A couple who lived in a converted van for four years to avoid pricey apartments have revealed they are now working on a new project: a remote off-the-grid cabin in the wilds of Nova Scotia.
Crystal Drinkwalter, 28, and Jazmyn Canning, 29, purchased a 15-acre plot of land with a cabin in the rugged Canadian territory for $37,000 in July 2021 and they have since been kitting it out so they can be completely self sufficient.
In videos posted to social media, where they use the handle @vanwives, the couple, from Ontario, explained that their off-the-grid living experiment had been challenging with ‘daunting’ DIY projects presenting themselves and brutal weather to contend with.
This winter they were hit by a polar vortex with temperatures plummeting to -40F and in one clip, Jazmyn shared how the ‘Arctic’ cold feels.
Crystal Drinkwalter, 28, and Jazmyn Canning, 29, purchased a 15-acre plot of land with a cabin in the rugged Canadian territory for $37,000 in July 2021
The couple have since been kitting it out so they can be completely self sufficient
In videos posted to social media, the couple, from Ontario, explained that their off-the-grid living experiment had been challenging
This winter they were hit by a polar vortex with temperatures plummeting to -40F
Standing outside in a winter parka as winds whip around her, she says: ‘Everything hurts. You know when your foot goes to sleep and you step on it, that’s how I would describe what it feels like being outside for probably 10 minutes… maybe even less.
‘Everything starts to feel like tingling and it stings… and your nostrils feel weird.’
In another clip, the duo revealed what the cabin looked like when they first moved in, with the roof tiles disintegrated and the garden completely overgrown.
Some of the biggest jobs they undertook included installing a new metal roof and laying a driveway, which required them to learn how to operate heavy machinery.
But their hard work paid off and ‘after’ footage shows their new home coming along nicely and looking in a more livable condition.
Some of Crystal and Jazmyn’s additions to the cabin include an outdoor toilet and a sauna, and they say that one of their potential projects this summer is installing a swimming pool.
In a bid to live off-grid, the couple went about installing a 48-volt electrical system with more than 10,000 watts of solar power and 28 kWh of battery storage to harvest the sun’s energy.
While they watched YouTube videos to learn new DIY skills, the couple said that friends and family helped along the way, and they also had support from the local community.
Standing outside in a winter parka while winds whip around her, Jazmyn says: ‘Everything hurts. You know when your foot goes to sleep and you step on it, that’s how I would describe it’
Some of the biggest jobs they undertook included installing a new metal roof and laying a driveway, which required them to learn how to operate heavy machinery
In a clip, the duo revealed what the cabin looked like when they first moved in, with the roof tiles disintegrated and the garden completely overgrown
‘After’ footage shows their new home coming along nicely and looking in a more livable condition
Clearly content with her new set-up, Crystal says in one YouTube entry: ‘It feels absolutely amazing to wake up here.
‘There’s just so much solitude, it’s just so quiet… I haven’t experienced anything like this in months and its safe to say we’re all very happy.’
Joining them at the cabin are the couple’s two Australian shepherds, Bella and Izzy.
Looking ahead, they say: ‘The winter was long, hard and challenging, but spring is right around the corner and we can’t wait to start planting our garden again.’
Before finding fame on social media with their van life adventures, the pair worked as waitresses in a casino.
They said they first began toying with the idea of living out of a transformed car because of the high housing costs in Toronto.
‘The cost of living definitely deterred us from getting an apartment,’ Crystal explained.
Some of Crystal and Jazmyn’s additions to the cabin include an outdoor toilet and a sauna, and they say that one of their potential projects this summer is installing a swimming pool
Before finding fame on social media with their van life adventures, the pair worked as waitresses in a casino
They said they first began toying with the idea of living out of a transformed car due to high housing costs in Toronto
‘Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the Toronto area starts at $880 (US$1,200) and then you are paying bills on top of that.
‘How can you do the things you want to do when all your money is going into the roof above your head? We wanted to make life our job, rather than make our job our life.’
The pair took five months finding the perfect van and a further eight months to turn it into their home.
Jazmyn explained: ‘We didn’t want the van to just be a travel mobile, we wanted it to be our own home mobile.’
Crystal added: ‘It took us eight months to outfit the van and it was a lot of trial and error. We had no prior plumbing, electrical work or carpentry skills. YouTube was our biggest educator.
‘We were working full time while we were building. The van cost $10,200 (US$14,000) and the build cost $8,200 (US$11,000).’
While living in their van and not paying rent, the couple said they were able to save money and they had no debts.
They now say that their cabin, which they found online, was another bargain purchase and being able to live off the land while making money from social media would allow them to amass further savings.
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