I’ll admit it: about once a day, I think about how nice it would be to live off the grid. One couple is doing exactly that after they spent 20 years building a self-sustaining floating island. Check it out:
Living off of the grid doesn’t have to include sacrificing the good life, just take a look at Wayne Adams, 66, and Catherine King, 59. This awesome Canadian couple spent 20 years creating a floating masterpiece located off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Construction of the self-sustaining floating island paradise began in 1991. Since its completion the couple has enjoyed the good life on a completely different level. They call their home “Freedom Cove,” and enjoy all kinds of cool amenities like an art gallery, dance floor, guest lighthouse, 5 greenhouses and a studio where the couple lives.
The couple does not have a fridge or freezer but they still eat very well. With so many greenhouses and half an acre of land to grow crops the couple is able to grow and fish for all of their food. In the summer they get their water from a waterfall in the area, and in the winter they collect rainwater.
The vibrantly colored turquoise and magenta buildings stand out amongst the lush green foliage and blue pristine waters. While Freedom Cove has everything anyone could ever want it is completely off the grid, as well as off the land!
The entire masterpiece was powered by 14 solar panels, but after those broke down the couple switched to a small Honda generator. The generator provides around 3,000 watts of power, which is equivalent to about 12 hours of light each day.
Adams said, “We have both done so many things in our lives and we’ve had hard times, so we were well prepared for how different the lifestyle would be out here. It fits us.”
Adams and King keep very busy maintaining their sustainable lifestyle, but they still manage to find plenty of time to explore the creative arts. King is a painter, dancer, writer and musician, and Adams is a carver. In the summertime they love to have visitors from nearby Tofino to show others what their unique lifestyle is all about.
So how did this masterpiece become a reality? In a Skype interview with the Huffington Post Adams explained, “One winter, a storm blew a whole bunch of trees down. We gathered all the wood up, took it to the fellow who owned it, but he said keep it. So we thought, time to start on the home.”
In the summer of 1991, the couple began turning all of that lumber into their self-sustaining floating island. In February of the following year the couple towed the million-pound floating island to the cove where it still remains today, relying on old fish-farm technology to stay afloat. The couple, who have two children, live here year-round.
Wow- that is dedication! They had a goal and they went for it. It’s unusual, but undeniably cool!