Dream For Sale
Internationally Recognized as ‘The Best of…’
An Earth Berm Hobbit House
on 4 Organic Acres
Option for purchase of ‘Spring Cottage’ on 4 Organic Acres and Spring/Pond.
(Not sold separately)
The Hobbit House~
Tucked into a lush green hill in the very green mountains of Vermont is a Tolkienesque
gem. “It’s not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it is a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort!” Anyone who has stepped through the round door for a stay has agreed that this is true! This finely furnished Baggs Inn cottage with the Double Dragon Pub has over 120+, 5-star reviews (see Airbnb listing tab above) and has been featured as the best of hobbit homes around the world.
Maybe it is the 4 acres of open meadows, stonewalls, old maples and sweeping valley views that transports one far from the maddening crowds or possibly it’s just the cozy cocoon created by being in the deep, rich, quiet hillside that creates the magic. Does it really matter why or how it happens or just that it does!
We, the owners, spent over 6,000 hours on the design/build to make this dream come true. Completed in 2018 with all modern conveniences which seem to disappear among the period decor, this cottage feels timeless and an age away.
Eleven hundred sq. feet of a truly unique and energy efficient building with walls a foot thick and an engineered roof supported by 154 posts and beams is a safe, quiet, bunker for wild weather and low maintenance. It sleeps four with two full baths indoors plus outdoor shower and 2 claw foot tubs, one inside and one under the stars. A full kitchen, dining, living, library and sleeping nook all create the look of old world artistry. Those who traveled far and wide to spend their gold coin for warm days relaxing by the spring-fed pond or in the hammock, enjoying starry nights sipping ale and singing by the fire pit or soaking in the outdoor tub after ‘The Quest for the Arkenstone’ or ‘Bard The Bowman’s Archery Challenge’ deem it to be an unexpected adventure! This fully furnished turn key rental (with adventure games) or just your cozy, dream cottage with its unique antiques, art and collectables was designed to make a stay an authentic experience that is not soon forgotten!
This in-town but private location is within minutes to walk to the green, country store, churches, post office and K-8 village school. (Population 700). The 4 +/- organic acres is flat land meadows for planting gardens and/or to raise animals. It has been rented on Airbnb since it was completed and this season has bookings with an income of $50,000+ for May - Oct Season.
The Spring Cottage ~
There is also the option to buy the adjoining 4+ acres, which has a three season Spring Cottage, open meadows and a pond. A spring and true wishing well over it, has run 24/7 (slow trickle to the pond only in Aug) for over 200 years and now supplies the water for the spring fed pond for fishing (trout included!) and/or swimming. The 600 sq. ft structure is a mini-barn which is a large one bedroom or amazing art studio. The living area has a kitchen, wood stove, an attached screened in porch. The double dutch doors of the living space open to view the meadows, pond and apple blossoms in the spring. A full bath with shower has a composting toilet large enough to serve a 3 bedroom home. This is a bright, charming space! This 4 acre parcel also has the option of building a 4 season home in the current cottage footprint and it has a planned septic/leach field and Well on the survey map and needs only a permit to build. The town has no zoning laws so you too can create your tiny+ dream home.
So, if all the above is true…how could we possibly part with it all? As we look to the future in our fast approaching retirement we have discovered a need to be on the sweet beaches of Florida at least 6 months a year. As the saying goes…”You can’t take it with you!”. So we are your summer neighbors up on the top of the hill surrounded by yet another 4 acres.
There are some deed restrictions to ensure our new street (of 2 or 3 residents) is kept it in the park like condition it is currently in, which took 20 years to establish as a ‘Shire’. We hope that like-minds who value freedom from mandates and government over-reach and value self-sufficiency and a prepping on a Hobby Farm consider joining us. In light of what we see as a very volatile future, we believe a strong local community is essential.
Hobbit Home
4+/- Organic Acres
All furnishing & Fixtures
$711,000.
The Spring Cottage
4+ Organic Acres
$288,000.
Total: $999,000
A move to South Boston will get a 2 B 2 B condo for the same price …but neighbors on the other side of your living room wall, below and above you, no land to grow food, run your dog or raise animals, nor access to fresh running spring water. Instead there are conveniences of the city that come with the price of high taxes, traffic, crime and noise.
Consider instead a drive into Boston or Montreal (3 hrs) or NYC (4 hrs) for fun long weekends and enjoy all the country has to offer day in and day out!
________________________________________________________________________Share our vision? Join us!
"People move out onto a homestead and try to do it all themselves, never realizing the joy and value of interdependence. Amish communities are perhaps the most stable communities in the world - because they are mutually dependent. If you think you are going to move out to a farmstead and do it all yourself in the old independent American spirit, you will fail. Rarely do all the gifts and skills to run a farm grow on the same torso. To farm you need a team with complimentary talents." Joel Salatin
Own a piece of paradise and peace of mind in one of the greenest & safest states in the nation. A tangible insurance policy in these precarious times...fresh air & sunshine on acres of organic land & 24/7 spring water access.
