Couple Ditched Metropolis Life to Construct Off-Grid Dwelling within the Philippines

When Matthew Straight and April Pasilang lived in Cebu Metropolis, the oldest metropolis within the Philippines, the fixed hum of site visitors made it arduous to decelerate.

“We did not actually ever get to open a window. It was all the time closed,” Straight, 46, informed Enterprise Insider.

Straight, who grew up in New Zealand, met Pasilang, now 44, within the Philippines in 2016 whereas working within the health trade. In July 2024, he moved from his base in Australia to Cebu Metropolis to be nearer to her.

The bustle of metropolis life bought outdated quick.

Straight had all the time considered residing off-grid within the countryside, however he did not suppose Pasilang would have an interest.

“When he talked about it, it was like, oh my God, I needed that too,” Pasilang, a yoga teacher, informed BI. She grew up on the outskirts of Cebu Metropolis, the place area was plentiful and her household grew their very own crops, and she or he longed for that type of simplicity once more.

They did not plan to go away Cebu Metropolis, however a two-night journey to Bohol, an island about two hours by ferry, modified all the things.

They stumbled upon a chunk of land they preferred in a small city known as Corella. Though it was solely a couple of 15-minute drive from a big market and mall, the realm was quiet, with few neighbors, and only a quick drive to the seashore. They purchased it on a whim.

“I believed it will occur perhaps in 5 years or one thing. It by no means crossed my thoughts that it will occur so rapidly,” Pasilang mentioned.

Constructing an off-grid house

The couple paid 1.3 million Philippine pesos, or about $23,000, for the plot of land, which measures about 15,500 sq. toes. In October, they broke floor on the development of their off-grid house.

Straight drew a easy ground plan, and the couple labored with native architects and builders to design their new place.

The 2-bedroom, two-bathroom primary residence was designed with an open plan format to maximise pure gentle and airflow. Steps away, a separate one-bedroom visitor home presents a snug keep for visiting household and mates.

Outdoors, there is a pool, a vegetable backyard, and a pond — loads of area for the couple to develop their very own meals and unwind.

Hoping to be as self-sustainable as potential, the couple outfitted the home with rainwater storage tanks and a photo voltaic panel system.

“We do not need to be on the whim of world provide chain points,” Straight mentioned.

They spent 4.84 million Philippine pesos on constructing the property, which included the prices of their home equipment, furnishings, fencing, drainage, and their photo voltaic power system.

They moved in in April.

“Now we’re getting the veggie gardens going,” Straight mentioned. “We simply picked some eggplants, okra, and chilies within the morning.”

The couple additionally has plans to purchase some chickens and lift tilapia fish of their pond for their very own consumption.

They’ve grown near a number of neighbors, typically stopping by with further produce from their backyard or selfmade treats, like Pasilang’s banana bread.

Among the many acquainted faces is a 75-year-old lady who runs a small comfort retailer the place children from the close by elementary faculty cease by to purchase snacks.

“Then there’s one other neighbor who’s 83 and match as a fiddle. He walks round carrying huge bottles of water, and he is ripped,” Straight mentioned.

The sense of neighborhood is not like what they skilled in Cebu Metropolis, and even in Australia, the place Straight lived for greater than 10 years.

“Everybody appears to be like out for one another right here. They’re simply so sort and considerate and beneficiant, even when they do not have a lot,” he mentioned. “And also you reciprocate that.”

Their mates from Cebu drop by repeatedly, and the couple says they’ve additionally linked with new individuals by their homestead-focused YouTube channel — a pastime they picked up once they began constructing their house.

Residing with intention

Shifting away from town has allowed the couple to dwell at their very own tempo.

“We get up, open the sliding doorways, put a pot of espresso on, and check out the backyard. We simply determine what to do based mostly on what must be achieved within the backyard, like filling up the backyard beds,” Pasilang mentioned.

Within the afternoons, Straight does on-line vitamin consulting work, and as soon as he is completed, the couple brainstorms concepts for his or her YouTube channel.

They’re not dashing from place to put, worrying about their to-do lists.

“Every little thing was all the time go, go, go and structured, since you actually should time it because of the site visitors,” Straight mentioned.

It is all consistent with their purpose to decelerate and lead a extra purposeful life, particularly for Straight.

Again in Australia, Straight juggled a number of jobs: managing a gymnasium, working a taco enterprise, and overseeing a café. He additionally owned a number of rental properties.

Shedding his mom to pancreatic most cancers in 2017 shifted his outlook. Straight traveled forwards and backwards between Australia and New Zealand to spend time together with her whereas she was sick.

“I believed, gosh, I am having to go away her to return to a job — the place I am simply exchanging time for cash, which can come and go — as an alternative of spending time with my mother,” he mentioned.

The expertise made him understand that he needed management over his time. After reassessing his priorities, Straight noticed that he might dwell with much less and be happier for it.

When he moved to the Philippines, he solely had three bins and two suitcases.

“It was truly fairly therapeutic, eliminating all my stuff after which coming to the Philippines and shopping for issues deliberately — high quality stuff that is not going to simply be thrown away in a 12 months’s time,” Straight mentioned.

They have not discovered any downsides to their new life but. “We have now all the things we had in Cebu however with a a lot simpler, slower-paced life,” he added.

Aside from being much less connected to materials issues, the couple says their life-style change has improved their psychological well being.

“Whenever you get a textual content message otherwise you’re checking social media, you get that dopamine response in your mind,” Straight mentioned. “However now, we get the identical factor by going out to the backyard and seeing that the okra has grown an inch in a day.”

Do you’ve gotten a narrative to share about constructing your dream house in Asia? Contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.