This week on the island, we got an outhouse and a composting toilet!
Once the outhouse was delivered we had to figure out how to get the materials to the island. It took us a few trips in the row boat but in the end we got everything there even though it was pouring rain.
This was my first time building anything like this and it went pretty well only had a few little hiccups. We didn’t end up having enough time to finish the outhouse this trip but got pretty far along in the process. Next trip we are only going to have to put on the roofing materials as well as finish the flooring and the interior.
It really feels like island is becoming ours with the tent platform and outhouse its starting feel less like we are just camping.
I am really excited with the progress and cant wait to start tackling bigger projects like a sauna and cabin. Both building the deck out of trees we felled and building the outhouse has given me more confidence that I am going to be able to build them in the future!
Thank you to everyone for watching! We got given the composting toilet from Pikkuvihreä. It is a huge upgrade on what we were using before and is only possible because of you guys watching the videos, and we really appreciate it. We also got a discount on the outhouse, but are still a paying customer and allowed to say whatever we want about all the products!
The composting toilet we got. (USA)
https://waterlesstoiletshop.com/product/green-toilet-120-family-package/
Kompostikäymälä me saatiin (Suomi)
https://pikkuvihrea.fi/tuote/green-toilet-120-family-kompostoiva-kaymala-ja-vaihtosailio/
In the next video we are going to talk more about our new bathroom setup and how it works!
More about us, the island and the process:
The island is completely secluded, has no electricity or plumbing and currently has nothing on it but trees. We want to turn this island into a fully functioning summer cottage with a log cabin, sauna and other amenities. Most of the work is gonna be done in the summer months as the lake freezes in the winter and the weather conditions are tough.
There’s a lot of work to be done as the island is over 2.5 acres (1 hectare) and we have no experience in off-grid living, carpentry or building. So any tips or advice are greatly appreciated, as we are planning on doing everything ourselves and transforming the island into our own little paradise. We’ll document every step of the way, starting from smaller builds to finally – an off-grid log cabin.
Our plan for this year is to put up a platform for a glamping tent, build a floating dock and start cutting down trees to begin the process of building our log cabin.
The island is located in Finland and we bought it in 2024. We are currently both students and we plan to transform the island alongside our studies.
So, subscribe and join us on this adventure. It won’t be fast, it won’t be easy, but it will be fun and challenging. We don’t know what to expect, so be a part of the journey.
📸 Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @off.grid.island
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Maybe a kart on both sides might be of help
Use your brain not your back ! You have good driveway access for your car , why not load wagon and back down to water ? I have used much worse. If you spend a little time making turn around area at water your access to the boat will make your life way easier for the future.
Good luck
Great story. Jagged video edit with so many jarring cuts is going to prevent me from watching further.
Tip, First and foremost, Spend your next trip completely making your walking path from the water to your tent site as accessible as possible on the island. So that all your future supplies and equipment can be moved around the island as comfortably as possible. You make wise choices. Good luck.
Can you name the island "Frijole Island" it mean's bean in spanish.
Frijole (free-hole-e)
Your new outhouse will be the safest place!
I built a fence last year. I bought a flat cart and I could haul around 36 boards at a time on it. I have rough terrain, so I made sure it had large bicycle tires to haul them.
Kova meininki tsemppiä
I like the wardrobe but I’m still waiting to see a Saku Koivu shirt.
Longer videos ssssssss🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Kekseliäs ratkaisu ikkunan ja oven asennuksessa. Sait jälleen kerran todistettua, että asiat voi tehdä monella tavalla. Aina löytyy ratkaisu. Hyvä siitä tullee! 💪🇫🇮
Hey brother! Why don't you build a barrel Barg that would double for a floating dock when ur done bringing materials over ! 😊
make a small investment and buy yourself an Cordless Impact Driver
Relaxing video, could watch this all day. Thanks 👏
Enjoying your videos alot! And then a question, when you bang that kind of premade parts together, shouldn't you use small piece of wood with a cut under it to prevent hammering the actual building blocks narrow part into pieces?
Great job. You’ve accomplished a lot.
