A craftsman built a house for hobbits in the Siberian wilderness (11 photos + 1 video)
Building a house does not have to be expensive and labor-intensive, as dome builder Alexey Lynov shows in his fascinating video. In it, he explains step-by-step how three people built a “hobbit house” that can survive the harsh winter in just 6 weeks and $2,000. 
Alexey Lynov immigrated to South Africa with his parents in 1994, where he studied, lived, and worked for many years. He is interested in architecture and the construction of “bio-houses” and dome structures, and has extensive professional experience in this field. 
In his video, Alexey explains that the “hobbit house” cost him only $2,000, including labor, and it took him and two other people six weeks to bring it to life. 
First, logs were harvested from the forest, then a flat foundation was dug into the hillside. 
The logs are then prepared so that they can be installed as the main support beams, and the strips of wood are gradually bent to create a domed ceiling. 
According to Alexey Lynov, one of his friends, who was a military engineer responsible for the construction of bridges, took part in the development of this design. 
The lattice roof is gradually built, and then, after laying the plastic sheeting, workers begin laying the grass layer. 
Alexey described the entire construction process as “completely unusual.” 
Plastic sheeting is added in one area to provide additional insulation, and a vapor barrier helps absorb moisture. 
According to Alexey, a layer of earth about 30 cm thick helps keep the temperature in the house “pretty stable.” Additional insulation is provided by the fact that the house is buried approximately 1 meter into the ground. To finish off the home, custom windows were installed along with an insulated entry door. 
At the end of the video, Alosha says that in winter, when the temperature dropped to minus 45 degrees Celsius, a couple with their daughter lived in the house. 
According to the builder, he presented the concept of the hut to his wife, but she "categorically refused" because the structure was too low in places due to the curved roof. Then Alexey, using similar construction technologies, built an arched house with a ceiling of 6 meters at the highest point on the outskirts of St. Petersburg.
Reflecting on his original hobbit house design, Alexey says it is the safest house he has ever seen and would be perfect for earthquake zones as the lattice design makes it flexible. In addition, there is “nothing in it that can fall on you.”
One viewer said after watching the video: “A $2,000 living space built in 600 man-hours that can be lived in at temperatures as low as -45C. Amazing. Thanks for sharing."
