living off-grid: 3 months on a generator
- grayhillsKY
- May 31
- 4 min read
When we officially arrived at Gray Hills on November 17, 2024, we knew things would be different—just not how different. The plan was simple: settle in, get power hooked up, and start building. Life had other plans. For the first three months, our only electricity came from a small generator we’d borrowed "just in case." It quickly became our lifeline.
For over two months before we even moved, we tried to line up utilities months in advance, hoping to hit the ground running. We originally aimed to go off-grid with solar and a well. That changed fast when we were quoted $50,000 for solar unless we DIY'ed the whole setup. We paid for a well site evaluation early on, but after taking our deposit, the guy disappeared. Another company showed interest, then ghosted us too.
So, in the end, connecting to public utilities just made the most sense. The power company wouldn’t touch our request until we had a structure—or at least a foundation in place. Our structures were ready the week we moved in. We kept trying to reach the electric engineer who needed to visit first, but after days of silence, we drove to the main office. Turns out, he’d closed our account. They reopened it, and he finally came out—the day before Thanksgiving. That’s when we learned we needed permission from a neighbor to run power through their land. Not the easiest icebreaker: "Hi, can we use your property for our electricity?" Frankly, being new to the area—and coming from a city like Atlanta—we weren’t about to go wandering onto someone’s property out here in the country. Instead of knocking, we mailed a Thanksgiving card introducing ourselves and explaining the situation. No response.
Then there’s the gas. Our land came with the mineral rights and we have a gas well on the property. But haven’t been able to reach a single person at the gas company about what it takes to actually hook up to it. What good is free, unlimited gas if you can't access it?
By now, we had learned real fast how to prioritize using electricity from the generator. Running a space heater was priority, our small electric cooler for some food, and we hooked up a TV and DVD player, and phone chargers. Forgetting to refill the gas cans wasn’t an option—we were filling our three cans twice a week. And gas prices? Let’s just say we could’ve taken a vacation for what we spent to stay warm.
After months of hitting dead ends, and three weeks into living here, we finally met—face to face—a guy we’d only talked to over text before the move. He'd used to hunt and fish the property for years. Once he realized we were now living out here full-time, he made it a point to swing by and introduce himself officially. That visit changed everything. The moment we mentioned our utility headaches, he said, "I wish I'd known sooner," and was already dialing numbers. Turns out, he had connections everywhere. Family at the water company, friends at the electric company, and he'd worked for the gas company himself. Within minutes, he was making progress we hadn’t managed in months. And, remember how we needed permission from the nearest neighbor, but didn’t feel great about just showing up and knocking? Well, he didn’t mind. He went for it. We heard them inside, but no one came to the door. Still stuck on that.
Within a week, we had gas run and hooked up. We swapped the electric space heater for a real gas heater just in time for the deep freeze. The generator could finally rest. He called a plumber one night, and the guy showed up at 8 a.m. the next morning. By week’s end, we were plumbed in. He also brought in an electrician he trusted when we had gotten quotes he didn't like, and got the electric company moving. The road was marked for new poles. But, we still had to get the wiring in our home finished before they’d move forward—and we were still waiting on the neighbor’s permission. Between holidays and weather, progress slowed again.
By January, we’d been living on generator power for nearly two months—and weirdly, we were used to it. We cooked on the propane Blackstone, played board games, watched DVDs, and read books. Even our 11-year-old didn’t complain. Life was basic, but it was good.
January flew by. The electric company found a different neighbor willing to cooperate, and the tree company cleared a path for the lines (twice as wide as needed—ouch). Then, in February, the lights finally stayed on. Our temporary pole was up and running. Real power felt like a luxury. But looking back? Generator life built our foundation. It slowed us down before we could speed up. It reminded us that convenience is nice, but grit matters more. And the best stories usually start with a mess.
We don’t miss the sound of that generator humming through the night, but we’re grateful for everything it taught us.
Oh, right—water. You’re probably wondering how we managed without it for so long. Well…we rented a porta-john, and for showers, we made regular trips into town to the Holiday Inn. Between the cost of gas and hotel showers, we probably could’ve taken a pretty decent vacation. Eventually, we got a temporary camping hot water heater hooked up inside while we work on finishing the interior, and not long after, we got our toilet plumbed in and hooked up to the septic. That first real shower at home, and being able to flush? Absolute bliss.
No one talks much about the unglamorous start—gas cans, frozen mornings, and porta-johns. But that’s what it took to clear the way. Now that the essentials were in, we could finally start shaping Gray Hills into the place we saw in our heads all along.
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