Tiny House Tuesday: Frodo Lives
March 18, 2008
Today marks the beginning of a new biweekly feature at Living Small: Tiny House Tuesday. With all the spectacular Small architecture out there, I figured it was high time for a dedicated post. So, onto this week’s teeny.
WHO: Simon and Jasmine Saville and Family
WHERE: Wales
WHAT: Eco-conscious Hobbit Hole
SIZE: By my calculations, about 650 square feet
Paging Peter Jackson: your Lord of the Rings set has been relocated to the UK. Please collect.
Meet Simon and Jasmine Saville, the brains and the brawn behind this cozy dugout in the Welsh countryside. The woody structure, which houses the Saville family foursome, was the product of the Savilles’ desire for a home of their own, but one that came with a small fiscal and environmental price tag. Though neither Simon nor Jasmine had any formal architectural or carpentry training, the two, with the help of Jasmine’s father and a handful of friends, drafted plans, gathered materials, and set to work. The result? A gorgeous (if a bit Tolkienish) low-impact home for their family.
Special Features!
- Stones and mud excavated during the Big Dig were repurposed as retaining walls and foundation
- Straw bale insulation is easy on the planet, doesn’t off-gas, and helps keep out the cold
- Framing, floors, and fittings crafted from reclaimed wood found on the property and at other construction sites
- Fridge keeps food fresh by way of cool air circulating through foundation; toilet composts leftovers
- Rainwater collected on the roof feeds the garden
More delightful dugouts:
Bag End, Bilbo et Frodo Baggins’ smial.
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s sod house on Plum Creek.
Jack and Rose’s Hippie Home, from The Ballad of Jack and Rose (starring Daniel Day-Lewis, professional heartthrob; course, this is Rose, and house is peeking out behind her — see the skylight?)
Seen any other hillside homes?
Thanks to Kent @ the Tiny House Blog for this post.
Living Small 
Hmm, it seems I can’t post the comment I really wanted to… It keeps getting discarded.
Still, while not strictly hobbit holes, check out “solarhaven” and “tumbleweedhouses” (add dots and coms as needed). These both are some beautiful examples of “green living”
I love the Tumbleweed Tiny Houses. Great design, for sure. And I’ll have to check out the Solar Haven places. Thanks for the rec!
Very cool concept, thanks to all who live small :)
I loves it, too, Brea. Thanks for stopping by!
Also here in Finland, we will build straw-bale houses. A whole village for artisans and craftspersons.
If you would like to see pictures and drawings from our project [partly Underground straw bale house],
you find pdf-files in English and Finnish here:
http://provillage.wordpress.com/
More rendered 3D-drawings and pics, a lot about building straw-bale houses and all kind of related stuff. We discuss here:
http://henry.blogit.uusisuomi.fi
Even if it is in Finnish, you will understand most of the 3D-drawings and what they are connected to.
You can also comment in English, Russian, Chinese, Swedish, Norwegian or Arabic.
It does not matter which of these languages.
We are interested in all kind of international cooperation.
Henry Björklid
Lets featherdust more!