Off-Grid Self-Sufficient Cabin Tour in Northern Florida

[@WoodwrkR]

That's absolutely terrific! When you're off-grid in place where you can crack a cold beer and pour it into a frosted mug, you've arrived.

[@JoeJarvis]

Agreed! thanks

[@tonybosen701]

For sure

[@lotus....]

We are in N FL on a farm out in the country, rolling hills, only an hour to white sand beaches..high & dry enough to avoid hurricanes. Get some crazy storms and wind once in a while and a few freezes. We get a nice breeze on our back deck most evenings. Paradise.

[@ericdaniels346]

What county? We live in manatee county but looking in northern Florida. We also have an off grid cabin in Tennessee

[@averageeverydayfishermansh4501]

@@ericdaniels346 I don't know where the original poster is from but I am up in Santa Rosa County in the panhandle. There is some land here in the northern part of the county (and in southern AL) that is still available (AL is much cheaper) but it's getting harder and harder to find. The northern part of the county is an hour away from the beaches but I live in the southern part of the county and a mile from the water. We have been going to TN for the last few years and I have been looking at some land in the southeast part of the state (Tellico Plains area) to have as a backup or get away location for me and the kids (and their families). My plan is to get the land and maybe start with an RV pad and get septic and a well and run some solar panels to park a camper near and then building up a cabin or cabins from there. I don't want to leave FL full time but it's getting more and more crowded where I am at and I don't like it when it gets too "peopley". LOL! Dreams and goals. Goals are attainable and dreams are just dreams. My goal is to be able to escape from one location to the other at will. LOL!

[@balfourwheatley6644]

just put a home in the middle of a pine forest(i now own 5 acres of it) and it's the best thing i've done. Moved from Ft.lauderdale where i lived my whole life. I'm out in Live oak 16 miles out of city limits.

[@manatee419]

@@ericdaniels346 I live in manatee also i bought some land in port st. joe.

[@5thhorseman559]

I also left South Fl, I grew up in Walton county, but my wife is not a fan of ANY cold weather(she lived in NY for 8 years and swore to never be in snow again😅) Ft Lauderdale got too crazy and crowded, taxes and ins going up every year, so we sold and moved to central FL, right in the middle of the state, a few hours south of Orlando, bought a small farm and have never been happier. Its a lot of work, but being able to walk out and get your own food, fruit, eggs, beans ect is worth the effort. I do miss the beautiful hills and seasons on N FL though 😊

[@bradprice9268]

God bless.. live the life . Bought my little piece of Florida and plan on doing the same thing

[@BosseInTheGarden]

what county? off grid living in Florida seems to be harder to accommodate than I realized...

[@mylardochery8541]

Reminds me of my favorite movie " Captain Fantastic ". It's not what you would've thought based on the title but very much worth the watch.

[@tonybosen701]

This guy is really smart to do all this this is exactly what my good friend is trying to do and I want to help him with all the labor that it will take we also live in Florida St Petersburg he is trying to find land to buy with no restrictions right now .Great Job !

[@johnsonr9]

Great design. i am from North Fl originally. It is an awesome area to live.

[@donnaquillen3375]

Awesome! We’ve converted a 10 x 10 shed to a cabin, insulated with solar. We are in northwest central Florida. Great video!

[@JoeJarvis]

That's great! I would consider doing the same thing, starting with a shed, if the price was right

[@BosseInTheGarden]

that's awesome! what county and what zoning are you in? I am trying to figure out where in Florida and what zoning specifically allows off grid living.

[@dcfl2147]

I like your dad. Smart man and votes with his brain.

[@miguelitord9297]

The future of this looks very bright , I can live like that and be happy

[@igotatan1]

Love the content, Your storage containers should be covered, or painted to block UV and sunshine to eliminate algae growth and container breakdown. Bleach will help also... a simple pool catch set-up will eliminate your frog problem. I've recently been collecting info on making natural gas made from compost, and manure of multiple kinds, in order not to be dependent on LP gas. Please keep producing off grid examples. Thanks.

[@jayp4114]

Brilliant and terrific ingenuity, by this gentleman. I'd be scared that my sack might hit the toilet water, though.

[@davidcotney-m5r]

“Sorry Brandon” . 😂 that’s genuinely funny!

[@groovyhueyofficial]

Looking to also go off grid completely. I have heard a lot of different things from different sources, and it seems to be very difficult to go off grid. Either that or you have to have a lot of permits. My question is, what are the best counties to completely go off grid LEGALLY. Thanks in advance!

