digg

Join DiggAbout

Call for questions
Submit and vote up questions you'd like to see answered by Kevin & Jay at the next Digg Townhall on 11/18.

People living like hobbits!

wtfsrsly.com — "...their respect for nature goes so far that they even did their best to keep their home's visual impact on the land to an absolute minimum, resulting in a beautiful hobbit-home."

show profanity settings
expand all
  • kirinacohen, on 10/12/2007, -2/+33Being committed to living sustainably is not only respectful to the environment, it is traditional design at it's best. It's funny that people think of such living as fairy-tale like. Maybe it's because, like the dionasaurs, they are extinct. The reasons why we don't promote such development is probably connected to consumer dependency. While reading this I wondered if there were actual building codes preventing this kind of developement, and what the reasons are.

    Great article!

    K~
    • hiPpymIck, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15direct link (if needed)
      http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm
    • Arahka, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I did a bit of further reading and it looks like they're creating a "shire" of these houses. I'd really love to take part in the building and possibly making one of these houses my home but unfortunately immigration laws in england are extremely strict. I wonder if there are any upstarts like this in Canada or the States?
    • Intangir, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10wow that home really gives me warm fuzzy feelings
    • codesuidae, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6My property has deed restrictions enforcing the neighborhoods covenant, which, among other things (like chain-link fences and 'field crops') bans any structure which is partially or primarily subterranean.

      The objective is to ensure that everyone builds similar McMansions.

      I don't think the building codes actually prohibit this, other than basic restrictions on how deep you can go (specified in terms of the water table).
    • Netmindstorm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"is probably connected to consumer dependency"

      I doubt that. It may have more to do with structural stability and longevity (fast forward to the era of fire codes, NEC, etc. and there are probably some more barriers). No doubt that with today's materials and proper enginerring you could construct a "hobbit" like dwelling that is plenty stable and able to last quite a while, but, as you eluded to by the word "extinct", back in the "hobbit dwelling days", it was probably much harder to keep such a dwelling intact/functional for long periods of time. It is very cool to see these types of dwellings in this day and age.
    • Kratisto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I want a house like that... I probably couldn't live in it at all times, despite how awesome it would be, because I've grown accustomed to more technology.
    • Visk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11...where's the Ethernet jack?
    • catalysis, on 10/12/2007, -7/+8Whats with all the incandescent light bulbs? How wasteful. I only have 2 bulbs in my apartment, one is burned out and the other is a CFL. My place is also made from concrete, i.e. rock and not from living plants which could recycle CO2.

      It seems like this whole environmentalist thing is just about showing off and feeling good about yourself as opposed to true green living. The prius effect.
    • chicagobiker, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3One Word: Bugs!
    • themastersb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Hobitses! 4 of 'em!?
    • d00ley, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@catalysis - I assume you didn't notice that they have PV panels, did you? Also, are you implying that there's some negative environmental impact from having living plants as part of their dwelling?
  • zoviva, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3weird..but cool
    • Netmindstorm, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13Actually, I thought is was "precious"
    • deesine, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2My first thought was "kewl".

      And then I thought about all the forts me and my friends made as kids. Kid Forts for Adults.
    • redtangential, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1this article belongs in offbeat news not "world news"
  • thegator25, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Anarcho primitivism greatness.
  • thewaz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2They would be better off with a wood burning stove, over the gas or electric stove it shows in the picture. It would require tedious wood cutting, but theyre great for heating and cooking simultaniously.

    i want to build a house like this, possibly from straw bales, http://strawbale.com/gallery.html
    • jeszus, on 10/12/2007, -14/+1well thats just plane neat
    • thefaithful, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17You should build it out of brick so it doesn't get blown down.
    • ryannerd, on 10/12/2007, -14/+2The first little piggy made his house out of straw. The second little piggy made his out of sticks. We all know what happened to those two houses. :-)
    • crilen007, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10That was his joke...
      seems like every joke on here gets explained and ruined by someone else.
    • nickway, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4They have a wood burning stove.
      http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm
  • qbyte, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4Is this the former home of the teletubbies?
  • masterkenobi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20Groovy, roof looks high enough so that Gandalf won't bump his head too!
  • DreyX, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I was hoping to see Dwarves :(
    • AngryPenguin47, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1look at the pic of the father on the construction page
  • edm1950, on 10/12/2007, -14/+4This was here a month ago. Nothing has changed, yeah it's a cheap earth contact home, why is it here again as something new? You have to throw the thing away every few years or die of systemic fungal infection.
    • Lomi, on 10/12/2007, -13/+3Why is it that as soon as somebody mentions that an article isn't new, that everybody starts digging them down? We might as well just start reposting popular stories every month, because that's basically what is going to come of the site eventually if this keeps up.

