Unveiling the Essence of Underhill: The Waters of Houtveld Dam
Unveiling the Essence of Underhill: The Waters of Houtveld Dam Nestled at the edge of the Groenlandberg Nature Reserve, the heartbeat of Underhill Farm emanates from a source as natural as the earth itself—the Houtveld Dam. This reservoir, cradled within the embrace of the Botrivier Valley, serves as the lifeblood for a network of farms, […]
Recycle/Upcycle – Outdoor farm table
Whilst recycling an old oak from James my neighbor next door, I came across a single slab of live edge tree trunk from the lumber mill down the valley.
New entertainment area at Underhill Cottage
Sometimes one cottage isn’t spacious enough for a larger group. Underhill cottage has been expanded with two 10-seat tables and vine covered arbor.
The oak and vine earthship
Some like minded friends and fellow enthusiasts on earth ships have decided to build an earth ship on the farm. It will be dug into the slope of the land and face north with lots of windows for the winter sun, and be shaded by the poplar forest in summer. There will be a natural […]
End of January Downpour
So the week after the fires (that passed us by thankfully) the rain came. And with the rain the rivers went into flood. Fortunately no harm was done other then dumping some nutrient rich silt on the stream bed. We did end up deciding to strengthen and rebuild the weir at Hobbit Hollow to hold […]
Building Hobbit Hollow
After nearly 7 months of hard work Hobbit Hollow is complete. Our original idea to construct a Hobbit inspired riverside cottage has become a reality! Although it came with some interesting engineering challenges and many hours of hard work. With the exception of concrete for the foundation and some lumber for framing, everything (including the […]
New location cleared for the next cottage: Willow Cottage
The ground has been cleared for the next cottage – Willow Cottage at the far end of the farm, close to where the two streams come together. the view from the stream looking up to where the cottage will be built. Alien trees have been uprooted (Port Jackson and black wattle), and the tree trunks […]
The cottages are ready for summer!
Underhill Farmhouse and Rivendell cottage are now both ready for summer with each cottage now equipped with a private pool their own unique chill-out spot under the trees next to the river. Below are the benches around the old oak tree in the nook of Underhill Farmhouse overlooking the river. Below is the stone bench […]
Sustainable electricity
UnderHill farm this month obtained a medium term goal of going off grid with an increased solar capacity. A 1,000 amp hour battery pack, a total of 24 x 350 watt solar panels and 3 inverters now makes sure that each of the 3 cottages will be off grid in all but the worst of […]