Well this company makes hobbit holes for children
14 Delightful Hobbit Hole Homes That Will Become Your Child’s Favorite Tiny Hideout Wooden Wonders Hobbit Hole
So presumably it is legal, I mean, to call them hobbit holes, not just houses with round doors and windows - or you can get permission to do it. I think they would have been closed down if not as the various Tolkien copyright holders are so forceful in protecting their rights
And a home made hobbit hole in someone's garden
Seems, it's larger that it looks from the outside:
The Homemade Hobbit Hole
I think something like that would count as a "garden structure" and building requirements are not stringent.
But if you had running water, and a toilet etc, making it into a home you would have to fulfill building requirements for a house instead.
It's also a matter of size, their hobbit hole is about the size of a garden shed, and you can build those without seeking planning permission at all.
Here is a reconstruction of a round house, from the The Ancient Technology Centre, Cranborne, but nobody lives in it, just for visitors to explore.
The Earth House
Here is an example though of a proper home, constructed in the UK, and underground, not "hobbit like", no round windows etc, but shows you can get planning permission to build underground houses as in covered with Earth like a hobbit hole. They have conservatory windows all along the sunny side for energy conservation.
For more about this see The wonders of living underground - advice about buying or building an underground house.
Also there's this "Grand Designs" underground house built in a quarry.
The Underground House | Visit Cumbria
So, I'm sure it's possible. But in the UK, with all our planning regulations, I'm sure it would need a fair bit of discussion with planners. On the plus side, if it is presented as an "eco friendly" home, I understand that they are quite open to flexible discussions of new designs of house. You don't have the same regulations that you have for a conventional house, if it is built to be eco friendly from the get go with an innovative design. As these examples show.
Oh, here are a few more, rather hobbit like, near enough so you could imagine adapting them to look like a hobbit hole.
Unconventional earth homes in Switzerland
Earth Sheltered Homes
Earth Sheltered
I haven't yet found an actual hobbit home though, in a short google search, constructed like the hobbit, with round doors, round windows etc, except for the ones for the film.
Has anyone built a house like this to actually live in, anyone know?
UPDATE - MORE NICE HOBBIT HOUSES
from: Real-life Houses That Look Like They Belong in the Shire
The Dune House by William Morgan,
Atlantic Beach, Florida
And this one,
Low impact Hobbit house in West Wales, the io9 article says Simon Dale and his father-in-law are built this house in four months (1000-1500 working hours), from only $4600.
High resolution images
So presumably it is legal, I mean, to call them hobbit holes, not just houses with round doors and windows - or you can get permission to do it. I think they would have been closed down if not as the various Tolkien copyright holders are so forceful in protecting their rights
And a home made hobbit hole in someone's garden
Seems, it's larger that it looks from the outside:
I think something like that would count as a "garden structure" and building requirements are not stringent.
But if you had running water, and a toilet etc, making it into a home you would have to fulfill building requirements for a house instead.
It's also a matter of size, their hobbit hole is about the size of a garden shed, and you can build those without seeking planning permission at all.
Here is a reconstruction of a round house, from the The Ancient Technology Centre, Cranborne, but nobody lives in it, just for visitors to explore.
The Earth House
Here is an example though of a proper home, constructed in the UK, and underground, not "hobbit like", no round windows etc, but shows you can get planning permission to build underground houses as in covered with Earth like a hobbit hole. They have conservatory windows all along the sunny side for energy conservation.
For more about this see The wonders of living underground - advice about buying or building an underground house.
Also there's this "Grand Designs" underground house built in a quarry.
So, I'm sure it's possible. But in the UK, with all our planning regulations, I'm sure it would need a fair bit of discussion with planners. On the plus side, if it is presented as an "eco friendly" home, I understand that they are quite open to flexible discussions of new designs of house. You don't have the same regulations that you have for a conventional house, if it is built to be eco friendly from the get go with an innovative design. As these examples show.
Oh, here are a few more, rather hobbit like, near enough so you could imagine adapting them to look like a hobbit hole.
I haven't yet found an actual hobbit home though, in a short google search, constructed like the hobbit, with round doors, round windows etc, except for the ones for the film.
Has anyone built a house like this to actually live in, anyone know?
UPDATE - MORE NICE HOBBIT HOUSES
from: Real-life Houses That Look Like They Belong in the Shire
Atlantic Beach, Florida
And this one,
Low impact Hobbit house in West Wales, the io9 article says Simon Dale and his father-in-law are built this house in four months (1000-1500 working hours), from only $4600.
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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