Sundby Naturhus

Life under glass

Sundby Naturhus · Brottby, Sweden

A home inside
a greenhouse.

Living, growing and the seasons in one place.

An insulated timber home beneath a glass roof, with vines outside the windows and growing beds woven into everyday life.

Explore the house
Sundby Naturhus in low winter sunlight, showing the timber home inside its glass enclosure and frost on the ground.
Our home in the winter sun · December 2025

Life inside

A home within
the greenhouse.

Inside the glass stands our timber home: wooden walls, a staircase, a kitchen and a living room. A separate, heated house with the garden just outside its doors.

A door from the living room leads into the greenhouse. The plants are just on the other side of the window.

Step inside the house →

Timber-lined living room with a wood-burning stove, two armchairs and a glass door opening towards the greenhouse.
The timber home, with the greenhouse beyond the door · August 2025

Living, growing, circulating

A home that
works with nature.

At Sundby, the home, the garden and the systems that support them share the same roof.

How it works →

A house within a house

Timber rooms, terraces and a glass enclosure. Two layers, with different roles.

Room to grow

Vines and growing beds share the greenhouse with places to sit, work and watch the seasons.

The water cycle

Household wastewater passes through settling chambers and three planted beds.

Energy & climate

Winter light, summer shade and the daily work of keeping comfortable.

Live from Sundby

The house, right now.

The latest greenhouse temperature and outdoor weather readings, updated every five minutes.

About the measurements →

Live from Sundby

Connected · Latest measurements

Greenhouse

11.6 °C

Outside

12.1 °C

Outside humidity

89 %

UV index

0.0

Measurement: 2026-10-22 03:05 UTC. Refreshes every 5 minutes.

Timber-house construction at Sundby Naturhus
Building the timber house inside the greenhouse · 2015

Our story

From an idea
to everyday life.

We discovered the nature-house idea in 2012. What followed was a journey through sketches, planning permission, groundworks, glass and a great deal of timber.

The building diary follows the work as it happened. Today, we share life in the house, the changing garden and what we have learned along the way.

Read our story →

2012

Discovering the nature-house idea.

2014

Planning permission and the start of groundworks.

2015

The greenhouse goes up. The timber house follows.

2016

The first growing bed starts operating.

The garden through the year

Life follows the seasons.

Bare vines in winter, the first buds in spring, leafy shade in summer. The garden changes around us through the year.

Fresh green buds opening on a woody grapevine, with the timber house and glass roof behind.
New growth on an old vine · April 2026
Warm light and climbing vines behind the glass walls of Sundby Naturhus at blue hour.
Warm light behind the glass · November 2021
Low winter sun shining through greenhouse glazing and steel beams, with snow and bare trees outside.
Winter sun through the greenhouse · February 2026

Inside the greenhouse →

Go a little deeper

The idea, the drawings, the diary.

Explore the ideas that inspired us, follow the design through the planning drawings, or spend some time in the building diary.

A few things people ask

Curious about
life under glass?

Is the greenhouse warm all year?

No. It is a seasonal space whose temperature follows sunshine, weather and ventilation. The insulated timber home inside is the ordinary heated living space.

Does the greenhouse heat the house?

The greenhouse collects solar warmth and shelters the timber home. The house also has its own heating. Read about the equipment and our seasonal routines on the energy and climate page; we do not have a verified annual energy-saving figure.

What happens to the wastewater?

All household wastewater, including toilet wastewater, passes through three settling chambers and three planted beds. Water then recirculates in a channel inside the greenhouse. The water-cycle page explains the route and seasonal overflow.

Is Sundby off-grid or self-sufficient?

No. We use plants, natural flows and technical equipment together, but we do not claim to be off-grid or self-sufficient. The energy and climate page describes what is in use today.

Can I visit?

Sundby is a private family home. Old tour dates in the building diary are historical; there is no public booking programme on this site.