Again, a very nice video. So happy to see you make progress. When you bought the island, did you get the right to access you island by the land? The place where you park your car and store your boat, is that part of what you bought with the island?
You are going to need those metal rods to tighten the struture after the wood dries and shrinks. Check once a year if they need tightening and maybe after a few years your outhouse has finally setteled and you can forget about that chore. Nice work and good thinking with door and windows, no need to panic just figure out a way to fix these types of issues.
Having built stuff on an island in Finland in our summer cottage, this really takes me back to some warm memories. Everything just so much more time when you have to bring materials over with a small boat.
For bigger stuff we've had things brought during winter, over the ice.
in the aerial picture of the island, which side is the north face?
I would make my own wooden ladder from trees on the island.
Switch your metal pole in the tent with a wooden one
Actually the tent is your safest place, in case of thunder, the lighting will hit the tallest object which in your island will be the trees around you. Plus your tent is now above the ground and insulate you from possible ground voltage if a tree is actually hit. Avoid being in the boat at the time of thunder.
Love your relaxed approach to building !,!,
If you plan on doing a lot of construction on the island.. You should consider making yourself a easy raft that can have materials on it.
I made a raft from a few barrels and some wood ( cost was around 50 USD bought used materials) And i think i had materials that would otherwise fill a full container, so around 1500kg or so each trip.
Made my life 20x easier.
After i was done i put another 500 dollars into th raft and made it a floating mini terrace on water. Now i fish from it and so much more.
starting to look really nice!!! keep up the good work!!! 💪💪💪
Olet kyllä ahkera mies, jo tuo tavaroiden kanniskelu mantereelta veneeseen ja siitä taas pois on raskasta. Siskollani on mökki saaressa, nii ne veivät rakennustavarat veneen perässä vedettävällä lautalla. Onnea projektiin👌
Haha, seeing the outhouse delivery just popped a thought to my mind. You need a barge. Some tire tubes and a platform. Not only for construction but also as a foundation to your floating pier. Make it more sturdy with used plastic barrels.
Pls make a video when you build sauna 😁
Is your island in uusimaa?
Impressive progress
love the progress
Stop swinging the hammer with your wrist and start swinging your hammer with your whole arm instead you will find it a lot easier to get work done.
As a prior delivery driver, I would have nightmares after calling you and hearing you want it as far as possible down towards your row boat in the woods 😂 Nowadays i run the company and make the calls to the recipients before the driver loads his stuff, and try to beautify the truth a little bit
you should rotate rear blocks 90 degrees so they support 2 joists on each side of the waste bin opening else your structure will continue to sag.
looks like material swelled after being in the rain. should have covered it up. it's Finland afteral not Arizona.
Lighting, you may be able to have a Ground wire adjacent to your deck, if you plan on grounding your power supply solar or otherwise, or a lighting rod added, check your area first….Great outhouse……
The window of the outhouse is upside down I think. The wider plank should be up.
So you speak Finnish and English, any Swedish?
Is this a possibility?
When you need a lot of heavy material for future buildings…
Construct a large pontoon at a more accessible location.
Load your construction material on the pontoon.
Float the entire thing to the island (you’ll probably need to borrow/rent a powered boat for this)
Unload the material and then fix the pontoon into position to use as a dock.
Just an idea?
1:12 why are you wearing a tail?
We just build our own outhouse couple years ago. We painted it outside right away to protect it from the weather, but we didn’t realise that the unprotected wood can easily get black moldy spots when the air moisture gets high during the fall. So I recommend to use some uncolored mold protection (homeenestoaine in Finnish) inside if you don’t plan to paint it inside. That will keep the natural wood color but still protect it. 😊
Damn you speak good finnish! Appreciate!
Love the vids! Walking path and maybe a 3hp outboard would be awesome! Small motor with integrated fuel tank
Get a wheel barrel to carry that crap down the hill
A window in an outhouse?? Bit of a privacy issue I would think unless the window was up very high or frosted.
Did all of the wood swell up because of the rain? That might be why you are having to do so much hammering.
I commented on the last video about the frequent cuts while you are talking.. not sure if you seen it but this video is much much better with the editing. Enjoying the series.
Good video
etenee!