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Man Builds Fairy Tale Home for $4700

This article was reprinted with permission from Gaia Health, a source for information about the intertwined health of people and the living earth.  
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COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

56 RECENT RESPONSES

User avatar
mary Oct 25, 2013

They choppped down trees to build it!! It uses wood to heat it! This is not sustainable. Cute and hobbit like but not all that eco friendly.

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JulieAnders Sep 9, 2013

I'm guessing that most of these people oohing and ahing over this would not be nearly so enamored after using the outhouse, washing the clothes in a tub by hand and hanging them out, having no privacy since the kids sleep in the same bed with the adults for a month or so. Having lived this romantic lifestyle, I can tell you, it's not all it's cracked up to be, especially for women.

Reply 1 reply: The9nanas
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Janis Spinks Jul 24, 2013

no laundry area, where's the bathroom and where's the room for the boys? But if they're happy, then they have found ways to make it work... I would want a laundry

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An Engineer from Florida Jun 27, 2013

It is lovely, but I can't help wondering how safe it will be in anything resembling catastrophic weather. And how will you protect all of that charming untreated wood from termites and the like?
I hate to be a nay-sayer, it just strikes me as reckless to completely disregard the input from two entire professions (Architecture and Civil Engineering) that have evolved over time with the sole purpose of providing better and safer buildings for man-kind.
The good news? Well, with that price tag, even if you have to completely rebuild it every five years or so, it will still be economical.
I applaud your ingenuity and audacity, and wish you nothing but good fortune.

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rapier1 Jun 4, 2013

It's worth pointing out that the production of lime plaster is also heavily dependent on massive energy inputs. It's made (like cement) from the heating of limestone until it oxidizes. The per unit difference in emission output between lime plaster and portland cement isn't all that much. Cement does have the advantage of not being highly caustic (pH12) during the application. That being said, the home is gorgeous. You could likely build this in the United States under the adobe house building codes.

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Joshua May 27, 2013

One of my dreams is making a home like this one. Making a decision is the hardest part.

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Harold Dennis Johnson Jr May 25, 2013

Beautiful home but i didn't see a bathroom or a shower in the desugn plans..just wondering how that works out?

Reply 1 reply: Janis
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Anjo May 24, 2013

land included?

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Elaine French May 8, 2013

where's the shower / bathroom?

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Alyce99 May 7, 2013

What an Amazing Place!! Something you only fantasize about!! Its Beautiful & So Creative!! What kind of kitchen & bathrooms are you using? I Would love to see every room!!
Blessings to you & your family...Happy Living!!

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Thea May 1, 2013

LIVING THE DREAM!!!

Reply 1 reply: Janis
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Marley Apr 29, 2013

It's just like the house in my dream...

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St Johnny Mar 30, 2013

Creative.
City permit bureaucrats, would never let this be built due to " codes"
Too much government oversight stifles creativity in US.

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Nutmeg Smith Mar 22, 2013

what a great place for children to grow up in. they'll have a magical childhood. anyone sent this to ' grand designs ' ? !

Reply 1 reply: Chad
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Erik Nonstop Mar 11, 2013

Stunning. Gorgeous. Lovely. So helpful to see...I learn from this type of thing.

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Sue Feb 18, 2013

The rooms appear to be hobbit sized but the man himself looks to be about 6 feet tall. I would not mind but does have trouble navigating the shorter ceilings? Did he consider geothermal power? I am fascinated beyond belief and entranced with his photography. What a lovely way to live within the Earth.

Reply 1 reply: Gail
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Kathleen Willfelder Jan 30, 2013

Beautiful, creative and inspiring ! Unfortunately here in the US it would probably be impossible to receive the proper building permits resulting in hefty fines then it's untimely demolition. Imagine creating communities like this alongside permiculture instruction - This type of housing would certainly pose a huge threat to power and profits !

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Gary Lindorff Dec 29, 2012

Whoa! You guys are my heroes today!

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Isocracy Dec 29, 2012

I wanted to do this 40 years ago but was told I was nutz....

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IamBullyproofMusic Dec 17, 2012

This is too cool for words. LOVE!

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Suchitra Nov 5, 2012

Wow! Such beautiful houses built with care and love become homes, which is what we require.

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Travis Oct 12, 2012

There is a non profit in the UK that helps promote these types of buildings!

http://www.thepoosh.org/

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NIKKI GOODWIN Aug 29, 2012

Divine I want it..

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Neva Aug 27, 2012

I adore this, absolutely adore this. I wish I had any kind of building skills at all; I'd be doing something like this. Wow, just wow.

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David Perlman Aug 26, 2012

I love the fact that there are no flat walls and no 90 degree angles. Everything is curvy.

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Kingsley1111 Jul 7, 2012

 Finish
every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some
blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you
can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too
high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

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Zakgirl May 24, 2012

My dream home. Where's the chooks?

