A family in Canada built a solar-powered off-grid home for $300,000 on an abandoned race track – take a look

The young couple lives in Ridgetown, a small rural community found in the southeast corner of Ontario. James, 24, and Klaudia, 25, married in October 2018 and recently welcomed their 10-month-old baby boy named Nathaniel in December 2021.

They've documented their move and building process on their TikTok account, Constructafam. The family posted their first video in January 2021 and has since garnered more than 85,000 followers.

Although James and Klaudia's off-grid home is the largest project they've tackled together, it certainly isn't the first. The hands-on couple built their first house after their wedding.

"It was a one-bedroom, one-bathroom carriage house, and we were planning on having a baby," Klaudia told Insider.

They loved the space but knew it wouldn't be their forever home.

James, who works for a home builder, added that the price of energy at their old home was expensive under Hydro One, the largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider in Ontario.

"We were paying to have power brought to our house, but we were barely using any of it," James said. "We'd used $20 in power, but we'd pay $80 to bring the power to our house. There was no point. So, on the new house, we wanted to make it so we had no charges."

They decided to take a leap of faith and sold their old house on April 2020, and it sold within a week.

The Bultjes planned to live in a renovated trailer while in-between homes, but they lucked out when one of their dream properties hit the market with a price cut.

"We made an offer, but investors wanted the same property and they offered over asking. We offered under asking because we couldn't afford it," Klaudia explained. "But the person selling it chose us."

The couple paid $280,000 to secure the abandoned race track and property that spanned 27 acres – and lots of debris.

"It was the old race track, so there was a whole bunch of garbage, bleachers, old buildings, concession stands falling over, and there were hydro poles – all without power – that were all falling over," Klaudia said.

The workload might have scared off other homeowners, but James and Klaudia wanted a long-term project.

"I just don't think people wanted a big project of cleaning it up, but that's exactly what we wanted," she said. "After building the old house, James was like, 'I'm bored. What do I do now?' When we walked this property, we saw work for 20 years."

James said they broke ground in June 2020, and the project took about three years to complete. However, the space was livable by November 2020, so they moved out of their trailer and into the house.

"We moved into the house when it was being drywalled, which kind of sucked because we had no power, no running water, and no bathroom," Klaudia said. "We were really roughing it for a while there."

The 1,800-square-foot home has four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a full basement, a balcony, an 800-square-foot garage, and several acres of space. Overall, the house cost about $300,000 to build.

The couple said the home is powered by a large solar panel in their backyard, as well as an inverter in the basement that turns the solar power into electricity. They also own a number of six-volt batteries that store power and can be used in the future.

According to the US Department of Energy, solar panels have many benefits, including lower monthly utility bills, increased home value, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

To build the solar panel, James said he installed the base in the backyard and then used a crane to place the panel on the base. Then, they hired a professional to complete the solar panel's wiring in the basement.

"That was a pretty big process," James said, referring to the wiring. "It was probably two weeks of work to do all the off-grid wiring."

James and Klaudia told Insider they're trying to be efficient while using the home's power since it partially relies on the weather.

"When it's sunny out, that's when we do everything," James said. "When it was sunny out, we would crank the AC cold, then turn it off when it got dark because the air conditioner would just drain the batteries."

The Bultje's battery bank is good for two days of darkness in case of blackouts or other inconveniences.

"That was the biggest learning curve," Klaudia said. "Watching our power consumption and knowing when to use it."

The family's septic system took between two and three days to install, but Klaudia and James were already acclimated with the system since they had a similar one at their first home.

"We also have really good dirt for septic systems, but we have a very basic, cheap system, which is nice," James said.

The home also has a propane-powered backup generator and a well, which the couple replaced when they bought the property.

The Bultjes' home has high cathedral-style ceilings that can be seen from their front porch, where dark wooden beams extend past the front door. Gray bricks were paired with dark blue siding along the rest of the home.

The front porch also featured glass panels on either side of the front door and on top.

The home's main foyer seamlessly transitions into a modern living room with excess space and large windows along the walls. The living room is cozy, with an indoor hanging swing chair, dark gray furniture, a stone accent wall, and a fireplace.

"We made a checklist of what we wanted," James said, referring to their home design. "Like, we wanted a walkout basement, a bridge connecting the house in the garage, and a big fireplace."

Near the sliding doors is a second dynamic accent wall. James admitted that choosing details like color and texture can be stressful when deciding on interior design, so Klaudia spearheaded that part of the design.

"You pick all these things and you hope to God that it looks good together," Klaudia said. "We were on a budget, so we went into stores, and whatever was on sale, we said, 'This one or this one?'"

"There was a lot of rock, paper, scissors, to be honest," Klaudia added.

The home's gray motif continued into the kitchen, where small gray tiles wrapped around the walls alongside white cabinetry. Geometric-shaped hanging lights are perched above the kitchen white and blue kitchen island.

The couple also built a walk-in pantry that's connected to the kitchen.

The master bedroom has green walls and white furniture that match the white-framed windows.

The hanging plants add a pop of nature and color to the bathroom's light blue backdrop. The marble counter sits adjacent to the bathtub and shower. The toilet and the master bedroom's closet sit on the far side of the bathroom.

The green-tinted nursery has a hanging chair and cute stickers to accentuate the walls.

One of the home's rooms was designated as a guest bedroom with another large window, hardwood floors, and wood furniture.

The guest bathroom has fun add-ons like a circle mirror and a textured vessel sink. It also doubles as the laundry room.

The balcony extends the length of the home's side and overlooks the spacious land. With 27 acres, the Bultjes can enjoy nature and privacy on their land.

Both James and Klaudia agreed when asked if their current home proved cost-effective.

"Now, we just have a mortgage as opposed to a mortgage, water bills, power bills, or hydro bills," she said. They also noted that when a power outage strikes the area, they're often the only house that keeps power.

And with all the extra space, the couple said they plan to renovate some of it into a wedding venue.

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