Our walk-in "Jess Cabin" is a cute little tiny house in the forest, with wood heat, a cozy double bed (bring all your own bedding or sleeping bags), and solar-electric lights and USB charging. Enjoy the quiet of this forest cabin, with access to lots of trails. Endless firewood (and a bucket of kindling) are included. This is a tiny house, and cozy families have brought kid
Our walk-in "Jess Cabin" is a cute little tiny house in the forest, with wood heat, a cozy double bed (bring all your own bedding or sleeping bags), and solar-electric lights and USB charging. Enjoy the quiet of this forest cabin, with access to lots of trails. Endless firewood (and a bucket of kindling) are included. This is a tiny house, and cozy families have brought kids along, but it's not spacious, and three very friendly adults is perhaps the max. If you have a larger group, see our listing for tent sites, and ask for the site nearest to the Jess.
The homestead is a quiet retreat (NOT a party spot). Loud voices, radios, and significant drinking are not allowed. We encourage you to come if you want a peaceful time in forest and field, with respect for our home, our neighbors, and other guests. 9 PM to 8 AM is silent time here.
The homestead is 3/4 mile from the Guemes Island Resort, which is next door to a county park with launching opportunity for your kayaks and other small boats, as well as beach walking. It and other nearby points on the island are great jumping-off points for visiting nearby and wilder islands.
The island has multiple land trust properties that are open to the public, including Guemes Mountain, Peach Preserve, and Kelly's Point. The homestead guidebook has details about these and other island locations, and Ian can help you with advice and information.
Ian is a nationally known expert in renewable energy, and has been living off-grid at the homestead since the early 1980s. He wrote Wind Power for Dummies, was an editor and writer with Home Power magazine for 20 years, and teaches workshops in Central America and elsewhere to help people learn about how to use renewable technologies. He also consults with homeowners and businesses, and sells renewable energy systems. As a bonus for your stay, Ian will give your group a tour of the renewable energy systems at the homestead. These systems include solar electricity, wind electricity, solar and wood hot water, solar cooking, wood heat, rocket stoves, and more. Just ask when you arrive or before, and we will schedule a time for this tour. As part of your reservation, you'll get to pick the brain of a renewable energy and off-grid living expert!
If you're interested in experiencing saw milling, offer to help for 3-4 hours, and Ian will likely be willing to fire up the mill. He's excited about turning local logs into boards, live-edge slabs, and pieces for benches and tables. He also enjoys building rustic furniture, and offering to help a bit might encourage him to show you what can be done. Workshops on building your own bench have happened in the past, and custom rustic furniture is available.Our garden and orchard are overflowing in the summer and fall, and some things are available all year (like kale -- please don't buy any before you come!). We plants lots so we can share the abundance with family, friends, neighbors, and guests. Ask what's available when you are staying with us, and enjoy. And if you like getting your hands dirty, there's always weeding and other garden tasks available if you want to make a contribution.
If the cost of staying at the homestead is truly a challenge for you, you can ask for a discount for your children, or for options to work trade for some or all of the cost.
- Check in: After 2PM
- Check out: Before 12PM
- Cancellation policy: Super Strict (30 Days)
- On arrival: Meet and greet
- Minimum nights: 2 nights
- Accepts bookings: 6 months out
- Response time: Within an hour
- Response rate: 100%
Activities
Offered on the Host's property or nearby.
Biking
The island is great for biking, though it averages about 60 feet ascent per mile, so be prepared for some work.
Terrain
Natural features you'll find at Cozy Tiny House in the Woods in Washington.
Places to see near Guemes North Homestead
40 Reviews
Ian,
Thank you for sharing your wonderful property with the EarthCorps crew and I. This was a great experience in a beautifully peaceful place. I can't wait to visit again. The crew had a great time swimming, swinging, climbing, and exploring your property.
Thank you!!!
Ian has created a truly remarkable place with such consciousness. It can away from my weekend well refreshed.
Charming little cabin that felt worlds away from city life. Ian is a welcoming host, encouraging us to explore the fun activities (zipline, tire swing, rope climbing, treehouse) on the property. The wood stove, rocket stove, and fire pit + national strategic supply of firewood were a real treat. We kept warm in the cabin, easily prepped hot meals, and pampered ourselves with yummy s'mores. Looking forward to a future trip to Guemes Island!
One of the other reviewers mentioned something along the lines of the description not doing the Jess justice and they weren’t kidding. It doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the things to do and explore. I won’t go into detail though; I’ll let you be pleasantly surprised. Ian hosts a very cool site. I really appreciated the abundance of firewood, the tranquility of the cabin, and, most of all, Ian’s kindness and accommodations for us. My wife and I would love to go back.
We absolutely loved our stay at the Jess cabin! It was the perfect place to spend a winter weekend. We got a great tour of the property from Ian, who was the most wonderful, welcoming host. The trails (and zip line!) on site were so much fun and it was a close walk to the beach as well. Cannot recommend it enough!
We visited the weekend after Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time staying at the Jess cabin! Ian is a thoughtful and knowledgeable host, with plenty of stories and details to share about the homestead. The composting toilet was a highlight (one of the most pleasant outdoor toilet experiences ever), and it was a treat to get warm and dry at night with the wood stove after a rainy trip to Guemes mountain. We are very grateful that Ian and Lisa are willing to share the homestead with visitors. Thank you!
My son and I had a great four-night stay at the homestead. It was peaceful and quiet just like we hoped. Highlights were the rope swing and zipline. Ian showed us some of what he was working on and we were able to help out. We'll definitely be back. Thank you Ian!
Amazing stay. Our second time, last time we camped, this time we took the cozy tiny house. Fit us perfectly (couple and a 3 year old). The attention to detail and design of the cabin is incredible - the kitchen, toilet, balcony, heating, solar-powered everything, rocket stove, fire pit, bench... also our friends came with us and camped in their tent in a space near the cabin which was perfect. What an incredible 4th of July weekend! Thank you so much Ian!
Amazing property, and Ian was just as helpful and friendly as others have described!
- Property
- Guemes North Homestead
- State
- Washington
- Country
- United States
- $97/night
- 1 Site
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It was a pleasure to have you, and I looks forward to seeing you again. Ian