WattsOFF GRID
Start where you are

Self-sufficiency that starts where you are.

Water, power, food and the small enterprises that pay for them — worked out for South African conditions, against South African standards and law, in the climate you actually garden in.

Find your starting point Browse the pillars

The seven pillars

Everything here sits under one of seven headings

Each is built the same way: the system explained, the standards named, and the mistakes that cost people the most set out plainly.

01

Water

Boreholes, tanks, rainwater and greywater. Constructed wetlands, natural ponds, and a swimming pool with no chlorine in it.

BoreholesRainwaterGreywaterWetlandsThe natural pool
02

Power

Solar, batteries and inverters sized to what you actually use, not to what the installer would like to sell you.

SolarBatteriesInvertersSizing it honestlyBackup
03

Grow

Soil first — compost, worms, biochar and mulch. Then permaculture, bed types and which suits your ground, hydroponics and aquaponics.

SoilBeds & systemsPermacultureHydro & aquaponicsWhat grows here
04

Animals

Bees, chickens and fish. What they cost to keep, what they give back, and which species you may legally hold in this province.

BeesChickensFishFeed & housingWhat's legal here
05

The Still Room

Ferment, preserve, store and remedy. Beer, mead and kombucha; canning and bottling; a pantry that rotates rather than rots; the herb bed.

FermentPreserveStoreRemedy
06

Make it Pay

The enterprises that turn a smallholding from a cost into an income — and the honest arithmetic on each one.

Castings & biocharMicrogreensMushroomsHoneyPricing your work
07

Security

Private provision is permanent infrastructure in this country. What it costs to do properly, without the fear-mongering.

PerimeterPower & commsWater securityWhat it costs

Start where you are

You do not need land to begin

Pick the space you actually have. We will show you what it can carry, and what to do first.

01

Windowsill & balcony

Herbs, microgreens and a bokashi bin. The cheapest place to start.

See what fits →
02

Small garden

Four beds, a worm farm, a rain tank and two hens.

See what fits →
03

Suburban plot

Greywater, solar backup, a real compost system, one hive.

See what fits →
04

Small plot

Borehole, off-grid power, orchard, a pond that earns its keep.

See what fits →
05

Smallholding

The whole system — and the enterprises that pay for it.

See what fits →

Latest

From the ground

The newest entries in the journal — researched write-ups of the systems we are building, testing and costing, each one dated and signed.

off-grid livestock housing with chicken coop, goat pen, and barn on a homestead property

Homesteading

Off-Grid Livestock Housing: Essential Design & Cost Guide

Off-grid livestock housing costs more than you think. Lisa breaks down recurring feed bills, regional predator threats, and the design flaws that drain most homesteads dry.

Home security running costs breakdown — electric fence, CCTV cameras, and gate motor on a suburban property

Home Security

Home Security Running Costs: The Essential Monthly Breakdown

Home security running costs go far beyond installation. See the full monthly breakdown for South Africa, the US, and the UK — from armed response to battery wear.

Off grid backup power system with solar panels, LiFePO4 batteries and hybrid inverter installed in a home

Off Grid Systems

Off Grid Backup Power: 3 Essential System Builds

Off grid backup power explained: compare 3 system builds, get regional pricing for the US, UK & South Africa, and learn how to size solar, batteries & inverters.

borehole water systems solar pump installation off-grid homestead

Off-Grid Water

Borehole Water Systems: The Complete Off-Grid Guide

Borehole water systems explained: costs in South Africa, USA & UK, solar integration, regulations, top drillers, and ROI — everything for true off-grid water independence.

Read the journal →

The Sunday Dispatch

One email every Sunday, from the ground

What we are building, what we have sourced, and what it costs — with the supplier named and the quote dated. No affiliate padding, no doom, no filler.

One email every Sunday. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.