NAVIGATION
What Is A Hobbit House
Design Inspiration
Hobbit House Plans
Build A Hobbit House
Hobbit Home FAQWhy go all the way to Middle Earth when you can bring the Shire to your own backyard?
No longer relegated to the pages of “The Lord of the Rings,” DIY hobbit homes are changing how we view tiny homebuilding. Equal parts practical and fantastical, these eco-friendly homes offer sustainability, privacy, and storybook aesthetics wrapped up in one cozy, moss-covered package.
So, if you’re thinking about upping the ante and infusing your day-to-day life with some Tolkienesque magic, make sure you stick around.
I’ll show you how to build a hobbit home that will make even Tom Bombadil stop and stare.
Hi, I’m Ryan
As a “The Lord of the Rings” fan, the idea of living in a Frodo Baggins-inspired hobbit home has always sounded fascinating! After building lots of other types of alternative houses, it may be time for me to build a hobbit home myself.
What Is A Hobbit House?
A hobbit home is a house that is built entirely (or mostly) into the side of the earth. It is typically covered in grass and soil, and its architecture is highly reminiscent of Bilbo and Frodo’s infamous Shire home in “The Lord of the Rings” books and films.
While the whimsy and wonder of hobbit house design does originate from J.R.R. Tolkien, today these homes have gained immense popularity for highly eco-conscious minds.
Whether you’re a Tolkien fanatic or just trying to save Mother Earth, a DIY hobbit home may bring you more joy than you’d expect.
The exquisite charm and fantastical aesthetic of these houses have caused a hobbit house craze around the world.
Pros And Cons Of Hobbit Homes
While the humble yet charming aesthetic of hobbit houses could captivate anyone, it’s worth asking if they’re actually practical to live in. The earth bermed structure and avant-garde nature of hobbit houses certainly come with their own pros and cons.
Pros and Cons of Hobbit House lIfe
Advantages
- Easy to maintain
- Secluded, lots of privacy
- Fire resistant
- Safe during bad weather
- Aesthetically appealing
Disadvantages
- Hard to expand once built
- Limited space
- Lack of ventilation
- Poor moisture control
- Hard to build and furnish rooms in curved space
Enchanting Hobbit House Airbnb Rentals In The U.S.
Not only have DIY hobbit houses gained popularity in the building world, they’re also a sought-after type of rental on websites like Vrbo or Airbnb. Whether you’re looking for inspiration to build your own hobbit home or just searching for an eclectic getaway, there is a hobbit house out there for you to try. There is a surprising number of hobbit homes available for rent in popular U.S. cities.
Hobbit House Airbnb Rentals Around The World
This hobbit home craze isn’t unique to the United States! From Germany to New Zealand, hobbit house rentals are nestled in charming towns all across the world. Consider staying in one of these quaint hobbit homes during your next vacation.
Design Inspiration For Hobbit Houses
There is an endless number of ways you can design your hobbit house. Some hobbit homes are completely built into the side of the earth, while other houses protrude a little bit outside of the ground.
Homeowners build hobbit houses with intricate balconies, fenced off yards, rooftop decks, secret entrances and passageways, lush landscaping, hidden stairs, stacked libraries, and more! You are free to design your hobbit home any way that your imagination could dream up.
Interior Hobbit House Examples
There are many ways to decorate the interior of your enchanting DIY hobbit home. Lots of homeowners purposefully integrate rustic, vintage, earthy décor to correlate with the woodsy aesthetic of a hobbit house.
It’s important to include interior décor that correlates naturally with the curvature of your hobbit house build. This might look like including a curved sofa, fireplace, or bed. In general, rounded furniture and fixtures will not only fit well into the nooks and crannies of your home, but also suit the unique design. Some people like to integrate quaint or fanciful elements in the house like a book nook, stained glass windows, or ornately carved furniture.
My favorite hobbit house interiors are the ones that go the extra mile and put the Shire to shame. Don’t just settle for the ordinary with a hobbit home, make your hobbit house as magical and Middle-Earth-esque as you want.
I’ve seen people hang a family crest over their circular doorways to make the décor more meaningful. Others paint custom designs on the interior of their front door to give their house extra character and flair. The ideas go on and on.
