Lord of the Rings fan builds fully functional, eco-friendly hobbit hole
By Dan Selcke
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” begins J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. “Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
That’s the measure to which construction professional Jim Costigan held himself when creating his own hobbit hole, a project that began as an attempt to make a shed to store his lawn tractor, and ended up as a six-year journey to make a fully livable hobbit hole, which now stands for sale in upstate New York.
Costigan works with concrete for a living, helping build high-rises in Manhattan. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, so he knows what he’s about. This particular hobbit hole has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and is fitted to be extremely eco-friendly. It’s got a green roof, high performance windows, minimal thermal bridging and a heat recovery ventilation system. Basically, it requires very little energy to heat and cool itself, and is integrated into the landscape as much as possible. It’s a house fit for the Shire.
You can read about the technical aspects of the house in The Journal Of Light Construction. For a less formal perspective, check out Costigan’s blog, where he documents how he built the house over a period of years with help from his wife, children and friends. Finally, here are some pictures to whisk you away to a modern-day Middle-earth:
As far as we can tell, the house is still for sale. If you’re interested, Costigan has posted his email address here. Be forewarned that while the building is solid, buyers must finish the interiors (floors, paint, fixtures, etc) themselves. But it’ll be worth it to finally live in the Shire, right?
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h/t The A.V. Club