Nigel Kirkwood, who fondly calls himself a modern-day hobbit, is living in his dream home in WA's South West.

This earth-sheltered house in Quindalup, around 20 kilometres from Busselton, is far from a typical home.

There is almost 1,000 tonnes of dirt on top of the house, which helps it maintain a consistent temperature all year around.

Mr Kirkwood said he saved up to $100 a cycle by not having heating and cooling.

"As we're sitting in here now it's about 17… it's the coldest I've seen it in here," he said.

"Normally milder winter days are about 18 to 19 degrees. Summer 23, worst case."

The interior of Mr Kirkwood's house in steel and timber. ( ABC South West: Roxanne Taylor )

Mr Kirkwood's home is not dark and dingy, as one might expect from a half-buried home.

It has large windows and wood on the walls and floor.

In summer the roof is expected to be covered with flowers, which Mr Kirkwood hopes will bring all sorts of birds and insects to his home.

The house is held together with almost 19 tonnes of high quality steel and covered in Polyurea water-proof coating, which makes it incredibly fire-proof.

Mr Kirkwood spent 25 years in the WA mining industry and he said this was his inspiration for the home.

"I've seen these huge tunnel structures when in Karratha and moving around the Pilbara there were quite a few of them around and I thought 'Wow, what a cool structure'," he said.

Earth-sheltered homes have the extra benefit of being fire resistant. ( ABC South West: Roxanne Taylor )

An unusual home but not for everyone

Director of Solar Dwellings Griff Morris said there were a number of homes in the eastern states that were earth-sheltered like this one, but he said the steel frame made this house particularly unique.

"Using this material is very new, not the building form but using these corrugated structures," he said.

Mr Morris said it was not the kind of house for everyone but said it was ideal for some people in regional areas, particularly where bushfires were common.

"If you're out in a very hot, dry area, when you are protected underground you don't have major moisture problems or seismic problems," he said.

"You have to be careful about moisture, you have to seal the buildings and also you have to make sure you get good ventilation."

He said this style of home was likely to become more popular as people started to understand the technology behind it.

Mr Kirkwood is opening his house to the public on Sustainable House Day in September and hopes to inspire others to think differently about building.