A fairy tale home for less than 4,000 euros

Are you good with your hands? Then grab your hammer, chisel and saw and listen up: Simon Dale and Jasmin Saville from Wales realized their vision of living in harmony with nature and built their eco-friendly dream house in just 4 months. The materials cost just a bit over 3,000 British pounds and after around 1,500 hours of labor, it was ready for habitation.

The media dubbed it “the Hobbit House” based on its looks, an appropriate name as the pictures show. The couple did their best to use as many natural materials as possible and build the most ecological house they could. It is heated by a wood-burning stove and solar panels provide electricity. The floor, walls and roof are super insulated with straw bales, which also made building it easier. The frame consists of oak thinning, saplings thinned from the surrounding woodland. The lime plaster on the walls is breathable and does not take a lot of energy to manufacture (compared to cement). The fridge is cooled by air from underground ducts and they added a composting toilet.
The couple currently lives in Lammas, an ecovillage in Wales, where they created a new eco house for their family.