Simon’s Eco-house
Simon and Jasmine Saville have built a very unusual eco-house in Wales. This is not your transportable home but one built right into the land. Very different and not your run of the mill home.
Simon and his wife Jasmine had the offer to use this land if they built an eco-friendly house and were were offerd 2,000 pounds to help construct it. Simon with the help of Jasmine’s father built the home in four months. A total of 3,000 pounds and a lot of manpower and effort in finding eco-friendly products they built this beautiful home.
To read an interview with Jasmine and see the construction of the home, be sure and visit there website.
Click on the plans below to enlarge.
Some key points of the design and construction:
- • Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
• Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
• Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
• Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthetically fantastic and very easy to do
• 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…)
• Wood burner 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
• Compost toilet
• Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.
Eco-house pictures of the inside of the house. Please visit Simon’s Website for more information and pictures of the construction of the house.
Kitchen
Living Room
Complete View
Visit Simon’s Website Here.
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Ethan@OneProjectCloser on 17 Mar 2008 at 2:06 pm #
It looks kinda like a house from Lord of the Rings! Very cool though.
Tiny House Tuesday: Frodo Lives « Living Small on 18 Mar 2008 at 7:08 am #
[...] to Kent @ the Tiny House Blog for this post. Posted by livingsmall Filed in EcoLogic, Space/Time ·Tags: Ballad of Jack and Rose, [...]
Jessica Brylan on 24 Mar 2008 at 2:26 pm #
This is just about the most unique house I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen some tree houses that were huge and economical. I’ve seen spinning living rooms. Some really neat stuff. But, this takes the cake. Thanks for sharing.
Julie on 04 Apr 2008 at 7:03 pm #
Wow! A little Hobbit house! I love it!!!
tribe.net: tinyhouseblog.com on 18 Apr 2008 at 9:10 am #
A Tiny Eco House…
I think Bag End is going to my head because I really want a house like this.
……
Victoria on 19 May 2008 at 12:12 pm #
This house is great. I love how it just blends in with nature. I want to build one like it one day.
Lisa Jan on 08 Oct 2008 at 2:26 pm #
This is so fabulous – I want to build a summer (rental) camp at a lake in Western Maryland (USA), on a
slight hill, overlooking the lake. This house is a fantasy made real!!! I love it!
Guy Hepler on 12 Oct 2008 at 7:29 am #
As we humans are forced underground because of climate change
and conventional energy scarcity, these Hobbit-houses represent an ideal architectural alternative. Driving back to Carlsbad from my trips to Roswell, Ruidoso, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, I always look out and think to myself – that landscape there would have been good for the LOR movies. Now I am thinking that this New Mexico landscape would be good to house future generations of humans – below ground! (like the Carlsbad Caverns) This is so exciting! You see – Hobbits have always had the right idea! Rock on Frodo!
Sonya k on 20 Jan 2009 at 6:33 pm #
I wish we could build one like this, or any earth-friendly home. Where we live, the municipality refuses any and all applications to build any kind of alternative housing, including straw-bale houses, earth-filled, cob, etc… Unless it is CMHA approved, mortgageable, and looks like every one else’s house, it just doesn’t happen… I just want a simple little huse, that I can afford and be happy in, and one that doesn’t leave a huge ecological footprint. To me, most so called “normal” houses are ugly scars on the environment.
Pau Carrasco on 01 Feb 2009 at 12:05 pm #
I love it, and it look warm and loving, long life and enjoy. Ah but where do you keep the Pot of Gold.
Roger Drowne E,C, on 23 Feb 2009 at 10:54 pm #
GREAT… love em
A house less ordinary « katiegraczyk’s blog on 03 Mar 2009 at 2:04 pm #
[...] http://tinyhouseblog.com/earthcob/simonshouse/ [...]
Reiska on 23 Mar 2009 at 10:00 am #
WOW! I would love to live in a house like that!
Amy on 24 Mar 2009 at 2:50 pm #
Well, nice buddy… Someone will love this article if I tell her about this. She’s really interested in this topic. Thanks again…
Tom Sullivan on 02 Apr 2009 at 12:49 am #
Bravo…
I applaud you people… Kudos!
Well done and I’ll support your efforts any way I can.
Carry-on and may the Earth thank you with prosperity.
~ Tom
Santa Rosa, Northern California
liz on 03 Jun 2009 at 9:56 pm #
Wow! Absolutely amazing. I would love to live in a house like this, I’ve always wanted a Hobbit style home. Maybe someday.
Peace.