I love hobbit houses with lovely rounded corners and natural materials – and, though living entirely off grid seems a little daunting, I’d move into this super cute little house if I only had the chance! Straw bale building fascinates me so much that I’ve been itching to try it for a while now.
It’s a great inspiration to us all to watch people fight back against mass building and insane housing prices by raising shelters that are sustainable, affordable, beautiful and easy to maintain. In Israel, however, the main obstacle in the way of lowering housing prices are the prices of land. Land is scarce (in most regions – some are sadly underpopulated), and there is also the unfortunate phenomenon of widespread land piracy by Bedouins – which, despite the romantic image of the uncivilized nomad, cannot be tolerated in a small country with few and precious land resources (and, indeed, would not be tolerated in any country with a semi-developed legal system).
I hope, and dream, and pray that one day soon, our government will recognize the potential benefits of low-impact living, with eco-friendly building, environmental awareness and reduced energy exploitation, and will encourage people who would choose such a lifestyle, wishing to tread gently and lightly upon the face of this earth.
Domestic Felicity 
What a lovely little place! It would be nice for a vacation, but if you have children, I imagine it gets a little *too* cozy sometimes. The Amish live off the grid all the time, but they have windmills or water wheels to pump water into the house. My girlfriend has solar panels on the roof so they can have a phone. There is only electricity in one room, so she can have a wringer washing machine. She also has a blender and a mixer, but she keeps them in a closet, so she’s not tempted to use them too often.
Unfortunately, where we live the composting toilet would be illegal. Not sure how the powers-that-be would know you have one, but there you are. Some housing areas won’t even let you use a line to dry your clothes! I still use my “solar powered” dryer as much as possible, only resorting to the electric one in the winter.
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Yes, that really is unfortunate. Too many regulations standing in the way of sustainable living. Even building such a charming little house would be illegal in most places around here, except those that fought and received recognition from the government as eco-friendly settlements.
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