Alyssa Powell/InsiderThe Buljte family built their home in Ontario, Canada. Courtesy of Klaudia and James Bultje James and Klaudia Bultje built a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home in Ontario, Canada. The 1,800-square-foot home features a solar panel, a septic system, a propane-powered backup generator, and a well.
This article is part of “Better Me,” a series about improving your lifestyle and helping society through sustainable efforts and eco-consciousness. James and Klaudia Bultje began building a sustainable, off-grid home in a small Ontario town in 2020. A photo of James and Klaudia Bultje with their son Nathaniel.
Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeThe young couple lives in Ridgetown, a small rural community found in the southeast corner of Ontario. James, 24, and Klaudia, 25, married in October 2018 and recently welcomed their 10-month-old baby boy named Nathaniel in December 2021. They’ve documented their move and building process on their TikTok account, Constructafam.
The family posted their first video in January 2021 and has since garnered more than 85,000 followers. Money and space played a major role in their decision to build an off-grid home. A picture of the Bultje’s home in Ontario, Canada.
Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeAlthough James and Klaudia’s off-grid home is the largest project they’ve tackled together, it certainly isn’t the first. The hands-on couple built their first house after their wedding. “It was a one-bedroom, one-bathroom carriage house, and we were planning on having a baby,” Klaudia told Insider.
They loved the space but knew it wouldn’t be their forever home. James, who works for a home builder, added that the price of energy at their old home was expensive under Hydro One, the largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider in Ontario. “We were paying to have power brought to our house, but we were barely using any of it,” James said.
“We’d used $20 in power, but we’d pay $80 to bring the power to our house. There was no point. So, on the new house, we wanted to make it so we had no charges.
“They decided to take a leap of faith and sold their old house on April 2020, and it sold within a week. The Bultje family purchased an abandoned race track in May 2020 after the coveted listing hit half price. The abandoned race track the Bultje’s built their home on.
Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeThe Bultjes planned to live in a renovated trailer while in-between homes, but they lucked out when one of their dream properties hit the market with a price cut. “We made an offer, but investors wanted the same property and they offered over asking. We offered under asking because we couldn’t afford it,” Klaudia explained.
“But the person selling it chose us. ” The couple paid $280,000 to secure the abandoned race track and property that spanned 27 acres – and lots of debris. “It was the old race track, so there was a whole bunch of garbage, bleachers, old buildings, concession stands falling over, and there were hydro poles – all without power – that were all falling over,” Klaudia said.
The workload might have scared off other homeowners, but James and Klaudia wanted a long-term project. “I just don’t think people wanted a big project of cleaning it up, but that’s exactly what we wanted,” she said. “After building the old house, James was like, ‘I’m bored.
What do I do now?’ When we walked this property, we saw work for 20 years. ” Construction on the new home began in June 2020, and they moved into the house in November. The Bultjes moved into their new home while it was still under construction.
Courtest of Klaudia and James BultjeJames said they broke ground in June 2020, and the project took about three years to complete. However, the space was livable by November 2020, so they moved out of their trailer and into the house. “We moved into the house when it was being drywalled, which kind of sucked because we had no power, no running water, and no bathroom,” Klaudia said.
“We were really roughing it for a while there. “The 1,800-square-foot home has four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a full basement, a balcony, an 800-square-foot garage, and several acres of space. Overall, the house cost about $300,000 to build.
One of the Bultjes’ goals with the new home was to be sustainable and off-grid, which they achieved with a solar panel. A picture of the Bultje family’s solar panel. Courtest of Klaudia and James BultjeThe couple said the home is powered by a large solar panel in their backyard, as well as an inverter in the basement that turns the solar power into electricity.
They also own a number of six-volt batteries that store power and can be used in the future. According to the US Department of Energy, solar panels have many benefits, including lower monthly utility bills, increased home value, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. To build the solar panel, James said he installed the base in the backyard and then used a crane to place the panel on the base.
Then, they hired a professional to complete the solar panel’s wiring in the basement. “That was a pretty big process,” James said, referring to the wiring. “It was probably two weeks of work to do all the off-grid wiring.
“The couple said air conditioning accounted for most of their power usage. The solar panel helps power the couple’s home. Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeJames and Klaudia told Insider they’re trying to be efficient while using the home’s power since it partially relies on the weather.
“When it’s sunny out, that’s when we do everything,” James said. “When it was sunny out, we would crank the AC cold, then turn it off when it got dark because the air conditioner would just drain the batteries. ” The Bultje’s battery bank is good for two days of darkness in case of blackouts or other inconveniences.
