We Start Clearing our 2 Acre Bulgarian Home #5

#offgridliving #offgridfamily #bulgaria #movingtobulgaria
As the weather begins to cool, the physical work can finally begin and we feel like we are back in control.
We're Phil and Kayleigh, a husband and wife living in rural Bulgaria with our two children, Alex and Ember. It's always been our dream to live a more self-sustainable life off grid. So, we've sold all our belongings, escaped the rental rat race and bought a plot of land. Complete with a derelict house and 3 barns, we hope to create our new life mortgage free. We've faced lots of hurdles already, so hang on tight as we show you highs and lows of moving abroad and starting again.
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Check out Lee, Emily and Hudson from 'Our Derelict Dream'
/ @ourderelictdream
Music From Epidemic Sounds

[@firelight-vitality]

Bulgaria needs more people like you!

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you so much 😁

[@mariannegathier7574]

I've now watched/followed about half a dozen families moving abroad to adopt this kind of life and every time it strikes me how happy the children are. They just seem so well-balanced.

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Moving abroad with children is a huge decision with great responsibility. We moved for a better quality of life (everyone's definition of this is different), and for us it meant more time together as a family. It's easy to capture the good moments with the children but there are of course many tricky ones too. Whilst they are young we are careful to protect their digital footprint and choose very carefully what we share about them ❤️

[@neutonrenda2303]

Nice productive clean up, I see the little man is doing his bit to help. Looking great.👍

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you so much. Yes Alex loves getting involved where he can 😁.

[@danonino8309]

Welcome to the country! Thank уоu for bringing life to the villages

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you ❤️ We really love it here and enjoy being part of the village community. Even the language is starting to click with us 🙂

[@boyanmetodiev6878]

17:23 the plant is a Sambucus ebulusand its fruits are very valuable for boosting immunity. It is harvested in September when the fruits are black

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you for the comment. We found this out shortly after posting the video thanks to another comment. There's lots of it growing randomly around our village too.

[@paulnoneofyoir8506]

The place is looking good . What will really help to keep the temp down in the trailer and keep the AC from running too much thus saving battery energy is making a tent roof for the trailer .2 stout poles at each end of the trailer . The tarp doesn’t need to be that high ,off the roof . Maybe 8” . Now run some 2” PVC pipe from post to post , adding a some T’s to use as stand offs , probably adding T’s and some short lengths of pipe in those bottom T’s to spread and down forces out . Ok the tarp , the sun shade tarp I just made up for me I used screws and through the grommets into a strip of wood . Important is that the wood faces up , so water will drain better and not pool up along the edges . Now tie down the 4 corners , which is the end of the wood strips front and back . Check if a few days later as it will stretch a bit . It does not have to be super tight just snug . It is worth the money to buy a good UV resistant tarp if you can afford it . A friend had a similar thing on their roof and it worked good . Even the series 3 Land Rovers had safari top which was a double top for hotter climates.

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Hi Paul thanks very much for the comment. Yes this would help a lot with temps. Luckily the weather has cooled a bit now and we are planning a proper roof over the caravan before winter really sets in. Cheers.

[@elizabethdunn2992]

Excellent video & very productive! Your little boy is a delight he’s so clever! 😊

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you for the positive feedback 😊 He's quite the little spark 🤣

[@Bulkhan]

Great work. Im also busy with my own house in the Rila mountains and it's encouraging to see everything that you're doing on your own...Well done and keep up the good work!

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Slow and steady 😊 It's okay for things to take time. Good luck with your house 🏡 What are you working on at the moment?

[@Bulkhan]

@@OffGridWithTheUdens ​ @OffGridWithTheUdens just bought a small plot of land with a house near the Seven Rila lakes...so far, all the hard work goes towards the garden...if you're even in the area stop by.

