Photo by diametrik
Welcome to the fantasy world of hobbit houses! You must have felt inspired by those amazing small ‘formless’ houses for the hobbits in the movies.
These are ‘formless’ as such because the houses are not based on straight edges. Neither does a hobbit house rises straight up off the ground. You would have to do a lot of digging first because the house is going to be a half-underground one.
You can do it
Obviously, this is not a monthly DIY project! A lot of work has to be done to live in the fantasy world of hobbits in the woods. If you start tomorrow, and work on all weekends, the house would easily take about one year to be completed fully. However, it is not an impossible task as a few folks around the world have already made their very own amazing hobbit houses!
Dig your space
Besides, if they were impossible to make, then how were they made for the films! You will need the confidence, perseverance, and faith in the fairytales! Remember that here you do not have the guidance of a blueprint as you find in any typical architecture project. You should have a visionary and imaginative mind to get the work done ultimately. Start with finding a suitable spot in the woods where you can dig a spacious hole and transform it step-by-step to your very own hobbit house! The mud and stone you remove is all put to use in setting up the retaining walls.
The idea
Work on the idea first. Once you have set the space in the ground, proceed with making the curvy dome shaped structure with wood. Set the structure not by planks, but by natural logs. You will have to arrange a lot of logs and boughs of different sizes to set the framework, but that is the fun part of the entire adventure. Driftwood is a good option.
Once you have the basic wooden structure firmly established, complete the walls with nailing the planks in place and using the mud for retaining walls. Add sufficient stone support as well. Once the walls have dried, apply lime plaster instead of cement everywhere. Lime plaster is breathable and earthier. However, at the floor, it is best to use the cement. Whilst setting up the mud walls, use straw bales for insulation.
Arranging
Typically, you will have a skylight on top. It can be impossible to draw electricity from utility lines in forest areas. That’s the idea! The hobbit house is probably one of the most amazing examples of off-grid living. You will have to set solar shingles for electricity, so keep that in mind when are setting the framework.
Arrange a rainwater harvesting system. For natural water supply, you have to find a forest spot with nearby spring. Pure spring water can be channeled from there. The toilet is made compost based. It is overall a great recycling project. You will find that each piece of salvaged wood can be made into a portion of the house. The emphasis should be on setting up a strong basic structure with wood rafters and walls. Happy building!