The average American has over twelve years of education and at the end of it all when it comes to meeting basic needs, most people only know how to pull out a charge card. After only 100 years we have lost self-reliance knowledge acquired through millennia, and instead trust that the corporate system will always and forever provide. More and more people are recognizing that complete trust in our system a hyper-complex-techno-culture using a ‘plandemic’ to restrict our freedoms and choices is not the smartest nor only strategy to have in place. A movement is afoot to meet the challenges of the future called the 'transition culture', but transitioning from having an interest in greater self-reliance and achieving the goal is a great leap.
The first step would be to start small on a small hobby farm cooperative homestead where skills are honed along side like minds where knowledge & farm equipment is shared. A independent ownership combined with collective resources and support. This is the single best first step before venturing into a large homestead.
Higher Ground, designed and built on Permaculture principals has all the foundational pieces, resources and tools in place cutting years off learning and acquiring.
The global population is nearing 7 Billion with estimates at 9B in our lifetime. Besides the health risks of industrial factory farming...interruptions in the food supply chain translates in needing a CYA policy: secure your own food, water, energy & shelter. Even those betting that our collective genius will save us, we are clearly in vulnerable times that call for Plan B to be in place. Consider Higher Ground as a practical investment policy which will allow you to reap the benefits today and years from now. Invest in security and freedom that only being more self-reliant can deliver!
The only way to maintain any semblance of equilibrium during 'The Great Reset’ will be to meet change with creative thinking.
"We need neither blind acceptance nor blind resistance, but an array of creative strategies for shaping, deflecting, accelerating or decelerating change selectively."
Alvin Toffler, Future Shock
Besides gardening & preserving methods, consider livestock grass rotational farming, hunting & dressing, and aquaculture. Most importantly is consideration and care of the top resources you will need...
Water. If you are on a city system you are dependent on the system not to fail (or be tainted). On Higher Ground we have well water and fresh spring water running 24/7/365, and has run for the last 150+ years.
Soil & Land. Building healthy soil is the foundation of food. Controlling your food is controlling your health. It's extremely important to note that 'Ag-gag' laws are being enacted to prevent you from knowing exactly how your food is being processed. This along with GMO’s, majority of US farmland owned by Bill Gates, demand more self-reliance in the face of food insecurity these conditions create. The past few years has shown that our complex food distribution system can be suddenly compromised. Being in control by growing on productive, organic land and canning, smoking, or drying is the best way to insure clean food, good health and peace of mind. Along with crops raise chickens in your backyard and/or several large animals on your open meadow.
Power & Heat. Traditional power with some solar and generator backup is key. A wood stove provides a main or a back-up system required for guaranteed heat and hot water.
Community. Sharing tools and tractor/attachments means you farm at a fraction of the price and end the drudgery and expense of trying to farm as go-it-alone farmer.
Interested & motivated? ‘THRIVE!' is the goal. If you have a deep understanding of the global movement by the WEF and WHO & Co for total control (“You will own nothing and be happy”) control of your food (“you will eat bugs”), digital ID and money (CBDC), loss of freedoms (total surveillance &credit scores) and you believe this to be true:
The most improper job of any man, even saints, is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity. J.R.R. Tolkien
If you have an interest to live the good life and contribute your best for the security of yourself and your family….join us on Higher Ground!
About us
Cynthia Clayton is a Generalist Designer with a master's degree in Critical & Creative Thinking. She has assisted Dave Sellers at Yestermorrow Design Build School, facilitating his 'Eco-Municipalities of the Future’ workshop. Sustainable Design education includes a Certificate in Permaculture with additional course work in: Sustainable Communities of the Future, Edible Forest Gardens and Sustainable Home Design.
Before her design/build projects she fixed and flipped houses part time in Atlanta for over 10 years, during the time she was a fine-art photographer and owned a photography studio which she designed and renovated with her partner. As a product designer she won an exclusive license for her product in the 1996 Summer Olympics. She a property manager for both residential and commercial real estate. She has a certificate in Transpersonal Psychology, Wellness counseling and has studied Near Death Experiences for decades, and as an ordained Interfaith Minister has written books on the topic of consciousness survival.
T. Pepper Clayton is a detailed orientated Engineer/Building Science who co-designed/built 'The House' & 'The Hobbit House’. A jack of all trades he installs systems and has worked as an engineer, energy efficiency technician and inspector on the University of Colorado's 11.5 million square-foot campus in Boulder from 2009 – 2014. As a green builder, he has studied and installed alternative power systems. He holds a certificate in Solar Power Installation, Permaculture and has also completed course work in Edible Forest Gardens. He has extensive experience in both residential and commercial property management.
Cynthia & Pepper have been happily married for 20 years and have beaten the old adage, "Build a house, lose a spouse".