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Daniel Kwanya May 16, 2012

napenda hii ajabu,,,,ilove it so much

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Lisa May 13, 2012

Yes! Someone needs to start Habitat for Hobbits!
 

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Cherie Dirksen Apr 22, 2012

How gorgeous!  It is so beautiful and quaint never mind magical.  They look like a very happy family! xxx

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brooze:) Apr 11, 2012

cliche has it that the real home resides in the heart... our physical house is a concrete manifestation of that heart... simon's is one of cozy, green, and welcoming... and he built what he is inside... his 'hobbit home'  :)

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brooze Apr 11, 2012

my love to simon, his wife, and the kids... the world is blest with people like you... ur an inspiration, in words and in deeds... godblessalways... roseencabo707@yahoo.com

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Player_One Apr 3, 2012

Its n0t easy being green

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Yvonne Irvin-Faus Mar 25, 2012

so marvelous!! quite impressive!
 

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Jocelyn Esmena Mar 8, 2012

amazing house.....good bless

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Tiolant Mar 8, 2012

Why is it better to kill baby trees instead of old ones near the end of their lives?  It's not ok to kill a baby seal, so why is it ok to kill a baby tree?

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Nancy Feb 28, 2012

I love it!  It looks like a dream come true.  I hope  you and your family live happily ever after.

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Trixy Thompson Feb 24, 2012

WoW<3 ! So NeaT...VeRy CReaTiVe....Is  iT  ToRNADo PRoOF ? Ya, ...I LiVe iN KANSAS~^j^~<3 ! 

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Sher Feb 11, 2012

Some people have a vision and realisation which has to be truly appreciated .........simple beautiful n artistic n brilliant !!

Reply 2 replies: Innerchange, David
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Rose Feb 7, 2012

LOVE IT!!

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Deborah Galler Feb 7, 2012

I am SOOOO creatively inspired to see this...Ii can close my eyes and feel myself inside this beautiful home......I can smell the fire.....so inviting.......thank you for holding  your vision  for the rest of us to enjoy and expand with.......
Bless You !!!!
Deborah Galler
I see this as my next home......

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Two Coconuts (from Hawaii) Feb 6, 2012

Simon is  a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!  What imagination, determination, and 'elbow-grease'!  ...and Jasmine and boys make for a great-looking family.  Congratulations!!

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Anna Mae Feb 6, 2012

The house I have always dreamed of living in... GREAT inspiration for me. Nature at its finest as a home and your photography is awesome. I recogized the Yosemite scenes, especially the meadows. I live in Modesto, California.... just west of Yosemite, a very magical place. Thank you for inspiring me and others who have the same fondness for Shire/Hobbit home. Anna (photographer/visionary.)

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Billie Slade Feb 6, 2012

This place is wonderful!  You would be assured of living your life in creativity, you are surrounded by creativity and can breathe it in, and feel it always.  You are taking very little to have your home, and you're not in an extraodinary over large space that you hardly use, and all space is used well. 
Thank you for being so creative.
Billie Slade

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Charles Power Feb 5, 2012

THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE! FANTASTIC! CARRY ON SIMON!

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Playcuzzin Feb 4, 2012

The Hobbitses will be angry my Precious!!!

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Skidmorex4 Feb 2, 2012

very cool, but I noticed the bathroom is missing??? No way I would have two small children without a shower or toilet. Could you imagine potty training in the winter? " Here son, just take this shovel and dig a little hole in that snow mound over there."

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Jonathan OJ Owens Jan 30, 2012

Truly amazing, thank you for the inspiration. 

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Majamojo Jan 29, 2012

how lovely. Thanks for sharing this.

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Lindy Jan 29, 2012

Sorry, my Welsh spelling is atrocious!

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Lindy Jan 29, 2012

Fabulous, Simon and Jasmine. Dioch xx

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Birju Pandya Jan 28, 2012

dude lives in the shire!!!

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Bill Bill12 Jan 28, 2012

maybe the coolest thing i've ever seen.  inspiring.  moving.  absolutely fantastic.

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Alina Khama-Nyane Jan 28, 2012

How wonderful! I just love the fact that our visions can be realised! It is so uplifting to hear stories of individuals roling their sleeves and getting on to create something that makes them haappy.  I magine if we all had the courage to be happy and self sufficient in a creative yet practical way!!

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deborah j barnes Jan 28, 2012

beautiful home and vision, thank you Simon and Jasmine for adding more to the world than trying to take. This is the future we can look forward too!

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Debk Jan 28, 2012

This is wonderful!  The home looks very cosy and inviting.  I'd love to see Habitat for Humanity embody some of these design principles.  They could build so many more homes!  I look forward to checking out the web site and moving myself toward a more sustainable living environment.  What an inspiration!