When keen environmentalist, Simon Dale form Wales in the UK needed a home for his family, he decided to go down a slightly unconventional route. His love of nature and the environment led him to dig out and build his own home. It has to be one of the most fascinating, gorgeous, welcoming places I have ever soon.
The most amazing part about the story is that it only cost him £3,000 which is $4,500.
As you can see form the entrance, immediately you want to go inside and find out more.
According to his website, Simon says the main reason for going to all the effort to build this house is “because its fun”. “It’s fun. Living your own life, in your own way is rewarding. Following our dreams keeps our souls alive.”
His second reason goes into more detail about his love of the environment and sustainability. He sayd “our supplies are dwindling and our planet is in ecological catastrophe”.
As well as his passion for the environment, Simon is also a keen photographer. This talent can be seen as you look at his photographs throughout the article.
Simon tried to limit the use of any power tools throughout the project, for obvious reasons. He did however have to succumb to the powers of a chainsaw to chop down some of the trees used in the construction. The rest was mainly hand tools like planes, chisels and sand paper.
Once fact that may surprise you is that Simon had no prior training or knowledge of the skills he developed while building the house. He was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying – “Being your own have-a-go architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass-produced box designed for maximum profit and the convenience of the construction industry.”
Even the plot on which the house was bought was obtained through unconventional means. Simon was in fact given the plot in return for care-taking the larger surrounding piece of land the plot sits within.
His detail and passion for making the home totally eco friendly even extends as far as the bathroom and toilet. The toilet is basically a plastic layer over some compost. The refrigerator is cooled by the cold air running under the houses foundations. As cement is a high emitter of carbon, he also chose to finish the walls with limestone plaster instead of the more commonly used cement plaster.
Simon can be seen in the photo above with his wife and 2 children after successfully completing his project. Incredibly, the whole project was completed just 4 months after starting out.
I think this home is utterly superb and what Simon has done for his family is an inspiration for future generations.
