Faced with rising housing costs in Halifax during the pandemic, a 42-year-old single mother named Mariam chose an unconventional path to homeownership by purchasing land and building an off-grid residence near Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Unable to afford traditional housing amid a market boom, she financed the project independently without taking on a mortgage or utility bills.

Prior to this move, Mariam had spent approximately 15 years renting in Halifax, living in apartments and housing co-ops before renting a four-bedroom house for $1,800 monthly, with total expenses reaching about $2,500 including utilities. Originally, she planned to buy that home through a rent-to-own agreement. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in early 2020, her landlord opted to sell the property outright. This shift coincided with a sharp surge in the local housing market, driven by historically low interest rates and an influx of buyers from outside the region. Resale prices jumped by 10.9 percent in 2020, turning an anticipated $350,000 purchase into a listing priced near $500,000 — a figure beyond Mariam’s financial reach despite years of careful saving.

Expanding her search beyond traditional homes to cottages, cabins, and vacant land within a 90-minute radius of Halifax, Mariam quickly encountered stiff competition. Affordable properties were often snapped up within days, sometimes before she could submit offers. Eventually, she found a listing on Kijiji for a 38-acre property near Bridgewater, including a small 10-by-10-foot cabin, an outhouse, a chicken coop, and driveway. The seller initially asked $65,000, but Mariam secured a $50,000 cash purchase, completing the transaction in November 2020 with about $1,500 in legal fees.

Funding the purchase required income from multiple sources accumulated over several years. Employed in office management at a non-profit earning around $54,000 annually, Mariam supplemented her earnings by renting out a spare room via Airbnb when her children were absent, freelancing as a consultant, and launching a bakery branch with her sisters. To save effectively, she placed money in separate bank accounts to avoid temptation. The remaining $15,000 for the land was covered through a combination of loans and gifts from friends and family.

Since acquiring the land, Mariam lived temporarily in a partly converted school bus she purchased for $6,000, connected to the cabin, along with her youngest child and a former partner. After two winters in this arrangement, she began constructing a permanent 650-square-foot home featuring two bedrooms and a bathroom. With assistance from a hired friend earning about $30 per hour, volunteer friends, and discounted materials, she estimates the build cost at roughly $70,000. To maintain off-grid independence, she invested approximately $10,000 in solar panels, significantly less than the $30,000 quoted to connect to the electrical grid. She also recently spent $10,000 to dig a well, moving beyond rainwater collection and hauling for water supply.

Reflecting on her upbringing in a low-income family marked by frequent moves and attending 13 different schools, Mariam described having a permanent home as a source of long-sought stability. “I can’t imagine ever getting rid of the place,” she said, underscoring the value of security amid broader economic and social shifts.