An earth-sheltered home in Ohio has a roof that needs mowing

The future owner of a newly listed Ohio home will never have to worry about purchasing shingles – but they should make sure their lawnmower is in good condition.

That’s because the earth-sheltered property in Huron, Ohio, is built almost entirely underground and features a roof covered in dirt and grass that provides spectacular protection from the elements does occasionally require one or two cuts.

“We call it an earth sheltered house because about 90% of it is underground,” the real estate agent said Laurie Brill with Keller Williams Citywide. “(The sellers) built it on the side of the hill and then covered it with dirt so the roof is made of ivy and myrtles and they literally mow the roof.”

The house sits on — or rather, under — about eight acres along the Huron River and was recently listed for $850,000, an offer that Brill admits wasn’t easy to formulate, especially because there are some NO similar properties in the area for comparison.

“It was really difficult to price it…it’s not like any other house. There are other earth-sheltered houses around the country, but I’ve never seen one here in northern Ohio,” Brill says. “There are no competitions for this.”

The sellers have lived in the underground concrete house being sold since it was built in 1977.

According to Brill, the original intention was not to create such a unique structure, but the beauty of the natural landscape inspired a different design.

“He bought a piece of land and just wanted to build a normal house on it,” Brill explains, adding that the seller told her that he was walking on the land one day and had some kind of epiphany when he wondered if the house could fit under the ridge. “So he went and talked to a builder who could build a concrete house, and that’s what they did.”

Brill says she didn’t know what to think when she first saw the place.

“I’ve been selling real estate for 40 years and this is clearly the most unique deal I’ve ever had, and I’ve had some strange ones,” she admits with a laugh.

However, when she entered the house, she breathed a sigh of relief – because despite all of the unique quirks on the outside, the inside is very reminiscent of a traditional home.

“When you walk into the house, it feels just like a normal small 2,100-square-foot ranch floor plan,” she says, adding that there is actually plenty of natural light from the windows on two sides and the skylights throughout the property.

“Natural light comes into the living room, dining area and kitchen, just like any other normal home.”

There are two bathrooms and three bedrooms, one of which is perfect for sleeping at any time of the day.

“There is only one room in the house that has no windows, and that is the third bedroom,” explains Brill. “When you turn on the light, it looks normal, but there is definitely no light coming into that particular room.”

The entire house is almost hidden under a canopy of trees.

“You would never know that house was back there if you didn’t know it was back there,” she says. “If you want to live like a hermit or a hobbit, this is the place for you.”

But while much of the house is hidden, part still offers a view.

“If you stand at the kitchen sink in the main living area, you can look right outside,” she says. “There’s this beautiful pavilion out there, so you can look right into the garden, into the pavilion and onto the patio.”

There are also two other above-ground buildings on the property, a log cabin and a workshop. The property has approximately 250 feet of waterfront and Lake Erie and open water are approximately 30 minutes by boat.

The house itself could use some modernization but is in good condition. The maintenance is different from other above ground houses.

“There’s no roof. There’s no gutters. There’s no siding. There’s no downspouts, so (the sellers) have never had to replace any of those elements,” Brill says, adding that the sellers did all of the property’s maintenance themselves, something that becomes increasingly difficult for them as it ages.

“(It’s) a unique property and they enjoyed it, they loved it and they took care of it. Hopefully we’ll find another buyer who will love it as much as they did.”