Can you spot the Earth House hidden in this Swiss hill?

Can you spot the family home hidden in the hill?

More like a house from a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale than a typical listing, the property in Switzerland is for sale for a reported price of £2.55m ($AU4.9 million).

Caked in dirt is the last thing most listings would want to promote but it is one of reasons this house is a special, once-in-a-lifetime offering.

Named Earth House, the property was carved beneath the grass and dirt in Dietikon, a municipality where earth houses are as common a terrace would be in some suburbs of Australia. It is covered in verdant lawn and vegetation, and only peeps of it can be detected from an aerial view.

There are nine homes like this in a cluster, crafted in 1993, from the vision of architect Peter Vetsch. Each are individually owned, around a centepiece lake.

Not just a conversation point, the unique design of the properties – including the one on the market – have serious green credentials.

“Green architecture is highly fashionable,” the JamesEdition listing, on the books of agency Nobilis Estate AG, says.

“Besides providing aesthetically pleasing open spaces, it also offers practical ecological benefits. Vegetation and soil layers protect the building from heat and cold, reducing energy costs and CO₂-emissions.

“Additionally, rainwater is stored, and habitats for plants and animals are created.”

An underground garage is fitted with an electric charging station, as you’d expect from a home with such an eco emphasis.

The home covers 261 square metres and includes four bedrooms, a living space with fireplace, dining room and entry hall, each of them flooded with light, and the intrigue of curved walls and arches that are informed by nature’s sinews.