Earth-sheltered Ohio home that is built almost entirely underground comes with a roof you have to mow

The future owner of a newly-listed Ohio residence will never need to worry about shopping for roof shingles—but they should take care to ensure that their lawnmower is in good condition.Because the earth-sheltered property, which is located in Huron, Ohio, is built almost entirely under the ground, complete with a dirt- and grass-covered roof that provides spectacular protection from the elements, but does require the odd trim now and then.“We’ll call it an earth-sheltered home because about 90% of it is underground,” said listing agent Laurie Brill with Keller Williams Citywide.“[The sellers] built it in the side of the hill and then they covered it with dirt, so the roof is ivy and myrtle and they literally mow the roof.”The home is on—or, rather, under—about eight acres on the Huron River and was recently listed for $850,000, an ask that Brill admits was not easy to come up with, largely because there are no similar properties in the area to compare it to.“Trying to price it was really difficult… it’s not like any other home.

There are other earth-sheltered homes across the country, but I’ve never seen one here in northern Ohio,” Brill says.“There are not comps for this.”The sellers have lived in the solid concrete underground home since they built it in 1977.Initially, Brill saus, they weren’t intending to create such a unique structure, but the beauty of the natural landscape inspired a different design.“He bought a piece of land and he was just going to build a regular house on it,” Brill explains, adding the seller told her he was walking the land one day and had a type of epiphany, wondering if the house could go underneath the ridge.

“So he went and talked to a contractor that could do a concrete home, and that’s what they did.”Brill says she didn’t know what to think when she first saw the place.“I’m a 40-year veteran selling real estate and this is clearly the most unique listing I’ve ever had,...