We built this simple off-grid cabin and set up in the Australian forest starting from a basic garden shed kit — and turned it into a functional, self-sufficient liveable space for our family.
In this video, I walk through the full build: the structure, compost toilet, water system. Nothing fancy. Nothing extreme. Just a practical cabin that’s actually doable.
If you’ve ever wondered whether building your own off-grid space is realistic, this is our honest breakdown of what it takes — and why we chose this path.
A little bit about us... We aim to be a grounded, modern family choosing intentional forest living — while still connected to the real world. Building a slower life without escaping the modern world. 6 years ago we left the city glam with our heads filled with dreams of sustainability, self sufficiency and connection with nature, with kids, to finally settle on a 5 acres subtropical Australian forest, on semi off grid wood cabin.
We are now balancing lifestyle, needs, aspirations, family life and long term goals in his lifetime project. Timecodes 0:00 Intro and clearing of the cabin site 0:51 Stilla Cabin kit delivery and unpacking 1:54 Tuffblock foundations and floor structure 4:00 Assembly of wall panels and treating wood 5:55 Cabin roof assembly 6:49 French doors, windows and deck 10:35 Compost toilet building 18:51 Cabin in the rain 19:51 Wood floor building 21:21 Bed making from logs 23:25 Water system and tank connection to gutters 25:51 Outro cabin in the night
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A cabin in the woods, someplace secluded and private, dry and cozy, way out in the middle
of the wilderness. In the crazy world we're living in, this simple way of life is becoming more and
more popular every year. And though I can't tell you how to find your slice of paradise, I can show
you what we built here in the forest. So come along with us as we build the cabin from start to finish,
from the ground up, including some of the off-grid systems we have set up. You're watching
Last summer we decided to build a little cabin on our property in the northern rivers of New
South Wales. In this part of the country we get tons of rain, hot summers, mild winters. Just a
little cabin we could go to any season and disconnect, spend some quality time, will be
fantastic. With no building experience and limited budget and time to dedicate to this cabin, I figured
the easiest way would be to start with a garden shed kit and go from there. So I looked for
something not too expensive that could go up quick without much technical abilities, of good quality
and that would be durable in the rainforest. I ended up going with a woodshed company called Stila.
I'll put the link in the description. They use treated cedar for structural pieces and offer
good support and warranty. I figured the risk of buying a dud was pretty low. It comes with a
manual which then allows you to pick up a thing or two in building skills. So I thought I'd start
there and then add what I needed to it later, like toilet, water, electricity, etc. Eventually aiming
for a fully off-grid tiny home setup. With a set of instructions, building the cabin itself is like
building a lego. There are a few things however that are up to you and your common sense. The
foundations for instance, with the uneven terrain, would have been complicated and more costly to make
a slab for me. So I opted for stilts. But even then, I haven't poured any concrete. I used a system called
instant foundation or tuft blocks. I wanted the option to move the building around with a crane
truck if needed. I think each of these tuft blocks can support 700 kilograms. So with about 16 of them
spread across the foundation of the cabin, that's more than enough to support its weight, even a few
times more. The floor structure is probably the trickiest with no experience to secure and level
right, but once that's done, everything else follows. Each post supports the cabin with a
bolted metal rod through, making the whole structure pretty sturdy.
For the roof panel, I needed a flat area, so I assembled them inside, which worked pretty well.
Then I took them out to put the insulation and the sheeting. If I had to do it again though, I'm not
sure I would install the metal sheeting before mounting the panel onto the roof. It ended up
being very heavy and a struggle, even with three people. With the four walls up and the roof in
place, the cabin was finally taking shape. Now it was time for everything else. Building by yourself
sometimes means being creative. I thought I did pretty good there. With the main cabin up, it was
now time to tackle some of the off-grid systems. For the toilet, we opted for a compost toilet system
from a company called Greenloo, and the same company for the actual toilet cabin. Similar
building principles, but just a lot smaller. I had some concrete blocks laying around, so I decided
to build concrete pad underneath the cabin, as it would be easier to feed the toilet chute and the
bin, as well as easier to maintain.
The last part of this project was building the seeping trench, or soak-away trench. Without going
too much into the details, whilst the fan dries most of the solids out and reduces the smell,
the excess liquid then just seeps into this trench into the soil. Bon appétit!
I hope you enjoyed this video and found it useful. Finally, after about a year of work on our spare
time and over the weekends, the cabin is almost livable. Next, we'll be installing a small solar
system, a bush kitchen, a shower, and we can wait to use it and spend more time here, as a bit of a
refuge from the craziness. Do subscribe if you want to see what we're up to next. In the meantime,
don't forget to put a thumbs up, and see you next time!