People tend to pay special attention to their hobbit home kitchens. To compliment the earthy look, you could add an open spice rack, indoor herb garden, wood-brick oven, and lots of manual kitchen tools. To keep your hobbit hole as humble and minimalistic as possible, consider having multiple purposes for each of your rooms. For example, you could merge your living room with your kitchen, or your bedroom with your library.
If I ever build a hobbit house of my own, I’d love to include lots of big, round windows that let in tons of natural light. I’d also hope to build an in-home library that wraps around the entire inside wall so I can escape to a fictional land whenever I want.
Earthy Elements To Include In A Hobbit House Interior
- Large, round windows
- Whimsical circular door frame
- Library or book nook
- Large fireplace
- Lofted beds
- Live plants
- Candlesticks
- Antique furniture
- Books and bookshelves
- Rustic coat tree
- Large, plush rugs
- Hand thrown pottery
- Woodland décor
- Warm woods and wicker
- High ceilings with beams
Hobbit House Exterior Examples
While most DIY hobbit house exteriors are similar in essence, you have a lot of creative freedom in designing the outside of the house. Hobbit homes are defined by their curved, earth-bermed roof and circular door that’s often painted a bright, emerald green or maroon.
My favorite hobbit house exteriors are the ones that make you forget the house is plopped in the middle of a suburban backyard entirely. Going above and beyond with lush landscaping, intricate stonework, and delicate detailing can truly transport you into what feels like a woodland fairytale.
I really love when hobbit houses have beautiful gardens outside the front of the home. Fill out your garden with a variety of colorful wildflowers and forest greens. You can even add little garden gnomes or woodland creatures throughout your yard to accentuate the whimsy, if you’re into that kind of thing.
One of my favorite hobbit house builds has a sign at the entrance saying, “Welcome to Middle Earth” in a fancy, ancient-looking font, and underneath, the words are translated in Elvish. I love this idea, and it’s so easy to include in any hobbit home. Just think of the phrase you want your guests to see upon entering your kingdom and copy it over into Elvish.
There’s no limit to the features you can incorporate in your hobbit house exterior. Add a colorful doorway, a humble wooden drawbridge, or cozy lanterns to punch up your everyday escape.
Exterior Wall Options For Hobbit Homes
- Stone
- Brick
- Wood
- Concrete
- Clay
- Cement
- Metal
- Glass
- Plastic
Humble Elements To Include In A Hobbit House Exterior
Your building materials won’t be the only elements on display outside of your DIY hobbit house. Landscaping, gardens, and other pieces that bring your hobbit house exterior together should also be thoughtfully sourced, simple, and functional wherever possible.
When it comes to the plants and foliage you pair with your hobbit house exterior, consider including wildflowers, native vegetation, and fruit trees. This will help maintain the natural, eco-friendly element that makes hobbit homes such a win. Herbs in clay pots also add a simple, earthy touch that also serves a hobbit’s love for everything edible.
Stone walkways are a perfect addition to a hobbit home build, especially when they’re accompanied by a wooden mailbox or simple patio furniture. A wooden or stone fence around the exterior would complement a simple walkway perfectly.
Once you’ve finished landscaping, speckle your hobbit house exterior with hanging lanterns, bird houses and feeders, well-loved tools, or fairy garden décor for a little extra whimsy. Old, wooden wheelbarrows are a simple yet transformative addition for a hobbit house exterior. You can choose to simply lean it up against the side of your hobbit home, ready for your next gardening session, or repurpose it as a planter.
Hobbit House Floor Plans
Designing your hobbit house build is a crucial step in making your dream into a reality. I’ve included a couple of floorplans to help you get started in your brainstorming. What I admire most about these floorplans is that they include everything you need for a cozy little life while still maximizing the limited space. They fit as much function into a narrow area while still capturing the Tolkien-like fantasy element.
36’ x 16’ Hobbit House Floorplan
In this large hobbit house floorplan, there is an open concept kitchen and living room with one bedroom and one bathroom. The sofa could easily be used as a guest bed when friends and family inevitably want to come stay in your eccentric home. This floorplan makes the most sense for a couple or small family.
28’ x 15’ Hobbit House Floorplan
This simple 28-by-15-foot hobbit house plan also includes only one bedroom and one bathroom; however, the living room and kitchen are more separated from each other. In my opinion, this floorplan would be ideal for a couple without kids.
