Kirk Winter, Off-Grid Ontario Homesteader
Name: Kirk Winter
Occupation: Hoisting Engineer
Place of Residence: Ontario, Canada
Current Projects: Kirk lives near Bancroft, Ontario, with his wife, Amanda, where they enjoy life 100-percent off the grid. They live in a trailer adjacent to a little cabin they built behind it, but have plans to start the construction of a new self-powered home in Spring 2017. They are doing this as they earn the money and are committed to not getting a mortgage.
Kirk and Amanda started three years ago, when they rented this land for one year, and decided to buy it. They drilled a well, had it severed from the larger block it used to be part of. Now it’s theirs. As the house develops, it will be theirs, too.
Kirk lives by a simple concept: Eliminate the middle men everywhere, and do it yourself. Don’t know how? Then learn. For instance, when he started this homesteading journey, he knew nothing about solar. Now, Kirk operates a 5-kilowatt solar electric system.
After the home is constructed, Kirk and Amanda are planning to host workshops on the property. A guest will sign up for a three-day weekend, have his or her very own solar electric system to manage (within their own cabin). They will also be responsible for heating, whether solar-electric or wood. Also, if interested, they can also manage a group of chickens for the weekend as well.
For now, it’s going to take Kirk and Amanda 18 months of hard work, during late nights and working full-time, to get this house built.
They are proud to be 100% debt-free — loving life, eating organic, real produce and beef and real range-fed chicken and eggs. Work isn’t slavery anymore. Hydro and gas and sewer and water bills never go to their property. Their bank accounts are getting bigger and bigger.
It’s easy how they’re doing it — just a little temporary sacrifice. Kirk invites you check out their progress as they document their entire journey on their YouTube Channel, 46 Degrees North Off-Grid.
