Off the grid home up for sale in New Brunswick: 'I like the peace and quiet'

Around six years ago, Paul McFadden decided he wanted to live a solitary life and fend for himself.

McFadden wanted to be alone, so he bought a one-room house in the country near Shediac, N.B., and began living off the grid.

“I was looking for peace and quiet. I found I wasn’t getting it at home. I was staying at my mother’s. I had a chance to get this camp and I thought to myself, ‘Jeez, I’ve always wanted to live off grid for once to see what it’s like.’”

He generates his own power and gets his water from a well.

His only bill is $300 per year for the lease.

He has neighbours, but their cottages are seasonal, so he’s by himself most of the year.

Some days, he and his dog Sheba don’t see or hear anything at all.

“I like the peace and quiet,” said McFadden. “You know, there’s no one here to tell me what time to get up, when to do the dishes.”

Paul McFadden is putting his remote house near Shediac, N.B. up for sale. (Derek Haggett/CTV Atlantic)

But he’s put his fortress of solitude up for sale on Facebook Marketplace and says there’s been some interest.

The modest $16,000 price tag comes with generators, solar panels, battery pack, well, and inside hand pump.

A good deal, but it isn’t easy living.

The bathroom is outside and whoever buys it will need a big supply of wood for the winter months.

The biggest challenge he said is keeping the place warm.

“I’ve come to the point now where I’m 72 and I kind of think it’s time to let go of this place and move on,” said McFadden.

The former fisherman picked up folk art when his back gave out and has become a prolific artist over the years.

He practiced karate in the 1970s and credits a former instructor for helping him through a tragedy.

After his son Nathanial was murdered in 2009, his old friend would come visit him and talk to him about it.

“And talk to me very peaceful about it because I was very angry. You know, angry at everybody I guess and he helped me. He helped me emotionally,” he said.

McFadden said the death of a child is something you never get over.

“He was a handsome boy and a good worker too,” he said.

Once his home is sold, the plan is to move in with his 91-year-old mother who lives nearby.

He’s ready to go, but he’ll miss the best part of living off the grid.

“It’s just the peacefulness of it,” said McFadden. “Look right now and what do you hear? Nothing.”

His only visitors… the occasional bear he catches in his compost bin.

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