It’s been three years since Anders Boisen, 36, left the city to live in a tiny house in the woods in Denmark — and he’s never been more content with life.
This drastic lifestyle change was driven by his desire to break free from societal standards and live life on his own terms.
Like many Danish millennials, Boisen attended university, where he did his bachelor’s in English and Business Communication and obtained a master’s in Experience Economy. He spent the year after graduation living with a former girlfriend in a three-room apartment in Aarhus, the second-largest city in Denmark.
After breaking up, moving out, and job-hopping a couple of times, he eventually landed a role with the local municipality. It was a stable, 9-to-5 job that paid him enough to live comfortably.
And yet, life felt stifling.
“The whole idea of conformity, that whenever you enter this stage of your life, you’re expected to have a job where you sit all day by the computer, where you live in the suburbs, have two kids, have two cars in your carport and all that,” Boisen told Business Insider. “I just found it so absurd from very early on.”
There was a societal pressure to consume, to give the impression that he was doing well in life — which didn’t sit well with his own environmental beliefs.
“I was disillusioned by the feeling of not being able to make a real difference, and also the conformity of normal life, which wasn’t satisfactory to me,” Boisen said.
He yearned for a simple life where he could be surrounded by nature, and it wasn’t until the pandemic that things finally came to a head.
“I was just sitting in that chair in front of the screen all day, and no one was actually directly affected by the work that I did,” Boisen said. “At the same time, I was looking out into the world and seeing this new era where so many people were inspired to do something else with their lives. So I decided to be one of those people.”
To build a tiny house
In 2020, Boisen quit his job. He had already been building a tiny house on the side, and he decided to focus on the project full-time.
He first encountered the tiny house movement in 2016 through social media. Inspired by the minimalist way of life, Boisen saw tiny living as a way to achieve economic freedom while living more sustainably.
“I started building one tiny house, which got stolen because it was on wheels. It was a crazy story, and I never managed to find it. That was in 2019, so I needed to start all over,” he said.
Thankfully, the tiny house took about eight months to complete, including a short break he took in the middle of the project during winter.
Not only were the weather conditions tough, but Boisen also made a mistake on the roof, which caused rain to destroy part of the structure from the inside.
“I was so stressed at that moment, so I needed to take a break because I didn’t have the mental energy to deal with work and a rotting house,” Boisen said.
Thankfully, he was done with the build during the spring of 2020, with help from some friends and a carpenter. Afterward, he moved the house onto a piece of land that he rented for a year and a half.
When his lease was up, Boisen decided he wanted a more permanent place to call home. So, he looked up real estate listings online and found the perfect plot to put down his roots.
The land, still located in the Aarhus region, measures about 17,800 square feet. It sits at the end of a dirt road and is bounded by a lush forest and an open meadow.
There’s a very small village less than a mile away, and the next biggest town is about three miles away, Boisen said.
After viewing the plot in person, he bought it for 160,000 Danish kroner, or about $23,800.
“I got the house out here with a tractor. The tractor pulled the house out of the city,” he added.
Off-grid in the forest
The tiny house, where Boisen currently lives with his dog, measures about 150 square feet, and isn’t connected to electricity, heat, water, or the sewage system.
“I’m using energy from solar panels, I’m collecting rainwater, and I’m chopping wood for my fire. It’s self-sufficient in terms of that,” Boisen said, adding that he also grows some of his own food.
However, when he first told his parents that he was planning to live off-grid in the forest, they were shocked.
“We’re not very alternative in our family, so I think they were a bit nervous on my behalf that I was deviating from the usual course. Because how would I then be able to secure my pension, get a well-paying job, buy a house, start a family?” Boisen said.
However, they started warming up to his alternative lifestyle when they saw how he was gaining traction on social media and was even featured on local Danish news outlets.
“I think they started seeing it from a different perspective, that this was actually something bigger than just my own ambitions. It’s actually saying something about what many other people maybe want to do in society as well,” he added.
Additionally, he’s also not as isolated as people think.
“I’m living at the end of a dirt road, but on that dirt road there are also neighbors. I don’t get to see them as much because I’m at the end of that road,” he said.
He also sees his friends and family often.
“The thing is, I have the time and flexibility to prioritize social relations in a different way than when I worked a 9-to-5,” he added.
Living life on his own terms
Boisen isn’t alone in being drawn to tiny house living and homesteading, which is the practice of living self-sufficiently off the land.
Thanks to skyrocketing house prices and the high cost of living in cities, homeownership is becoming increasingly elusive for — not just Americans — but people all around the world. For some, tiny living isn’t always a choice but an inevitability.
That said, tiny living and homesteading represent an opportunity for people to live life on their own terms.
Six people who live in tiny houses previously told BI that it was a way for them to improve their finances. Other homesteaders that BI previously spoke to shared that it was a way to reject the status quo.
Indeed, Boisen says one of the best parts of his lifestyle is the freedom to be outside in nature.
“If I were to have a bad day, I only have to go outside and do some practical stuff, be in the sun, and I’ll be in a super good mood,” Boisen said. “I am enjoying it so much.”
It’s also a privilege to not be constrained by societal beliefs about what work and life should look like, he added.
“I can decide on my own what I really want to do in my life, what I’m really passionate about, because I don’t need to earn that much money to keep the house going,” he said.
And that, Boisen says, involves tending to the land and doing projects around the house.
In addition to living off the land, Boisen earns income primarily through giving presentations around the country about living off-grid.
He also teaches tiny house-building classes on a freelance basis, and makes YouTube videos on the side. Boisen has about 26,400 subscribers on his channel and says he’s only been monetized recently.
“The feeling whenever people comment that they get something out of watching my videos is also one of the absolute best things about my lifestyle,” Boisen said. “Because it means that I’m not existing in a vacuum and that everything I do has an impact on someone else.”
To supplement his income, he also has a little annex on his property that he rents out on Airbnb.
“It was a part of a building class last year,” Boisen said. “It has been a huge focus this summer to make it more comfortable. Now it has all the functions that you need to live there: a shower, a toilet, and a kitchen.”
Changing values and perspectives
As much as he is satisfied with his life now, Boisen says it isn’t always a bed of roses.
Making the switch from having a regular paycheck to not earning a steady income was tough, and he says his main concern was economic insecurity.
“I’m still in the habit of counting my money and buying only what I really need,” Boisen said. “I can allow myself the luxury sometimes of buying a good beer or something, but I really scaled down the things that I buy for myself.”
Boisen estimates that he can get by with 5,000 Danish kroner, or about $750 a month, which is “not much.”
A large part of the money goes back into the property since he’s always trying to improve his infrastructure.
“People are commenting on the raggedy levels of my clothes because I don’t have a T-shirt that doesn’t have holes in it anymore,” Boisen said. “But that’s just vanity, I think.”
“I am not in a situation in my life right now where I’m comparing myself to other people in terms of clothing,” Boisen said.
Right now, his favorite shirt is one that was owned by his late father.
“I’ve always considered it the ugliest shirt, but now it’s a good memory of him, and also it’s super warm. I use it whenever it’s practical, and that’s what my values are right now,” he said.
Have you recently built or renovated your dream home? If you’ve got a story to share, get in touch with me at agoh@businessinsider.com.
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