[@TheMindOfOpex]

I have the same question. Talking to zoning and counties, I can't find where to live off grid in Nor Flo. If you find a county, lmk! I am ready to close in April with a purchase of land

[@bartonsky]

I have encountered the same issue. Let me know what you find.

[@SolarTechFL]

Highlands County is awesome I'm offgrid

[@jasonwitt8161]

@@SolarTechFL My aunt lives in that area now. is the Sebring area safe from flooding during hurricanes? Are YOU safe from flooding in your area?

[@nancytafoya6127]

Get a Burkey water system to make water purified for cooking and safe drinking water.

[@proplay1212]

Amazing Joe! You walk the walk not just talk the talk ... nice!

[@JoeJarvis]

glad you enjoyed it!

[@FWoods-ps5rj]

Lol, I only spend 20 minutes a month paying the bills. I don't have many. But I like the simplicity of a bucket toilet and an umbrella charter school!

[@lancesudberry209]

37:00 love it ! I took almost 2 years making my compost to use to raise all my garden rows up about 1.6 years then i started on time by February starting starters inside . I broke my back taking up grass and sifting out sticks and roots NO MORE lol Cardboard it the trick! Lay out entire garden as thick as needed in square over grass and keep it wet!!! The worm will come running to it! No weeding No Work but hosing it Then add compost scraps etc

[@georgewhitehouse8630]

❤the object of any advanced person is to do less? Some other work that is just as urgent ,will require your efforts ❤

[@lancesudberry209]

@@georgewhitehouse8630 ❤️ exactly 💯🥾

[@KThom429]

My idea of paradise. Off grid, adding fruit trees, berry bushes, some animals, a kitchen garden, maybe a natural pond to stock. Heaven.

[@JoeJarvis]

Agree! When I buy my own land, food forest starts day one.

[@georgewhitehouse8630]

@@JoeJarvisyou start every time we eat ❤

[@gsftom]

Love what u are doing. I live in the city, but compost, grow, collect rain water, raised chickens and dabbling with solar. Great video. Want to see more.

[@MaxItUpwithMarta]

Dad Jarvis is brilliant. I love that idea. You are so lucky to have a family that has worked on achieving this goal. I wish I could do that.

[@tammyh.8454]

hi Joe, I liked your video and learned so much, I live in nassau county, also. We moved out of Jacksonville 20 years ago, sadly it was my hometown . I believe it will be a 15 minute city. Anyway, I am a cat owner and wanted to ask if you care about Sandy, because he is your cat, now, have him neutered to help all the killed unwanted shelter cats, also he strays at night to mate with females and fights with other males, which can be fatal. In Jax at the Humane Society on Beach Blvd, they will neuter him for free. Even if you live in other county. So, do your part and keep up the off grid videos, I know you are helping so many others who are ready to “get ready” for what is coming. Have a blessed day.

[@jamesbass9797]

Wish I could have met more people like you when I was stationed at Fort Devens years ago. I damn near got into a fight every day I was there due to my accent. I was sure glad to get the hell out of there for that reason. All I had to do is say "Good Morning" to someone and bam ... it was on.

[@shanz5820]

Looks so tranquil and beautiful

[@safunin1936]

Well done. It looks like a great set up and Harry sounds highly knowledgeable on how it all works.

[@Anthony-ry8lo]

Loved the Video, I am down in Ft. Mayer's fl. I think it's about time for me to do what your father has done. I was thinking further north, but I would like to stay in Fl.May I ask what county he is in? (i need a place with friendly Zoning for such a project). Thank you very much. Tony

[@alwaysapplypressure2477]

We Appreciate You u are living my Dream in the lives of ppl who actually made it living off grid awesome camera 📷 work we Appreciate You so much

[@joancbatisteq6809]

Wonderful to see your project ! I live in Florida and it seemed to be a struggle to get any kind of off-grid home going without pulling tooth pulling out your hair with all these legal stuff so I would very much loved some info in a deeper sense of how? you guys able to do this and what was your process in doing it what kind of loopholes? For a person who wants to also live off grid maybe not in that grad scale but in a smaller space is there something that you can bring to the table to share more how you guys did this project and what was your process in doing so? What do we need to be mindful about ? I hear a lot of sad stuff where people get going and set things up and they come out and just pull your hard work apart . I wish you guys would put out some content the step to step process that one can actually learn how to make these steps😊

[@JD-tf5tm]

very, very cool setup - highly motivational

[@danielturner9832]

He has solar power and the water table is high in florida just drill a well and have a submersible pump. Maybe he could drive a well pipe it looks pretty sandy he could have a hand pump as well.

