The Hobbit House


Photographer Simon Dale has spent $5,000 and four months to turn a plot of land in the woods into a hobbit home. It boasts a number of eco-friendly attributes, which include: scrap wood for flooring, lime plaster (instead of cement) for the walls, bales of straw on dry-stone walling, a compost toilet, solar panels for power, and a supply of water acquired through a nearby spring.


The key features of the design and construction:

  • Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
  • Stone and mud from diggings were used for retaining walls and foundations
  • Oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland were used for frames
  • Reciprocal roof rafters were structurally and aesthetically fantastic and very easy to do
  • Straw bales were used in flooring, walls and roof for insulation
  • Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
  • Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture
  • Reclaimed scrap wood were used for floors and fittings
  • Wood-burning stove for heating because firewood is renewable
  • Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
  • Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through the foundation
  • Skylight lets in the natural light
  • Solar panels were used
  • Water is transported by gravity from nearby spring
  • Compost toilet to minimize water use
  • Roof water collects water for garden pond

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