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

@@Bulkhan I think garden/land maintenance is never ending over here ☺️

[@ecogrrrl23]

Also, well done for remembering before and after shots 😅 Always makes for satisfying viewing after complete graft to look back and remember how far you’ve come..even if its just little jobs. My phone is full of allotment before and afters that wpuldnt be worth sharing to anyone else but when I get home, knackered and forget what I've done down there, its a nice reminder as to why I ache so bad 😅

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you! It's important to step back and see how far you've come I think. What do they say - it's all about the journey not the destination? 😊

[@petyobenov]

Love to see Lee, Emily and Hudson on your video! Hope you are not too scared of hot Bulgarian summer! I'd love to see in some of next videos how the house work is going

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Yes we had such a lovely time with them ☺️ We have work on the barn and many other projects before releasing the plan with the house so keep tuned!

[@Uc9uE3pKsS6uQ]

14:30 you rock man !!!! with this tools you have bright future

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thanks for following our journey 👍 LOTS more still to come!

[@writerlass5924]

Great job guys💪🥂 - Bulgarian weeds are ferocious!! Just discovered your channel while in the process of planning to return to my little house in BG to live, so I have all this to look forward to - your hard work and determination (and very cute kids!) are an inspiration - you have one more new subscriber!🤗🇧🇬❤️

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Awww thank you so much for the lovely comment. Yes Bulgarian weeds are on another level! Hope you enjoy your project. Thanks for the Sub too. 😁😁

[@vasilgeorgiev8826]

One is for sure... You are very well equiped with proper tools for adventures like this... Very welll...

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Lots of hard work over the years - we've been working towards this for what feels like a lifetime. ☺️

[@KoooomA]

I absolutely love these! Your determination is crazy but what amazes me is how well equipped you guys are, ready for every situation! Keep on rocking, you're incredible! 🎉

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you so much! We will remember comments like yours when the days are tough 💪

[@dweamy1]

Well done, and yes looks like you got yourself a bargain of an air conditioner! 🙂

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Right place right time I think - It was the last one on the shelf and it really brightened our day! 👍🙂

[@ourderelictdream]

Happy Days! Thanks for the shout out 😍

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you for such a lovely few days x ❤️

[@r.a.3984]

Great work! I’m surprise that you manage to do that with the garden! I live in a house but someone is always here so we kinda maintain it, your one wasn’t been cleaned in ages! So be proud of yourself! Hope you guys tried the sea side this year, if not deffo have to next summer ❤ keep going guys!

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thanks for the positive comment. We did indeed try the seaside this year, it was lovely! It's amazing how nature takes over in very little time.

[@r.a.3984]

@@OffGridWithTheUdens when you finish with the house and you are able to use the caravan, just let me know will give u some location for free parking on like 100 meters from the beach so u can have free holiday xd Good luck once again! Can’t wait for the next video much love and luck from Varna

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

@@r.a.3984 that's very kind thank you

[@alternativelivingbulgaria]

❤❤❤

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

🤗❤️

[@paulnoneofyoir8506]

Oh you don’t have to glue the PVC pipe together incase you need to take it down just drill some tiny holes and use some small SS screws to hold it together .

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Yea it's a great idea. 👍

[@justinlyward3010]

great film buddy keep up the good work x

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thanks Justin! Really appreciate it 😁👍

[@chrisroberts5562]

Another great video. Well done.

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thanks Chris! We've really enjoyed being able to do more physical work now it's not 40 degrees 🤣🫣

[@Mi-cljjj]

It looks great!

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you 👍 It's great doing jobs which have such a big impact when they're complete! Makes up for the ones that aren't noticeable 🤣

[@SustainableGal]

I have to agree that is indeed THE FRONT GARDEN 😂😂

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Hey, it's Kayleigh doing the comments today. Due to your previous lovely comment we will just agree to disagree on this one 🤣🤣

[@SustainableGal]

@@OffGridWithTheUdens hahahaha , sorted 😅

[@andyswainson8114]

@18 Ground elder is impossible to dig out. Weed killer illegal in Bulgaria!

