Parents splash more than $300k on DIY 'hobbit home' – just wait until you see inside

Many of us dream about living in a fantasy world – but couple Jess and Matt Nicholas wanted to turn fantasy into reality.

In an episode of Building Off The Grid – which you can watch for free on 9Now – the parents-of-two spend months bringing an unconventional vision to life.

Their ultimate goal? An 'earthbound' home covered from top to bottom by soil and grass, very much resembling a Hobbit hole in the Lord of the Rings Shire.

Stream episodes of Building Off The Grid for free on 9Now.

"We are, at heart, huge fantasy nerds. This was really our way to really jump into that world," Matt explained.

In a remote area of Virginia, the couple purchased almost 10 hectares of forested land and cleared more than half of it, aiming to create more of a meadow feel with rolling hills, and a stunning view over the surrounding trees.

Jess and Matt gave themselves five months to build their unique one bedroom, one bath underground home, with a total budget of US200,000 (AU$308,000).

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The couple had never attempted a project like this, so they anticipated some challenges along the way – although they didn't expect to hit such critical problems so soon.

First, they realised they'd misplaced the instructions to installing the shell of their home. Then, while attempting to DIY the placement anyway, they learned their already-poured base slab had been measured too narrow for the pieces.

The weather also threw them plenty of curveballs and in month five of the build, it was very clear the pair were not going to make their deadline.

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"There's just been too many delays along this process but we're gonna keep chugging away and hopefully we'll be able to get this thing done in the next few weeks," a resigned Jess said.

They faced yet another challenge when it came time to cover the house with dirt. They worked all through the night to get it done... only for torrential rain to wash it back down the next morning.

Finally, after almost six tough months, they completed their build.

Catch a glimpse of the stunning results in the clip below.

They also went over budget by about $15,000, meaning the entire project cost about $323,000.

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For Jess and Matt, all the trouble was completely worth it – and they were each thankful to be "a great team".

"The process was really arduous. It taught us a lot about ourselves, about how to be a team and I'm so excited to be a family here," Jess concluded.

You can catch their full renovation journey and results in Season 8, Episode 8 of Building Off The Grid for free on 9Now.

Stream episodes of Building Off The Grid for free on 9Now.

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