Oldtimer builds rustic ecovillage in US's southernmost point

About 40 years ago, William bought 1.25 acres for $6000 on the Big Island of Hawaii and began growing his own food and building his own shelters. He was inspired to leave his native Wisconsin for a place where it would be easier to live off the land.
Today he lives with only solar power (with an array built from recycled panels), without a car (he uses an electric trike or carpools), without a job (except for rent from his self-built shelters) and he grows much of his own food, including coconuts, mangos, citrus, macadamia nuts, pumpkins and a huge vegetable garden.
He has built a dozen structures on his property, using recycled materials and spending next to nothing to build by hand. His wooden main house is half greenhouse with windows of an ocean view that he built for $500 to $1000. Most of his shelters are topped with green roofs, including a 2-story stone yurt with a lush green roof, an underground music studio lined with local rock and topped with vegetation, a bamboo quonset hut, and two green-roofed converted truck homes.
"Nature does a pretty good job," explains William. "These living roofs... you know, I wanted everything like that, 'cause it makes everything invisible, and blended with it."
The impetus to begin this project, which he had hoped to turn into an eco-village and invite others to join him, was inspired by the book "Survival in the 21st Century" by Viktoras Kulvinskas (1976) and thinkers like Buckminster Fuller (William has a geodesic dome sweat lodge.
On *faircompanies: faircompanies.com/videos/oldt...

[@LindaRae.]

A Renaissance man … artist, engineer, farmer, design/build skill and talent, and apparently a genuine guy. WHEW!

[@Nibiru3600X]

Is he looking for a companion? 🙏💖🌳 ☺️

[@MaximumEfficiency]

"Truth" from GTA San Andreas!

[@robinprice6879]

I miss having more people around like this guy

[@huntingkc1]

Insurance companies

[@robinprice6879]

@@huntingkc1 I never would have expected that as a reply but it sure makes sense

[@The_Gallowglass]

@@huntingkc1 that's why these guys go far away from "civilization"

[@elizabethneville3086]

Such a small footprint 👣!

[@Soletestament]

Its the hippy generation. Which is sadly dying out. My own parents taught me a lot of this stuff growing up...but i got too into technology to make it work for me. I tried passing down the knowledge my parents had but all the kids under my care arent particularly interested. /shrug its a shame... because once these folk are gone the ideal is likely ro die with them.

[@Qwiv]

Must say, I love that guy. So modest. So unique. So resourceful. So creative. I hope he is happy.

[@barbaramuzychka3836]

Thank you Kirsten, for allowing William to live on forever, with your visiting him.

[@roypaulcarter4654]

That gentleman knows what he is doing and he is living life in a very special way.

[@jjohnson5014]

This guy doesn't know how cool he really is!

[@aerosol5875]

As it should be. There are too many ego-driven posers out here.

[@searchingfortruth619]

Some parts he literally doesn't know what to do with the attention Kirsten is given him 😂

[@icare6076]

What a gentle and lovely guy ❤

[@Jackwagon]

This guy’s the real deal! In a sea of KZbin and Instagram greenwashed influencers pretending to do what he’s doing. Great find👏🏼👏🏼

[@smoath]

Indeed

[@Seriks-wrld]

This guy is resourceful and handy. It doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as it has a purpose and it works..and is cheap lol I was really impressed with the round stone structure he built, with the green roof. This was a good one Kirsten!

[@carolewarner101]

A simple, peaceful life, living with Nature and letting Her provide for him. Smart!

[@fredsimmons2793]

Kirsten will go to the ends of the earth to keep her dream alive.This man is a dieing breed.You are one of a kind Kirsten,thanks.

[@whooshr5588]

I love this guy… We should all be more like him. Thank you so much Kristen and family for what you open us up to - I’m really grateful for all the travels that you take and the hard work you put in to provide us with inspiring and uplifting content.

[@arianahoule7223]

William, you are a creative genius. Thank you for being a blessing to Mother Earth. Sending loving and peace-filled thoughts to everyone.

[@oyenations162]

I loved this. Great vid. His demeanor and personality and ingenuity. What a guy!

[@RenitaB.B.]

"A resistance to money", he is wealthy, in multiple ways. The money he does have he uses wisely. His most valuable resources are his mind and his two hands. Big Thanks for sharing.

[@AllyMcFancysp1xn]

This is what can happen if you're resourceful, clever, and have no need for a six-figure income and a McMansion. My life is low-key and simple, but this free spirit makes me look like a glutton! Bless his heart, his spirit, his soul. We need more like him. Thank you, Kirsten and crew, for showing us his world.

