Inside Zac Efron’s ‘Futurecave’: Actor Is Building $2.7 Million Off-Grid ‘Hemp House’ in Australia After Buying Vast Parcel of Bushland

Actor Zac Efron has bid farewell to Hollywood's glossy megamansions in favor of returning to grassroots architecture in the form of a unique off-grid retreat made almost entirely of hemp that he is in the process of building on a remote plot of land in Australia.

The 38-year-old "High School Musical" star, who was born and raised in Arroyo Grande, CA, began sowing the seeds of his "hemp house" in 2020, when he purchased an enormous 128-hectare parcel of bushland in New South Wales, which will serve as the site of his new property.

He then joined forces with "environmental innovator" and designer Joost Bakker and architect Frank Burride, who have been tasked with building the property, which has been nicknamed the "Futurecave" and will be located around an hour outside of Byron Bay.

Every inch of the six-bedroom, two-story dwelling will be made from sustainable, eco-friendly materials, including hemp blocks, recycled oyster shells, agricultural waste, and hundreds of sustainable particle boards, which will be used as internal bricks, Bakker previously revealed on Instagram.

The aim is that the resulting property, which is reportedly going to cost the actor around $2.65 million to build, according to the Daily Mail, will not only be one of the most eco-friendly dwellings on the planet, but will also be "anti-mold" and "naturally fire resistant," while ensuring clean air throughout the home.

In December 2025, Efron opened up about the project in an interview with the Australian Financial Review, explaining that he wanted to create a home that would allow him to feel "as close to the Earth" as possible.

“I live a pretty fast-paced life and work quite a bit, so in between movies and press tours, my number one goal is always to take time for myself and rest and recharge and to be in nature as much as possible, and as close to the earth as I can, and this land just feels like it’s perfect for that,” Efron told the local outlet.

He noted that he wanted his Futurecave to become "the coolest house ever built."

Bakker has since revealed several insights into the construction process on his Instagram account, revealing on May 8 that the team was ready to break ground on the house, having secured the necessary planning permissions for the project.

"Excited to get started on Zac’s house!" he wrote, while sharing a photo of some of the team members who will be working on the build.

However, long before planning permissions were secured, Bakker and his team were hard at work on creating the materials needed for the project. A November 2025 post documented some of the elements that would go into the property, including hemp blocks and old oyster shells.

"For the past year we’ve experimented with making hemp blocks, replacing concrete with two materials that restore the environment hemp, possibly the best plant on earth at repairing and restoring soil health and of course oysters, natures ultimate ocean restorer," he wrote.

Bakker and Efron first met during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the actor was living in Australia while filming his Netflix docuseries "Down to Earth."

The designer wrote on his Instagram that the on-air star had fallen in love with his company, Futurefoodsystem, which its website describes as being "a self sustaining, zero waste, productive house that demonstrates the potential of our homes to provide shelter, produce food and generate energy."

"It’s not everyday of the week that @zacefron asks you to design his home, I am beyond excited!" Bakker wrote in 2025, adding that the design of Efron's home had been inspired by another property he built in Monbulk, a community located just outside of Melbourne.

"Zac fell in love with @futurefoodsystem and then our family home in Monbulk and now wants a home of his own and best of all he wants me to push my ideas as far as they can go," Bakker added.

"So here we are—designing and building Zac’s home. Its a dream come true. Every element is pushing my team creatively and I love nothing more than testing so many ideas."

Bakker jokingly described the team's process as "using the most cutting edge technology," before noting that the technique is actually inspired by Roman innovation from more than 2,000 years ago.

"I want to create a building material that I hope will become mainstream one day—a material that naturally breathes, is anti mould, naturally fire resistant and improves the indoor air Zac will ultimately breathe," he went on.

On May 22, Bakker shared another update about the project, revealing a glimpse into the processes required to create the materials being used throughout the home.

For the joinery being used in the kitchen and bathroom, for example, the designer explained that his team will use "only 200 hundred [particle] boards," which are created using "less than 1,000 square meters of crop."

However, he said he believes that if more people can "embrace this product," it will enable farmers to "restore soil health in a natural way" because of the methods used to create the boards, which are made using hemp.

“Although @zacefron kitchen and bathroom joinery will only use only 200 hundred boards (less than 1000 square metres of crop) if we embrace this product we have the potential to help farmers restore soil health in a natural way,” he revealed.

"Farmers definitely have the potential to provide the raw materials for our built environment in the future."

The Mail reports that Efron's home will be built at the heart of rainforest land that features waterfalls and multiple creeks, with the final property made up of multiple "pods" that will be connected by walkways and will feature a living green roof.

"Pods are dispersed on the site to celebrate the landscape, reduce building bulk, encourage connection to outdoors and frame key views," a planning application viewed by the outlet stated.

However, the property will also feature several more traditional amenities, including a private gym.

Efron previously told Variety that he wanted to focus on his personal life after spending several years pouring himself into his work.

"The goal is always the next mission, the next movie, making sure everyone else is very happy. It can be very lonely at times. But the process of taking your emotions head-on, sort of working with them, was a profound moment in my life. And it’s definitely taken me down a different road," he said at the time.

Although he doesn't appear to have quit work altogether—with his IMDB page indicating that he has four projects currently in the works—Efron has taken a significant step back from Hollywood, selling his L.A. abode for $5.3 million in 2021, when reports first began to emerge that he was relocating to Australia.

Efron had purchased the Los Feliz abode for just under $4 million in 2013, and it served as his primary residence for nearly 10 years.