Originally designed for those seeking an off-grid lifestyle, the one-room cabin on the Big Island is now priced at $179,000 USD.

"It's my sister's property," says listing agent Kahili M. Hahn of Venture Sotheby's International Realty, "and she bought it in 2005."

There is no electrical system here. The solar system is connected to the existing power supply from the house next door, but will be disconnected. The new homeowner will have to build a new solar system, including panels, batteries and an inverter.

The 707-square-foot space is in the Fern Acres subdivision. Hahn said the subdivision has a variety of homes, with new construction in the $400,000 range, and most of the roads are paved.

Each home sits on two acres," she explained. The subdivision itself is about a third developed," she explained. Each lot is 100 feet wide and 871 feet long, so it's long and skinny. The yurts are 500 feet away from the driveway and are very private.

This non-traditional residence was built in 1993 and the lots are dotted with tropical landscaping. Unlike most small-lot homes, this off-grid residence also has a bathroom.

Hahn says, "There's a composting toilet that comes with the property." You have to put peat moss in it, turn the handle, and the peat moss turns into fertiliser. It also has catch basins.

The bamboo furniture inside is from Bali. There's also a separate lava rock shower for bathing, in true Hawaiian fashion.

In addition to the lava rock used for outdoor showers, lava tubes extend about 60 feet to the back of the property, with enough clearance for people to stand inside, Hahn says.

In 2019, the seller intended to install a cesspool and eliminate the composting toilet, converting it to a more traditional pipe," she explains. But the backhoe operator was digging about six feet deep when he discovered lava caves. If they hadn't, they never would have known. It was really cool. ...... Once the pipe was discovered, they laid lava rock around it. It's just a cool feature and fairly common in the area."

Naturally occurring stalagmites and stalactites dot the caverns. These lava rock formations, formed by water seeping out of porous rock, hang from the ceiling and protrude from the floor.

Hahn said, "They're really cool, they look like hot wax dripping from a candle." I think the next buyer will be someone who wants to live off-grid and use the home as their primary residence. We get calls about it every day and we're just looking for the right buyer.

Because the yurt is a non-traditional home, buyers will need to pay immediately.

It can't be financed and needs to be sold in cash, Hahn said.