A Hobbit House

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Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.
Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.
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Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.
Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.
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To ensure the best placement, Gary, below left, placed windows after the house was already framed. All the windows in the cottage are either salvaged or handmade by Gary and his wife, Delores. Gary “engineered” the home’s ­scissor-truss system of loblolly pine by choosing boards that looked right and fitting them together. He counted on the strength of the cob walls to allow him some breathing room.
To ensure the best placement, Gary, below left, placed windows after the house was already framed. All the windows in the cottage are either salvaged or handmade by Gary and his wife, Delores. Gary “engineered” the home’s ­scissor-truss system of loblolly pine by choosing boards that looked right and fitting them together. He counted on the strength of the cob walls to allow him some breathing room.
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Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.
Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.
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Gary sized and polished the granite for his kitchen counter. The kitchen base cabinet is from a demolished pharmacy; the soapstone surrounding the sink is from benches in a University of Texas building. Gary took advantage of the 18-foot ceilings to build lofts for more space, right. The loft serves as a sitting space and an extra bedroom.
Gary sized and polished the granite for his kitchen counter. The kitchen base cabinet is from a demolished pharmacy; the soapstone surrounding the sink is from benches in a University of Texas building. Gary took advantage of the 18-foot ceilings to build lofts for more space, right. The loft serves as a sitting space and an extra bedroom.
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Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.
Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.
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Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.
Gary and a third-generation stonemason hauled boulders to build the dry-rubble foundation, the doorway, and the fireplace. Gary created the window seat out of granite and a cedar log that he found in the nearby woods. His wife, Delores, a stained-glass artist, made the dining room windows.

Don’t ever tell Gary Zuker it can’t be done.

A decade ago, the University of Texas computer engineer set out to build a small, inexpensive weekend getaway and eventual retirement home on 2 acres of wooded land, just up the hill from Lake Travis outside of Austin, Texas. The only way to achieve his goal of building this place for $10,000, it seemed, was to build it himself.

Zuker had no carpentry experience and didn’t even own a saw, but he did have very definite ideas about what he wanted: a low-maintenance house that was rustic, timeless, even primal.

Zuker turned to Austin’s resident sustainable-building guru Pliny Fisk, co-director of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems. Fisk was helping to build a home out of modified cob known as Leichtlehmbau, a lightweight mixture of straw and clay. After a day of cob crew duty, mixing clay, water, and straw, and packing it into forms, Zuker realized, “Hey, anybody can do this. It’s simple.”

He spent weeks poring over ancient texts in the university’s historical library. He was charmed by the drawings of medieval straw-clay ­cottages and found reference to a ­fifteenth-century cob structure that is still standing. He discovered cob buildings in climates as varied as Ireland, New Zealand, and Greece–all with a common look but unique bearings. “I figured if these guys could build this with no education and no money–buildings that last like that and look gorgeous–that’s for me,” Zuker recalls.

  • Published on Mar 1, 2000
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