Ayxu22
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Fed up with high mortgage prices in the countryside, a man decided to build his very own eco-friendly hobbit house in a woodland.
Simon Dale, a freelance photographer, spent only £3,000 on the hillside home in Wales, and built it in less than four months, using little more than a chainsaw, a hammer and a one-inch chisel.
The home - which resembles those occupied by hobbits in JRR Tolkien's much-loved books The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - is designed to be ecologically sustainable; heat is generated by a wood-burner and electricity comes from solar panels on the roof. Water is collected from a nearby spring and there’s a compost toilet.
Simon lives in the house with his writer and gardener wife and two children, and insists that building an eco-home from scratch is a doddle: "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."
Sauce - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2039719/Simon-Dale-How-I-built-hobbit-house-Wales-just-3-000.html
For more pictures and the full story
mg79
So how many building codes does this violate?
ltlmscantbwrong
you see a hobbit hole- i see- Shrek's house
Sexlexic
He didnt just make a hole in the ground. It was a hobbit-hole and that meant comfort
unicornfun
holy fuck, this guy made a new career for himself!
unijaw
He wasn't aware of LoTR when he started building it. He got pissed when his amazing invention was seen as unorigional.
peachsnapple
People complain about warping and wood rot and all that but pioneers built log cabins that still stand so...
xoverthirtyx
*Roof mold intensifies
IAmTheSpiderBro
"little more than a chainsaw, a hammer, and a one inch chisel"... I pray for anyone who believes that.
LannistersSendTheirRetards
It'd be a cool fort for your kids, but impractical for a house.
cablemonkey604
Building codes exist for many reasons. I don't think this guy is aware of any of them.
SnackPackPudding
I wish we could get away with this in the U.S. Unfortunately there's far too many building codes and regulations that'd scream "No".
birdsong715
Tricksey hobbitses
Flapjackal
I didn't know this was exactly what I wanted until I just saw it right there.
idislikecomingupwithuniqueusernames
His other important skill: Having an excessive amount of free time.
CongratulateMeCongratulateMe
"estimated 1000-1500 man hours" http://www.simondale.net/hobbit.htm
polio69
and probably of money too.
idislikecomingupwithuniqueusernames
Well, 3,000 pounds is pretty good for an entire house, but yeah, not everyone has even that much lying around :)
raidin
I wanna say that isn't up to code
Pablofett
There' s bit of a yadayadayada happening between the roof going up and grass growing on it.
MrSabdapalon
This building is no more, the council ripped it down because it's built illegally in a national park. sauce: it's down the road from me!
CongratulateMeCongratulateMe
Are you sure? His website says they moved in 2009. Doesn't sound like they were forced out. http://www.simondale.net/index.htm
MrSabdapalon
Oh, I had no idea he moved before it got taken down! It's not there now anyway. Maybe it was the tenant after him?
itwasadarkandstormynight
what's "a doddle"?
LexaLotus
It's UK slang for something easy to do
diddytiddy
This is what I miss about being able bodies most.
ImDyslexicSoWhat
My girlfriend an I have just started saving to buy a house, I'm definitely showing her this, we could have Ireland first hobbit hole
ACanadianPerson
That is a recipe for success.
krauraurgg
It's mostly a recipe for being stuck with legal bills and no house a year later.
TimothyTRiG
There are ways to do this sort of thing within the regulations. Talk to an architect and/or solicitor first.
Honsue
I would love to live there. Its beautiful!!
HodgePodgekin
Spiders everywhere, tho!
KingsKnight
so many spiders...
CheesegettiChef
Yes. The spiders. And the other freaking insectoids.
TimothyTRiG
Is this a problem?
pataglop
yes.
KingsKnight
Yes, but the place looks awesome so I would probably just have to deal with it.
yurosan
Yes.
EuronsGiftsArePoisoned
I'm welsh with £3000, I should do this
ACanadianPerson
But do you have a friend?
EuronsGiftsArePoisoned
No friends i'm afraid
pumpkinknight
I'm English with £3000, I'll help build yours if you help build mine :p
EuronsGiftsArePoisoned
Deal
BeaglesLoveBlueberries
Great! Can you build stuff and have a lot of free time?
