Forget thatched cottages! Irish American builds real life “hobbit” home in New York

An Irish American Lord of the Rings fan spent seven years building his own "hobbit" house in New York. The home is now on the market for $795,000.

Jim Costigan, 55, got the idea to build the home after seeing the film adaptation of Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring.

Modeled after Bilbo Baggins’ dome-shaped home Bag End, the two-bedroom house, which is situated on 1.7 acres of green forest, is covered in grass and has a circular door.

Costigan, a construction supervisor, told FoxNews: "I got the idea after seeing the amazing architecture of the hobbit homes. So, I thought to myself, I could achieve this challenge and build something like that it would be wonderful.

Credit: Gillian Stewart Real Estate

"However, the challenge became a reality and I started my project straight away."

In early 2012, Costigan purchased the land and derelict house, which he flattened to build the hobbit home, in Pawling, NY, located about 90 minutes outside of New York City.

Read More: Ireland's most unusual holiday home is a Hobbit house in Donegal

"When I brought my wife to look at the place she loved it and said that this would be a perfect spot for the hobbit house," he said. "Every time I stopped by the property I was struck by what a special place it was and how special it was going to be."

Credit: Gillian Stewart Real Estate

"The creation took seven years and a lot of weekends but I would like to thank my wife [and] children for giving me inspiration and strength while taking on this task." he said.

After completing the house, Costigan, who has never lived on the property, decided to put it up for sale.

Listing agent Gillian Stewart, who is marketing the property, said, “It's certainly something different and certainly not something which you would see every day.”

Credit: Gillian Stewart Real Estate

The two-bedroom, two-bath structure offers 1,500 square feet of living space. In keeping with the Tolkien theme, the house features rounded entryways, decorated ceilings, and stone trim in a unique diamond pattern. The structure is also equipped an electric fireplace, skylights, and triple-pane thermal windows imported from Ireland.

Read More: For Hobbit Day, learn about the Irish influence on The Lord of the Rings

A grassy, rooftop porch offers views of the surrounding forest. The acreage includes a small stream with a walking bridge, pond and waterfall.

Costigan said: “In the whole world, there are only a few people looking for a hobbit house so we know it’s going to be a special person who buys it.”