LAGO VISTA, Tex. — As a senior systems analyst at the University of Texas, Austin, Gary Zuker lives in a high-tech world all week. But when the weekend arrives, Mr. Zuker retreats to a home that’s about as low-tech as possible. His getaway is a 900-square-foot cottage that he built himself out of straw and clay. To come upon it, tucked away on two acres in the wooded Hill Country outside Austin, is to find a storybook dwelling that could be Geppetto’s workshop or a Hobbit house.

Structures like this, known as cob houses, have been around at least since the 15th century. They have gained popularity in recent years for their environmental friendliness, low cost and sculptural qualities, said Eric Corey Freed, principal of Organic Architect, based in San Francisco.

But Mr. Zuker, now 54, had no intention of constructing one when he set out in 1989 to create a weekend home for himself; his wife, Delores, 53; and their sons, Paul and Ben, 15 and 13. “The holy grail was making it maintenance-free,” Mr. Zuker said. “It was going to be a log cabin kit or metal.”

Instead he found his holy grail in the era of castles and moats. Holed up in the library of the university’s School of Architecture, he became fascinated by drawings of traditional cob houses in England and Germany.