EuronsGiftsArePoisoned
Free time yes, any discernible skill in regard to building planning or anything useful, no
MonsieurBon
I'm welsh with £0...WE SHOULD LIVE TOGETHER!!
EuronsGiftsArePoisoned
There is no way that can backfire horribly, let's do it
whenlifegivesyoulemonsaskfortequila
I'm Welsh I have £3000, we should build two together!
EuronsGiftsArePoisoned
Let's do this
GreyNotGray
Twogether*
eggmuffin
Then tar the wood. And use thatch instead of just piling dirt on the roof. And wait for the walls to settle before making windows.
LeviFunk
Also requires "being able bodied, having self belief and perseverance and a mate or two". Given you're on Imgur, none of those apply.
dogenuggets
And the internet is probably not... well not really even in existence up there, so say goodbye to imgur before you go.
EuronsGiftsArePoisoned
Besides able bodied for which i barely qualify i have non of those other things.
JoGoWhoa
I wish I lived in Wales..
JazzyNobNuts
You really don't
FBIAgentBertMacklin
How is this specific to wales in any way?
SaltCollector
Doesn't mean you can't wish you lived in wales... Although as an Englishman I would presume something is wrong with you if you did.
sixfoothobbit
Wales is fine, you just need to build a few castles to keep the locals behaving
nearurod
Dont worry, that roof probably won't collapse.
ACanadianPerson
Good enough for me.
qussow
At 3000 pounds I'm sure they could afford to rebuild it every spring.
NotEnoughShowerBeers
I'm sure the roof won't leak/mudslide if it rains a bunch either
ThisisthemosttrivialthingIveeverpickedever
Reciprocal roof systems are actually very strong.
themrjosephtm
Solar panels. In Wales. Sounds like a great plan.
Affray
About as good an idea as a big hole in the middle of the roof. Isn't rain damn near the national sport there?
ElPoloDiablo
It does, actually. I've seen plenty of houses getting them around here.
themrjosephtm
Supplementing energy from the grid, nit as the sole supply. They simply wouldn't generate enough to power a home, especially in Wales.
AndersV
That's not a valid reason for it to be a great idea though
crihsagnlel
Nope, not unless they were free.
ElPoloDiablo
They literally convert entire fields into solar panel plants. I think they must be onto something...
SEGwontfindthis
That's cool and all but uncured wood is gonna warp hella bad, not to mention all the rot from bugs and moisture.
BenderBendingRodriguez
Yeah i dont wanna be a debbie downer but that place is gonna be compost in 2-3 years if he didnt seal any of that wood
HobbitHouse
as someone who owned a home built before kiln dried lumber was common. THIS. powder post beetles hollowed out my floor joists...
Irishda
Not to mention all the bugs that will be in your house
GreenManotaur
This kind of comment sucks ass because it takes something that is cool and totally diminishes it for no reason other than to sound superior.
eggmuffin
Your kind of comment sucks, because you try to belittle a simple, hard fact, just because you don't want it to be true.
SEGwontfindthis
Not trying to sound superior, I was just pointing out a potential flaw that I saw.
Ayxu22
there is way more detailed articles on this, im just lazy, it's all cured and sealed
Tamaaas
that's good, but damp is still a pretty major concern when it's in contact with earth
StillChasingFireflies
Does it say what kinda wood he used? I'm mobile and can't tell. :/
labrat
The state is trying to demolish the house. They built it without the proper permits or something.
cowboycactus
OP said in a different comment that was a different hobbit house that got demolished: http://tinyurl.com/od9jtmk
labrat
You appear to be correct. Upon closer inspection, they ARE different houses, but dammit if they don't look really really similar.
twosummers
That was a different house apparently.
labrat
Yeah, someone else pointed that out with a link to the article. They're right. Amazing how similar the houses look, though.
edissick
And look, it's no crazy talk. You need enegineers and safety. What if the roof collapse onto your children heads?
guantanamobayxx
I'm sure he worked out all those things before going on a crazy hobbit house building spree. Build cool thing not the way everyone else -
guantanamobayxx
FU THAT'S NOT HOW WE DO IT EVEN IF YOUR HOME IS... SUSTAINABLE... AND DOESN'T HARM THE ENVIRONMENT... AND... AND...
crihsagnlel
MY child, not the gubment child!
witsd
I've seen quite a few similar designs, and they've all used a waterproof membrane between the wood and the earthen roofs.
