility providers, such as electricity, water, sewage, and gas — can have its challenges, but it can be incredibly rewarding.
Traveling artist Kirk Hays (@kirkart) lives on a remote Caribbean island, and they showed the kind of preparation and infrastructure required to make a success of it.
On their Traveling Artist Island Life TikTok account (@vagabondartist), they detail that the only water they can get on the island is what they harvest from rain, leading to concerns that they may not store enough to get them through the dry season — which can last for months.
🗣️ Would you install water-collecting hydropanels on your home?
🔘 Definitely 👍
🔘 Not sure 🤷
🔘 No way 👎
🔘 If the government pays for it 🤑
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
They go on to explain their living setup, which features their own property next door to their sister's property, with both connected by a shared raised patio. Underneath the floorboards of that middle space is a huge water storage cistern, which can store 24,000 gallons of water.
That serves both houses, but another cistern contains a backup supply that can hold 10,000 gallons.
After lifting a hatch panel, they point the camera down into one of the water storage areas, showing the water level about a foot below the high watermark. They then show another cistern that had been depleted to around seven feet.
After a quick calculation, Kirk estimates that their water supply was about 62% full, and after using about 38% over two-and-a-half months, they were confident that they could get through the next three with water access.
@vagabondartist #offgrid #offgridliving #offgridlife #offgridhomestead #offgridhome #water #conservation #rainwatercollecting #rainwaterharvesting #caribbean #caribbeantiktokeurs #caribbeanlife #utila #roatan ♬ original sound - Traveling Artist Island Life
Making use of what nature provides — such as sunlight and wind to generate power and rainfall to get water — means hefty utility bills won't land on your doorstep every month. Meanwhile, the electricity grid is prone to going down during extreme weather conditions, but your battery storage can keep the lights on as you batten down the hatches.
This lifestyle is also incredibly kind to the planet. By creating your own power from sustainable sources, you can avoid getting energy from the electricity grid, which is still overwhelmingly powered by polluting, planet-warming dirty fuels like coal, gas, and oil.
You can also be more mindful about your consumption of energy and water, using only what you need to ensure your stocks remain plentiful.
But even if you don't live off-grid, it's still a good idea to conserve precious resources when you can — especially as this can cut the cost of your monthly bills.
For example, unplugging electrical appliances when they aren't in use can stop overconsumption of power, reducing what you need to access from the typically polluting energy grid and keeping some dollars in your pocket.
Saving water, meanwhile, is especially important in drought-prone areas, so harvesting rainwater — like Kirk does — for use in your garden can stop depleting essential drinking water supplies. Native plants are a smart option to save water, too, as they are typically suited to local weather conditions and soil types and aren't quite as thirsty as monoculture lawns.
TikTokers were impressed by Kirk's setup and amazed by (and jealous of) his seemingly idyllic lifestyle.
"Life goal right here," read one comment, while another user said, "That's so cool."
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