High housing prices are an issue around the world. That’s why many people are turning to some unorthodox alternatives, such as tiny living. Others, like Oliver Russell are taking even wilder avenues. The 24-year-old Finnish-American man and his girlfriend Helena Tomaszewska bought a tiny island in Finland after realizing it was cheaper than putting down a deposit on a house.
Russell, who grew up in the U.S., would visit Finland every summer, which led him to fall in love with the local summer cottage culture. This, and the fact that he could apply for free tuition as a Finnish citizen, inspired him to move to the Nordic country to pursue an international degree. After meeting Tomaszewska and moving in together, the pair started looking for options.
“In Finland, the summer cottage life is a huge part of the culture and I would come out here every summer. I loved the summer cottage life and wanted one of my own,” Russell explains. Instead of going apartment hunting in Helsinki, the couple decided to pursue their summer cabin dreams. When Oliver went on a real estate website, he came across an island that had been vacant for 10 years with a listing for just $36,569. “It ended up being cheaper than a normal lot I could buy so we jumped on it.” He offered $31,000 and the previous owner accepted.
The island is uninhabited and measures over 2.5 acres (1 hectare), although the couple is only permitted to build on the top half, as the rest is classified as forest land. The couple made their first trip to the island in May, with more and more ambitious projects in mind as their visits progressed. They spent their first night in a floating tent, which later became a glamping site with some decking they got from a hardware site and a frame made from fallen trees. Now, the couple has built an outhouse and an off-grid shower.
The effort is highly commendable since neither Russell nor Tomaszewska had any experience living off the grid. Since the pair are both students, they can’t devote their entire time to their future home, but have vouched to visit it every week and work on it in their free time. As the summer wraps up, they’ve begun to look into sources of firewood to be able to spend the night at the island during the harsh fall and winter season.
“The ultimate dream is to build a log cabin for the summer. But first we want to build a sauna cabin—based on the [building] rules, one-third of the plot has to be a sauna cabin,” Russell shares. “We haven’t set ourselves super hard deadlines as there have been a lot of learning experiences. Every time we go to the island, it doesn’t feel real that it is ours—it is so nice to be out there.”
To stay up to date with their island adventure, you can follow Russell’s updates on his Off Grid Island Instagram.
A Finnish-American man named Oliver Russell and his girlfriend Helena Tomaszewska bought a tiny island in Finland after realizing it was cheaper than putting down a deposit on a house.
“In Finland, the summer cottage life is a huge part of the culture and I would come out here every summer. I loved the summer cottage life and wanted one of my own,” says Russell.
In less than three months, the couple, who are students with no off-grid-living experience, have built a deck for their glamping tent and an outhouse with a shower.
Off Grid Island: Instagram | YouTube
h/t: [LADbible]
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