Couple Builds A Stunning & Innovative House In Cave

Aug 29, 2023

Vacations are usually an enjoyable experience. They are also very important as they provide an opportunity to unwind, reduce stress levels, and spend some good time with one’s family. For this reason, people typically plan all the details of their vacation before they embark on their trip so that they can relax and simply follow their schedule during their holiday. There is usually a lot to do to prepare for a trip, including choosing the right destination, booking flights, packing bags, and choosing suitable and affordable accommodation. 

Accommodations are an essential part of every vacation as they can improve or ruin the travel experience, and to maximize the fun and comfort, it only makes sense to search for quality accommodation. In line with this need, a couple who designs innovative and beautiful vacation homes for rent designed another beautiful home that looks incredible. The couple who custom-designed and built The Cave is Bryant & Amy Gingerich, and they are renowned for their innovative and luxurious rental homes. Their Instagram page, Dunlap Hollow, shows several beautiful homes they rent. However, The Cave stands out among the many designs because of its distinct features.

Dunlap Hollow's The Cave is located at Hocking Hills, Rockbridge, Ohio, and is built inside an actual cave. It also meets ecological and environmental standards. 

The distinct luxury house features two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a bathtub and bath salts, a six-person hot tub, a full-service kitchen with an indoor gas stove, and a pool table, all designed to give guests a memorable experience. It also has wifi, TV, access to private hiking trails, and an outdoor fireplace with lounge chairs. The couple shared the building process in a video on their Instagram page. 

Dunlap Hollow gave some details about the construction in an FAQ for intending guests. They said the biggest challenge in constructing The Cave was finding specialists to help them.

“To our knowledge, no one else has built a cave house in Ohio or even in the Midwest anytime in the past 20 years,” the FAQ read. “As a Hocking County rental property, we had to get permits through the state of Ohio. The state department was good to work with overall, but they had never seen a project like this before and were quite skeptical.”

“We had to have a geologist evaluate the cave to ensure structural stability and had to find a structural engineer who was comfortable signing off on the project,” the couple continued. 

The designers shared that the space for the home was all part of the cave before they converted it so that guests could experience nature fully. 

“Our property has an abundance of caves and we want guests to experience them up close,” they added.

“The Cave is naturally cooled by the Earth in the summer, and in the winter, it's warmed with solar heating from south-facing windows, as well as radiant heating lines embedded in the floor. It also is equipped with four dehumidifiers to reduce moisture and a ventilation system to bring in fresh air and take stale air out,” they clarified.

They also divulged that they used way less lumber than a standard house of the same size would have used, and they only needed to cut a few trees to build it. They didn’t need any roofing materials, and only the cave crickets, which are not valuable to Hocking Hills' ecosystem, were displaced. To experience the beauty of nature, guests could stay with a starting rate of $500 per night.

What do you think of the vacation home? Would you love to stay there? Let us know — and be sure to pass this on to friends and family who might love it.