Man Spends Eight Years Constructing A 5,700-Square-Foot House Inside Desert Bedrock

May 19, 2021

A man moved to the state of Utah to purchase a large piece of land that would later become his own personal fortress. Grant Johnson purchased 40 acres of land near Boulder, Utah, in 1980, which later became an incredibly important spot for a national monument. Johnson shied away from the everyday hustle and bustle of life and instead went for a more secluded space. He built his 5,700-square-foot home inside of a desert cave, completely embodying his newfound lifestyle.

Johnson spent many years planning and creating his perfectly recluse home. While it took eight years to form a bedrock into a hand-made cave, it took even more time afterward finishing his creation and filling his new home with everything he could possibly need for his simple lifestyle. His labor of a lifetime has been shared with the world thanks to the power of the internet, and he has even offered to let others stay in his cave house and homestead.

The craftsman even built a jam room, which is sure to have astounding acoustics, to show off his musical skills as a harmonica player. Besides being the mastermind behind the building and construction of the cave, Johnson also had to figure out how to fend for himself by finding a way to get food, water and electricity. 

Johnson faced a few challenges along the way of designing his personal sanctuary but persisted with his outstanding craftsmanship skills. With gorgeous views, all the needed utilities, and plenty of peace and quiet, it’s no wonder Johnson picked a cave to be his place of residence and permanent homestead. 

According to Tiny House Giant Journey, Johnson worked his way through college as a miner, where he learned plenty of skills that later came in handy when it was time to build his cave home and homestead. He had finally saved up enough money to buy 40 acres of land near Boulder in 1980 and moved to the state to live on the property in a trailer. He didn’t have running water or electricity for the next 25 years and even grew his own food. 

“It was a real culture shock for me,” Johnson said. Although the trailer was isolated from the rest of the general population, Johnson enjoyed his time there so much that he continued to further his reclusive lifestyle. He became more interested in the wilderness and started adopting a new way of life to reflect that. “I completely got away from it,” he said.

Johnson’s initial plan was to live in a canyon and irrigate his own water and grow his own food, and his ambitions escalated as he realized he was able to take his dreams a step further. It took a lot of tools, equipment, and labor to complete his home, which made him think his future home would never come to fruition. “I thought, ‘no way I could afford that,’ so I never really thought about building the rock house,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s land became an inholding of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996. Around this time, Johnson also started his adventure into building a cave house for himself by blasting into the side of a large bedrock. After eight long years of blasting, Johnson had finally created a man-made cave. 

Along with constructing a beautiful cave structure, Johnson had to make sure it was livable. According to Tiny House Giant Journey, he figured out a way to pump water to his property from a nearby pond and was also able to generate electricity with a turbine. Johnson has stayed off the grid and relies only on satellite internet, and has continued to grow his own food.

It took several more years after this for the craftsman to complete his ideal home, as he hand-crafted every element within the cave structure and filled it with furniture and decorations to make it feel more like a home.

A video of Johnson’s stunning home in the middle of nature was uploaded to YouTube on Tiny House Giant Journey’s official channel on June 5, 2020. Since then, the video has been viewed over 2.5 million times and has received plenty of positive comments and likes. Johnson’s place of residence is a whopping 5,700-square-feet and has stunning views of his surroundings.

Johnson’s man-made cave has not only become a beautiful place for him to live, but he has even shared his home with potential travelers who are looking for a place to stay. For $355 a night, you could stay in a divided section of Johnson’s tranquil house by renting it out on Airbnb. He’s been hosting guests since April 2018 and has received plenty of rave reviews about his hosting style and the wonder of the cave home.

Johnson spent many years constructing and perfecting the perfect home for his personal lifestyle and has even been able to share it with others. His man-made cave house and homestead has been a sanctuary for the craftsman and all those lucky enough to visit. 

“People get inspired by it. I didn’t expect that so much. And it really is the case. Positive living in a negative space," he said.

What do you think of this man-made cave home? Would you want to stay there for a night? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your friends and family to see what they think, too!