The house was first spotted by an aerial survey in 1998 and from then on its existence has been threatened. The house was illegally built near Newport, Wales by using a timber frame with a turf roof (grass roof). The couple, Tony Wrench and Jane Faith, live an environmentally friendly lifestyle in this fantasy like home. Even though the home doesn’t have up to date technology, it does have alternative innovations like solar and wind power, a compost toilet and reed beds. Since they have a sustainable lifestyle and their impact on the countryside is low, they are able to stay and continue living their unconventional lifestyle.
When creating a low impact woodland home, reuse, renew and recycle are key points to remember. Building into a hillside decreases the visual impact that the home has on the land. You can use scrap wood for the floor and ceilings and straw bales and mud to create insulation in the walls. Modern homes are built with products that can affect your health, but a house made from natural materials is free of chemicals. It gives living off of the land a new meaning, especially since some of the houses have amazing architectural design and innovation.
Tony Wrench and Jane Faith are living proof that people are capable of adopting eco-friendly lifestyles. The hobbit house takes it to a new level with regard to renewable resources. However, your house can be more eco-friendly by using a compost bin, solar panels and organic cotton sheets. A few innovations and additions to your home can make it have less of an impact on the environment.
I would love to be able to see inside this home. I think that this is really a unique idea and I hope that they will get left alone to live in peace in it.
This is awesome. I too would love to see the inside. It looks quite beautiful from the outside.
I’d love a tour as well. Perhaps this can be inspiration for sustainable builders to build some houses like these; if I could afford it, I’d buy one!
The website is here: http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm
They show you a bit of the inside, as well as how they made it.
Responses to Donovan
I don’t see why the government has to interfere with the way someone choses to live. I think that everyone should have the right to build their own home to their own standards. Let’s face it, there are a multitude of others living in commercial developments that are at far greater risk of life-threatening situations than these people in Wales who simply wish to live out their dreams, who do not bother anyone, or wish to be bothered by anyone else. There is no building code in these recent times to dictate that the house would be stable. However, if you look at history, people have used this method to build long-lasting homes for centuries in the past. It is sheer arrogance to think that we are so far advanced now that we can shun time-tested pactices such as this. I would encourage everyone to emulate this project, to help save the environment, and also to build a bitchin’ dwelling that will inspire, last, and provide comfort for you and yours.