In a bold move, Oliver Russell, a 24-year-old half-American, half-Finnish, left behind his busy United States life for the off-grid serenity of Finland. For just $31,000—"less than a house deposit"—he and his girlfriend, Helena Tomaszewska, bought a secluded island, where they’re turning a blank canvas into their dream off-grid retreat.
Oliver's journey began in Laguna Beach, California, where he grew up enjoying a bustling, sun-soaked life. However, when he moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, in 2020, things began to shift. Struggling with the costs of education, he looked elsewhere and found a way to study in Finland as a Finnish citizen. "I fell in love with the idea of going to Finland and going to school there," he recalls. By August 2022, he had made the leap, securing free schooling and an entirely new lifestyle.
It wasn’t long before Oliver met Helena, and together they embarked on their next big adventure. In March 2024, they spotted a 2.5-acre island advertised on a property website. "I was looking more for fun," Oliver admits, "but it ended up being cheaper than a normal lot I could buy, so we jumped on it." For $31,000 (€28,000), they became the proud owners of the island—an untouched paradise surrounded by nature, with no electricity, no plumbing, and endless possibilities.
Oliver's deep connection to Finland’s summer cottage culture made this an easy choice. "In Finland, the summer cottage life is a huge part of the culture," he says. "I would come out here every summer, and I wanted one of my own." The couple’s vision? To transform this uninhabited island into a summer paradise, complete with a sauna, a log cabin, and other amenities to create the perfect off-grid retreat.
The island was mostly uninhabitable when they arrived, covered in trees, moss, and hilly terrain. Undeterred, Oliver set out to build their first structure: a deck for their glamping tent, which would serve as their temporary base. Despite no prior construction or off-grid experience, he was determined to make it work.
"We made a frame out of logs that we felled from trees, and I got some decking from a hardware store," he says. Felling trees, which he'd never done before, proved challenging and dangerous. "Felling a tree, for example, I had never done that before until now, and it can be pretty dangerous." Yet through research and persistence, he completed this first crucial step toward making the island livable.
Building the deck required cutting down, debarking, and notching logs to create a stable foundation. "We felled a couple of trees, debarked them, and cut them to length. Some of the foundation are stumps from the felled trees, but most are cut logs on a concrete slab," Oliver says. Using a hand puller and 16-centimeter lag bolts, he secured the logs into position, and the deck gradually took shape.
"This was the first thing I have built, and I feel like it has gone well," Oliver reflects. The project also involved overcoming logistical challenges like transporting materials by boat and setting up the frame in tough weather. "The whole process of putting the decking on took us two days," he notes, adding that he used two screws every 60 centimeters to secure the boards.
Once the deck was complete, the couple set up their 5-meter glamping tent, transforming the island into a more comfortable space where they could spend their weekends working on future projects. But there was still much more to do. Next on the list: building an outhouse.
Building the outhouse presented different challenges from the deck. Without a floating dock, transporting materials required multiple trips by rowboat. "It took us five trips total and a little over a day in the pouring rain, but in the end, we got everything to the island," Oliver recalls. The construction began with four concrete blocks as the foundation and a frame of pressure-treated lumber, followed by stacking the walls and adding a roof with asphalt shingles for weather protection.
"Building the outhouse was pretty simple," he says, though there were some hiccups. Inside, they installed a composting toilet, an eco-friendly system that recycles waste. "In the outhouse, we have a bin full of dry composting material, a place to wash our hands, a mirror, and towels," Oliver explains. They also added a debarked log stand to keep water contained when using the sink.
Now, with the deck, the outhouse, and a shower completed, the couple can comfortably stay on the island and begin planning the next steps of their dream build—a sauna cabin and eventually, a larger log cabin. Despite their busy schedules as full-time students, Oliver and Helena spend their weekends on the island, inching closer to their goal of an off-grid summer retreat.
Their story of turning an untouched island into a functional, off-grid paradise is not just a journey of physical building—it’s a testament to what can be achieved with passion, perseverance, and a willingness to learn. They share their updates, challenges, and successes on their Instagram.