[@jeroberts7228]

I loved this wonderful visit to William's land! So many interesting structures to see, along with all of the trees and plants and green roofs. What a cool guy!

[@mm6705]

I really like the videos where you highlight a much more "every person could do this" dwelling/compound. A lot of your videos are higher end builds, and most of humanity is poor. Much more practical and helpful, instead of oh, you know... just be rich and you can do this. Love the philosophies William embodies.

[@gaterunner64]

Definitely only a couple of videos in here that fit that definition. The worst one is titled something like Mirror House in Arizona. The people were awful, self promoting to a point of satire and overall oblivious to anything that didn't include their own headline . You can get a feel for when Kirsten and her husband truly enjoy their subject content, and I believe they did here.

[@forestfairness12]

i agree, good to see some low budget homesteader videos, to balance with all the high end ones i been seeing lately....

[@gaterunner64]

@@forestfairness12 As the poster previously stated, I feel that higher end buy in are just greenwashing so they can flex on their friends. Kirsten would be better off interviewing the contractors and tradesmen that performed the work. I will usually shut these down if I get a sense that it's an owner that has bought in and not done any of the work.

[@lydiarowe491]

Sprouting shelters with repurposed materials that are beautifully built..a village for those who visit..what a gentle soul..inspiring others to make it from what is leftover..❤

[@kacichristian]

Inspiring story of a modest man of action… the results of his years of effort are extraordinary.

[@oyenations162]

Agreed

[@patrickburns2274]

He could have 30 people sustain themselves on this property easily!! So many shelters, food, and he is a supreme resource! Living his values. Great video!

[@801oap]

Food would be a limiting factor with 30 people. His set up works for him and guests, but sustaining 30 long term I think would be a stretch. Fruit trees only grow so much a year. He certainly has the housing for them.

[@meganconnors6444]

That's his vision, to live in a community. He is motivated by that ideal.

[@tessaburkhamer3856]

TY you all so much for sharing this beautiful land. Everything he says is so humble & grateful. We all need to realize the Mother provides 💚✌️🩵

[@skyveek2435]

Love Love Love this guy & how he set up such a simple off-grid property. Hiding the roofs with plants is smart when the county flies the drone over to assess improvements to the property. Totally camouflaged!

[@junevermentine1382]

I feel touched by the genuine humility he shows, especially when seeing how much he has achieved on that beautiful “ecovillage.” How incredible and inspiring. Thank you very much for the content.

[@jwebbw]

On ideas from a survival book, he moved to Hawaii to put his plan into action, to live sustainably off grid, build several dwellings while growing most of his own food. If you ask me, moving to a tropical paradise away from those Wisconsin winters is a no brainer. He lived there in Hawaii for four years before he found and bought that property at what seems to be a fantastic deal. And I've never seen a mango tree before. Also, it appears that his solar panels are not getting full direct sunlight. Thanks for the tour and until the next one !!

[@signalfire6]

That part of Hawaii is cheap because it's very near the volcano which becomes active often. It's also overrun with coqui frogs which are LOUD and there's thousands of them per acre. It's paradise but with caveats.

[@pascalxus]

this guy is truely brilliant! to be able to build so many buildings and so functional with so many fruit trees. this is the life!

[@belindapoplin5439]

I am so impressed by this! This man has literally made his very own Shangri-La! Goals 💯 ❤

[@spencerbergquist781]

What an interesting guy

[@blueman5924]

What a great personality he has. So much a craftsman guided by necessity. “Retirement”, def: When you stop living to work and start working on the coconut bar. 👍👍

[@joecutro7318]

Delightful, creative, humble, intentional. What a great example of a person.

[@stable-shadow]

Great setup, Southpoint very nice...... and great solitude...... 🕊️

[@cygnusrays]

"Survival Into the 21st Century" Viktoras if I remember correctly. I still have that book, have dreamed of living this lifestyle since buying that book in the mid 1980's. What an inspiration William is! Another amazing find, thanks Kirsten

[@jm-bv1wh]

Viktoras Kulvinskas. It's good to know that someone besides me has found inspiration form that wonderful book.

[@user-ff8vo1se8v]

Me too, someone said I could build a small dwelling with all my alternative building books😊

[@jm-bv1wh]

😀LMAO!

[@snowstrobe]

Agree with him about land. This is what I should have started doing 40 years ago too. Living simply, something we all need to do.

