The best homes should be comfy and peaceful as can be. Even better if they try to blend with nature instead of sticking out like a big, sore, concrete thumb.
And the homes that best fit in with surrounding nature are the hobbit homes from the works of J.R.R Tolkien.
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Small, cozy, and fits right in with the hillside or surrounding greenery. I’m sure many of us dream of living in such a home, with oak and spruce wood for the floors and walls. A cute little door for our wizard friends to knock on, and a kitchen to enjoy breakfast and second breakfast.
Michael Buck here has made the hobbit home a reality, in the backyard of his Oxfordshire home.
It certainly looks and serves the part. Michael built the home by himself, and it’s a project he’s very proud of.
The cob home was achieved with an “ancient building technique”.
Made of earth, clay, and straw, the home avoids using any fancy modern building materials.
The actual hobbit homes had wooden flooring and bricks lining the doorways and windows. So if Michael wanted to take the hobbit inspiration even further, he could do just that.
But Michael’s priority was to avoid spending as much as possible and stick to simple materials.
The process took three years and lots of recycling.
Michael had to know where to look for materials if he was to stay true to his plans. See those floorboards? Those were recycled from a skip (or dumpster, as we call it in other countries).
Even the windows are recycled. They were once part of a lorry’s windscreen. Now they serve as cute windows in this earthy, comfy home in Oxfordshire.
Michael put in the hard physical work every step of the way. He did everything from teaching himself how to thatch, to lining the walls and carrying the materials he sourced on his back.
The former art teacher and father to three children wanted to keep his carbon footprint as close to zero as possible.
Hence carrying the reeds on his back to avoid using a car. This philosophy made its way to the construction too. The house doesn’t use any sort of electricity.
It relies solely on running water from a nearby spring, as well as the natural insulation of the cob walls and a wood-burning stove.
Michael lets a woman at the nearby dairy farm use the home. He lets her pay the rent in milk, remaining faithful to his eco-friendly mindset.
The furniture isn’t pretentiously fancy. Instead, they’re delightfully simple. I doubt the Sackville-Bagginses will try to pilfer anything from this home.
All in all, Michael ended up spending $185.
A very measly amount, though he was disappointed since it wasn’t supposed to cost anything.
He shouldn’t be too disappointed.
With the price of homes nowadays, his extra spending of $185 to make this home possible is impressive budgeting.
Michael explains that despite the simplicity, the house’s naturally maintainable design could let it last for ages.
“With proper maintenance, it could last forever, but it would also naturally return to the earth if left alone.” – said Michael
Indeed, the house could even last till your 111th birthday.
The other question is: can it fit 13 dwarves and a wizard inside it?
Watch a video on how Michael Buck completed his hobbit-style cob home below.
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