      The original story was even dugg by kevin, so it's not like it wasn't a big story to begin with.
    • Blandyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Reposting a story like this is OK, because some people might have missed it. I did. If you don't like it, don't look at it, or bury it. Simple as that.
  • diggzoid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Hobbits don't have links to PayPal on their websites, actually I'm not sure if Hobbits even have broadband yet. Mighty nice looking house though. Dugg - with a spade.
  • Praetorius, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I wonder if they still use a modem.

    Ah! @diggzoid beat me to it.
  • liah, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2I wonder if they'd have internet? Seriously?
  • ahawks, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4That guy looks like Keanu Reeves!

    And their little hobbit hole looks pretty frickin sweet
  • nickway, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8I have been looking at this house for 6 months+
    The did a lot of things right on it, even though they did it cheap.

    I am saving for land, once I get the land, I am going to do one too.
  • Kingfisherx, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Now that's what I call a wizard's hut!
    • WiseElben, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They're hobbit holes. Wizards live on.. I dunno, towers?
  • benjio, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3Lord of the rings sucks
    • Blandyman, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Rofl, dugg down in half an hour.

      Bad place to make that joke, man, I loved the movies.

      The books, though... well, they could've had a few more periods here and there.
    • benjio, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I like those movies too. Nothin like a 3 hour naptime...
  • DaveV, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7Let me see if I got this right. These people built and are living in a tiny, one-room, cabin without electricity, treated water, modern heating or cooling, or communications.

    They have effectively no privacy. What will happen as their children get older? Will they all still live and sleep in the single bedroom? Will they be having sex in front of their children when they are 8, 10, 12?

    It may be "neat" and an interesting idea, but not practical at the size when you have kids.
    • Filmhappy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3regardless, i think it's a fairly cool (and possibly very efficient) idea to build upon. besides, nothing's perfect the first time around :)
    • DaveV, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2If you want a better way, check out the people who made a hobbit-hole in the side using pre-stressed concrete sewer pipes. They have things like separate rooms with doors, pipes with running water in actual bathrooms. They have electricity, phone service, and other modern conveniences.

      It is cheap, safe, energy efficient, long-lasting and fairly easy to build.

      And it is quite a bit better than turning the clock back a few hundred years.
    • lovkraft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@DaveV.
      Got link?
    • DaveV, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I can't find the actual people. I have no idea where the page is anymore. But, here are some other pages to give you an idea.

      http://www.stormbear.com/bagend2/index.php
      http://unusuallife.com/category/astounding-accommodations/

      Remember, you can get pipes and junction boxes made to size. One can seal them inside and out and put wood framing inside.
    • noopzilla!, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3@DaveV:
      obviously you haven't read too much of their website/blog/whatever. they're planning on building more homes... apparently, this summer they're building a 'winter home'. or something.
      stop being so close-minded as to think that this is the last home the family will live in for the rest of their lives. maybe the kids will grow up and want to build their own? maybe dad will help them build their own? maybe the kids will grow up and think it's stupid and move away?
      don't be a *****.
  • m0nk, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6I'd live there...
  • lcmatt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Who'd live in a house like this ........ (Anyone who used to watch Through the Keyhole will understand)
  • e73rock, on 10/12/2007, -7/+0Linkon Nickle Biscuit sux 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times more that LOTR or their house. So bite it hablo2!
  • Ibanezfoo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Superhippies!
  • Nysul, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Broadband internet, my computer, and some solar panels and I'm there.
    They must have an outhouse, but I wonder what they use for a washroom.
    • chijim70, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3I thought I saw solar panels in the construction section and they said they use water from a nearby spring or something that runs into the house via gravity. They have to have internet access somehow...

      The thing that bummed me in reading their website was that they have this huge section about human environmental impact and how their country is importing so much food etc. and essentially all around there just isn't enough "stuff" to sustain all this growth in population... YET THEY HAVE 2 FREGIN KIDS!!!

      Just when you think somebody gets it...
  • jwpowless, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Cool pad, but what a fire-trap! All of that straw and dried wood. They are hated, but usually there are pretty darn good reasons behind most modern building codes. Wouldn't want to live there with a careless smoker...

    • davesbrain, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Any house can burn, it's all about who is living in the house and how cautious they are.
    • fogster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2But I think the point was that a house built out of dry wood and straw could be ignited by a stray spark, whereas a less charming house with cinderblock walls would take a lot more to burn up.
  • EriktheBard, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I live in an earth house (though not as low impact as the one in the article). There are numerous advantages to this kind of house. But there are some disadvantages. It's been hell trying to wire in internet. I've had to coble together a few routers and high gain antenna to compensate for concrete walls. And living in Ohio moisture is a constant concern. We've had to go back and fix some drainage issues the original owners built. And adding a new wing? No way. But I don't think I'd trade it for a traditional stick frame house. When the power went out last winter it took 2 days for the house to start cooling down to a frigid 55 degrees. We had to wear sweaters and start a fire :)

    Images of our own 'Bag End' can be seen here: http://picasaweb.google.com/steve.pack/Winter07
  • multitude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Cool idea! I hope that they have a great deal of success in teaching others how to build this way. Wonderful page.
  • j37hr0, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2I got a contact high from all the weed and patchouli coming from that house.
  • john72carter, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3might try it once or twice, but i wouldn't make a hobbit of it :-)
  • qualish, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Anyone else looking at the photos and imagining this place built for a 4' tall hobbit?
  • ArthurB, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2From the article: "Hell, if I was a politician with some authority in this area, I'd be making plans for building homes like this all over the place."

