Would you consider living in an 'earth shelter'?

[Flaxbee]

A partially or fully underground home?

It seems that the energy savings are (can be) huge, the house (if built properly) is virtually maintenance-free (no pesky re-roofing or house painting), and again, if built properly, can have plenty of natural light.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. yes.

I would definitely consider it.

[Flaxbee]

3. I hope in the next few years we'll be able to build our own home

and I want it to be partially subterranean. Or completely subterranean, with built around an atrium that is open and brings in ample light.

I think it'd be great to find a hill to build into, maybe have south-facing windows only if I can't get the atrium design.

I found a book called "Earth Shelters" written in 1981 by David Martindale at a local used book store -- it's got a lot of good (if somewhat dated) info.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. There are several such structures in this area.

I think I have that very book stored away somewhere in a box. Good luck with the project. :) Post pix as you go. I would love to see it evolve.

[Flaxbee]

12. MIght be a while, but I've been on DU since 2002, so

I'll probably still be here when we start building! :hi:

You over your cold? Mine was intense for a few days, but all gone by Sunday night/Monday morning. Hope you're feeling better.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

15. Yes, I am feeling a lot better. Thanks for asking. I think mine was

mainly an allergy/sinus sort of thing. :hi:

[flvegan]

2. At my university, our BA building was an "earth shelter"

Loved it.

[Flaxbee]

7. yeah, the book I found from 1981 mentioned that

many university buildings, libraries, etc., are earth shelters.

I think it might take a bit of adjustment at first, but would be a great way to live. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer, minimal energy costs.

[struggle4progress]

4. Depends on climate, local topography, and actual construction

I've seen standard-looking homes build partway into slopes halfway down a hill, and in rainy climes the rooms can get soggy

I'd love something near a hilltop with adequate drainage planning

[Flaxbee]

8. yeah, you just have to make sure the architect / builder

knows what s/he is doing.

Plenty of drainage, appropriate barriers, and no problem!

[one_voice]

5. I just read..

more about them..and I'd definitely live in one.

[Flaxbee]

10. I found a book from 1981; I'm going to look for more

recent books ... see what (if anything) has changed in the last 30 or so years.

[seaker]

6. Absolutely!

[Flaxbee]

11. Me, too

My husband mentioned one a few years ago, and I finally got around to researching them. More info, plus an absurd heating oil bill, have convinced me!

[seaker]

19. Moab, Utah

I visited here several years ago...
http://www.theholeintherock.com/

[Blue-Jay]

13. Does Frodo live in that second one?

[Flaxbee]

16. possibly, but I think all hobbits have round doors

so, I'm not sure who lives in that second one...

[hobbit709]

28. Those round doors are a PITA to seal.

[madinmaryland]

14. Only as long as it is well designed.

My dad had an office for over 25 years in a building semi-submerged like that. There were window leaks, general leaks, and humidity that would never leave except during the 10-below weather in January.

[Flaxbee]

17. that's the trick. But when you consider that above-ground

buildings often have leaks, bad insulation, etc., you realize that there's just a whole lot of shoddy construction, above-and-below ground.

You'd need an atrium so the kitties could sun themselves :D

[Lucian]

18. The second one will make me feel like a Hobbit.

I want it!

[Dr Morbius]

27. Absolutely.

I'd love to live in a hobbit-hole, provided it was proportionally larger for people twice as tall as hobbits. And assuming it also had electricity, air-conditioning, heating, and plumbing. As for the real question posed, I'd have to have some windows. I couldn't live without some sight of the sky every day.

[Lucian]

35. I'm about as tall as a hobbit, so it works for me.

:rofl:

[Inchworm]

20. Sure would

Imagine the savings! I'd incorporate Passive Solar Design into the plans.

Seems like I did some report in school on Passive Solar Design. There are some pretty nifty -simple- details about it (the best I remember). It seems like there was a house in Colorado that utilized baffles and glass (probably other factors as well) to heat/cool the house comfortably.

I always thought it would rock.

