Wild Wonderful off-Grid is a well-loved Youtube Channel that started off with a family of five who wanted to escape the rat race and build their dream home in the mountains of West Virginia.
Now with an impressive 926k subscribers on Youtube and equally sizable followings in other platforms including Instagram and Facebook, Wild Wonderful Off-Grid is one of the go-to channels for those looking to get inspiration to build their own dream mountain homes and escape their frenetic city lifestyles.
How It All Began
Erin, Josh, and the Move to West Virginia Couple Erin and Josh Myers lived in the city their entire lives. After they had their daughter, they decided they needed a break from city living.
In late 2018, the thirty-something couple along with their three young kids sold their house, packed up their stuff, and made the trip to sprawling West Virginia where a spacious, 73-acre property was waiting for them.
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This wasn’t a hasty move, however. The couple has long wanted to build a house for the entire family away from the bustle of the city.
They also wanted to build a house debt-free and raise their kids in an environment where proximity to nature and self-sufficient living was the norm.
The plan was to live in their camper while they got started on building their dream home from the ground up.
This was bound to be quite the adventure since the couple had to juggle raising and home-schooling kids and building a farm.
However, with grit, determination, and lots of humor, Erin, Josh, and the entire team were able to build not just their dream A-frame home but also a working farm that houses a colorful menagerie of farm animals, including a bull steer, goats and a flock of chickens.
Why is it popular?
There are many reasons why Wild Wonderful OffGrid resonates with so many people.
One is the fact that so many people also want to escape the drudgery of living in the city but are still waiting for the right time to do so.
Seeing the family’s story unfold in a series of videos about their daily challenges and triumphs, whether it’s something as minor as fixing a loose pipe or something as major as standing by as their build goes through a safety inspection.
This allows followers and viewers to live vicariously through these adventures while keeping their hopes of similar life and career change alive.
The channel’s focus on self-sufficient off-grid living is also attractive especially to that segment of viewers who may not want to relocate to somewhere remote but want practical knowledge on how to start with off-grid living from scratch.
The Myers built their A-frame house themselves, as soon as they arrived at the property.
By January of 2019, they were installing electrical panels, insulation, and solar panels, while getting their farm started at the same time.
The entire family moved into the house in mid-2020 after a series of challenges that were all documented in their Youtube channel.
Viewers love how the entire family pitches in and how they persevere through the toughest of setbacks, including the harsh West Virginia winters that mean added work to protect their farm and themselves from the cold as they continue the build.
???? Speaking of YouTube, have you subscribed to the Off-Grid Essential YouTube Channel? We would love to share our adventures with you!
All these the Myers and their three kids do with lots of laughter and humor, which is perhaps the main reason why so many love this channel.
Viewers get a close look at how they juggle parenting with building a home and farm which easily endears them to viewers in the same demographic.
The couple’s three children are primary characters in the videos and how they adapted to living off-grid has been documented in detail in the channel.
Another reason why Wild Wonderful Off-Grid is a well-loved channel is the fact that they share practical information related to the build and off-grid living, from how to build a small shed, set up a small farm, install a power system to the specifics of building an under-deck roofing system.
Videos on how they set up their solar power system, challenges, and mistakes to avoid, as well as specific costing are documented in the channel.
The channel is both entertaining and educational and it covers a wide range of topics, from carpentry to farming to raising a family which allows the Myers to appeal to a wide global audience.
The gorgeous setting also helps. The Myers chose to build their A-frame home against the natural backdrop of West Virginia forests which turn an amazing shade of colors as seasons change.
Even in the winter, thick West Virginia snowfall turns their homestead into a winter wonderland that just makes for excellent Youtube content.
The setting easily makes for really visually appealing videos and natural and laid-back energy that is easily felt when you watch any of their videos.
Why an A-Frame?
A lot of people are also drawn to the fact that the Myers are building an A-frame home given that they are a family of five with three growing children.
The answer is simple– they want this home to be the main family home which means that they want something that will grow old with them.
An A-frame won’t pose mobility issues for any of the family members later on in life.
This rather unusual choice for a family home is one of the reasons why the channel is popular because it is interesting to see how the entire family navigates the challenges of building an A-frame from scratch and how they navigate the challenges of actually living in an A-frame house.
The end result is a spacious, well-built family home with amazing views of the outside, not to mention ample space indoors for a family of five.
Where Are They Now?
You can get your Wild Wonderful Off-Grid binge-watching fix on these platforms: Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook.
Wild Wonderful Off-Grid is on Youtube although fans can also get updates on upcoming vlogs on Facebook where they have 345, 378 followers.
They can also get updates and access to content like photos and short videos on their Instagram where they have 48.7k followers.
Another channel, Wild Wonderful After the Show showcases short videos of the family outside of their home build.
Followers and viewers can also ask questions through any of the platforms that the couple answer in their Youtube videos.
???? Speaking of YouTube, have you subscribed to the Off-Grid Essential YouTube Channel? We would love to share our adventures with you!