Moving To Uruguay

Couple moves to Ellsworth, build home in shipping containers

ELLSWORTH, Maine —- Try as they might, Trevor Seip and Jennifer Sansosti cannot contain their excitement.

The young engaged couple recently shipped their lives from out of state to a rustic, 63-acre property they bought on Winkumpaugh Road, where they hope to build a home and future together.

They are not the first to move to rural Maine from a more heavily populated part of the East Coast — Pennsylvania in their case — with dreams of homesteading in the woods. Nor are they the first to do so while in possession of a well-thumbed copy of “The Good Life,” the 1954 book by former Brooksville residents Helen and Scott Nearing that has served as a manual for simple, sustainable living for so many.

“It’s full of life,” Sansosti said of their wooded property which abuts a stream that flows toward Branch Lake. “It has an abundance of natural resources.”

But there aren’t many who do so while living inside former marine shipping containers. Seip and Sansosti, both in their late 20s, have two, each about 20 feet long and 8 feet wide and high, that they have modified into living units, complete with electricity and running water. They have spent much of the past year modifying the containers, which they bought on eBay for a total of $1,500, in Stroudsburg, Pa. This spring they had them delivered to their former logging property on Winkumpaugh Road.

Inside one of the two containers, which they insulated, plumbed and wired themselves, is a table and bed that fold up against the wall, a cushioned bench seat, a sink, a camp stove, a wall-mounted propane heater, and a bathroom complete with composting toilet and full-size shower. In the other is a large storage closet and a folding futon that converts into a couch. Each has one or two windows and conventional residential doors.

“You need to use every inch you can when you’re dealing with 160 square feet” of floor space, Sansosti said.

“This whole thing has been done on a shoestring budget,” Seip added. “We want to build our own village up here.”

Seip and Sansosti designed their living units to exist off the grid. They installed energy-efficient LED lights, which they power off batteries, and they collect and then filter their water from the nearby stream or from a rain barrel they have on the roof. They already own electricity-producing solar panels, but are waiting to have the containers mounted on frost-proof concrete posts before they install and connect them. They also hope to erect a residential wind turbine at some point.

Life: Looking to open Indian Restaurant in Uruguay....., Uruguay forum

Hey... it looks like there's some desire in Uruguay for a good Indian restaurant. I am an American, married to an Indian who is a trained Indian and Continental chef who formerly worked high end hotels in Mumbai. We are looking into moving to Uruguay, preferably in the Colonia area. My parents are going to retire there. We would like to open a small Indian restaurant ( he cooks, I do front of house) and are looking into what's available in terms of facilities - whether we need to buy or can rent, if there is existing restaurant space, and what kind of investment would be required. We will have very little savings, but feel that the environment and the desire for a good variety of foods in Uruguay is a perfect fit for what we want to do.

As we move along, we may also be seeking some partners/ investors to see if we can make it happen! My husband Saji is probably the best cook I've ever met, as my waistline will verify!

If anyone knows anything to help, please let me know!!!

"Great Idea!"

Hi Faith

My wife and I read your post with lots of interest. I am a Brit and my wife Uruguayan, although she had lived in London for 9 years. We both love Indian food. You may know that Indian food is the most popolar type of food eaten out in the UK. Hence, I'm sure you will have a market for Brits living here in Montevideo (not sure how many Brits are in Colonia (?)). Patrick might know (?)

Of course, Indian cuisine might be popular with other ex-pats too.

You should know that there are cases of 'Indian' restaurants here in MVD coming and going. Well at least one I know of. Perhaps the demand hasn't been so high amongst the locals. Either way some solid investigative market research I would recommend before committing. My wife has a passion for food and especially Indian food. We've cooked a little at home here. Getting the spices was tricky here, but I bought some back on my last visit to London. I would love to put you in touch, at least just to chat and discuss your ideas.

Please drop me a message with your email and I'll give you her email if you're interested.

You've most certainly got a couple of diners with us :-)

Best wishes, Fred.

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