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1 hour south of Kansas City · Off-Grid · Passiv Haus

A contemporary
vision for off-grid
living

Secluded lakefront pods nestled among oaks and fruit trees. Solar-powered, fully connected to nature.

Welcome to podHOPPING

Where adventure meets
exceptional hospitality

Our vision is to create a growing network of secluded, contemporary, off-grid pods tucked away in areas of outstanding natural beauty. Our first property, the Butterfly Pods, are nestled among fruit trees and tall oaks — built to top-tier energy-efficient Passiv Haus standards, offering all the comforts of home while letting you truly unplug.

The Experience

What We Offer

Modern Off-Grid Luxury

  • Stylish, energy-efficient pods with 4 private en-suite bedrooms
  • Full kitchen and dining space designed for shared meals
  • Living areas with wood stove, reading nooks and games

Immersive Nature

  • Serene 5-acre forest setting with native wildlife
  • Glass-encased rooms that blur indoors and out
  • Private dock and direct lake access with kayaks and paddleboard

Signature Amenities

  • Wood-fired hot tub for starlit soaks
  • Seasonal heated pool — Memorial Day through September
  • Fire pit, wraparound decks, hammocks and grill
Gallery

The Butterfly Pods

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The Butterfly Pods

Contemporary Off-Grid Cabins

Guests
Up to 8 adults + 1 child
Bedrooms
4 en-suite bedrooms (3 Queen / 1 Full / 1 Bunk)
Bathrooms
All have shower, basin, toilet
Pools
Seasonal heated pool / year round wood fired hot tub
Water access
Direct lake access via dock / kayak / standup paddle / fishing
Fire
Grill / fire pit / indoor wood stove / wood store
Energy
14kW PV / 36.4kWh / backup generator
Cooling/Heating
Mini splits / convection heater / wood stove (main house only)
Construction
Passiv Haus equivalent certified / Off-grid
Entertainment
Smart TVs / Books and Games / Cornhole
Home safety
Carbon monoxide & smoke detectors / Fire extinguishers & blankets / First aid kit / Energy monitoring system
Wildlife
Songbirds / Deer / Badgers / Raccoons / Tortoise / Turtles / Fish
Bedrooms + Bathrooms

Sleep under the canopy

The property comfortably sleeps 8 adults and 1 child between four bedrooms. The two pods are rented together as one private booking. The main pod has two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. The Annex pod includes two queen bedrooms, each with a compact en-suite.

Imagine sipping your morning coffee in bed, gazing through towering 10-ft high custom quadrilateral windows, where nature surrounds you and deer gently wander by. Five-star hotel-quality Helix mattresses and luxurious linens make every moment feel like a retreat.

View from the loft bed through the quad windows
Kitchen island with bar stools and handcrafted woodwork
Kitchen + Dining

Cook together, eat together

The main cabin features an open-concept kitchen and dining area, highlighted by slanted ceilings and views of the surrounding forest and lake. The contemporary kitchen is fully equipped with high-end appliances, cookware, dishes, and utensils.

The granite island seats four, and the tulip dining table offers seating for four more — making it easy to host group meals in comfort and style.

Outdoor Spaces

Live outside

Wrap-around decks on both cabins provide multiple spots to enjoy the view. Lounge in built-in hammocks, sip coffee, or enjoy a drink at sunset. Unwind in the heated seasonal pool or soak in the wood-fired hot tub under the stars.

A dedicated wood store keeps a steady supply of seasoned firewood on hand year-round, fueling both the outdoor fire pit and the wood-fired hot tub — so a crackling fire or a hot soak under the stars is never more than a few steps away.

The private fishing dock is perfect for casting a line or simply enjoying the serene lake view. Take out one of the kayaks or the paddleboard and float through calm waters surrounded by trees and birdsong.

Hot tub with gazebo deck and lounger chairs
Off-Grid Utilities

Fully off-grid.
Fully comfortable.

We monitor systems remotely so everything runs smoothly. If anything needs attention, we'll likely catch it before you even notice. Two cellphone numbers always available.

Solar Power

12kW total PV array(s) with 700Ah 48V (36kWh) LiFePo battery. Backup 6kW propane generator ensures power in any weather.

