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When I retire, i'm not really looking to make my life more difficult by living off the grid. When I was younger and healthier (history of heart failure and other cancer treatment side effects) It was my dream to have 50-100 acres in Northern Michigan along a lake shore and live mostly off the grid.
Being in a Northern climate, I couldn't survive in a tiny house all Winter without going nutso, so I believe an 800 sq ft well insulated cabin with a full basement would be ideal. I would then have a 60x100 pole barn to house our horses, chickens, tractors and implements, truck, self raised hay supply, mechanics shop, and other motorized toys.
I would heat it all with a large outside woodburner, and supply the electrical needs with a diesel genset/batteries and wind generator, and then have a propane fridge, stove, water heater, and back up heat. The house would have efficiency in mind, but honestly, you can run all the big appliances suchas the washer drier, microwave, showers, all while running the genset and charging the batteries for 2 hours in the evening.
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