[@JoeJarvis]

Good idea. He is already thinking of all the things he would do differently. And he'll probably get another chance when I buy land.

[@FWoods-ps5rj]

I dropped a well pump (simple pump) with my daughter when she was 12. We put it 240ft down an 280ft well. Both of under 5ft tall. Just think about it then do it!

[@TheBoosteddub]

Florida water in most areas has very high iron levels. He would need much better filters than what he has

[@SRDragon1]

Hey Joe, Just found this video. I love it! My wife and I bought 10 acres in North FL, not far from Lake City, FL. We are not planning to go 100% off grid But I do plan to have my workshop and out buildings run by the sun. I currently live in a 37’ 5th wheel that has 2400 Watts of Solar and 600AH of LifePo4 batteries. Still debating on if I want to drag it across county. I’d love to see how the homestead looks after 1 year. I hope you are still doing this. great video!

[@Mytube8I]

This jive turkey is funny. “Sorry Brandon”. “Sin bin” 😂

[@TheMindOfOpex]

I'm looking for land in Nor Flo to go off grid. Problem is, every county I've talked to tells me I can't live in my mobile home off grid on their properties...

[@bartonsky]

I'll have encountered teh same issue. Have you encountered anything new? Thank you.

[@TheMindOfOpex]

@@bartonsky nothing new here. I'm a truck driver with home time coming up in a week. Gonna chat with different county departments and zoning departments then.

[@bartonsky]

@@TheMindOfOpex ok thank you. I contacted 2 counties today in N FL and was not encouraging. Will make more calls this week. I guess if it was easy everyone would be doing it.

[@EcoNeighbor]

Love the screen room and porch.

[@russellpasternak2811]

Awesome video, we have lots in common I to escaped from Ma, retired from the military and the Railroad, moved down hear to Ocala, just bought my solar system , I grow my own food as well, I grew up in Chicopee Ma. Went to school with some Jarvis small world

[@FWoods-ps5rj]

That's a great compost! Add a copper spiral to the center to heat your water all year round.

[@lancesudberry209]

Thanks for the uplifting video ❤

[@brandy21051]

Loved your video. We’re trying to do something similar in northern Florida. Like you, we spend half the year up North. We’d love to have animals and we’re wondering how you deal with your chickens, goats and pigs when you are gone half the year. Thanks!

[@JoeJarvis]

Thank you! They have good neighbors with a barter mindset.

[@TheDustinNemos]

@@JoeJarvis Was this permitted?

[@seanmalone7920]

I'm moving to North East Florida to do the same

[@lotus....]

North East FL is crowded and has a lot of traffic..go to the upper mid or west Panhandle...wayyy nicer

[@edinelsonramirez5656]

Great tour! Thanks!

[@michaelgeorge819]

Harry, what did you do in Massachusetts? I'm from Boston and happy to be out now. Have you ever considered offering teaching or consulting services for those who would like to live off-grid but lack the technical knowledge to set something up?

[@rockydaleo6998]

This is awesome! I would love to do this but I didn’t realize you could do that in Florida!

[@AllisonBarmore-wd7kz]

You are so blessed .I need this in my life

[@freewillchoice8052]

I moved to the Ocala forest almost 4 years ago on some acreage it’s a lot of work making the place the way you want and it’s worth the effort

[@southalroots]

Your dad is awesome. LGB 😃😁

[@MrSpansell]

Just watch the entire video on my tv, now signing in on my iPhone to say I enjoyed the video only complaint was the sound but no biggie. Also enjoyed the political comments ! Subscribed

[@gator1984atcomcast]

Can heat water with direct sunlight. I think building a cottage like this will be fun.

[@andrewbowlgarte4738]

I cook mostly using fire , on my off grid property, outdoor, even built a fire pit oven out of a old electric oven , as its a thick metal box , all boiled water is on a small charcoal grill , using twigs

[@GHE2005]

That's a nice piece of property and an off grid living home. 👍🏾👏🏾 Where in FL is that off grid life possible?

[@miloauker8706]

I have property in Nassau County. I too have the question on how they did this. My county wont let you do crap.

[@patty9265]

You did a great job. I love it .But here in the pandel of Fl. I would have to have some air 24/7 in summer.

[@1voluntaryist]

I would eliminate the windows, use tubular skylights for daylight. Super-insulate, heat sinks, with radiant heat/cool in extreme areas.

