18 secret homes that hide in plain sight
The hermit life
Living among the general public can be a bit much sometimes, and there are some architects out there that have just the fix. We round up some of the most incredible homes that are hidden from plain sight... and from all of those pesky humans.
Hebridean Earth House, Askernish, South Uist, Scottish Isles, UK
Next time you need to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, this luxury self-catering underground home in Askernish, South Uist could be your dream vacation spot. The accommodation is so secluded that few people know it exists.
Hebridean Earth House, Askernish, South Uist, Scottish Isles, UK
The stylish ‘earth shelter’ is built into the hillside on the shore of a stunning fresh water loch. Imagine the tranquil sounds all around you!
Hebridean Earth House, Askernish, South Uist, Scottish Isles, UK
The fully-equipped self-catering cottage boasts extraordinary views from the lounge windows. As you kick back and relax you’ll see a stream running through the yard, the loch, and an island of trees where otters, swans and many other birds have made a home.
Hebridean Earth House, Askernish, South Uist, Scottish Isles, UK
Make the most of the peace and quiet in the spacious living room (pictured) with a plasma fire. Imagine curling up with a good book to the sounds of wood crackling.
Hebridean Earth House, Askernish, South Uist, Scottish Isles, UK
And, of course, let’s not forget about the bedroom (pictured) with a double bed and walk-in wardrobe where you can have a lazy morning and no-one can disturb you. A three-night stay at this special home will set you back $615 (£490) in low season, rising in the height of summer.
Robot Ranch, Ferris, Texas
As you drive up towards a lone door sticking up inside a concrete arch, covered with rocks and surrounded by even more rocks, you'd probably wonder what on earth could be hiding behind it. This is where we welcome you to Robot Ranch...
Robot Ranch, Ferris, Texas
The sturdy rocks are in fact the retaining walls that protect the dome-home, which is built into the side of a hill. Next, as you wander down the slate spiral staircase, you will find yourself in the main dome with living, dining and kitchen areas.
Robot Ranch, Ferris, Texas
The open-plan living area reflects the easy lifestyle creator and designer Al Schwarz wants his properties to inspire, plus his desire for an energy-efficient home.
Robot Ranch, Ferris, Texas
The whole underground space, even though you’re literally standing inside a hill, is comfortably cool and surprisingly light.
Robot Ranch, Ferris, Texas
As underground domes go, we think this is a pretty special design.
Dune House, Atlantic Beach, Florida
This tiny green earth-sheltered house is located in Atlantic Beach, Florida, and was designed and built by architect William Morgan in 1975.
Dune House, Atlantic Beach, Florida
It isn’t just one house, though. It’s actually a duplex, consisting of two near-identical homes of 750 square feet each. Morgan built the earth homes as holiday rentals as he lived next door, but he didn’t want the house to block the view of the ocean. So, naturally, he decided to build it underground – in an existing sand dune. Genius!
Dune House, Atlantic Beach, Florida
Due to the mass of sand surrounding the houses, the inside is kept to a nice temperature all year round, meaning not much heating or air-con is needed. But, if it does get a little warm, there’s always the patio available to get some fresh air, all while you're looking out onto the ocean. It's been valued at $1.4 million (£1.14m).
Eco House, Bolton, England
This design by Make Architects shows what was intended to be a hidden eco house in the north of England for English soccer star Gary Neville when he bought the $11.35 million (£9.2m) estate in 2007.
Eco House, Bolton, England
This would have been his living room in the zero-carbon abode.
Eco House, Bolton, England
But unfortunately Neville abandoned his plans to pursue the building and hired German practice Archikturbo Lowe a year later. How could you turn down this secret little patio?
Mirage House, Greece
This futuristic cave-like design on the Greek island of Tinos has an infinity pool on the rooftop where lucky residents can enjoy panoramic views over the Aegean Sea while still being able to retreat underground, where the majority of the house hides.
Mirage House, Greece
It's also got a cozy sheltered terrace for taking some respite while still enjoying the incredible views. Unfortunately it's not up for sale, but there's no doubt you'd be fighting it out with others (millionaires we'd guess) to land this spot.
Mirage House, Greece
And just in case you missed that beautiful view...
Edgeland House, Texas
This house, which sits comfortably under a patch of grass in Texas, was designed based on the vernacular of the “pit house”, which is one of the oldest housing types in North America and is typically sunken.
Edgeland House, Texas
The idea behind the building is that it is dug under the earth's mass in such a way that it retains 'thermal comfort' while still allowing enough sunlight to come through.
Edgeland House, Texas
There's just enough light to fill this bright and spacious kitchen, but still enough privacy to hide away from other humans.
Langtry House, London
Located opposite the biggest open space in north London, Hampstead Heath, this three-bedroom house has been built so that the majority of the house is underground.
Langtry House, London
It’s completely deceptive from the outside, but when you step inside you realize why the property has a $6.4 million (£4.5m) price tag with a living space like this.
Vivos Europa One Elite Shelter, Germany
This might look like a prison camp from the outside, but through the doors is the entrance to a secret luxury bunker for millionaires. It is claimed to be the world's largest private shelter and is built from bedrock under a mountain in Rothenstein, Germany. Just wait until you see inside...
Vivos Europa One Elite Shelter, Germany
Pretty impressive, huh? That deceptive little white door is the gateway to a whole other world, as exemplified in this luxury living room for residents.
Vivos Europa One Elite Shelter, Germany
It’s got a whole range of luxury swimming pools, theaters, gyms, restaurants and even its own helicopter service. But it’s also pretty good to know that while you’re taking a swim or having a bite to eat, you’re also in a building that can withstand a nuclear blast, chemical agents, earthquakes or tsunamis – pretty much anything then. The cost per apartment is still unclear, but the property has been valued at around $1.1 billion (£770 million).
