News
What off-grid actually costs through a Southland winter
A year of data from a Wānaka cabin shows exactly where the money goes — and why a well-designed off-grid setup performs better than most people expect.
Tiny homes in Northland.
Off-grid country, coastal air, and the longest dry spells in the motu.
Northland has more genuinely off-grid small homes than anywhere else in the country. Land is more affordable, services are further away, and sun for solar is plentiful.
Water storage is the constraint people underestimate. A dry Northland summer will empty an undersized tank well before autumn.
What's different about building here
Size the tank for a dry February
Rainfall is seasonal here. Plan storage around the driest stretch, not the annual average.
Coastal corrosion is real
Near the coast, specify fixings, cladding and joinery rated for a marine environment.
Solar performs well
Northland's sun hours make a modest array go further than the same system in the deep south.
Short-stay reference rates
Indicative average nightly rates we use in our backyard income calculator for Northland. Actual rates vary by season, site and standard of finish.
| Size | Avg nightly (NZD) |
|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $145 |
| 2 bedrooms | $185 |
| 3 bedrooms | $235 |
Reading for Northland
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Sizing an Off-Grid System: What It Really Takes to Run a Small Home on Sun
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Catching What Falls: Rainwater Systems for Small Homes
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Off the grid, on your own terms: the quiet rise of the self-sufficient tiny home
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The Bathroom Question: Composting Toilets and Greywater, Plainly Explained
It's the question everyone asks and nobody wants to ask first. Here's how these systems actually work day to day — the good, the honest and the smelly.
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