Yahoo Finance For sale: live off the grid in a self-sufficient eco home that comes with a ready-made community
In 1993, five families had a plan to create a community that could live off-grid. Working with married “green” architects Professor Brenda and Dr Robert Vale, who designed their own “autonomous” house, the families built Hockerton Housing Project on agricultural land in Nottinghamshire (hockertonhousingproject.org.uk).
Now, one of these houses is for sale. Since it was built, there have only been three such sales on the open market.
To buy this home is to enter into a community: it is a co-housing development, so the residences are private but all facilities are shared. It also grows and buys food as a group and is two-thirds self-sufficient.
As part of the lease, each adult must commit to carrying out 300 hours of unpaid work to help maintain the site, including tending to the vegetable patch and looking after the beehives, chickens and sheep. Residents also have to put in another 300 hours a year to promote sustainability.
The house for sale is a large family home, with four bedrooms, a garden and a workshop. The roof is covered by 2ft of thick soil, concrete and insulation to keep temperatures stable; there is also triple glazing, wind turbines and solar panels.
The property is incredibly energy-efficient: consumption is about 20 per cent of a typical home, and bills come to about £100 per year. It is not connected to mains water but instead uses rainwater, and so is almost an entirely self-sufficient development.
The home is on the market for £500,000 with Winkworth (0115 981 4481; winkworth.co.uk).
