Thursday, May 17, 2012

Hobbit Housing

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

A guy called Simon Dale built a real, live in, hillside hobbit house in Wales on a budget of just £3,000. Thats a cost of around $10 per square metre!


 Simon Dale constructed the woodland hobbit house for his family from stone, mud, and remnant wood from nearby forests, taking only four months to fully complete the project with help from his father-in-law. The home is also adorned with fairy lights and wooden furniture to complete the Tolkin look.


Designed to be fully sustainable, the home is heated by a wood burner with solar panels on the roof to provide power. It also has water supplied by a nearby spring to complete the cost free utilities.  Simon says: "Being your own have-a-go architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself". But the real question is: do the solar panels also charge the batteries for his wife's Bilbo?


 Despite having no previous experience as a builder or carpenter the ambitious plans came to fruition.  Quite surprising really as hobbits are plain, simple folk who don't like adventures because it makes them late for dinner.  Simon says: "This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverance and a mate or two to give a lift now and again".  All he needs now is a gardener called Sam.


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