They spent 5 years searching Google Maps for an island, found a 5-acre Finnish island and built a solar-powered dream home they now rent for $2,400 a night

Finnish designers Aleksi Hautamäki and Milla Selkimäki spent at least five years searching Google Maps for an island and eventually they found a roughly five-acre island in Finland. The couple bought the property in 2018 and transformed the rocky, uninhabited property into a remote getaway called Project Ö.

The couple sold their Helsinki apartment to help fund the project. They built a compact retreat that runs largely off-grid, using solar power and seawater filtration and later on, the property became a rental that was listed for as much as $2,400 a night, according to Business Insider.

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According to the report, Aleksi Hautamäki and Milla Selkimäki were having a tough time to buy a property and they eventually decided they wanted an island of their own. Finding one through conventional property agencies proved difficult because islands rarely come onto the market. So, Aleksi resorted to Google Maps. “It was a long, slow process,” Hautamäki told Business Insider.

After about five years of searching, they found Skjulskäret, a five-acre island on the edge of Finland's Archipelago National Park and they sold their Helsinki apartment to fund the project

The island had pine trees, rocky shorelines and several small peninsulas extending into the sea and one of its bays also offered a natural location for a dock. The couple bought the property in 2018. To help pay for the purchase and construction, they sold their apartment in Helsinki and moved into a rental apartment. According to Business Insider, the overall purchase and build-out cost about 1 million euros.

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A small island became their design project

Aleksi is a spatial designer, while Milla is a graphic designer and creative director and the duo used their professional experience to design the retreat themselves. The couple took inspiration from traditional Finnish buildings found throughout the archipelago. They also wanted the structure to blend into the rocky surroundings instead of dominating the landscape.

The result was Project Ö, a property made up of a main cabin and a guest house connected by wooden walkways. The retreat includes:

• A main living and sleeping cabin
• A guest house
• Indoor and outdoor kitchens
• A sauna
• Outdoor dining areas
• A terrace
• A private beach
• A natural hot tub
• Solar power
• Seawater filtration

The two buildings together cover about 70 square metres and designed Project Ö around its remote location. Solar panels provide electricity. Drinking water is produced by filtering seawater from the Baltic Sea. The sauna stove also plays an important role. It helps heat water and provides the source for underfloor heating.

Getting building materials to the island was another challenge. Supplies had to arrive by boat, and the couple had to construct a pier so workers could reach the property more easily.

Aleksi also spent months working on the project himself. He took a three-and-a-half-month break from his regular job and worked on the walkways, terraces, railings and interiors. He had some woodworking experience, but not extensive construction experience.

“So it was a case of asking friends for tips or using YouTube,” he told Business Insider. One of the most unusual additions was a private beach. They brought 50 tons of sand to the island and used it to transform a bay between two rocky peninsulas.

They also turned a natural depression near the top of a cliff into a hot tub. The couple discovered that an existing pond-like hollow was deep enough to be transformed into a heated pool.

From private escape to $2,400-a-night rental

Project Ö eventually became more than the couple's personal retreat. In July 2022, they began renting the property to visitors through Off Grid Hideaways. Business Insider reported that rates ranged from $1,800 to $2,400 per night at the time.

The couple also documented the construction process on social media. Their project attracted attention from people interested in architecture, remote living and off-grid homes.

Guests have included families travelling from countries such as Switzerland and Australia, according to Business Insider. When the island is rented, Aleksi and Milla return to their apartment in Helsinki. For Aleksi, the biggest change may not be the property itself but the experience of living there.

“As soon as I arrive on the island from my home in Helsinki, I feel my pulse lower and breathing slow down,” he told Business Insider.