The Hobbit is a story that has endured for more than seven decades, with children and adults alike drawn into the fantasy realm created by J.R.R Tolkien. Thanks to Peter Jackson, who previously brought The Lord Of The Rings to the big screen, a whole new generation of fans is likely to be created. Reading the book and watching the movies is one thing, but having your own real-life Hobbit Hole in the back garden is quite another ... one that's now possible thanks to Wooden Wonders.
Wooden Wonders is a small family-run business located in the state of Maine. It designs and produces Hobbit Holes to suit a variety of needs. There are currently five product lines – playhouses, chicken coops, sheds, cottages, and saunas – but all follow the basic design of the houses Hobbits live in, according to Tolkien.
The company was founded in 2009, bringing its first prototype Hobbit Hole to the county fair in Unity, Maine. Since then, Wooden Wonders has sold around 70 of the structures. The playhouses and chicken coops can be crated up and shipped long distance, while the other three designs are delivered to their intended resting place and assembled by the company.
Wooden Wonders will customize the design according to individual tastes, with different colors and/or materials, and extra features and functions available. Each model, no matter what its intended use, features a curved roof and round front door. While most of Wooden Wonders' Hobbit Holes are built above ground, they have built them underground as in Tolkien's vision of a race of little people residing under the earth. As with the specific design choice, it's up to the buyer whether they want to build above or below ground.
While the Hobbit Holes that Wooden Wonders currently sells are fairly small, Melissa Pillsbury, who runs the company alongside her husband Rocy, suggests that scaling up wouldn't be a problem. In fact, they would "jump at the chance to build a replica Bag End for someone." Not that a Hobbit Holes home would have to be huge to accommodate a family, with Melissa also noting that the design "lends itself very well to small square foot living" ... which fits in to the current trend for tiny living quarters we have seen with increasing regularity here on Gizmag.
Prices vary from US$995-and-up for a small chicken coop, to as much as $14,995 for the largest model of cottage. You could try to save a few bucks by making your own Hobbit-inspired home from scratch, although the process might be rather daunting.
With the first film of The Hobbit trilogy now having been released, interest in Hobbit Holes is likely to increase and stay high for an extended period of time – so Wooden Wonders may find itself busy for years to come.
Source: Wooden Wonders
