Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Outdoor Wednesday, Hobbit Shelter House

It's another Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan of A Southern Daydreamer. Please visit her beautiful site and feast your eyes on some wonderful outdoor pictures.



Out of a desire to reconnect with nature the Dales built their woodland home in SW Wales. With no architectural experience Simon Dale built this with his father-in-law and a few friends in a matter of 4 months. They used all natural materials and built it to have as low of an environmental impact as possible. The cost a mere $6,000.






* Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
* Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
* Frame of oak branches (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
* Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
* Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
* Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
* Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
* Anything you could possibly want is in a rubbish pile somewhere (windows, burner, plumbing, wiring….
* Woodburner for heating - renewable and locally plentiful
* Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
* Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
* Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
* Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
* Water by gravity from nearby spring

The Hobbit Poem

On a great adventure they left,
To regain their stolen treasure,
Over fen, peak dale and cleft,
They journeyed without leisure,
Many a-foe they smote along the way,
With audacity and rage they stumbled,
Over the well trodden path of clay,
"Thank you for the meagre provisions," they mumbled,
After long while they reached the dragon’s and their treasure’s lair,
A tumultuous battle ensued, and finally the dragon was slain by a single shaft,
Bard was the archer’s name; true by the mark was his shot through the air,
With riches beyond measure they returned, so rich, that they could ignore their craft,
So after such an epic odyssey,
From age to age, you can often hear the phrase; ‘There and back again.’

–Anay Kamtikar


Till next time, Happy Decorating.
Kathleen

17 comments:

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Great photos! Whimsical...love it!

Thanks for sharing your photos.

Happy Outdoor Wednesday

Susan

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Hi Kathleen...That is just amazing!! ...and cute, too! Have a great evening...Debbie

Anonymous said...

Now isn't this something? A fairy tale come true! My son love the Hobbit books and then the movies.
Be a sweetie,
shelia ;)

♥ Kathy said...

I was thinking it looked like a hobbit house and then I get below the pictures and there's a hobbit poem :) That's so cool!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

That is the cutest thing EVER! So glad you shared this, Kathleen. It is just storybook cute. I'm stunned!

Happy OW!

XO,

Sheila :-)

SmilingSally said...

Whimsical. I wonder how many square feet and how it's decorated. lol

Sue said...

What a delight!!!! Thank you for sharing,
Blessings,
Sue

Jackie said...

That is the coziest little dwelling...thanks for sharing!

a quiet life said...

super post! i would love a wee spot like this~ now if only i could be wee...

Tealady said...

Looks like a whimsical place to live. Great photos!

All the best, Lana

Cami @ Creating Myself said...

I am sooo charmed by this post! I think Outdoor Wednesay is one of the most interesting memes out there...everybody posts such interesting pictures.

LisaShaw said...

What amazing photos. I felt like I could step into several of them.

Thanks for sharing these.

Kat said...

Beautiful photographs of an amazing house. It really is fun, and can you imagine being able to build a home for $6000? Kathy

2 Dogs said...

I find this amazing. Thank you for sharing.

~CC Catherine said...

What a sweet post! Love it! ;) ~CC Catherine from "Catherine de th`e Cups" (I'm a bit behind this week from traveling!)

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Stop by my blog when you get a chance I have an award for you!

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Susan

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Stop by my blog when you get a chance I have an award for you!

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Susan