Tiny Houses

Kristie Wolfe is building a Hobbit House micro-community

Kristie Wolfe is building a Hobbit House micro-community
The Hobbit Home is located in Chelan, Washington, and has a total floorspace of 288 sq ft (26.7 sq m)
The Hobbit Home is located in Chelan, Washington, and has a total floorspace of 288 sq ft (26.7 sq m)
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Wolfe's design riffs on the idea that there's an actual Hobbit living inside
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Wolfe's design riffs on the idea that there's an actual Hobbit living inside
The interior includes authentic-looking touches like a cordwood floor, bespoke lighting, and even a woodworking bench and tools to whittle
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The interior includes authentic-looking touches like a cordwood floor, bespoke lighting, and even a woodworking bench and tools to whittle
A grey water system filters and redistributes waste from the shower/bath and sink to water the grass
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A grey water system filters and redistributes waste from the shower/bath and sink to water the grass
Located in Chelan, Washington, Wolfe's Hobbit Hole has a total floorspace of 288 sq ft (26.7 sq m)
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Located in Chelan, Washington, Wolfe's Hobbit Hole has a total floorspace of 288 sq ft (26.7 sq m)
The bedroom looks like something depicted in J.R.R Tolkien's classic "Lord Of The Rings"
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The bedroom looks like something depicted in J.R.R Tolkien's classic "Lord Of The Rings"
Inside, there's a bedroom, kitchen, and living area
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Inside, there's a bedroom, kitchen, and living area
The first hobbit home will be available to rent from March 2016
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The first hobbit home will be available to rent from March 2016
A communal English pub-style kitchen with vegetable gardens and miniature ponies will serve all three homes
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A communal English pub-style kitchen with vegetable gardens and miniature ponies will serve all three homes
The Hobbit Homes are located in Chelan, Washington
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The Hobbit Homes are located in Chelan, Washington
Wolfe's design riffs on the idea that there's an actual Hobbit living inside
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Wolfe's design riffs on the idea that there's an actual Hobbit living inside
The tiny dwelling works totally off-grid and the power system features three 100 watt solar panels, an inverter, and two 6-volt batteries
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The tiny dwelling works totally off-grid and the power system features three 100 watt solar panels, an inverter, and two 6-volt batteries
The driftwood sink
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The driftwood sink
The interior includes authentic-looking touches like a cordwood floor, bespoke lighting, and even a woodworking bench and tools to whittle
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The interior includes authentic-looking touches like a cordwood floor, bespoke lighting, and even a woodworking bench and tools to whittle
Tools on the woodworking bench
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Tools on the woodworking bench
View out of a porthole window
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View out of a porthole window
The Hobbit Home is located in Chelan, Washington, and has a total floorspace of 288 sq ft (26.7 sq m)
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The Hobbit Home is located in Chelan, Washington, and has a total floorspace of 288 sq ft (26.7 sq m)
The exterior is covered with Certainteed ice guard & house wrap
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The exterior is covered with Certainteed ice guard & house wrap
Constructing the tiny Hobbit Home
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Constructing the tiny Hobbit Home
Constructing the tiny Hobbit Home
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Constructing the tiny Hobbit Home
Constructing the tiny Hobbit Home
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Constructing the tiny Hobbit Home
View gallery - 20 images

Designer, dressmaker and tiny house expert Kristie Wolfe, who created the inexpensive Hawaiian vacation home we reported on earlier this year, is building her very own "Shire" comprising three off-grid Hobbit Homes. The first dwelling has just been completed, and the plan is to have the entire project finished by mid-2016.

There's a small but active sub-community of tiny home builders inspired by J.R.R Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit (and Peter Jackson's movie adaptations). Notable examples include the Hobbit Holes, Green Magic Homes kit, and Simon Dales' Hobbit home.

Wolfe's Hobbit Home is located on a 5.5 acre (2.2 hectare) plot in Chelan, Washington, and built into the mountainside so completely that it could be easy to miss on first glance. Visitors reach the small garden through a wattle fence and gate, and enter the home via a round door that Wolfe made from a large cable spool.

Inside, a total of just 288 sq ft (26.7 sq m) of floorspace is split between bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and living area. The interior design riffs on the concept that it's actually home to a Hobbit carpenter, and little touches include cordwood floor, bespoke lighting, and even a woodworking bench and tools to whittle wood.

Located in Chelan, Washington, Wolfe's Hobbit Hole has a total floorspace of 288 sq ft (26.7 sq m)
Located in Chelan, Washington, Wolfe's Hobbit Hole has a total floorspace of 288 sq ft (26.7 sq m)

The tiny dwelling operates off-the-grid. The power system consists of three 100 watt solar panels, an inverter, and two 6-volt batteries. Water is delivered to a nearby water tower that feeds the home, while waste exits into a septic tank. A grey water system filters and redistributes waste from the shower/bath and sink to water the grass. Heating comes in the form of a propane fireplace in the living room.

Naturally, construction posed a totally different kind of challenge to your average tiny house, and took Wolfe almost two months of work, even with some additional help.

"We made the building super sturdy to withstand the weight of being buried," explains Wolfe. "2x6 studs on 12-inch centers and 3/4-inch marine plywood. Then we wrapped the exterior with Certainteed ice guard and house wrap and also used a moisture guard insulation by Certainteed as well to combat any water issues we might experience being underground. There's also a French drain around the whole perimeter. Plus since there a heap of soil on all but one side it is incredibly well insulated and super quiet inside."

Constructing the tiny Hobbit Home
Constructing the tiny Hobbit Home

The Hobbit Home will be available to rent from March 2016, the following two Hobbit Homes will be available to rent sometime after mid-2016. A communal English pub-style kitchen with vegetable gardens and miniature ponies will also be built to serve all three vacation homes.

Source: Tiny House On The Prairie

View gallery - 20 images
7 comments
7 comments
ljaques
Kristie, I hope you and the contractor do a bit more to mitigate water, because house wrap is NOT meant to be buried under wet soil. Your little houses look like fun, but also look to be a breeding ground for mold. The shower will splash outside that tub, the sink is inadequate to catch all the splash so the counter will always be wet, and I didn't see anything in the way of forced air to keep the mold and mildew at bay up there in the moist PNW. Best of luck, though! (LJ, semi-retired Oregon contractor)
Buellrider
Nice going. Does that fireplace suck up all the air when it is going?
inchiki
i wouldn't mind spending some time in Kristie Wolfe's hobbit hole.
Daishi
@ljaques I can't speak for what else was used for a barrier but I think you can safely assume there is a french drain around the dwelling.
Martin-tu
The bed's too big for us hobbits, and the sink's too high.
Nik
A 'Hobbit Home' is fine if you are a Hobbit. If you are not.........
John Banister
Wood frame underground? I'm sure it'll look nice for at least a week.