After designing and building many tiny houses, real estate entrepreneur Kristie Wolfe decided it was time to build herself one, too. But she didn’t want just any house. Of course, it would need to bear her signatures – a small footprint, made of recycled materials, and entirely self-sustainable – but the designer knew she wanted her house to have a little something extra. Then she got the big (little) idea. She decided to make herself an off-the-grid Hobbit Hole!

Wolfe found the perfect 5.5 acre plot on the Columbia River Gorge on the side of a mountain near Chelan, Washington. Her tiny house design tucks the majority of the tiny structure into the side of the mountain, keeping it cool in summer and giving it natural protection during the state’s cold winter months. Coming in at just under 288 square feet, the house includes a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Wolfe incorporates some of the rustic Hobbitty details you’d expect to find in the Shire, including round windows, a stone fireplace, and of course, a round door. The sustainable structure also features solar power, propane heating, piped-in water from a nearby water tower, and a greywater system for recycling waste water. 

Now, all she needs is neighbors, and Wolfe has a plan for that, too. After finishing her wee home in 2016, the designer started in on building additional tiny Hobbit homes in the area to create a micro-community.

You can rent the Hobbit house on AirBNB, and you can follow the very talented Kristie Wolfe on her website.