Xalthy
So did Simon.
witsd
So I assumed. :)
eggmuffin
Unnecessary, if you use proper thatch for the roof, but he's just piled some dirt up there.
witsd
That's true, but I think a growing earthen roof provides more insulation than thatch, and less fire issues. Not sure how the costs compete.
eggmuffin
I lived through 15 years of Norwegian winters with a thatched roof. It's fine.
witsd
All I know is that everytime someone on Grand Designs does one of these, they go on about how ecological and/or sustainable it is…
Sexlexic
Im curious how much his property tax is because sadly theres no such thing as free land anymore to claim as your own without paying someone
Lexsteel11
I'm more concerned with the possibility of termites and the wood decaying and collapsing in a year.
ProfessionalSalmonBotherer
No termites or carpenter ants in the UK. So no problem for them!
bawnni
holy shit really
dogenuggets
Yes, biggest problem would maybe be unseasoned wood shifting over time.
Jujuloves
From the article: In return for looking after the area, the owner of the woods gave them their plot for free.
FunkyPanda
I hope they actually own that plot now, in case there's ever a new owner who doesn't like LOTR.
collinslemongin
You can still homestead in Alaska and northern Canada, land is free from the gov't as they need people to move there
morrissimo
All the upvotes
Greeneyeddevil
I believe as well in some situations if you can show you are improving the environment(so if he's also growing plants etc) you pay less
Ayxu22
also with the reduced gas bills/ electric etc i bet it evens out very nicely
Michailov
Also, gonna be a fucker if you're out for two days during the winter and its -4 inside and you have a tiny ass fireplace to warm everything
Ayxu22
but igloos aren't cold, same applies here
Michailov
Igloos arnt as cold as the outside* Sides theyre like 2sqm while this is quite a lot more than that.
Ayxu22
yep with a wood burner heater to make up for it.
jamesbduk
Er, none. Wales is in the Uk!
jamesbduk
And Council Tax is payable depending on number of bedrooms...
dogenuggets
And local amenities, etc.
sidfromtoystory
that's how it should work, you can't just claim land as your own otherwise it'd be chaos
jgallagher585
YALE
Gofer05
This deserves more upvotes
powerisdown
sick reference
IShouldBeStudyingRightNowInsteadOfBrowsingImgur
tooo sooon
TMarizzle
http://imgur.com/uUvxGTC
TheOneAndOnlyButtStabber
How about in Alaska?
evilyouth
I believe there is still a homesteading program.
TheOneAndOnlyButtStabber
even the people who live off the land?
evilyouth
But homesteads are out away from any utilities and shops, so you have to own a plane and have loads of disposable income.
TheOneAndOnlyButtStabber
ever see alaskan bush people? I dont know how they would buy land or even pay taxes, they dont even know their SSN.
sixfoothobbit
They'd have to have some kind of details to get the $2000 a year from the state
TheOneAndOnlyButtStabber
I really dont think they do. They dont even have an address. They paid a dentist with fish, fuck i love that show.
evilyouth
Dividends have only been that high like, twice.
thierrydumais
what about the price of the land?
nexusdog
In the link "In return for looking after the area, the owner of the woods gave them their plot for free. "
graymalkin
Land is cheap in Wales
DickeyBirdie
Here is 21 acres in prime midwestern farming territory http://www.landwatch.com/Marion-County-Iowa-Land-for-sale/pid/200774942 to compare.
DickeyBirdie
Found one: http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/15452237?search_identifier=f67d10cca2f72ff01b7dba51809d819b -- 22 acres, wow!
WoodFrog
"Detached house for sale" Where's the house?
DickeyBirdie
Well, it got detached. And probably fell between the couch cushions.
graymalkin
compared to property prices, that's next to nothing. Obvs not a cheap as the states, but still very little money, in the grand scheme.
DickeyBirdie
Is it hard to get property loans in Wales? because banks here don't generally have a problem with real-estate that can be re-sold easily.
