Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Asking $220K, an Architect’s Handcrafted Earthen Home Seeks a Visionary Buyer in Vermont

Asking $220K, an Architect’s Handcrafted Earthen Home Seeks a Visionary Buyer in Vermont

Bob Chappelle used polystyrene panels, coated with mud and cement, to build the four-domed structure.

"Our country is wedded to studs, sheetrock, plywood, and plasterboard-all you get is a box," declared architect Bob Chappelle during a 2015 tour of his handcrafted earthen home in rural Vermont. Chappelle-who was 95 at the time of the interview and has since passed away-designed and built much of the structure himself, spending multiple years of his retirement applying layers of polystyrene insulation boards, mud, and cement to complete each of the four domed sections.



Located in northwestern Vermont, this earthen home was designed and built by architect Robert "Bob" Chappelle, who studied mechanical engineering at MIT and architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he ran his own firm before retiring in 1974.



After Chappelle moved to the 47-acre site, he spent many years, beginning in the late '80s and into the early '90s, building his dream home section by section. Chappelle reportedly used no blueprints-only a miniature model-to refine his vision, which was inspired by the earthen building styles he observed while living in Africa for several years.

As chronicled in a 1994 Popular Science article about the home's construction, Chappelle described building the first domed section over a period of four years, with plenty of experimenting and on-the-job learning. He estimated it would take him an additional three years to build the remaining wings, although it's unclear when he actually finished.

As the article noted, he first cut and glued together panels of Foamular insulation boards to form the arched and cone-shaped sections. "[He] then applie[d] handfuls of mud mixed with Portland cement to the inner and outer sides of the coned structure [...] and use[d] a shaper to carve the mud. Clear water repellent protects the exterior."

To that, Chappelle quipped: "How many shapes do you get out of plywood and studs? You end up with boxes-a kitchen box, a dining room box."



The nearly 1,500-square-foot home has been vacant since Chappelle's death over two years ago, leading to the formation of leaks and deferred maintenance.



New buyers would need to restore the interior and exterior surfaces, although many original features remain intact-including furniture and cabinetry that Chappelle also made himself.

While the property will certainly require additional investment and some modernization, the sellers hope to find a buyer interested in carrying on Chappelle's vision. Located about three hours northwest of Boston and southeast of Montreal, the 47-acre property also offers a large pond, open fields, and pristine wooded areas. Keep scrolling to see more of the home, which is currently listed for $220,000.



Shown here, a cherry screen and shelves are among the many pieces of furniture and built-ins that Chappelle added to the interior. Other notable features include rough-hewn granite columns, as well as frameless windows that are fitted directly into the walls.



A built-in cherry dining table is located next to the kitchen.



In another section of the home, granite steps lead down to the main bedroom, which also features wood floors and a large window overlooking the secluded property.



An adjacent room features granite columns dividing the space.



The home's only bathroom features a wooden bathtub, as well as cabinetry and other custom-built features. A stone-clad shower is located in a corner beside the vanity.



arps and other temporary fixes are in place to protect the structure while a buyer is located.



Vents on top of the two main domes help to circulate air and provide ventilation.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×