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Weed killer is certainly not illegal in Bulgaria - it's used everywhere 🫣

[@ecogrrrl23]

Thanks for sharing your next steps for the front garden, great to begin to visualise it ❤ Also, Bulgarian tips...😂 roadside dumping ground?😅 Xx

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Yes, every village and city is different but they are slow on the uptake of recycling and using less plastics. In England, it's easy to forget about your rubbish once it's in the black bin at the end of the drive, here you are reminded it always ends up somewhere else. Food for thought.

[@robertrauter8459]

aaa mate you made so manny holes in that puuir camper it looks like a sieve....you are bound to have fun winter...I did some camping in a Bulgarian winter and belive you me it is no joke...

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Do you mean the caravan? It's been here for nearly a year now and no issues. We did alot of work on it before we left England to remove rot too. If you watch our latest video you'll also see it's now permanently under cover 😊

[@Leed216]

Fantastic video. Loved the bloopers. You’ve made great progress and had some vacation time too.

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

The outtakes make us laugh too 🤣 It's important to find the right balance between work and play otherwise burn out is inevitable 👍

[@SustainableGal]

absolutely loving your videos, so interesting! I cant help myself having a conversation with you & agreeing with you through the screen lmfaooooo. relating to all your thoughts about how your gonna route 'this that & the other' so engaging for us tech nuts lol

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

So lovely to know our videos come across in that way. It's exactly how we want to be - as if we were talking directly to you. 🙂👍

[@terrycostin2719]

Wow I have never seen ground elder like that before? Normally expect to see a five leaf stem - are the stems hollow and do they have a single flat edge ie when you roll them through your fingers? What a great channel - always interesting and you keep it real🫡

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thanks Terry I would try to roll them through my fingers but I've cut them all down and taken them to the tip 🤣 it took us ages to identify them so we could still be wrong! Thanks for the comment we appreciate it👍

[@victoriabezfamilii965]

@@OffGridWithTheUdens when I watched the video it made me doubt when you said ground elder because I knew exactly what it was, just struggled with a common name (not English speaker). It's dwarf elder, Sambucus ebulus.

[@gw6056]

Was that lake near Elena? Stunning location

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

It was indeed. Beautiful spot for sure!

[@Cv3T0m1R]

Very interesting clips. But they will be even better if you equalize the audio. Especially when using music. It's too loud and I have to turn the volume up and down 20 times.

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thanks for the comment. We work really hard with the audio and our microphone does not give the same volume as the pre-recorded music, so I have to equalise everything in the edit. We will keep working on our production skills 🙂

[@Deerky23]

20:00 some lad. So glad i found this channel. Looking forward to following the journey more!

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

🤣🤣 thank you. He does love a camera 📸

[@victoriabezfamilii965]

biodigradable waste must not be mixed with any other rubbish, doesn't matter if 90 per cent of Bulgarians do that, more and more obschinas are trying to teach people to separate it, especially in villages where bio waste can and should be composted. It took me a couple of years to push that idea in my village (there are regulations and system of fines) and finally we don't have containers full of leaves and brunches. Garbage lorries also refuse to empty containers if the workers see biowaste inside, because nobody wants to witness the consequences of unpredictable chemical reactions.....

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thanks for the comment. Recycling facilities are almost non existent in our area and no such composting service which is a shame as an awful lot of waste here is green/garden waste and makes up at least 50% of the contents of the local landfill bins. I agree commercial composting is the way forward for this type of waste but until that is available to everyone locally I can't see things progressing. We are working hard to create our own productive compost heaps here on our land, and are hoping to dispose of all our green and bio waste in our own garden. 👍

[@victoriabezfamilii965]

@@OffGridWithTheUdens recycling facilities are non existent in most areas, so it takes some extra efforts to manage waste, our personal approach is to produce less rubbish, we take glass and plastic bottles to the nearby town once a month, paper is used for wood burner, green stuff either covers the soil or composted. In the nearby town this year brown containers were put everywhere for bio waste and it has been a big struggle to explain to locals what is the difference but there is still hope. Environmental issues and animal welfare are of the least concern in Bulgaria on different levels....so it's up to us (foreigners) to explain, to give facts, to set examples...