How To Build A Hobbit House In Five Steps
A DIY hobbit house can be anything from a simple stick-built accessory dwelling unit in your backyard to a multi-room, luxury house. Before building your own hobbit house, first make sure the design, floorplan, and size you selected are the best match for the end result you want.
It’s important to make sure you have all of your tools and materials gathered before you break ground. Through my own trial and error over the past couple of decades of tiny home building, I’ve nailed down a list of tools that I think work best to build a hobbit home.
Tools And Materials To Build Your Hobbit House
- Tile spade
- Shovel
- Digging bar
- Clamshell digger
- Wooden studs
- Hammer and nails
- Chisel
- Power drill and screws
- Circular Saw
- Wrench
- Pliers
- Clamp
- Tape measure
- Ladder
- Jig Saw
Materials Needed To Build A Hobbit Home
- Quality soil
- Lumber
- Corrugated iron sheets
- Brick, stone, other fill material
- Glass or acrylic plastic sheets
- Plants and landscaping to your taste
1 Find Land To Build Your Hobbit House
When it comes to the process of buying land, I always tell my friends to make a bulleted list of materials they’ll need before beginning their search. Then, they’ll have a good idea of what to search for in a plot to build a hobbit house on.
With a hobbit house or any other kind of earth-bermed dwelling, it’s vital that you find land with hills so that you’re able to surround your hobbit house in grassy earth. If this isn’t a possibility, you can also build your own siding on top of your house with soil, grass, and stone.
“If you fabricate your own siding, use at least two feet of dirt per wall to mound around the edges and back of your hobbit house.”
2 Dig The Plot For Your Hobbit Home
After you’ve sought out land, take some time to clear away leaves, branches, and brush so the plot is clear for your hobbit home.
Then, start digging space for your house foundation. Dig your post holes first with the clamshell digger. Next, use stakes and a hammer to mark the center of each post hole and string to line the edges. After this, dig the rest of your hobbit house pit.
3 Build Your Hobbit House Framework
As a simple stick-built structure, it shouldn’t be too challenging to build the frame for your hobbit home. Even if you’re new to the building world, this is doable, I promise!
The two most common methods to build a DIY hobbit house framework are to fill in the frame with corrugated iron sheets or with individual pieces of lumber, or sticks. Corrugated iron sheets are the more popular method, but you’ll have to weld the metal to the framework as opposed to simply using a hammer and nails.
“When you build your frame, position the build so that the doorway is south facing. This will give your hobbit house the most natural light and help the internal temperature self-regulate.”
Wood Species To Use For Hobbit House Frames
- Cedar
- Pine
- Oak
- Walnut
- Teak
- Spruce
- Douglas fir
- Maple
- Hickory
- Mahogany
When it comes to choosing the wood for your DIY hobbit house frame, I’d personally go with cedar. It’s lightweight, resists decay, and the best all-around wood choice, in my opinion. However, pine and oak follow closely. Pine is one of the strongest and most flexible softwoods, and oak is extremely sturdy and one of the most popular wood choices for construction.
4 Add Insulation To The Hobbit Home
To make your hobbit house build as energy efficient as possible, add a thermal barrier between the soil and the roof and walls. Since we know that hot air rises, the ceiling should get extra insulation. Without this step, the ground will sap all of the heat out of your hobbit home and keep the house way too cold. Check the R-value (heat resistance) of the material you use to insulate to be sure.
“Use R-50 or R-58 insulation material for the ceiling and an R-20 insulating material in the walls and floors for the best results.”
5 Add The Roof To Your Hobbit House
While it’s true that the roof of your DIY hobbit home will technically be the earth itself, most hobbit houses have a layer of roofing built underneath. Here you have a couple options.
Many builders go the classic route and build their roof out of wood. But there are other options like stone, concrete, clay, or even mesh. Whatever material you use, just make sure it’s durable enough to support the grass and soil that will rest on top of it.
“Make sure to build your hobbit house roof with a material that is designed to keep moisture out, as underground houses will naturally harbor more moisture.”
FAQ: Common Questions About Building A Hobbit Home
It’s important to me to answer pressing questions I have before getting too deep into a new building project. Building and living in a hobbit home brings about many curious questions worth thinking through.
Hobbit House FAQs
Where Can You Buy A Hobbit House Kit?