[@user-zi2fj3hz2o]

This is so wonderful - I could cry it's so beautiful!

[@RJDebeau]

Is anyone else interested in how he did the stained glass windows with “mortite weatherstripping cord”??? They are beautiful! Such ingenious creativity all about this man. When my buddy Jeff and I get creative we call each other what I’ll call this brother from another mother Williamgyver, it’s beautiful what you have done with your piece of mother 🌎👨🏼‍🌾👍🏼

[@signalfire6]

Mortite is sold on Amazon and in hardware stores. It's just a sticky rubbery caulking; it appears he stuck the cut to shape colored glass onto a full sheet of clear glass. Many of his round 'windows' were old microwave turntables (I've got several here I hated to throw away). The weird thing about Hawaii is when people move off the island, they just leave everything behind. Garage sales galore. Land is still cheap in many places but coqui are ubiquitous in his area - they are tiny frogs that are BIG LOUD. Looks like he's got the land sealed off from most of the wild pig problems, though.

[@RJDebeau]

@@signalfire6 Yes I can relate, I’ve lived on St Croix USVI for 24 years, wish we would get the rain that they get there 😕 and our Puerto Rican coquís would like it too! As for the glass windows, I guess my question is how are the pieces adhered to the plate? Seems that wimpy weather stripping wouldn’t be able to hold.

[@jacaro2012]

For some reason this guy and his lifestyle reminds me to Robison Crusoe. Lost in a Pacific’s island using his ingenuity to survive. God bless him!

[@labellecongolaise]

Me in the very near future! I just love this type of life!

[@SarahGraymatter]

I save watching your vids for occasion. The people you bring into my life restore my sole. To me, your work is sacrosanct Thank you

[@Modelscoutingwd]

Soul

[@tombellows]

A great tour through William (Forrest) land. Forrest is my brother's neighbor. He and i did some "conversating" this last winter. A nice guy.

[@RPRosen-ki2fk]

I'm thinking this guy got it right and the rest of the world is confused. He's just the coolest dude ... love & peace to him.

[@pennygrimes8425]

Such a special one, thank you (I just wish it was 3x long!) 🙏

[@Mau105]

Brilliant, high time that Forest is acknowledged for his steadfast efforts to live sustainably with a small footprint. Have known him for some 25 years. Spread the word, visionaires are few.

[@Mau105]

@@kb3716 you can contact him, he is very open to new friends

[@robenglish416]

A lovely man, we need more like him!

[@martinescincotti5385]

Awe..he is such a hard worker. He has great respect for his land. He understands the natural world.

[@gingerdrumwright6000]

Beautiful...... Living the way I want to and in the place I want to. Wishing the gentleman many peaceful days and years.....

[@brentmartin5327]

This man put so much work into this - WOW - incredible.

[@michaelbrinks8089]

I think I met this guy in 1994 or 95 in El Reno Oklahoma while in "holdover" " in transit" I was about 23 or 24 at the time. He was telling me about his solar panels. Saying he bought them because the storms in Hawaii kept knocking out the power. If you're reading this & you're the same guy from Hawaii who was in El Reno Oklahoma hold over in 94 or 95. Give me a thumbs 👍 up will you. I can't remember how the guy was. Probably not the same guy.

[@forestfairness12]

no, was not me....

[@michaelbrinks8089]

@@forestfairness12 Thanks for the reply.....Hey, you might have already seen it but if you get bored. Check out Bishop ♝ Castle in Colorado. A guy built an amazing DIY Castle home out of mostly free river rock.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

This dude has it figured out. I'd LOVE to live like that. It's a great way to live, I've seen people living off the land when I lived in Costa Rica.

[@sharonadlam3195]

What a resourceful man he is, totally content and living his best life.

[@pasveritas1872]

William would have to be a bit famous by now.Does he do tours or have workshops or rent the huts? Lovely human being ❤

[@forestfairness12]

trying to organize a decentralized consensus intentional community land trust,....looking for serious trusting partners, who share and support the vision... had lots of visitors over the years...

[@sambulate]

@@forestfairness12 I enjoyed learning about your great place in Hawaii. Thank you for sharing with us! I am curious about your ideas about the land trust, and anything else you may have to tell us about how your vision for it would work.

[@CurlyViet]

This deserves definitely more than 22 minutes. There’s so much I want to learn and see, but thanks for treats. Such an awesome man with a lot of knowledge.

[@JoanneSgrignoli]

How wonderful and resourceful! A true paradise.