Ayxu22
The more eco-friendly the house in the UK the less tax you pay, i bet it's cheap as chips
CongratulateMeCongratulateMe
OP you should include link to the guy's actual website http://www.simondale.net/hobbit.htm
dulciusexasperis
If I didn't think you were English before you said that.. Now it's proven
Ayxu22
HAH
archirat
I've read about this. It was built on a reserve woodland under a contract. They watch out for the woodland for the owner
jossos
Wood etc. does not automatically equal eco-friendly though. + the likely shorter lifespan of this place I imagine it's dearer than you think
KillerTofu615
I can't imagine that house being insulated well enough to be considered energy efficient considering it has a giant hole in the ceiling.
CharmingAndSexyGentlemanStarshipCaptain
Covered with glass....
Widget88
Chips, or crisps?
Ayxu22
Chips as in, fish and chips
MrJimmyC
Nah chips are getting bare expensive now
Greeneyeddevil
I remember getting fish and chips for less than quid but it's like eight quid for a fish and chips for two now.
BoredCreep
I wouldn't call wood burning 'eco-friendly'.
muffinlynx
What part of it isn't?
BoredCreep
The cutting down of trees when you can't find deadwood, and all the crap that comes out in smoke. Creosote, among other things.
Ayxu22
yes compared to your bricks and gas ....
muffinlynx
Wood harvesting on a small scale isn't all that unhealthy, and creosote isn't that big of a deal unless you have a chimney.
jmeyers1983
I can't tell if you're being ironic or stupid.
BoredCreep
Sucks to be you then. There isn't enough land in timber for wood to be sustainable for more than a small portion of populations.
rocklobstr0
You should look into it. The carbon in wood is circulation in the ecosystem already, releasing it by burning doesn't really hurt the...
BoredCreep
In circulation yes, in the atmosphere? No. Also a matter of supply. Takes a while for trees to grow back.
rocklobstr0
Read this: http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/clearing_the_air
rocklobstr0
Ecosystem much. Fossil fuels have been out of circulation for millions of years, releasing co2 from those has consequence
AmIAVolcanologistYet
It's better than gas, oil, or electric. So yes, eco-friendly.
BoredCreep
Sorry, I hate it when people separate out 'electric'. It's what you burn to make electricity that counts, and yeah..wood is worse than gas.
moneo
how would you obtain the gas in question?
EspionageBear
He uses solar panels for electricity. Not wood.
AmIAVolcanologistYet
I wasn't separating electric. You burn oil or gas to MAKE electric. And one family burning wood is much more eco-friendly than oil/gas/etc.
AdorableEvil
Chips are different than fries, and I want some chips now, but I'm in Michigan. Fuck.
[deleted]
[deleted]
kgbofficer
Wooo Michigan!
HouseMouseMN
I miss Better Made. Old Dutch just isn't the same as Better Made:(
AdorableEvil
Do they sell things like UK chips, or the crisp wafery US chips?
Widget88
Hey I'm from Michigan and I'm stuck in Georgia. You think you've got it bad?
AdorableEvil
I'm from Alabama/California and it's 9 degrees out here. I didn't know it could BE nine degrees.
Melanisia
Yeah, UK Chips are like what we call steak fries, in the US.
ThereAreBeesEVERYWHERE
I'm here frozen in Michigan too, someone send chips to me also!
mylifeforhire
If you live in Australia EVERYTHING is chips! Potato chips? Fries? Who cares?! Just call 'em chips!
Tachaqua
chips are what americans call french fries, and crisps are what you call chips
AdorableEvil
Yep, that's what my comment was about.
PinkMohawkMan
Chips shop chips. Bag of chips for £1. Cheap as chips!
TheLordLucifersBannedAccount02
You mean crisps? Or like, proper chips and gravy chips
PinkMohawkMan
Chip shop chips. Like, proper chips. Chips with Salt+Vinegar; whilst sitting on the sea-front.
SirHosisOfLiver
in sheffield you can get a bag full for 1.70. fucking love the friday chippy night :)
theczar90
but thats like $1.50 for a bag of chips... buffoonery
AndIThinkToMyselfWhatAWonderfulWorld
£1 for a bag of chips is pretty cheap in the UK. Avg house price in the South is equivalent to $680,000 and above. Even more in London
Iamtyrionlannister
run down to the hood and get some bettermade
BronYAurStomp53
Hey man, I live in Michigan! We should go to the quarry, and throw rocks in there some time!
