The Fantastic Low Impact Woodland Home
If you’ve secretly dreamed of unplugging and moving into a hobbit house, you’re not alone. Simon Dale and his family actually did. They chronicled the building journey of what they call their Low Impact Woodland Home.
Adorable, fantastical, and in many ways extremely smart. Their off the grid home, located in Wales, took less than 4 months to build with the dedication of a pair of in-laws, some “passers-by” and a few friends. Not including labor costs, the total cost of the home was around 3000 L or pounds sterling (about $4900 USD at the time of writing this).
The primary natural building materials used included, timber, straw bales and cob. The main tools Simon and his father-in-law used are shockingly simple and encouraging for non-carpenter types; a chainsaw, hammer and 1 inch chisel.
From the experience, Simon Dale says:
“Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land.”
Aside from the family’s personal 
fulfillment, the natural built home is, of course, also respectful of the environment’s limitations. The thoughtful interior layout includes a skylight, composting toilet, a wood burner, and solar panels that collectively reduce the family’s footprint without (relatively) foregoing modern conveniences.
Lastly, raising children in a safe-toxic free home without the stress of a 30 year mortgage to maintain was another compelling reason for the Low Impact Woodland Home project.
The family has received so much interest in their very cozy looking accomplishment there are now available workshops for others to attend before setting out on their own home building project.
For those of you who are inspired by their story and want an adorable and sustainable hobbit home of your own, keep in mind some of the underlying principles of sustainability and Permaculture before you start building your own off the grid home.
The landscape or region you plan to build in should dictate the types of sustainable building materials and techniques you use. For example, you wouldn’t build a tee-pee in the Artic, or an igloo in the Mid-West.
What worked for this family and their region in Wales, may not translate into a good idea where ever you live, say the dry deserts of New Mexico. A sustainable house made of adobe, or mud bricks is much more appropriate for the region and will actually save you money by reducing the transportation cost of moving timber from the Northwest.
Perhaps one of the greatest takeaways from the Low Impact Woodland Home is the inspiration. Other families will be able to thrive in a sustainable Tolkien dream home, without the putting them through a major financial quest.
Source and Photos: Low Impact Woodland Home, www.simondale.net