Woolbrook Reservoir, Sidmouth, England
This five-bedroom house is a conversion of a former water reservoir in Sidmouth, south-west England, with floods of light coming through the huge walls of glass.
Woolbrook Reservoir, Sidmouth, England
The home literally towers above you from the central courtyard and the wooded grounds extend to about an acre.
Woolbrook Reservoir, Sidmouth, England
All this can be yours for $1.3 million (£925,000) which, when you compare it with the increasing prices of one-bed properties in the world’s capitals, is actually just a bit of pocket change.
Villa Vals, Switzerland
Away from the city, you could escape to the hills of Switzerland and enjoy this villa, which is entirely dug into the mountain and is situated next to the famous Therme Vals.
Villa Vals, Switzerland
It’s pretty handy if you enjoy skiing as you are right on the doorstep of the slopes and can ski all the way down to Therme Vals.
Villa Vals, Switzerland
You’ll need a bit of spare cash for a family trip, though, as you’re looking at up to $3,850 (£2,700) per person for a week’s stay.
Luxury cave house, Spain
Over in Spain, this dwelling is built directly into the side of a hill in Galera. As you can see, it's set in a pretty peaceful location.
Luxury cave house, Spain
If you're not afraid to look down, you can overlook the valley towards the chapel on the hill. It’s not completely isolated though – there are other similar places nearby. It was for sale for just $174,000 (£141,000).
Beckham Creek Cave Lodge, Arkansas
Located in Parthenon, Arkansas, this Flintstones-style home is built into a cave, and has been purposely renovated in a way to keep the features of the cave and its authenticity.
Beckham Creek Cave Lodge, Arkansas
It’s been converted into a lodge so you can stay in the lodge for around $1,200 (£974) a night out of season, but in peak holiday seasons the price rises to around $2,000 (£1,623).
Ktima House, Greece
Located on the island of Antiparos, Greece, this cave-like house built into the side of a cliff was based on the idea of using the existing site walls to create “two dissimulated house elevations”.
Ktima House, Greece
The name Ktima stands for plot with fertile land, which means the house is casually tucked into green slopes and nestled between trees. It also has this incredible pool, as you're obviously going to need to cool down while you're up there.
Ktima House, Greece
And for when you feel like hibernating, the comfort of your own living room is always there to take some shelter.
Build-your-own earth sheltered house
Alternatively, you could have one of these Teletubby homes built for you by architects Formworks Buildings, for around $115 (£93) per square foot.
Build-your-own earth sheltered house
This ‘dome home’ was on sale for $399,000 (£323,000), just to give you an idea of the price for a near-finished product, and has two bedrooms and one bathroom. The idea of the earth sheltering is to make the house completely fireproof and environmentally friendly.
Build-your-own earth sheltered house
This one works out at about 1,700 square feet and sits on over 11 acres of land just west of Rock Creek, British Columbia. Oh, and another thing, you could build your own little village of 'dome homes’ as the land is available for private use and not restricted for agricultural purposes, so you’re welcome to build as many homes and domes on the land as you wish.
Green Magic homes, anywhere you like
And if you really do love the hobbit lifestyle, you can also purchase one of these prefab micro-houses. Green Magic Homes build houses under the soil and turf, so you can't really get any more hidden than this.
Green Magic homes, anywhere you like
Having your own hobbit home costs around $42 (£30) per square foot, so for 1,000 square feet you’ve only got to pay $41,000 (£29,000), which is basically nothing when you think about how incredible it would be to pop home to your little underground nest.
Wishing Park Estate, Bordon, England
Found in the picturesque fields of Hampshire, southern England, you'll find this spectacle. You'd be forgiven if you didn't the property at first glance. The house allows total privacy with stunning views across the parkland and lake settings. The home costs $2.97 million (£2.41m), but that's not much for your own haven is it?
Wishing Park Estate, Bordon, England
The kitchen is perfectly positioned to take advantage of south light – while the whole building was sited to maximise the position of the sun, all day, every day. This would sure be a happy home.
Wishing Park Estate, Bordon, England
If you want peace and quiet, this is the place for you!
The Hobbit House, New Zealand
This beautiful hobbit home is located near Matamata, New Zealand and is quite possibly the most famous of all the underground houses.
The Hobbit House, New Zealand
In case you don't recognize it already, it was built as a film set for Lord of the Rings and covers 14 acres with 44 hobbit homes.
The Hobbit House, New Zealand
However, it's not up for sale. Instead, tours run twice a day to show visitors around Hobbiton, including into the Green Dragon Inn, where tourists can stop off for a quick drink or bite to eat and head to the Party Tree, where Bilbo Baggins once held a special party, or his cozy home in the hills.
Fallingwater Cottages, Pennsylvania, USA
These sustainable designed cottages reside in and around the hills of the 5,000-acre Bear Run Nature Reserve, Pennsylvania that surround Fallingwater – the architect Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous house.
Fallingwater Cottages, Pennsylvania, USA
Patkau Architects designed a group of six cottages to sit inconspicuously in the hillside meadow above Fallingwater. The cottages were expected to cost about $150,000 (£122,000) each to build.
Fallingwater Cottages, Pennsylvania, USA
Each unit will have an open-plan kitchen-dining-living area; four cottages will have one bedroom and one bath; two will have two bedrooms and two baths. If you ever take a trip to Fallingwater, this may be your next vacation spot!
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