:hi:

[CC]

21. Yes and I love this

one and that they shared the planning and building.

http://www.ourcoolhouse.com/

[WolverineDG]

29. Thanks for the link

found an ad on the page for "Solarbord," which can be used as roofing and/or exterior wall construction. Might be more feasible for me than building a completely new home. :)

dg

[FedUpWithIt All]

22. Before too long we plan to start an earth sheltered greenhouse

with passive annual heat storage. It will be situated into a south facing slope with a terraced orchard shading it during the summer.

For housing we are planning to build a hybrid strawbale and cob solar passive home but that is a couple of years off.


Here is the site for the hobbit looking home for anyone interested. The couple did a lot of the work with materials from their land i believe.

http://www.simondale.net/house/

Personally, my favorite underground home is Mole Manor...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/villages/nettleton_underground_house.shtml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/propertymarket/3306458/Down-to-earth.html

[tango-tee]

23. The one in the second photo!

I'd love to live in that house. It looks enchanted... waiting for Snow White to walk out of the front door.

Might be a silly reason, but it looks so welcoming and comforting - in addition to all the other advantages.

[elocs]

24. An earth home with a southern exposure with windows with solar panels on the roof would be great.

Maybe have a wind turbine where they would work. Where I live in western Wisconsin we have many bluffs and hills where such homes could be built and there are some here already.

[a kennedy]

25. Oh my gawd yes........husband and I tried to buy one at least 20 years ago.....

paperwork fell through or I'd be living in it right now.....

[seabeyond]

26. they are cool enough. i am thinking bugs, though.... wonder

if there are more or no difference

[Dr Morbius]

41. No reason there should be a worse bug problem with above-ground houses.

Either way, keep it sealed and clean and there shouldn't be a problem, unless you site the house in an unfortunate place. Or it becomes haunted, or something.

[seabeyond]

42. ghosts i can handle. waterbugs (what texas calls asian cockroaches) i cannot

handle, lol. well i can handle them, i spray and kill, and son gathers, lol.

nothing to do with clean. everything to do with vegetation and soil.

[Kali]

30. there is a Titan missile silo on the ranch that periodically goes up for sale.

Talk about a subterranean "shelter"!:rofl:

[quakerboy]

31. If i was ever in a financial situation to do so, yes,

in a heartbeat. but I have doubts that I will ever be in a financial situation to do so.

[Gormy Cuss]

32. Yes, in a heartbeat.

As long as there was sufficient natural light I'd be happy. I'm a small house person as it is.


p.s. The top photo shows a version that looks like it would require re-roofing and paint.

[Shell Beau]

33. Why not? That second one looks really cool.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

34. Earthships are amazing!

Oftenmade with recycled materials like tire, cans, and bottles -- using passive solar or geothermal, rain harvesting and greywater usage for the garden. Totally cool.

Here is a tour of Dennis Weaver's amazing earthship:



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3364719153433575088#


And some other earthships:







And a site dedicated to earthships:

http://earthship.org/

[rurallib]

36. In a New York second!

My son-in-law and I spent several hours discussing the possibilities

[AllenVanAllen]

37. I would most certainly live in an earthship.

The technology is getting better and better. I'd love to have an earthship in New Mexico. :)

[hippywife]

38. Definitely!

That second one is so cool. :hi:

[kayakjohnny]

39. In a blink.

Yes.

[DaveOxford]

40. Sources of information about earth-sheltered buildings

Hello all,

Here are a couple of sites that are dedicated to this topic:

The first is a Yahoo Discussion group dedicated to the discussion of earth-sheltered buildings. Mainly used by folks from the US. Lots of pictures of various types of earth-sheltered architecture to look at. It's free:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UndergroundHouse/

The second is the website run by the British Earth Sheltering Association (BESA). Obviously, it's UK focussed. There is a fee of about $6 via Paypal for a year's membership to access the whole site but the homepage can be viewed for free. A few book reviews (all written by US authors) but more in the pipeline, lots of weblinks, pictures of UK E/S houses and projects, and discussion boards. Only been running six months:

http://www.besa-uk.org/

If you are serious about finding out about earth-sheltered construction, I recommend both of these sites. And I have to admit that I run the second one.

D