Our Handmade, Off-the-Grid Home

By Les Oke
1 / 5
Les Oke cut all the lumber for his family's house using this Granberg Alaskan Mark III chain saw mill attachment.
Les Oke cut all the lumber for his family's house using this Granberg Alaskan Mark III chain saw mill attachment.
2 / 5
The Oke family (from left, Jane, Andrew, Karen and Les) show off the chain saw attachment they used to build this inexpensive home. Andre, the youngest child, waves from the roof.
The Oke family (from left, Jane, Andrew, Karen and Les) show off the chain saw attachment they used to build this inexpensive home. Andre, the youngest child, waves from the roof.
3 / 5
Jane Oke cans vegetables from the family garden.
Jane Oke cans vegetables from the family garden.
4 / 5
The view from the Oke's front door.
The view from the Oke's front door.
5 / 5
During the days of skyrocketing interest rates in the late 1980s, my wife, Jane, and I realized that our dream of owning a home was slipping away.
During the days of skyrocketing interest rates in the late 1980s, my wife, Jane, and I realized that our dream of owning a home was slipping away.

Our Beautiful, $5000 Off-the-Grid Home

During the days of skyrocketing interest rates in the late 1980s, my wife, Jane, and I realized that our dream of owning a home was slipping away. For the first eight years of our marriage, we lived in a rented house in Norwich, Ontario, and we just couldn’t save fast enough to buy our own place.

Then, a friend gave us a box of 80 back issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS. That box opened up a whole new world for us. Reading those magazines, we realized other people looked at the world the same way we did.

In 1992, we purchased 20 acres of bush in Northbrook, a hamlet in eastern Ontario about 150 miles from Norwich. The property had a plowed back road with school bus service, but it didn’t have electric power. We were determined to live without the “monthly mortgage,” as my wife calls it, to the electric company.

The same friend introduced me to Living the Good Life, the classic homesteading book by Helen and Scott Nearing, and I discovered self-sufficiency. I began corresponding with Helen (Scott had died five years earlier) about our move and our worries. In her motherly way, she patiently guided us through our fears. I still have those letters.

  • Published on Feb 1, 2004
Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368