Nearly 20 years ago, the Safe Haven star, 52, purchased a plot of land in rural Minnesota as an escape from Hollywood<\/a>. In the years since, he\u2019s built a house from the ground<\/a> up for the perfect \u201coff-the-grid\u201d lifestyle. Today, he enjoys the property with his sons Shepherd, 1, Axl, 12<\/a>, and wife Audra Mari, 31<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cSixteen, seventeen years ago when I built this place, it was weirdly me almost reliving my youth in a way because I grew up out in the woods in North Dakota\u201d the actor told E! News<\/a> at the red carpet premiere for his new movie London Calling on Sept. 15. “For me to now be able to pass that on to my kids out there is great.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cL.A.’s fantastic, but it\u2019s also nice to get them out in the woods and get dirty and learn a few things that I learned growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n In August, the actor opened up in a conversation with PEOPLE about the \u201ccalling\u201d he received to get \u201cback to the basics<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n “I make movies and TV shows, and I love it, I truly do love it, but I had this calling to go and really do things with my hands again \u2014 fix things, make things and just do the basic things that we take for granted,” Duhamel explained.<\/p>\n He added: “We get so accustomed to all these luxuries and these amenities that we have … and I think that’s what this is for me \u2014 it’s an opportunity to get back to the basics and really enjoy the simple things in life, and that’s family, that’s friends, that’s making memories.”<\/p>\n In April, the Transformers star opened up about his remote property during an interview with Parade<\/a>.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of the reason I built my place out in Minnesota, deep in the woods, is it\u2019s removed from everything,\u201d he said. \u201cThe closest store is 40 miles away. Once we get there, it\u2019s really about everybody taking care of each other \u2014 making memories, spending time with family and friends<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The property has not only made a big impact on him, but on his kids as well.<\/p>\n Rodin Eckenroth\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Josh Duhamel and wife Audra Mari<\/p>\n \u201cMy son is going to have memories of this place forever. He\u2019s not on his iPad when he\u2019s out there,\u201d he told the outlet about Axl. \u201cHe\u2019s out there in the boat with me, or he\u2019s playing soccer on the beach, or he\u2019s out there in the woods doing whatever I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cAnd then I have a little baby who’s going to experience the same thing. Someday, I hope to pass this on to them [so] they’re able to share it with their kids. It’s really important to me that they have this. It’s not just about having all the amenities and all the luxuries that we become so used to. It’s really about family. It’s about legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\u00a0Rodin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/7926d67640484d25bce7a9fa2999aeda.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n