Unique Homes: A Realtor® Living Off the Grid

Realtors® don’t just help others buy and sell unique homes – sometimes they live in unique homes themselves. This is the case for Dayna Gray, District 3 vice president and a member of the Bucks County Association of Realtors®, who lives in a newly built off-the-grid home. 

What does the home look like? 

The 1,120-square-foot home features two bedrooms, one bathroom, a large pantry, a mudroom and an open-concept living, dining and kitchen area. It offers 180-degree views and plentiful natural light, and it runs on solar power and is heated by a wood stove. Gray and her husband get water by collecting rain in a cistern. 

“We officially received our Certificate of Occupancy in October 2024 after four years of building,” Gray shares. “My husband did 95% of the build himself. We live in a zoned township, so the house is built to code like any other conventional home.” 

“We have a small fruit orchard, a 3,000-square-foot garden and 18 acres of forest to explore, hunt and forage in,” she says. “The view from inside the house is my favorite. It never gets old. It’s like having the most beautiful nature paintings on the walls that are slightly different every day, never the same twice, and each season brings its own color palettes and wildlife scenes.” 

“My other favorite feature is the kitchen. It is truly my dream kitchen, with a large island for gathering and plenty of counter space for food prep. And again, it has the most beautiful views while I’m cooking!” 

Why choose off-grid living? 

“We had outgrown our 0.25 acre plot in suburban Bucks County and wanted more ground for a larger garden that could provide more of our food, as well as more outdoor space to enjoy,” Gray explains. “My husband and I are very interested in homesteading and the ideas of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Going off-grid gives us control over our everyday systems, and we live with more intention while paying closer attention to how we use our utilities.” 

“This was our first winter in the house, and we were pleasantly surprised with how well our solar setup produced energy, even on the cloudiest of days,” she continues. “Our cistern holds 2,500 gallons of water. I don’t think most people give much thought to how many gallons of water they use monthly. They open the faucet and out it comes for as long as they want. We have systems in place to preserve every drop, knowing it is only replenished when it rains. And considering you don’t get as much rain in the mountains during the winter, we did very well with not much concern of running out. Also, our tankless hot water heater and kitchen range/oven use propane, and we are still going on the first of two 100-pound tanks since October!” 

What are the challenges? 

“One of the bigger challenges we faced was our timing,” Gray says. “We broke ground in August 2020, so pandemic conditions affected our material availability as well as our budget.” 

“Lumber at the time was not only extremely expensive but timelines for delivery were delayed because of supply chain issues. Our budget basically tripled. But in every challenge, there’s opportunity. We sold our Bucks County home in July 2021 in a historic seller’s market. However, since we didn’t officially move into the house until 2024, we lived in our ‘shabin.’” 

“A shabin is a shed converted into a cabin,” she explains. “In our case, it was a 14’x20’, 240 square foot shed. It had a solar set up for electricity and a composting toilet, and we hauled our water in. It was like long-term, glorified camping. Those escapades, as well as the house build, are documented on our YouTube channel, ShabinLife. 

How did being a Realtor® play a role? 

“The knowledge I’ve gained being a Realtor®, as well as my years at PAR, was instrumental when it came to researching potential land, understanding and protecting potential mineral rights, zoning, perc testing, stormwater management and possible tax benefits,” Gray says. 

“We are currently enrolled in Pennsylvania’s Act 319 Clean and Green program, which is a preferential tax assessment program that encourages the preservation of agricultural and forest land, which falls in line with our values and lifestyle. These are just some of the reasons why anyone considering the purchase of raw land for development should not do it alone. They can really benefit from having a knowledgeable Realtor® assist them.” 

What next for the off-grid home? 

“The property currently has the house, shabin, a shop, a garden and an orchard, but we’re not done yet!” Gray assures. “Next projects including building a chicken coop, deck and pond. We’re also continually working on trails through the forest. It is not for the faint of heart, as there is a lot of hard work to maintain an off-grid lifestyle. But at the end of the day, it is very fulfilling.” 

Share a unique home. 

Are you a Realtor® living in or selling a unique home? Contact Hope Walborn to share more about it. Whether it’s a newly built off-grid home or a 90-year-old log cabin, it could make for a unique story in JustListed.