[@801oap]

My favorite of all your episodes.

[@kiaweking]

Ditto

[@nazufani4016]

My era ☺️☮️💖🌻 Thank you for sharing. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 This vid will be a favorite for me always.

[@yoyosmama1]

Love the Hawaii series - this man created a homestead of sustainable living art, just wonderful.

[@sarahloy2699]

I am so curious how you even found this man, with no phone and so little connection to the wider world. Does anyone else live there? Absolutely beautiful creations.

[@sportluver98]

He has a KZbin maybe that way

[@bethdrsrdp626]

“I don’t think things are designed properly enough”. Yes! I agree.

[@ginger_e]

what an amazing, interesting and creative man. that was very entertaining.

[@smiley9987]

Interesting character. Individualist. She managed to get the conversation flow with ease. Not everyone can do this with that kind of persona like him- intelligent,handy,different and individualistic. Nature provides! Great report 👍

[@SustainerNYC]

Love this man! He’s living the life my Wisconsin dad always dreamed.

[@lydiamitchell6814]

Love this guy and his relaxed homestead!!! 😊🌴

[@raimonda6653]

I felt so much peace looking at this video ! Thank you 🙏 🥰

[@wiseherb1426]

This is so mind blowing and impressive and inspiring! To live like this with so little money and so much abundance, no phone or internet. He’s almost like a monk. I noticed he mentions preferring quiet tools to noise, seems like a spiritual kind of life❤

[@hunterhicks-pg5xs]

The clear stained glass windows are amazing

[@musebrad]

I admire his skills and commitment to a simple, self-reliant life. I wonder if other people live onsite or just guests?

[@forestfairness12]

am trying to start a well organized decentralized consensus intentional community land trust, looking for a few serious like minded partners, to create a small scale model that divides like a cell, and spreads to other regions...

[@homesteadgal4143]

Pure delight!! Love the property, the homes, the edibles, the shining beauty of glass, and of course, this legendary stoic man and his enormous bank of talents. He may not have money but he is rich. Touring his colorful property was wonderful -- thank you for sharing.

[@valliemariegraff6218]

An "Oldtimer?" Wow! What a Creative, Free-thinking Guy!!!

[@ViKee010]

He is someone we could all strive to be just a little bit like. I hope he has someone that loves him. ✌🏻🤍🤞

[@roberth7894]

Lot's of old hippies on the south end of the Big Island. This one has perfected the art of living there with almost no money, good for him!

[@signalfire6]

He could have whatever income he wanted by just hosting x-amount of people per week or month and teaching them how he did it, giving tours. There's plenty of land still available on the islands if you're willing to deal with the bureaucracy and coqui.

[@Pack.Leader]

If you get up every morning, have your coffee or whatever and keep busy, this is what you can accomplish before you even realize you did it all.

[@RealNewsChannel]

The Big Island is a nice spot to live except for the lava flows and cost of living. Moreover, the local and state government could start enforcing the building codes in which case all of the people who built non-permitted structures will have BIG problems.

[@stable-shadow]

Exactly I have lived on and off the Big Island for 40 years , and really the Government plays favorites regarding permitting.... they want ocean view, mountain view volcano, and Pahoa, they want all those neighbors to be on of Kona..... it's a mess..... this guy is living how we are suppose to live, big respect for this guy, South Point has always been epic

[@wthomas5697]

I was wondering what the permit situation was with this fellow. I lived on Maui for years and you definitely couldn't do this anywhere on that island.

[@Qwiv]

Keep the buildings under the SF they call a shed there…. Here it is 160 SF, no permit required. Under 500SF, easy permit. That is why they are all small. They are also grandfathered in at some point…. He has been there for a while. With the green roofs, the City Assholes can’t see the structures on Google Earth. You better believe every government reviews their county 100 percent on google earth… every time😊 it is updated…. At a minimum. With an island that small it takes what… a day tops.

[@stable-shadow]

@@Qwiv You are right on some points and of course I agree with you, but unless it's zoned as Agriculture land the largest structure you can build without a permit is 100sf..... plus what I said in the earlier reply is accurate as of April 2024..... I have lived on the Big Island on and off for 40 years....... It's quite a Large Island, slightly bigger than the State of Connecticut. To drive all the way around it takes about 7 and a half hours, at a average speed of 50mph...... Google Earth does not really show accurate grid data for real estate. Zillow, Redfin, Realtor, and Rocket Homes all use Canadian Military satellites for their upgraded topo and grid data, highly accurate and always updated about every 4 hours..... Google supplies the street view feature, but sadly it's the neighbors that Narc out the other neighbors, of their is a beef regarding property line encroachment, animals, dogs, chickens, someone jealous etc.... it gets bad..... society is a mess, in a perfect World this awesome Man would be Grandfathered in, but South Point is Hawaiian Heritage lands and they probably consider him squatting, Hawaiian Lands are lease holds usually 99 year leases, many are coming up...... I wish things were productive, helpful, and realistic. Sadly in 2024, this is reality. 🕊️

[@elizabethneville3086]

Even sheds in Hawaii need permits.

