Calling all Hobbits! An energy-efficient home nestled into the earth in Lyme, NH, just hit the market for $699,000.

“It was originally designed by acclaimed local architect Don Metz, who did several earth-sheltered homes in the Lyme area,” says listing agent Jane Darrach, of Martha E. Diebold Real Estate. “All of them have an amazing flair, and he was very much ahead of the time. The owners added solar power and had heat pumps installed, making the home come into its full potential. It is on the cutting edge now, with limited use of fossil fuels.”

Built in 1980, the three-bedroom home offers up 1,731 square feet of cozy living space. It’s also won the heart of the listing agent.

“I don’t say this about too many listings, but I could move into that house,” Darrach confides. “There is a pellet stove in the living room that uses roughly about two tons of pellets each year for supplemental heat. It’s lovely and toasty and gives off a large amount of heat.”

Recent updates include new flooring, a generator, solar panels, and new lighting. Its orientation on the property is another big advantage.

“The home has passive solar gain, as it faces due south,” Darrach notes. “It was designed to include the sun in the winter and exclude the sun in the summer. It was just amazingly ahead of its time when it was built.”

She says that when the home was built, it had a sod roof overhead for insulation.

“When you are below grade, the temperature never goes below 55 degrees,” she says. “At some point, they needed to replace the roof, which now has a rubber membrane.”

A front entryway features plenty of glass to coax in the natural light. The open-concept floor plan boasts exposed-beam wood ceilings and laminate floors surrounded by even more oversized windows. Offering the ease of one-level living, the home provides a seamless transition to the outdoor patio from the dining room’s sliding-glass doors.

“Lyme is a divine community, and I am not sure we want it flooded with people,” Darrach jokes. “There are three good restaurants in town and a very good general store that is the soul of the community. It also has an excellent school system.”

Darrach says the home could be appealing to a couple without kids, because “it is not too huge,” or to a family with young children, as “it has enough space and the school systems are wonderful.”

The property is situated just 15 minutes from Dartmouth College.

“People like to live next to an Ivy League college,” Darrach points out. “Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is also nearby. I have an offer in hand already and expect a good many more by the end of the weekend.”

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