Water System

Rainwater and lake water captured, filtered, and treated via 6-stage filtration including UV treatment for safe drinking water. 800-gallon storage.

Climate Control

Mini-split system provides heating and cooling year-round. Energy Recovery Ventilators in both buildings. Indoor wood-burning fireplace for cozy evenings, with backup convection heaters.

Remote Monitoring

Fully off-grid. Fully comfortable. We monitor all systems remotely so everything runs smoothly. Keep tabs on the Guest Energy Dashboard to track your consumption. If anything needs attention, we'll likely catch it before you even notice. Two cellphone numbers always available.

Passiv Haus

Airtight "perfect wall" construction with continuous exterior insulation, triple-glazed windows, and a rainscreen cedar cladding system.

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Hein and Michelle le Roux
Our Vision

Built with intention

PodHopping is the vision of Hein & Michelle le Roux. As passionate advocates for sustainability, they purchased a 5-acre property one hour south of Kansas City and began dreaming of plans to create a contemporary off-grid retreat. Over two years, they brought this vision to reality, launching the Butterfly Pods in summer of 2024.

Long term, the goal is to create a network of pods, providing opportunities for people to experience and adopt an environmentally conscious lifestyle. The pods will be situated in unique locations that have excellent proximity to areas of outstanding natural beauty. The siting of the pods encourages "podhoppers" to visit a particular area and stay in multiple pods, maximizing their experience and their exposure to the local attractions.

One of our goals is to seek locations and tourist routes that include small businesses that truly embrace aspects of sustainability and environmental stewardship. The inherent concept is about connecting people back to nature and local community while endorsing wellness and healthy living.

Watch & Learn

How we designed & built the Butterfly Pods

The POD

Passive Ordinary Dwelling

POD is an acronym for Passive Ordinary Dwelling. Built to Passivhaus standards, using ordinary materials — the dwellings are robust at their core, but also renewable and recyclable in their skin. They have a low embodied carbon content with maximum use of timber allowing them to be highly durable over time.

The pod has a conventional timber frame construction. The frame is sheathed and covered with an impermeable membrane, which is then covered with exterior continuous insulation. This approach is known as the "perfect wall" and mitigates thermal bridging, ensuring an airtight structure — the foundation of a passive house. The insulation is covered with UV resistant membrane and furred out to receive the cedar rain-screen cladding and air gap. Concealed gutters harvest rainwater through the rain-screen.

The foundation design utilizes a steel helical screw pile system, with minimal impact on the underlying ground. This system allows the pod to be moved and mitigates the requirement for concrete and/or complex waterproofing membranes. The roof is profiled metal sheeting with an air gap on insulation. All exterior windows and doors are triple glazed systems in high performing fiberglass and aluminum frames.

Roof detail showing concealed gutter design and cedar rainscreen
Floor plan of both pods and decks
Technology

Fully off-grid, fully monitored

The Butterfly Pods utilize a ground mount PV array (5.2kW + 3kW expansion on greenhouse). We've since added roughly 5kW more via a carport-mounted solar array, bringing total on-site solar capacity to around 14kW. A utility building underneath the array houses an off-grid hybrid inverter and 300Ah 48V LiFePo battery. This setup provides standard 120/240V electricity to the buildings. A backup 6kW propane generator ensures that the batteries can be charged when poor weather conditions prevent electricity production from the PV panels. A smaller 300W array with battery storage provides redundant power for water pumps.

The pods capture rainwater and surface water which is treated and used for drinking and washing. The Butterfly Pods have 800 gallons of storage capacity. A sequence of filtration, reverse osmosis and UV treatment ensures safe drinking water. Depending on local building code, the pods can be equipped with flush toilets connected to public sewers or septic tanks. Some sites like the Butterfly Pods will have standalone lateral fields for sewage processing. Also, where necessary, composting toilets could be used.

Like the Butterfly Pods, other sites will also be fitted out with internet enabling Smart monitoring systems to be installed. With the use of Smart platforms like Home Assistant, all MEP systems can be monitored remotely and on site from tablets or smart phones.

Ground mount and carport solar arrays with greenhouse in background
Greenhouse with additional solar array
Whole house water filtration system
Get in Touch

Contact Us

We'd love to hear
from you

Kansas, United States
Approx. 1 hour south of Kansas City
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