[@LeeStrahle-fm4qj]

I dream of living the way he does! Thanks for the content

[@lazaromanalo9486]

To live alone in that place was really amazing. You need to be a one man team with a lot of skills to do anything you need for daily life.

[@kerricorser4562]

Aloha to ya, Cheeshead! Former Kohala resident here, now up in the yoop. Cool life you built. Old school Hawaii. Very cool place. Im cold. Lol you still got your wisconsin accent. Very cool show guys! Right on.

[@lululand1653]

Exceptional human being that exudes all that is good. Thanks Kirsten for sharing William with us, I am so inspired by all his ingenuity and good old-fashioned fortitude.

[@searchingfortruth619]

That stonework....truly a lost art. Amazing.

[@bethaniejify]

I love this guy so much.

[@karencollins5287]

Oh how special to see this! William is a smart man, going off grid and living a great life on his land. I wonder how old he is? 65 maybe? He's in great shape too.

[@forestfairness12]

age 74.... having some brain fog and sciatica leg issues, making it harder to maintain this place alone... want to do a decentralized consensus intentional community land trust at some point, but hard to find others interested in the consensus process i propose...

[@marianfrances4959]

Awesome human being! 👍🇨🇦😎

[@coevicman3685]

The way Life is meant to be.🥰

[@rossmann611]

close to home, my neighbor! love how creative and harmonious this fellow is.

[@elisabethrobbins1053]

This!! The world needs more of this guy! I kept thinking over & over how i would have loved for my Papa to have that same opportunity. My dream to us get back to my roots, like this!

[@billger5710]

This is like a personal blue zone, plant based eating, keeping active outdoors and guests for socialization. But wow that is a lot of man hours building rock walls.

[@TEPO--]

Wonderful property. Wonderful gentleman. Inspires and stirs my memories of days gone bye, properties and beautiful friends...... The Zen of life and enjoying the breath and delights of it all......... ☮️💟

[@eleven903]

Beautiful, simply beautiful, A dream. A wonderful wonderful Dream that he made real. God has surely blessed this man.

[@MichaelMartinussen]

Amazing! I got some ideas there :)

[@AltLifeNow]

Love this guy! Way to go William! You inspire me!!

[@mepo4460]

As a fellow Wisconsinite, I knew immediately he was from the area. I love his mellow demeanor a d imagination, and I love that he still has his Wisconsin accent 💜

[@notbuyingit5698]

We never really lose the accent none matter how hard we try. He sounds like a contractor I hired from Colby, if I had to pinpoint his upbringing.

[@KBeth35]

Wow. This guy is amazing! Thanks for sharing! ❤️❤️❤️

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

THANKS KIRSTEN,🤗 WE LOVE ❤️ WHAT WILLIAM HAS DONE AND IS MANAGING TO GET ALONG …IN POSSIBLY THE BEST PLACE EVER 😎💚💚💚

[@Gubancosful]

Beautiful great creation!

[@youmebornfree]

Mortite Weatherstrip and Caulking Cord. I like that idea for windows..

[@smoath]

Won't stop the crazy world out there, but will still be here when it's gone. Nice.

[@prissilou]

So many people are going to homes like this now, and it's great to see how many materials are getting recycled, and people are downsizing to just what they need. It's great to see people that can live without 6 bedrooms and 5 bedrooms, like family homes being built now. These are the people who will know how to live when things get hard. These people who are living off the grid will know how to survive. Will these be the people who help us get through the global climate problem?

[@edwardkaczor1532]

Love his "shoe's", very Well grounded person of nature.

[@MrDe242424]

Oh I love this video and this guy. It doesn't happen every day that you come across a soul mate.

[@MiddleEastMilli]

Thank you Kirsten!

[@isnoo1]

Wow............ love him and his life!!

[@mmmmarada]

Wow, paradise!!

[@benmckinney2941]

This property looks amazing. What a cool guy.