Meet Ida Alwin of Baltic Sands in Joshua Tree

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ida Alwin.

Baltic Sands Inc is a luxury off-grid, eco homebuilder run by two women, Ewa Marais (president) and Ida Alwin (operations) based in Joshua Tree.

Ida formed the company with Ewa, an interior designer and her husband Jacques, an engineer, who originally came to the high desert in December 2016 to visit Ida, who is also their niece and who has been living in the high desert since 2015. Now, Ida and Ewa have partnered to build several environmentally sensitive, off-grid homes powered with solar & with water from private wells, incorporating greywater systems — two homes currently stand in Joshua Tree, with another on the border of the Joshua Tree National Park starting construction in a couple of months. They will also be developing off-grid homes in Pioneertown and Rock Reach (Yucca Valley) on already secured land. They develop homes with a focus on sustainability and unique design that is enhanced by the surrounding environment. Both of the Joshua Tree homes are set on 5-acre lots and are walking distance to the national park. Their dream is to create fully sustainable off the grid communities in the desert.

Their first model, the JT1 cabin, a 2 Bed 2 Ba sold before it went on the market for $535,000 and the second model JT2 has just hit the market at $835,000 with Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty.

Has it been a smooth road?
The extreme nature of the desert environment makes it a tough place to operate in. The areas Baltic Sands develops are typically lacking in any infrastructure, which makes them perfect for the type of uniquely picturesque, luxurious off-grid lifestyle some are seeking, but also means basic resources like water are hard to come by, especially since the nearest water is 600ft below the ground! Rigorous planning is a must therefore and a stringent timeline is key in order to ensure the smooth running of the construction process. Baltic Sands partnered with Goodpaster Development as their contractor because of Goodpaster’s extensive experience working in the high desert. You can’t beat experience when operating in an extreme environment like the Mojave Desert.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Baltic Sands inc story. Tell us more about the business.
Baltic Sands is a property development company, run by two women, which specializes in luxury off-grid residential developments. We are proud of our approach of promoting a more sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle without compromising on modernity. To some, the words “off grid” conjures up an image of an isolated cabin in the woods that one needs to hike for 2 hours to reach. This is not the case – technology has made it possible to live independently of the grid and still retain all the benefits of a modern lifestyle, and we’re here to show people it can be done. Off-grid living is nothing new, but what sets us apart is that we are trying to bring it into the mainstream and make it as comfortable and stylish as possible. We want to show people that a more sustainable life is possible for everyone.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The face of property development is definitely changing. People are increasingly aware of their impact on the planet, especially the younger generations who are now all grown up. People are downsizing their accommodations – living in smaller homes and apartments. Even in a traditionally opulent housing market like Texas people are embracing smaller living footprints. An example of this can be seen with award-winning property developer Surge Homes who have had great success there with their micro-condos (500 sq ft). This is down to sustainability partly from an economic standpoint and partly from environmental concerns. We believe this trend will continue and the focus on environmental concerns will increase. As technology evolves it becomes more affordable, and that will also have an impact on how people build homes. Renewable power generation is well within our grasp, whether on an individual level like our homes or through commercial power grids.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.balticprop.com
• Phone: 562 477-8920
• Email: info@balticprop.com
• Instagram: @balticsandsinc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/balticsandsinc

Image Credit:
Ida Alwin & Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty

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