Home makeover projects are fascinating.
A handful of popular shows like Extreme Home Makeover, Flip or Flop, Fixer Upper, and Hometown have captivated audiences interested in home improvement and decor for years.
The popular sitcom Always Sunny in Philadelphia even has its own destructive take on home makeovers in the explosive episode “The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition.”
One particular Briton recently performed the renovation of the century. But this is no regular home makeover.
This is more of a cave makeover.
Meet 38-year-old Angelo Mastropietro, a man who’s currently transitioning from 21st century man to modern caveman, literally.
Yep. He built a home within a cave, spending £160,000 in the process and working mostly alone.
“My life before I became a caveman was really quite different.”
It sure is ridiculous, but for all the right reasons.
Years ago, Angelo was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease with symptoms like weakness and blurred vision.
“Had a lapse that left me paralyzed essentially, which was really the catalyst to make me review where I was at, where I was going, and obviously my lifestyle.”
But in the face of adversity, he went to work.
Angelo sought to soon lead a simpler life.
Before the cave house, Angelo was the head of a lucrative recruitment company in Australia.
His current cave and quarters are woven within the 250 million-year-old sandstone cliffs nearby the Wyre Forest of Worcestershire, England.
They’re said to have inspired J. R. R. Tolkien while writing The Lord of the Rings.
Angelo proceeds to give a tour of his work.
His cave house is incredibly well lit, featuring artificial white light that gives the illusion of sunlight penetrating crevasses in the cavern walls. The lighting adds to the cave’s sense of space.
The shower’s absolutely gorgeous, featuring beautiful blue rocks and an ergonomic towel rack to the side.
The cave’s fresh water comes from a borehole Angelo dug 80 feet deep.
The kitchen’s compact but features all the essentials. The wooden tabletops create a rustic aesthetic.
Yet it looks like a sleek, modern kitchen.
The bedroom’s beautiful, splashed with a tasteful blend of white, brown, and beige.
Angelo compares the process of crafting his new home to his prior work,
“The rock house kinda came along, you know without a shadow of a doubt. I was passionate about that as I was setting up my company.”
Although mostly a vacation home for now, Angelo seeks to make it his primary dwelling in the near future.
It even has WiFi and a fireplace.
“I guess coincidentally my surname actually means ‘master of the stone,’ so you know maybe it’s kind of in my blood.”
Angelo continues, explaining the work that went into the cave makeover,
“In the end, I spent somewhere ’round about 1000 hours basically breaking rock, cutting rock, burrowing rock. And I totaled ’round about 70 or 80 tonnes of rubble that I excavated out of this rock house by hand, and really proof of that is the whole of the terrace outside. There’s literally 100 square meters of terrace out there. None of that was there when I started.”
Angelo essentially embedded a home within the great outdoors, featuring all the modern amenities and comforts. His cave’s surely more cutting edge than most suburban houses, even. His new place is truly impressive and quite homey.
Continue to defy the odds, Angelo. Your efforts are inspiring, and your cave’s absolutely beautiful. Thanks for letting us into your new home.
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