In 2019, man began carving a two-storey family home into a China mountain; after 7 years battling water leaks, fault lines and humidity, he finally makes it livable

A man in Sichuan, China, has spent seven years transforming a raw sandstone cliff into a two-storey home for his family, using his experience in coal mining and construction to carve rooms, stairs and furniture directly into the mountain. The extraordinary project survived water leaks, heavy storms, structural challenges and a two-year hiatus that allowed nature to reclaim parts of the property.According to Quantum Makers, the project began in 2019, when the man, identified in the video as Hu Ge or Mr. Hu, decided to build a family home unlike a conventional brick-and-mortar house. Instead of constructing on the mountain, he chose to carve directly into it.His plan was ambitious: create a ground-floor bedroom and living space for himself and his wife, then excavate a second level for his two children and connect both floors with an internal staircase.With years of experience in coal mining and construction, he understood how rock could behave under pressure. But working inside a mountain still presented risks, with thousands of tonnes of sandstone above him and hidden cracks potentially threatening the entire structure.He left a giant rock pillar to support the ceilingThe excavation began on the lower level, where he used drilling equipment to remove sections of sandstone. Rather than clearing the entire space immediately, he left a massive central pillar in place to support the ceiling.He then shaped the surrounding ceiling into an arch so the weight could be transferred towards the side walls. Once the structure was stable, he removed the pillar.Even the discarded rock found another purpose. Some of the cylindrical pieces produced during drilling were saved for later use, while part of the large supporting pillar was turned into a garden table.Water became one of his biggest challengesRain proved to be one of the most serious threats to the mountain home. While excavating the bedroom, he noticed a draft coming through the rock, indicating the presence of cracks.He created a drainage trench to direct water towards the entrance and sealed the cracks with cement. But heavy storms later exposed the weakness of the system.Water began pouring through the mountain, overwhelming the drainage system and forcing him to reinforce the area with additional cement and expanding foam. He also left ventilation openings because completely sealing the rock could trap humidity inside.The experience became an early warning of the challenges he would face maintaining a home carved into the humid Sichuan landscape.He brought electricity and spring water into the mountainMaking the cave livable required more than carving rooms. He personally dragged electrical cable through the forest to bring power to the remote property.For water, he found a natural spring roughly a mile away and developed a system to pump the water to a storage tank near the house. Pipes were laid through the forest, including along a significant elevation drop.The system eventually supplied the home with running water for the bathroom and other facilities.When water pressure later proved too weak for the shower, he moved the storage system higher into the forest, allowing gravity to increase the pressure.He carved a kitchen, terrace and staircase into the mountainAs the lower floor took shape, he began creating an outdoor kitchen directly from the rock. The roof of the kitchen also served as a terrace, providing a platform from which he could work on the second floor.He used trees removed from the site as structural supports for the porch and drilled sockets directly into the rock to secure horizontal beams.The kitchen itself featured separate combustion areas for cooking and boiling water, while a natural crack in the rock was adapted into a chimney.He also carved an external staircase from the sandstone and installed a railing to make the area safer for his children.The most difficult task was connecting the two floorsAfter more than two years of excavation, the project reached one of its biggest engineering challenges: creating the internal staircase.He initially carved part of the staircase from the lower floor but eventually decided to excavate the upper section first and connect the two sections from opposite directions.The task required precise measurements because even a small error could prevent the two sections from meeting.After years of work, his calculations proved successful. The staircase connected the two floors, turning the separate excavated spaces into a single two-storey home.A hidden fault line threatened the projectThe second floor brought another major surprise when excavation revealed a large natural fissure running behind sections of the walls.He worried that the crack could be connected to the water problems on the lower floor and potentially allow water into the house or compromise the structure.To understand the fissure, he conducted a smoke test by burning wood inside it. The smoke escaped through an existing outlet, suggesting there were no obvious dangerous fractures extending through the structure.However, the test left the studio covered in soot and forced him to restore the room.Rather than continue excavating into the unstable area, he changed his plans and stopped expanding that section.He even made furniture from the mountain itselfThe unusual home was designed to minimise the need to bring heavy furniture into the remote location. On the upper level, he carved a workspace directly into the sandstone.A central section became a desk, while carefully positioned openings provided ventilation and natural light.He also incorporated drainage into the design, drilling passages at a slight downward angle so rainwater could escape.Throughout the project, he repeatedly reused materials rather than discarding them, turning leftover rock into garden structures and using salvaged materials wherever possible.After seven years, nature nearly swallowed his workJust as the mountain home was approaching completion, an unexpected personal matter forced him to leave the project for almost two years.When he eventually returned, he found the property dramatically changed.Sichuan's humidity had taken its toll. Mold had spread, a wooden bed had rotted and vegetation had begun covering the exterior. Roots and vines had grown across the rock facade, making it difficult to distinguish the house from the surrounding mountain.Instead of abandoning the project, he treated the damage as a test of the home's durability and began rebuilding and upgrading the property.He replaced the waste system and restored the kitchenOne of his first tasks after returning was replacing the deteriorated bathroom waste system with a proper septic tank designed to accommodate his family of four.He repaired the stairs and began restoring the outdoor kitchen, which had also been heavily overtaken by nature.The chimney was raised to around 13 feet after earlier testing revealed smoke leaks and sparks near the bamboo forest. A cover was added to prevent rain from entering.He then restored the kitchen's water supply, installed a shut-off valve and made the area more practical for everyday use.The mountain home is now livableAfter years of drilling, excavation and rebuilding, the home now has many of the essentials of a conventional house, including electricity, running water, bathroom facilities, a kitchen, heating, Wi-Fi and sleeping areas.He replaced the damaged wooden bed with an iron one better suited to the humid environment and installed a steel stove to help keep the interior warm and dry.Solar-powered lights were also installed around the courtyard and pathways, while a small pool was created for his children.The upper floor, meanwhile, remains a work in progress as he continues excavating and expanding the space intended for his children.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.