ThereAreBeesEVERYWHERE
There's dozens of us! DOZENS!
AdorableEvil
Is that a thing people do?
ikeepwipingSTILLPOOP
well, i'm from MI and i can tell you that i have never in my life... ah, who am i kidding, i love throwing rocks in quarries
BronYAurStomp53
I was alluding (albeit poorly) to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I33ktFVLLhs
ginevra
Isn't this the one the council tore down? Pretty sure it's been demolished cos they didn't get planning permission.
Ayxu22
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2382684/Charlie-Hague-Megan-Williams-told-pull-hobbit-home-entirely-natural-materials.html
ginevra
Oh, good! (Not that the other one got pulled down, but that this one didn't) :)
Ayxu22
that was another one
RawSuger
i fucking hate when government is stupidly inflexible like this.
prairiedoggin
I'm sure they all live lives of comparitive luxury too
RawSuger
maybe the journalist ...the others seemed pisspoor and desperate. +the injustice of having a house you built w your own hands torn down
RawSuger
just because GOV felt it was ugly and u didnt ask? maybe there's more to the story but i want hobbithouses dammit!
HaniiPuppy
Didn't this later get demolished because they apparently did it without proper planning permission?
orangeorangutan
"The family struck lucky...In return for looking after the area, the owner of the woods gave them their plot for free."
LookAtMYFancyUsername
YALE
Jujuloves
I understood that reference.
BeeswaxNotYoursInc
My dad's involved with this case, there's a lot of uproar from locals saying it should stay but it's just not safe, plus it's (1/2)
BeeswaxNotYoursInc
Not safe to set a precedent of 'you can totally get away with building a home to live in in your mum's back garden with no regulations'
Xalthy
Nope.
Fla1lure
I personally feel that the structure wouldn't be too long lasting. I mean wood without protection covered with soil ?
gakagoat
I spent a summer making structures like this... They are quite hardly and can last a lifetime. Search: cob structures/ strawbale houses
Fla1lure
I don't know what kind of wizard you are but how do you keep it from rotting or getting fungi ?
gakagoat
It depends on the type of structure you build; we plastered over the logs so they were sealed in. Old school architecture yo
Freuxnaud
Chestnut doesn't rot, and I'm sure some different species of wood don't either!
TakeItToTheHouse
As would/should be the case. Turns out you can't just assemble wood and declare it a home/structure/anything. Rules exist for a reason.
SirBedeveretheWise
http://media.tumblr.com/f272ce6043d763bc160e2ba979085ca4/tumblr_inline_mv17e0isai1qed7ew.gif
HaniiPuppy
I do think it's quite harsh, when it's your land you're building on.
instantcrush
Stop complaining, slave.
TakeItToTheHouse
It's not "your" land, you're leasing it from the government. They tell you what's safe to do on it. Like it or not. Dems the rules.
HaniiPuppy
I don't mean land you're leasing, I mean land you own.
TakeItToTheHouse
Nobody "owns" land.
StarrryNight
Yeah, so did he. Land you "own" is only ownable by virtue of the government enabling it.
DrMantisShrimpPhD
It's people who think like you that make me hate society sometimes. If I want to live in a house I built myself that should be my choice.
HorseMeatHeaven
Yes, but he brought his family along, to live in a house that could potentially fall apart at any second. Child endangerment right there.
gakagoat
Abso-fuckin'-lutely.
chinablue
Got a notice from my city last week that said I couldn't park my car in my backyard I had 6 days to move it or face a $250 a day fine.
TakeItToTheHouse
Do you plan to have running water? Electricity? Sewage? Phone? Cable? Internet?
LoveAndCoffeeButNotNecessarilyInThatOrder
Running water? No, a spring. Electricity? They seem to have that. Sewage? No, compost toilet. Phone/Net? Mobile/data. Cable? Hopefully not.
TakeItToTheHouse
Okay. So you want electricity. How do you plan to tap into the grid? Who's going to wire your home?