[@huskytail]

That's EXACTLY what many foreigners and returning Bulgarians often don't realise. How big of a difference they make in their societies in Bulgarian villages. If in Western Europe we are just the next person, in Bulgaria everyone can make such an enormous difference. It is a great motivation to continue sometimes when people face some challenges.

[@helenbrooks8967]

I have at last caught up with your videos. Never never have I seen ground elder that big !! We had some at a previous place and was a nightmare. Yes dies off if starved. Have heard good reports on white vinegar as a weed killer, which would be less chemically minded. Loving your journey. X

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

We've since found out that it is in fact dwarf elder, one of our viewers let us know. Thank you for following along ❤️

[@helenbrooks8967]

No wonder the roots are so long. Little trees 🌲 makes more sense. I get them here too but try and grab them as quickly as I can as buggers to get up.

[@helenbrooks8967]

No wonder the roots are so long. Little trees 🌲 makes more sense. I get them here too but try and grab them as quickly as I can as buggers to get up.

[@helenbrooks8967]

No wonder the roots are so long. Little trees 🌲 makes more sense. I get them here too but try and grab them as quickly as I can as buggers to get up.

[@helenbrooks8967]

No wonder the roots are so long. Little trees 🌲 makes more sense. I get them here too but try and grab them as quickly as I can as buggers to get up.

[@bigolmoose8857]

Hi, does that unit have a heat pump? All the Best

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Hi 😊 no we don't think so. It does have a heating function and it is an inverter unit. 👍

[@vladivladi6004]

😊❤❤👍🍀🥰

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

👍thanks 🙂

[@tukaruss8680]

Do they sell UK spec Static Caravans out in Bulgaria as I'm looking at buying land to live off grid I got an American RV here in bretagne france on land 🤔?

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Not really, static caravans are pretty non existent over here. However, you can get pre fabs which are mainly made in Turkey 👍

[@Radio280]

Where in Bulgaria is your property?

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Hi we're down in the south east. Haskovo region. 👍

[@vincentpennington2062]

We have been at war with the ground elder for the last 3 years its extremely tough . Are you going to import and register the landrover and trailer? Or return to uk for the mot .

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thanks for the comment. Actually turns out ours isn't ground Elder it's Dwarf Elder not sure if this is better or worse! But I know it's a pain for sure! Yes we are planning to import the Land Rover and possibly the trailer too. We've had a few friends recently have a lot of trouble with the import process, so we're seeing how that all works out before we get caught up in it all with ours.

[@vincentpennington2062]

@@OffGridWithTheUdens you will be fine importing the landrover and the trailer you will need a v5 for it in your name . But the will value the car and trailer at Bulgarian resale value and that is much higher than the cost in the uk . I imported my Ford puck up and trailer and it cost me 2500 lev in total . I only paid that for the pick up .

[@gw6056]

You guys turned up with a ton of cash for toys my oh my...

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

I know it may look like that but actually I was working really hard in the UK running my own landscaping company to be able to buy these tools for my job. Obviously it made sense once I had them to bring them out here. We have no pot of cash, no savings and certainly not much spare to buy new tools etc. Thanks for the comment.

[@valentin_danev]

I am so happy for you and your family. It is a real shame that Brexit made it so mutch harder for you Brits to settle in Europe. Did you have any problems with getting residence in Bulgaria?

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

Thank you ❤️ Luckily, we were able to get our residency before the Brexit restrictions came in. 🇧🇬❤️

[@valentin_danev]

@@OffGridWithTheUdens You are lucky, i see a lot of Brits strugling and they can only visit their own propertys in Bulgaria for a limited time in the year because of that. I wish you and your family all the best.

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

@@valentin_danev Thank you. We've worked hard to get to the position we are in ❤️

[@djryne]

Loved this episode you guys are doing amazing

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

It's great to be getting some physical work done now the temperature has dropped a bit 🙂👍

[@djryne]

@@OffGridWithTheUdens would love to do what you guys have done

[@OffGridWithTheUdens]

@@djryne many years of dreaming and hard work have got us here. 😊 we're grateful for every day.