Today we’d like to introduce you to Addie Wales.
Hi Addie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Ely, MN. My family still lives in Ely. I grew up around a family of entrepreneurs. My dad and uncle were entrepreneurs and I started working for both of them at a very young age. I used to talk business ideas with my dad when he was bringing me to and from school. He always thought that I should be a realtor like him but I wasn’t sold on that idea. Sure enough, now I’m in the real estate business, but with my own take on it.
I grew up going to the Boundary Waters twice a year: once with family and once with friends. I worked at Piragis Northwoods Company for 6 years in high school and summers during college and I also cleaned cabins at one of the local resorts. I grew up hosting campers and visitors (indirectly) by teaching them about outdoor products at Piragis and cleaning their cabins at Latourell’s Resort on the edge of the BWCA.
After college, I moved to the Twin Cities. I met my husband Ben in 2014. We’re both super active and outdoorsy. We had an intimate campground wedding at Lake Elmo Park Reserve in 2018. We love to travel together and check out new parks and hikes in the Twin Cities. We bought a house in St. Paul in 2017 and it’s right off of the bike trails. So we spend as much time outside as we can.
Ben and I started dreaming about buying some land of our own in Ely someday and building a cabin. We love Ely and all of the outdoor activities that it offers and we wanted to be able to spend as much time in Ely as possible without having to camp and bring all the gear. We wanted something easy and accessible with the luxury of no bugs and a comfortable bed. We started looking at land with my dad in the summer of 2020. We felt really intimidated by buying land and building from scratch. In late summer my uncle called me up and said that his neighbor was selling a log cabin that was similar to his. He really wanted someone he knew to buy it so that he could have a good neighbor. The funny part is that we’re still a mile apart. He has 40 acres and we have 40 acres and there’s a 40 acre lot in between.
We drove up after work one night to look at the cabin and we fell in love. On our drive back to the cities we decided that we were going to do whatever it took to make the cabin ours. The next morning we were talking to the local credit union to get a loan. It wasn’t until after we bought the cabin that we decided we wanted to rent it out. We knew it was a unique space that others would love too.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
We didn’t originally buy with short term rental in mind but we decided shortly after buying that we wanted to share it with others. Because we decided to rent it out that forced us to accelerate our timeline and do the renovations in 3 short months.
For anyone interested in renting out a house or cabin on Airbnb, the first thing you should do is check with your county about the local zoning laws and restrictions. We are zoned as residential which means we have some limitations compared to land that is multiple use.
The renovation process took us about 3 months of driving up and working on weekends. When we bought the cabin it was just a shell that they used as a hunting shack. We knew it had so much more potential but since it was unfinished, we got to finish it ourselves exactly the way we wanted it. It was a beautiful hand built log cabin with nothing in it but a heater. With the help of my dad and a few amazing friends we stained the outside, caulked the holes between the logs, scribed the logs (traced them to install sheetrock and trim), installed floors, framed out a bathroom, added railings in the loft, built all the furniture, designed the kitchen and the bathroom. We hired an electrician and a plumber as well as an excavator to dig a septic and a well driller. And we had our super talented friend install the solar system.
Being off-grid presented a few unique challenges. At first, our solar batteries weren’t the most reliable and they required a lot of attention. We got a backup propane generator which made a huge difference and alleviated some of our stresses about the solar system. We also signed up for Starlink satellite wifi when it was in beta and once they became available in our area that opened up new conveniences for us like monitoring our solar system remotely.
While the renovations and off-grid logistics were challenging, they were easy compared to getting permitted.
The most challenging aspect of opening a short term rental for us was getting permitted by the county and state. They had multiple hoops for us to jump through including finding a very unique and niche insurance coverage policy that was not widely available on the market.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Ely Off Grid Collective?
We currently have 1 off-grid cabin available for rent in Ely, MN with plans to expand in 2022. Our original cabin is called Ely Log Cabin. It’s a unique off-grid log cabin retreat on 40 private acres of beautiful wilderness. It features groomed walking trails and plenty of nature to explore! It’s the ideal vacation spot for outdoorsy folks that want to escape the city and unplug.
How do you think about happiness?
I love the hosting process even more than I expected. It’s so fun to share the cabin with people and to hear about the special memories that they made in the cabin. It’s also really fun to be able to share recommendations of our favorite things to do and then see photos and hear about what things were their favorites. Everyone is welcome at Ely Log Cabin including furry friends.
The outdoors also make me really happy. Ely has something for every season. There are thousands of miles of trails. If you like hiking, biking, canoeing or boating then you should come to Ely in the summer or fall. We love taking our bikes on the Mesabi trail. It’s a newly paved trail that stretches from Virginia to Bear Head State Park.
Ely is home to two state parks. We have Lake Vermilion State Park which is Minnesota’s newest state park. Bear Head Lake State Park was voted the best state park in Minnesota and it’s just a couple miles from our cabin. They have an amazing swimming beach. They rent out canoes and paddleboards. They have a ton of hiking trails. Our favorite hike there is Norberg Lake. It’s a pretty short hike but has such rewarding views. The lake isn’t very big but it has really tall trees towering over it and it creates a mirror-like effect. There aren’t any boats on the lake so it’s always perfectly smooth like glass. It’s such a peaceful spot. I almost hesitate to talk about it because I want to keep it a secret!
Pricing:
- Winter weekdays $190
- Winter weekends $210
- Summer weekdays $210
- Summer weekends $240
Contact Info:
- Email: elylogcabin@gmail.com
- Website: https://elyoffgridcollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elylogcabin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elyoffgridcollective
- Twitter: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgNZBjJk-T9PO1N2yP6imxw
Image Credits
Katrina Broten
Lizanne Lately
