Underground, Earth-Sheltered and Earth-Bermed Homes

Inexpensive dwellings can be constructed by digging a hole in the ground and using polyethylene sheeting to cover wood that braces the sides and covers the top, and then putting dirt back on top of the whole thing (see Mike Oehler's undergroundhousing.com). Also, a house can be built by covering a monolithic concrete dome with soil.

Perhaps similar dwellings could even be effectively built in places with high water tables, like Florida (although the problem of trapped moisture, and possible mold and mildew, would have to be overcome), by building the core above ground and then covering it with dirt, plants, etc. Such a dwelling could effectively create a much larger “yard” than a traditional house, allowing one to garden (on the resultant hill in this case) and spend time outdoors while your house is actually underneath you.

Also, a house built in such a bunker-like way would probably be much more resistant to hurricane damage (as long as it was not in a low-lying area), as well as fire damage, and less expensive to heat or cool (due to the insulating effects of the soil around it, but also the fact that worldwide temperature eight feet under the ground averages 45-58 degrees Fahrenheit).

“Underground” houses are insulated from noise pollution, and if sited on a hill, for example, can even have 360-degree views. And in the case of an “earth-sheltered” rather than an “earth-bermed” home, not only is the need for repainting the house’s exterior essentially eliminated, but also any need for re-roofing, since even the roof is actually underground.

However, such dwellings could possibly constitute a health hazard in areas where radon gas (the number two cause of lung cancer, after smoking, per the EPA) is present in higher-than-average levels, since radon comes out of the ground itself and could thus surround an entire subterranean dwelling and its occupants (but proper ventilation should prevent this).

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