underground housing

[ma & pa steel]

My hubby came up with a really cool idea (and he's not even a survivalist!) he though we could build an underground house! The closest thing I could think of was an earth ship but he means totally underground! Does anyone know of any websites or what not that deal with this kind of thing, I have no idea!

[logcabinmama]

http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-earth.htm

 

http://www.daviscaves.com/index.shtml

 

This one shows a picture and it is not all underground, but I'm sure a person could do more of it under.

 

 

[Mother]

We lived in an underground home for about 18 years. It had a large sky light in the middle but the roof started to leak aftere about ten years and we eventually built an addition above ground accessed by stairs through that skylight opening. I LOVED my underground. Super easy and economical to heat with wood or whatever, can be situated for passive or active solar heating, naturally cool in the summer, secure from almost any natural disaster except maybe earthquakes, your garden can be on your roof, extremely defencible, neglible upkeep depending on how much is exposed. My brother also lived in an eight sided underground home with a center garden covered with a huge (32') dome. He loved his too. Unfortunately, circumstances caused us both to have to sell. We both miss our undergrounds.

 

I would suggest that anyone interested in them really do some reading and study. There are several good books out there now on them and they will give all the ins and outs of them,,,,There are a lot of them when you build one, namely, drainage, roof safety (ours was cast concrete panels set with a crane), electricity, water. and etc.

 

It's still a real hassle to get pass the zoning boards in a lot of states but well worth it. There were draw backs (dampness, lack of air flow, not as much natural light) but If someone offered me the chance to live in one again I would take it. Situated correctly, they would be the untimate way to weather it out when the