Building comfortable Off-Grid

Another project of independent associates is coming up. The idea of building the off-grid holiday home is very much a lived experience by thousands of Norwegians, mostly settled before the modern idea of urbanization, comfort and luxury became paradigm of how to develop Norwegian winter resorts.

Nowadays we can again see some forerunners going off track. They are looking for technology that ensure adequate comfort or even home comfort for their space. Solar, gas, wind diesel and firewood are united as energy resources. Water finds its way to new drainage solutions. An enormous effort is made to reach a level of comfort that can satisfy the demands of the times. The technological offers are both plentiful and confusing, but it is well worth the effort, they think, when a more peaceful and remote plot is secured for less money and annual expenses are to live with.

There is an obvious need for structured solutions within this market. Providers that offers affordable fully functional off-grid cabin solutions, was my thought when I searched this landscape.

I found Hans Bakker, owner of a prefab building company, who now is in the middle of organizing this idea within the concept Ecohytter. He explains: Since the inception in 2015, we have developed, marketed and sold almost 100 turnkey holiday cabins / apartments in the eastern region of Norway. Until 2020, we have sold holiday homes for more than 200 MNOK. In the development of our TRY cabins and apartments, the focus has been on compact and energy-efficient floor plans.

Ever-increasing costs for cabins that are connected to public electricity, water and sewage mean that we now want to focus on alternative cabin solutions. New technology offers new opportunities. Our goal is to be innovative in the use of environmentally friendly solutions within energy, water and wastewater treatment. Our new cabins have been named Ecohytter. Our focus going forward will be on sustainable and environmentally friendly cabin solutions.

Ecohytter can be delivered with access to satisfactory sanitary solutions without the need for extensive blasting and excavation to obtain electricity, water and drainage network. .

Ecohytter are cabins that do not need to be connected to public water and sewage and that produce their own energy. Solutions that involve minimal encroachment on nature, that are based on old building customs, good, modern architecture and that are energy efficient. Ecohytter save the environment and give more people the opportunity to fulfill their dream. This without compromising the comfort required.

Mr. Bakker is now one of the independent associates for the development of the wonderful Kjøpmannssletta in Gausdal near Lillehammer. The land is owned by Marte Stine and Lars Skålenget (see www.skaalenget.com), who are offering the 25 plots. Acclaimed architects are involved, both in the conceptualization of prefabricated Ecohytter and facilitation of our plot at Kjøpmannssletta. In parallel Hans is involving industrial partners on technical infrastructure.