[@JoeJarvis]

Not bad ideas, it does get a bit hot

[@jamestatum7759]

Oh yeah I already have a nice outhouse. LOL I love it.

[@lyndacrockett2863]

Absolutely fantastic video I would like to see what food you are able to produce

[@rodneylw10]

Great video. I live in Northeast Florida but in a regular house and community. Our grid costs currently average $170/mth for water/sewer, gas, electric (utilities) which comes to just over $2000/yr. We have solar. The other expenses, aside from HOA, I would assume you still have- insurance, taxes, etc. In our county I am aware that they charge even mobile home plots like a minimum $1000/yr taxes. It seems that the biggest savings of all is the cost of the home but, you also are sacrificing quite a bit. Love the idea though. I have some friends who bought in north central FL but purchased a motorhome to reside in and to be able to travel also.

[@TC-yx1qt]

What country in Florida is this?

[@TB12710]

If he’s doing it, we can all do it. I’M A FAN!!! Congrats to him, nice build. Harry, you should consider a chicken coup and raising rabbits. Free eggs and two sources of meat! Cheers! 😊

[@michaelmello9510]

Nice job 👍

[@idrplayeri6652]

my only question is where does the water from the sink and shower drain to?

[@lancesudberry209]

Outside tank to use for garden wash cars fires a pond a ditch leading to a reservoir livestock a water feature the in-laws drinking water 😂

[@mikeaksen4850]

I love it guys!!!!!

[@Orangebritches]

Your dad rocks

[@GardenhoesATL]

I miss this place

[@andrewbowlgarte4738]

Solar hot water in Florida is simple and best (off grid) , also a solar run well is simple , probably could dig your own too

[@rogermccaslin5963]

22:20 Toilets don't use that much water, relatively speaking. Most use 1.28 gallons per flush. Some use 1.6 gallons per flush. We go to the bathroom 6-7 times a day. 2 people times 7 times 1.28 equals not quite 18 gallons a day. A ten minute shower does the same thing. Since Florida gets it's fair share of rain, replenishing the catchment system shouldn't be too much of a concern. What the composting toilet and rainwater system do best is save huge amounts of money on the installation of more conventional means of acquiring and disposing of water and waste (well and septic system). I like the gas range too. I watch a few van life type videos here and there and I've commented on those videos about people who use electric stoves rather than propane. To me, it makes zero sense to use up your stored sunshine on a stove considering how limited you are on space for battery banks and solar panels, especially in a van. On a side note, I'd do this in a minute but getting the wife on board is another story. She won't move away from family, so we'll be here in South Florida for a bit longer, which is okay (except for the traffic).

[@cadamham]

My wife would leave me for not having AC all night. I live on the Gulf Coast in Alabama. It’s so hard to sleep at night when you’re sweaty

[@NatureRecycleFlorida]

Nice house cool setup Welcome to Florida

[@teresaholland4790]

I’m a Floridian born and bred in South Central Florida I was under the impression that you had to always be tied to the grid? As long as it’s unincorporated it’s OK?

[@jeffjarvis6066]

Great content I’m planning on doing the same thing in 7 years. Now I have an idea on how much it will cost thanks

[@dadsdiggingout9331]

What part of Florida are you in? I am looking to do the same. I have family in Escambia County / Pensacola. I'd like to be 45min - 1 hour away from them. Great work, I really like the "homestead" you have built.

[@lillyrodz2063]

What type of building permits did you needed to built all this?

[@donniehelmly4920]

Why not dig a free flowing well?? I have 3 on my property in North Florida.

[@chriss3314]

Great video and set up. Is it possible for you to say the town or county as this is my dream to build in Florida. Having a hard time to find a place to do this legally. Thank you

[@JacquelinePotterlove]

Id absolutely would love to had a piece of land in Florida to go off grid. But reality is I will never be able to afford it.

[@jctrade2044]

Awesome !!!!!!! Cool guy !!!!!!!

[@lauriewilliams8221]

Thanks for a great video. I' watching from Melbourne in Victoria. Australia. The start of the video in the outdoors probably needed a sock over the microphone. It picked up the wind noise a bit. CHEERS.

[@JoeJarvis]

Thanks! Yes sorry about the sound. I had some lapel mics ready to go, but they ended up not working, so we worked with what we had.

[@lauriewilliams8221]

@@JoeJarvis Thanks for the reply. You have a great set up there.

[@lauriedixon8590]

Where does they gray water empty to?

[@aglzone102]

Still have to go to Walmart !!!

