Earth sheltered buildings

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Thank you for sharing that b9. His dug out looks quite comfortable.

I was looking through a bunch of building designs today and found one called "tunnel home" and I am completely loving it. It just looks like the perfect house for me. Basically, there is a super long corridor that runs the length of the structure - open on both ends and it has a side view/main entrance, but completely covered on the top, back and sides...it could even have an optional earth covered garage. If I had that house though, I would not have a garage. I just really like the long corridor idea. I would be running from one side to the other and back again. I would have to think about a great place to build one of those, though...that is probably the biggest obstacle. With the way housing is set up where I live it would not be possible. It seems more of a rural type house. hmmm...I'll have to think about it more.

I would like to know more about houses like these, especially in Scandinavia, where I want to live some day.

Here's some more pics of Coober Pedy underground houses. It's an opal mining town in South Australia.


http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=e ... a=N&tab=wi

and you can see some 'dugout' houses on this real estate website too.

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rs ... 1239512039

I don't really know about earth sheltered homes in Scandinavia. I will have to research that. However, I was just reading about the underground homes in eastern central China where millions of people are able to dig dwellings in the sandstone - sort of like the sandstone in Coober Pedy. Cave dwelling is an ancient tradition in northern China. The structures are absolutely beautiful.

This is an example of one built on level ground. The courtyard is dug out first and then tunnels and caves are dug out from the four sides and up to the surface.


This is an example of some dug into the side of a hill.

This is the GeoDome that was built in 1980 in the area where I live. I have not seen it, though.

I was busy today, forgot to post this. I find it interesting. HAPPY UNDERGROUND AMERICA DAY.


May 14th is Underground America Day, a time to honor the 6,000 or so North Americans who make their homes not only on the Earth but in it.  Underground America Day began in 1974, when architect Malcolm Wells came up with the idea.
"I woke up one day to the fact that the Earth's surface was made for living plants, not industrial plants."
"On May 14th each year hundreds of millions of people all across this great land will do absolutely nothing about the national holiday I declared in 1974, and that's just the way it should be.
"It's a holiday free of holiday obligations.

click on the link. there are some funny pictures with captions
http://www.malcolmwells.com/uaday.html

I am going to break ground next year or the year after on a partial subterranian home.

I am going to build it myself, have several versions of the basic floor plan in my head.

looking to build it betwen 3,500 to 5,000 square feet of living space - something like also an emergency shelter place, holding up to 20 people. I would not want to be underground with 19 other people - be like survivor I suppose with all the drama.

My varied background in construction, engineering, business and trades (welding / machining) and operating machinery... I will be able to do most of the work myself. Depending on the design, cost of building materials and what is at hand, the materials and design will be dependent on those factors accordingly.

There are not that many hills in western Tennessee to sink something into a hillside.

^ Shweet. Let us know how that goes!


I'd love to be able to mow my roof. I'd show my house off to everybody.

Dee - this is very cool! If you could expand on the details: design, building materials, building methods... that would be awesome. I am very interested in how this project will proceed. Please keep us posted as to your progress!!

Here is a concept that may interest you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship

Oh yes, the Earthship! This is an excellent idea and I have done quite a bit of research on them as well. Thank you for sharing! and to expand on the earth-rammed tires, some can be made with sand bags. I just got done reading a book about alternative building materials. There are some really interesting ones out there, but my favorite section was on earth materials. Earth rammed tires have been a building code accepted method for over 20 years - they also don't burn easy - so a fire would not have the same affect as it would on a wooden building due to the denseness and lack of air circulation. Cob is also an interesting one along with straw-bales, but that would be getting off topic.

Here is another link concerning Earthships:
http://www.earthships.com/index.htm

Enjoy!

It will be some time yet before I make any actual progress beyond the designing phase.


I have a design for power generation, also being underground - heating and cooling will be at a minimum. The septic and drain will be an interesting matter to also do... A well will be underground but within the structure. Air ventalation based on the Romans / Greeks design over two millenium ago.

Depends on how I do the actual work, on what is at hand, the building site, etc...
could do a dome like structure, several of them interconnecting, or maybe sinking several steel containers underground... quickcrete / concrete + masonry brick reinforced... can go differnt ways with different things...

What are some ideas some of you have?

Something fully underground, or partially, or 2 floors with one above and one below?

I have lots of ideas about lots of things. What does the building site look like? not just the ground/soil type but the surrounding neighborhood, topography, vegetation...? and what are the temperature, precipitation and extreme weather events characteristics of the area? and what do you personally want to achieve? you mentioned earlier an emergency shelter - do you plan on that being a separate structure?

I would love to have a house in the middle of a long stretch of field surrounded by trees, with only two trap door entrances. Though realistically, it would be a dark and dank house that would contrast the warm and beautiful field, so maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea.

Now I gotta think of how I can make a hidden sunhouse... hmm....

waterwater- i assume you are in the US?

there is a great programme here in England called grand designs- do you get that in the states?

they film someone over the build or conversion of their house, but always really odd ball ones. eg- a 14th century castle which is falling apart and is only the shell, or new builds, including several covered earth houses, some of which have been eco builds as well.

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/

the 14th C castle and a recent eco house (in france, built into the side of a hill, so partially an earth building) are on the website if you scroll down.

scroll down further to viewers' faves, and the woodsman's house is there- its really beautiful- straw bale walls, he cut down all the timber from the surrounding wood for all the flooring etc. (less exciting if you live in the us or scandinavia, but in the uk very few houses are built from wood,and all the forests and woodland are super protected because there's not much left).

if you can download, or buy on dvd do; its a brilliant series- you get one build an episode- whether it takes one year or 5.
and a lot of the people are barking mad.

not sure if you can watch it online?
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/gran ... up#2917845

i know its barred for some countries.

but you can buy it on dvd-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grand-Designs-D ... B0002WYS4U
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid ... Categories

i also like earth covered buildings as i was really into caves etc as a child. and loved books like rupert, brambley hedge, the hobbit, the moomins, etc about small things hiding in the earth.


i also love the SOE and their homebased affiliates in england, which we had in the war; a secret network of 'ordinary' people churchill recruited in case we were invaded. they had letter drops in bushes and telegraph poles etc- some were 14 years old. lots of hidden bunkers still all over england in weird places.


slightly off topic, though. but DO check out g/d- its superb!