LOTR and a Hobit House | Green Home | Simon Dale Family
This amazing Hobbit house in Wales belongs to Simon Dale and his family. After four months and they moved into this Hobbit house which they built themselves from natural materials, keeping maximum regard for the environment. A truly green home.
This Hobbit house has been dug into a hillside for low visual impact and shelter. It’s made out of stone, mud, straw bales and wood.
This green home has a fridge which is cooled by air coming underground while the roof skylight lets in natural feeling light.Solar panels are being used for lighting, music and computing while water is attained by gravity from a nearby spring. This Hobbit house green home has been maticulasly planed.
“This kind of building is accessible to anyone” says Simon Dale. All i know is if i had a hammer, chainsaw and 1 inch chisel, I’m not sure it will be enough for me to create this dreamy Lord of the Ring home, but i do respect and am quite in owe of Dale’s self belief and perseverance.
All i can say is: Wow.
Some key points of the design and construction are :
* Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
* Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
* Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
* Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthaetically fantastic and very easy to do.
* Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
* Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
* Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
* Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
* Anything you could possibly want is in a rubbish pile somewhere (windows, burner, plumbing, wiring…)
* Woodburner for heating - renewable and locally plentiful
* Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
* Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
* Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
* Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
* Water by gravity from nearby spring
* Compost toilet
* Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.
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