[@joeguetschow5272]

What do you do with your grey water

[@HayabusaOrlando]

His dad is super cool. Did they mention how many acres they have ?

[@keywestalert6329]

Please tell your dad to vlog. Thank you for the video. What county is this in? How many sq ft is the place? How big and how much $ was the land? Is there any phone service there?

[@danieljay952]

What type of tree do you harvest cokes from

[@guywood67]

Have you considered adding a UV filter as the last filter?

[@freeziefreeze5971]

I was thinking the same thing

[@RicondaRacing]

Great off grid vacation home. Let's go Brandon!

[@cfoster8706]

He need to put small tilapia in the rain barrel they control mosquitoes and frog eggs, frogs are nastiest and can toxicate the water.

[@robmitchell3633]

Awesome job

[@Bill1991]

What does he do for heat when it’s 20 degrees?

[@septemberrain78]

What's the sq ft of that structure? I'm also looking to do the same thing in Florida, wondering what your max allowed was without permits. Thanks 😊

[@bartonsky]

Anyone know where this is? I am looking at counties in N FL and encountering lots of issues when talking to county people in regards to septic, well, min build, driveway etc. Also what counties do not require a septic? Thank you.

[@RodneySolarCircuits]

life goals!

[@RodneySolarCircuits]

I run my 2 deep freezers and air fryer 100% off grid, solar and self assembled lithium batteries. Hard assets/skills

[@jamaicanomen]

How do you do your laundry?

[@7728abbott]

Inspired! Thanks!

[@jameslear5749]

Since theres no elec ean or water and sewage do you still have to pay property tax?

[@mikemcdonald5147]

what do you do about algae growing in that white tote? I guess your just filtering it out seeing the filter system

[@vonheise]

Since that is such a nice porch, you might want to grill out there at some point. I would invest in a 200 Ah LiPo4 battery and a couple 150 watt panels for the roof and a 1200 watt inverter and leave the house electric alone. I have a covered deck set up similar and have a nice ceiling fan and good lighting for eating outside. I watch 19 off grid KZbin channels and 16 are in the northern US with cold weather and snow 7 to 8 months a year. Three are in Alaska, and only three are in the south, one in Arizona, one in Texas, and now this one in Florida. This amazes me, however, I suspect that those people in the north are a bit more hardy due to growing up there, and also remote land is much cheaper.

[@JoeJarvis]

Agree with the ceiling fan! Yeah just easier not to freeze to death down south. It was nice having fireplaces when I lived in the north though.

[@seanmalone7920]

I'm moving from the north down to northern Florida I will be starting a youtube channel soon and show my whole process stay tuned

[@lancesudberry209]

Horse ,chicken,cows manure ( hot) isn't any different or better then human waste its always best to separate the two no matter what its from ,but its good with hay covering in pile as a barrier for air to add heat to pile add extra beneficial bacteria. Turning any compost and water to it helps speed up process green materials eggshells crushed or blended. Cardboard for worms paper shredded its a science to do it right but manure plus pine straw or hays fine too.

[@Fl2harley91]

Follow up video with water test results?? Curious to know

[@thecanelamama6531]

What's the significance of unincorporated land in Florida? I'm in Levy County on Ag/R zoned unincorporated land and they're telling us we can't live in our camper unless we're in an RV park.

[@ravenrock541]

Unincorporated doesn't mean what it used to. I moved into unincorporated Pinellas county and two years later Pinellas decided to adopt St Petersburg code enforcement laws for all of the unincorporated areas. I was really pissed.

[@thecanelamama6531]

@@ravenrock541 Aw, man... that stinks!

[@greenmtnprepper9241]

What brand are your low energy fridge and freezer?

[@alchemyalligator4431]

this is all awesome ..........but I thought in Florida you had to be connected to the grid.......how is this possible?

[@kingsdawgOg]

We need communities, where are the communities 👀🤔💯💞🙏🏾👏🏾🙌🏾

[@kurtsmith4657]

Where abouts are you? Im here in bryceville and nassau county has turned into a bunch of permit nazis. Technically, to get a permit for a habitable structure, you are obligated to be hooked into the grid and the structure has to be fully permitted and inspected and taxed according to square footage and estimated value. Ive heard, charlton county just across the fl/ga state line is alot more lax about regulations. Anyways, glad yall are getting along well. Best regards.

[@1voluntaryist]

A food forest + foraging chickens, to minimize expense, but get pastured eggs?

[@miroffjack5485]

were in north fla? I`m in fla now in the city want to move. can you tell me were to look?