    This is frightening. It's perfectly ok to live in the house you like, but this illustrate very well that given political authority people act like tyran. Basically what he's saying is he'd like to be in a position to extort money from people and build this kind of houses because HE like them. Next step is of course forcing the people to live in them.

    Very very sad.
    • CartoonAl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yeah, i can see it now...

      'Right. We've killed the Royal Family, strung Blair up by his testicles (Boy, was THAT worth it..), what can we do now?'
      'Well, the whole of Britain is yours to do with as you want...'
      'well, how about...?'
      'Yes...?'
      'Well, you've read the Lord of the Rings, right?'
      'Um...yeah...? You want an army of Orcs?'
      'Orcs are too stupid. And the smell...'
      'a giant glowing eye for no apparent reason?'
      'No. I want to...'
      'Yes...?'
      'Force everyone to live like Hobbits!'
      'Um...'
      'Yes, I can rename Scotland North Farthing, Wales can be West Farthing...'
      'um... Sir...?'
      'We can ban anyone over 5 foot tall...'
      'um...I'm 5 foot 5...'
      'Oh, and if you see a stupid old hippy with a blue jacket and bright yellow shoes...'
      'yeah...?'
      'Kill the *****'
    • WTFsrsly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Haha, excuse me? Where did that come from? With 'building houses like this all over the place' I was thinking more along the lines of making plans to make several communities like this because I'm sure there would be a strong demand for it and it'd be very beneficial to the environment.

      "This is frightening. "...this illustrate very well that given political authority people act like tyran."
      Holy cow man, that's some funny *****.
  • peter78, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Looks cool but not very practical. Burning wood for cooking and heat is actually more destructive to the environment than having good insulation and using modern heating systems. This has been proven by the green community. (That wood has to come from somewhere.)

    Another person mentioned it above, but there are issues with sewage that are very dangerous with these kind of buildings.

    Lastly, I'd like to see how a place like this fares in an earthquake which is a concern for many people around the world (probably not in Wales, though). Without modern architecture, you can bet these buildings will be flattened. I'm all for the environment but not to the point where we're stepping backwards in terms leveraging modern technology.
  • co72, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2dupe AND blogspam

    dugg down

    still really like the house though.
  • EriktheBard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There are lots of sources for wood that don;t involve cutting down growing trees. Friends of mine heated their workshop using pallets that were too battered to be used. Costs them very little to buy, shipping company got rid of waste, none of it was landfilled. It was a bit time consuming to cut down the wood and they had to clean out the nails every week, but it worked.
  • b0neman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Where's the ale and all the food? Have they heard about 2nd breakfast and elevensees??!?

    • CartoonAl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@b0neman

      Dont worry, they're ahead of you on that one...

      FTA: 'Spring, mud on the roof, plastering and whitewashing done, landscaping nearly finished, beer brewing, bread in the oven.'
  • Kuipo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think that's cool. If you have the time, energy, money, ambition to make a little house like that... go for it! I digg.
  • theMcPatriot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Build a home out of straw and wood... hope no one drops a candle.
  • cranium, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sadly, there are a lot of places that would never issue a building permit for something like this.
  • XxjdxX, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1It's called the 3rd world people
  • Endies, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I actually really don't like it. I love the show, and if that posted look like the show (was drawn the same way) it would be awesome.
  • leap365, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Heh, for the one that suggested building them in Canada, you'd better think again. Frost heave goes down 5 to 6 feet, so every six months you'd get to re-construct your 'hobbit' home, not to mention the bugs, rodents, snakes that would also find this a delightful home. Flooding would be a serious issue as well.
    About the concrete base and walls? Why yes, we call 'em basements here almost every dwelling has one, with the footings being dug lower than the frost level reaches. If you've every seen an unparged basement wall heave inwards, during spring thaw, you'll not make that mistake twice...

    I'd spend a romantic weekend in one of these but to raise kids and all? Can you say 'cabin fever?'.

  • voodoomojo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0The comments that clueless people leave. ***** ridiculous.LOL
    Good entertainment.

    This isn't SO far-fetched really... Just on the EXTREME end.
    There are more intelligent methods.
    This would only be logical in a "have-too" case, and for a have-too situation, I guess this is ok information to know about.

    I don't think this would meet building codes though...
    hehehe
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.