If you’ve ever wanted to live in the Shire, then maybe this imaginative house in Wales might be for you?

This low-impact woodland house was built by Simon Dale and his family. The build cost only £3000 and took about four months. They wanted to be as green as it’s possible to be, so the building is made of oak, with straw bale walls, roof and floor, with additional turf of the roof, and lime plaster on the walls. They reclaimed as much material as possible and have used solar panels for generating electricity.

The house has a very organic feel to it, especially with the internal supports made of small trees in the round, i.e. uncut and complete with bark and ivy stems ‘n all. The windows and doors are curved and arched, with nary a straight line in sight. A mezzanine floor is railed with wooden sticks and poles, and the straw bale walls are thick, and white with lime plaster. The wood lends a very warm and homely feel to the house, and the circular design makes it look like a fairytale version of a roundhouse.

Yet, reading between the lines, it doesn’t seem as if they got planning permission for the build, something that I’d personally be uncomfortable with. Whilst the planning system may have flaws (and I’ve certainly seen how flawed it can be, first hand), I would hate to live in a house that could end up being bulldozed. I think one of the most important things that green builders can do is to work within the system, to help change the attitudes towards eco-development of the everyday men and women who work as Councillors and who sit upon planning committees.

I’m also not convinced by the pessimistic screed that slams most of modern society and takes an overly rosy-hued look at the potential for eco-villages to ’save’ us from the problems we currently face. Yes, there’s a lot to be done to improve the way that we live, consume the resources we have, and function as a society, but going out on a limb and shouting at the rest of the world never has been a good way to move the debate forward. It might make you feel better, but it doesn’t actually change anything. Change must, indeed, come from within.

But that aside, this house looks like it’s straight out of a film set. It may be small, but it has character and charm and from an aesthetic point of view, I think it has much to commend it.

All photos from SimonDale.net.