You can buy a hobbit house kit from several different manufacturers listed below. If you don’t want to build your entire hobbit house from scratch, a pre-assembled kit may be the best option for you. Hobbit home kits can come in many forms, anywhere from only the plastic hobbit dome shell to kits with all materials included.
Hobbit House Kits
Is It Legal To Build A Hobbit Home In Your Area?
Building and living in a DIY hobbit home is legal in most areas, but the only way to know for sure is to look up your local regulations. In some cases, earth-bermed homes, like a DIY hobbit house, can attract extra scrutiny from unfamiliar officials. They may require additional permits or encourage you to build a hobbit home as an ADU rather than full-time residence.
Are Hobbit Houses Good Insulators?
DIY hobbit houses are mediocre insulators. Many people assume homes built underneath the earth are automatically great insulators. This isn’t the case. Earth-bermed homes are good at isolating heat, but not insulating heat.
What I mean by this is that homes built into the earth will naturally maintain a homeostasis of 54 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. Even if more heat is brought in, it will work to revert back to 54 degrees Fahrenheit as opposed to insulating the additional heat in the home.
How Do You Waterproof A Hobbit Home?
Hobbit homes should be warm, dry, and cozy — and the key to keeping them that way is waterproofing. I like to think of waterproofing in terms of layers. Start by covering the exterior of your home with a membrane made from non-permeable materials like rubberized asphalt, plastic sheets, or bitumen.
Next, you’ll want to ensure the land surrounding your hobbit home build has plenty of drainage. I’m personally a fan of French drains, but trenches, gravel beds, or drainage mats also do a good job of diverting moisture away from your home.
Once you’re satisfied with the external waterproofing, it’s time to address the interior. Go through the home and fill any cracks you find with a high-quality sealant. Take extra care around doors, seams, edges, and windows since water always take the path of least resistance.
Do Hobbit Homes Need A Vapor Barrier?
Hobbit homes definitely need a vapor barrier. You see, as with anything built underground, heat is naturally trapped in a DIY hobbit home. This is great for cold, frigid winters, but a challenge during humid summers. The trapped humidity can cause excess moisture in your walls and breed mold.
Vapor barriers, which are essentially thin layers of water-resistant material, help slow down the movement of this humid air. They prevent it from condensing and dramatically reduce your chances of both mold and rot. So I highly recommend adding a vapor barrier to the structure of your hobbit hole.
Vapor Resistant Material Options
- Polyethylene plastic
- Asphalt-coated paper
- Vapor retardant paint
- Aluminum foil
- Foam
- Stainless steel
Are Hobbit Houses Energy Efficient?
Hobbit home builds are naturally energy efficient. The airtight design of underground structures causes them to naturally use significantly less energy than traditional houses. The blanket of earth that covers the home serves as a wall that keeps the temperature of the home constant and allows you to use much less energy.
Are Hobbit Homes Easy To Maintain?
When built well from the get-go, DIY hobbit houses should be extremely simple to maintain. The goal with construction of a bermed house like a hobbit hole is to build the home so it is entirely airtight. This will keep out moisture, prevent cracking, and leave less hollow space overall for things to go wayward.
How Much Does It Cost To Build A Hobbit House?
DIY hobbit homes cost roughly $100 to $200 per square foot. With the average hobbit hole being between 100 and 300 square feet, expect to budget anywhere from $10,000 to $60,000 to build your dream hobbit home.
Of course, this number will change drastically depending on how intricate your hobbit house features are, whether you hire a builder, the size of your house, the materials you use, and many more factors.
Is Building A Hobbit House Worth It?
It won’t be easy, but you can absolutely build a hobbit home for $5,000. The key is to be resourceful and handle most, if not all, of the work by yourself. You can also keep your costs low by opting for a smaller hobbit home build and working with reclaimed or salvaged materials. Just make sure you don’t skimp on the essentials — like a good foundation, drainage, and weather proofing — and you can gradually upgrade the rest in the future.
Your Turn!
- How will you design your hobbit home?
- What materials will you use to build your hobbit house?
HI, Hobbit houses are cute, but not for me.
I’ll stick to the other cute houses, simular ti yours, but thanks
Ryan
If you’ve never heard of them, look up the mushroom houses of Charlevoix, Michigan – not necessarily tiny but a lot like a hobbit house, outside at least.
Bill
We built one! @hobbithouseny