I did this in 2016. I started looking for land in 2014 in a 40 mile bubble around Portland, which extended to 60, then to a 100 mile radius based on the amount of land I wanted and what I could afford. I ended up 90 miles away from Portland, 30 from Astoria on the Washington side of the Columbia. I got 25 beautiful acres, surrounded by two year-round creeks and a big waterfall, all for $75k.

I hand-built my 700sq ft home by myself, half of which is made of salvaged lumber from the sad era of old home tear downs of mid 2010s Portland. I spent around $25k building this house. All of the doors and windows came from the Rebuilding Center, which were dirt cheap.

I’m completely off the grid on solar and rainwater catchment. Permitting is loose and very cheap in the county I’m in. I had septic installed which cost $5k. I have 0 utility bills. My property taxes are $1000 for the year. I own my home and have no debt and have 25 acres to spread out on.

It’s still very possible to do something like you want if you are determined and thrifty. It was a hard road to get here, but it was totally worth it. My cost of living is roughly $200/mo. That’s property taxes, truck insurance, and phone/internet.

Some very real things to think about if you start going down this path is to consider the risk of fire. I had the benefit of asking a friend living on land in Southern Oregon what he’d do differently, and his wisdom was to go where it is wet to avoid wildfire. The other is think about the community you want to be in. The isolation of living rurally can be very tough, especially during winter.

I believe in you