Modern Day Cave Man Turns A 700 Year Old Cave Into His Home

Unusual Dream Homes and Inspiration

Are you inspired by people who create unusual dream homes? Then this story of how a man turned a 700-year-old cave into his home might be of great interest to you. Angelo Mastropietro, whose name actually means master of the stone, has fashioned this beautiful vacation rental home near the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire, England all pretty much singlehandedly. Carved out of 250 million-year-old cliffs that are said to have inspired Tolkien's books, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, Angelo's dream was to create his very own hobbit hole that he could share with others as a vacation home rental.

Facing Life Changes and Embracing a New Project

And it was really more than just a dream. Several years ago, in 2007, Angelo found out he had Multiple Sclerosis. He came down with a serious paralysis in which he could not move for several weeks; during that time, he was forced to revisit his life to see where it was going. He realized he needed to make some lifestyle changes if he were able to survive this illness and improve his quality of life. Soon after, he began to recover from the paralysis and then the Rock House project came along. He saw the potential in this abandoned cave - and for him, it represented a simpler way of life. Angelo did much of the work on the Rock Home all by himself, which included literally thousands of hours of breaking, cutting, and digging holes through the sandstone. He carved a hundred square meters of terrace outside the cave home rental as well. In the end, he thinks he excavated up to eighty tons of stone from the site, all by hand.

The Luxury of a Cave Home

Today, the finished Cave House is a luxury home rental with all of the comforts of a novelty home. It's naturally well-insulated, and when heated with the interior wood stove, it's warm and cozy in the winter time. It's also nice and cool in the summer months. Equipped with ventilation channels in the floor to keep the air circulating, you would hardly know you were living inside a sandstone cliff. The Rock House has so many beautiful features, including vaulted ceilings, an inglenook fireplace, a large master bedroom, gorgeous shower room, and ornamental shelving. Many of the cave's original nooks dating as far back as 300 years ago have remained intact.

A Journey Through History

Walking through the Rock House is like walking back in time, for you can still see the ancient pickaxe marks on the walls from those who lived here hundreds of years ago. For those who enjoy civilization as much as they enjoy the cave-dwelling life, the Rock House even comes with reliable Wi-Fi. This is an extraordinary relic of archeological and architectural history and can easily double as an inspiring hermitage or a romantic retreat. Although the Rock House is presently a luxury cave rental, Angelo hopes to one day retire and live here full time. What do you think about this cave home? Could you see yourself living in something like Angelo's cabin house?