This converted shed is a sustainable lifestyle

It may not look like everyone's idea of a dream home, but for Tim Dakin, this converted shed in East Gippsland represents financial freedom and self-sufficiency.

The shed is located 7 km outside of the small town of Briagolong, making it a comfortable home. Dakin purchased the property with his ex-wife more than two decades ago, and has spent the past eight years turning it into a fully off-the-grid residence.

We met the owners then and there and decided to buy the property on that day, Dakin said.

Dakin has never had a stable income while working in the arts. By living off-grid, he said, he has a new sense of authority and control over his budget.

Rural Australia's growing demand for off-grid housing is fueled by rising energy expenses and the high cost of connecting a new build to mains power. Living a more sustainable lifestyle frequently goes hand in hand with reducing expenses and addressing environmental concerns.

But the upfront costs can be substantial.

Dakin was charged up to $65,000 to build off-grid systems for his home. He installed a modest battery system, new solar panels and a small water pump for about $20,000. He now runs his petrol generator only twice a week during winter, down from once a week when he first moved in.

His battery provides him with the power to operate a washing machine, an electric fridge, a microwave, and a big screen TV. The LPG gas bill for his stove and hot water is about $200 a year. He doesn't have council rubbish collection and has whittled down his waste to only one bag of rubbish every six months. Living off-grid has led him to become more conscious of decisions that he never questioned when he lived in the city. He avoids unnecessary plastic andemballage, and shops for fruit and vegetables at roadside stalls.

Tim Smith, an architect and director of BRD studios, describes the rush of tree-changers to regional areas during the initial years of the pandemic, which has increased the popularity of off-grid living.

It is not a new trend - there have been off-the-grid houses in regional areas for decades, most of which are a necessity of cost and distance than out of a desire for sustainability. Smith argues that the increasing affordability of renewable energy technology, such as solar panels, has made it a more accessible and comfortable option.

David Griffiths, a timber off-grid farmer in New South Wales, built a timber-off-grid house on a 25-acre bush block between Bega and Merimbula.

Griffiths and his wife live in Queensland and first bought the land as a self-contained caravan, which would just house a self-contained caravan. They now have the perfect kitchen, bathroom, and composting toilet built into the house for $35,000 from a local kit company.

It's pretty livable, and there are always more projects you can do to improve life in an off-grid environment, he says.

The house has a robust timber frame that is 70mm thick, providing excellent insulation.

Griffiths originally planned to create a 12 volt system of batteries and solar panels. The property also has a 240-volt inverter system - bigger than they need, with the ability to run a couple of fridges.

The longevity of these systems is yet to be tested. Reece Stubbs, the general manager of sustainable architecture firm The Sociable Weaver, says that while they can do modelling of solar systems to calculate the lifespan of the product, there's not too many off-grid homes that have been sitting there for 50 years, tested and tested.

He says he feels secure knowing he has a home he can fund on an ongoing basis for the first time in his life, 25 years after buying the property. named after him and his son, a sign out the front - Tim and Sam's place - hint that it is a safety net his son may inherit.

Plus, he says, having a private source of emergency power comes in handy in the Gippsland hills.

On October 3, 2023, the headline of this article was modified to refer to a 'composting' rather than 'compostable' toilet.