Mr Michael Buck, a 59-year-old retired teacher of art from Oxfordshire, England decided to build an adorable cob house out in his garden for $250 (£150).
This home almost looks like a hobbit home or a country cottage straight out of Middle Earth. The story behind the project is almost just as magical.
Making sure to use only reclaimed or natural materials and with no gas, water or electrical mains Buck has been able to keep things simple while saving a lot of money.
Michael Buck spent 8 months creating the home using an ancient technique known as cob.
Cob is where you making a mixture of clay, straw, sand, earth, and water. After reading a book, Buck taught himself how to use the method.
He built the entirely handmade home without a single power tool!
Mr Michael Buck said he wanted to make sure that the house would ‘fit in with the landscape rather than intrude upon it’.
On the inside, the floorboards were given to him from a neighbour’s ship.
He also used the windscreen from an old lorry to make several of the windows for the home.
The little cottage comes with its own dining and kitchen area as well as an adorable bunk bed to maximise space.
The cottage is simple and doesn’t have any electricity, however, it does have a natural stream of running water that comes from a nearby spring.
The walls are painted with a plant resin and chalk mixture.
Mr. Buck has decided to rent out the little home to a woman who works at a nearby dairy farm. She trades cream and milk for her lodging. Cooking is done on a little gas stove in the kitchenette or on the wood burner.
‘I wanted to show that houses don’t have to cost anything. We live in a society where we spend our lives paying our mortgages, which many people don’t enjoy.’ Said Mr Michael Buck.
Mr. Buck planned to originally build the house for no money. But some miscalculations in the amount of straw that he would need in order to build the house led him to buy more.
Also, he needed to buy some nails to keep the thatch attached to the home. Some of his friends also pitching in and helped build the cottage.
They all added their names to the inside of the wall with their 3 cows Crystal, Mist and Marigold. After all it was their dung that was used to make the plaster!
Because he classified the building as a summer house he didn’t need permission from the city in order to build the unique structure.
This home has sure come a long way from its original plans which were drawn on the back of an envelope by Mr. Buck. I guess this goes to show that a lot of love and a little creativity can go a long way.
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