“That was the biggest learning curve,” Klaudia said. “Watching our power consumption and knowing when to use it. ” The couple also has a septic system, a propane-powered backup generator, and a well for water.
The propane tank at the Bultje family’s home. Courtest of Klaudia and James BultjeThe family’s septic system took between two and three days to install, but Klaudia and James were already acclimated with the system since they had a similar one at their first home. “We also have really good dirt for septic systems, but we have a very basic, cheap system, which is nice,” James said.
The home also has a propane-powered backup generator and a well, which the couple replaced when they bought the property. The home’s timber-framed front porch is a beautiful mix of brick and wooden accents. James, Klaudia, and their son stand in front of their off-grid home.
Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeThe Bultjes’ home has high cathedral-style ceilings that can be seen from their front porch, where dark wooden beams extend past the front door. Gray bricks were paired with dark blue siding along the rest of the home. The front porch also featured glass panels on either side of the front door and on top.
The home’s living room is spacious, with hardwood floors and exposed faux wooden beams along the ceiling. The living room has large windows that let natural light inside the home. Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeThe home’s main foyer seamlessly transitions into a modern living room with excess space and large windows along the walls.
The living room is cozy, with an indoor hanging swing chair, dark gray furniture, a stone accent wall, and a fireplace. “We made a checklist of what we wanted,” James said, referring to their home design. “Like, we wanted a walkout basement, a bridge connecting the house in the garage, and a big fireplace.
“The living room also features large sliding glass doors leading to an outdoor sitting area. The sliding glass doors offer views of the expansive property. Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeNear the sliding doors is a second dynamic accent wall.
James admitted that choosing details like color and texture can be stressful when deciding on interior design, so Klaudia spearheaded that part of the design. “You pick all these things and you hope to God that it looks good together,” Klaudia said. “We were on a budget, so we went into stores, and whatever was on sale, we said, ‘This one or this one?'””There was a lot of rock, paper, scissors, to be honest,” Klaudia added.
The home’s open-floor plan means the kitchen is right next to the living room. The blue kitchen island adds a pop of color to the home. Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeThe home’s gray motif continued into the kitchen, where small gray tiles wrapped around the walls alongside white cabinetry.
Geometric-shaped hanging lights are perched above the kitchen white and blue kitchen island. The couple also built a walk-in pantry that’s connected to the kitchen. The master bedroom is attached to an en suite bathroom.
The hardwood floors extend past the living room and into the bedrooms. Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeThe master bedroom has green walls and white furniture that match the white-framed windows. The en suite bathroom has a marble-counter sink and hanging plants for a relaxing feel.
The main bathroom has both a bathtub and a shower. Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeThe hanging plants add a pop of nature and color to the bathroom’s light blue backdrop. The marble counter sits adjacent to the bathtub and shower.
The toilet and the master bedroom’s closet sit on the far side of the bathroom. The home also includes a nursery for Klaudia and James’ baby boy. The nursery has a hanging swing.
Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeThe green-tinted nursery has a hanging chair and cute stickers to accentuate the walls. The couple’s guest bedroom has wooden furniture that matches the home’s overarching theme. The Bultjes built four bedrooms inside the home.
Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeOne of the home’s rooms was designated as a guest bedroom with another large window, hardwood floors, and wood furniture. The guest bathroom is detached from the guest bedroom and can be found down the hallway. The guest bathroom is not attached to the guest bedroom.
Courtesy of Klaudia and James BultjeThe guest bathroom has fun add-ons like a circle mirror and a textured vessel sink. It also doubles as the laundry room. The family has a large balcony facing the backyard.
The expansive backyard is part of the property’s 27 acres. Courtest of Klaudia and James BultjeThe balcony extends the length of the home’s side and overlooks the spacious land. With 27 acres, the Bultjes can enjoy nature and privacy on their land.
Overall, Klaudia and James said building their off-grid home has helped them save money. A picture of the Bultje’s home after a snowfall. Courtest of Klaudia and James BultjeBoth James and Klaudia agreed when asked if their current home proved cost-effective.
“Now, we just have a mortgage as opposed to a mortgage, water bills, power bills, or hydro bills,” she said. They also noted that when a power outage strikes the area, they’re often the only house that keeps power. And with all the extra space, the couple said they plan to renovate some of it into a wedding venue.
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From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/family-built-sustainable-home-on-abandoned-race-track-in-canada-2022-10
