Underground House Designs

How can natural sunlight be utilized?

There would be no need to buy any expensive night vision shades because underground life doesn’t mean living similar to a blind mole – in fact a present day subterranean house can be better lit than a traditionally designed house. Built shafts allow a lot of sunlight into the underground house. Earth-sheltered households often use glass for the majority of walls and roofing, that recreates a bright, sunny feel.

Do underground homes collect moisture and get waterlogged?

A lot of people seem to think that life in an underground home is similar to living in an all-natural cave, where you would expect conditions to be dark, dirty and damp, not ideal for any normal human. Fortunately, underground households include custom-built air flow systems to control underground air quality and moisture, and moisture build-up is never a problem below the ground.

Fire Safety?

The risk of fireplace is extremely low in any earth sheltered home, having been reinforced by concrete, the house rarely presents fire danger House insurance prices are significantly cheaper as a result.

Why choose an Underground House?

• Low energy consumption – because subsurface conditions are very dependable, subterranean households benefit from geothermal power mass and high temperature exchange. Therefore they stay cool in summer and remain warm in the winter. Typically, energy expenditures are only 20% of the average for a traditional house. That signifies benefits of several hundred pounds a year.

• Low maintenance – with hardly any outside areas, subterranean households don’t require re-painting or other forms of design repair. Mind you, in a culvert or the planet berm property, you will have to mow the roof! Underground households are able to store and generate high temperature energy over a period of time.

• Secure – with less outside wall space, the number of entry points are decreased, making subterranean households much more difficult to burgle. Subterranean households are also much more immune to thunder storms, earthquakes and even provide more protection against bombing and atomic fall-out.

• Environmental – it’s possible to reduce the environmental impact of a house by building it underground. With a grass-covered land top, damaged vegetation will return to the site after the create is accomplished.

A collection of amazing underground houses around the world

• Gary Nevilles Underground House

Far from classification as boring bunker, this view is reflected not only takes into account their environmental impact, but remains in line with the quiet meadows and expansive and the surrounding slopes. The positioning and orientation of the property has been carefully thought out, building materials are locally sourced and traditional construction methods to be used when possible. A geothermal heat pump will provide heating and photovoltaic panels and wind turbines on the site will generate renewable energy.

• Cumbria Underground House

Local architect John Bodger designed this house for Phil and Helen Reddy. It was designed so that a two-storey underground house is cut into the rock. It is built on a former quarry.

• Greek Isles Underground House

An underground house designed by Deca Architecture, this house is specially designed to withstand wind conditions in the Aegean Sea. It was cut in the ground so that only the second story is visible above the ground and is built with mostly natural materials.

• Swiss Mountain Underground House

In the Swiss village of Vals, this underground house stands apart from the rest. It was a collaboration between Netherlands architects at SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects.

•  Sedum House

Sedum House is expected to be the home of the future. It lies in the steep Sand Hill River in northern Côte Norfloak. The sun is the main point on which the house was designed. The Hood wooden cover the main rooms on the first floor. The cap keeps the heat away from the windows in summer, but in winter the house is not exposed to sunlight. At the bottom of the house is built of flint. The four rooms in the house is buried in the underground tunnel and soil cover allows natural insulation.

So you have decided to live underground and are set on owning an underground house but before you could make that goal a reality you must first determine the processes involved in undertaking your plan

• One thing to consider is the cost. Building an underground house means the materials needed for construction will be a little different from a regular house. One major expense is land, finding a suitable area is essential. Depending on the design of house you want, the location must incorporate your underground houses design. Locations that might be suitable include flat lands, hills, slopes, and mini forests. It is important that the land is not located in a flooded area it must have proper drainage to ease the construction

• Now depending on your desired location you choose a type of underground house. Conventional designs include a “Slope Home” which is a house cut directly into the side of a hill. This is a popular type because most house design can easily be incorporated into this type. Another type is the “Envelope Home” also known as “Courtyard Homes” which is a design that involves most of the house being underground only a portion of the top part is visible which would usually have an opening in the middle for sunlight to pass efficiently and provide lighting to other parts of the house. The other type  of underground house, the ”Bermed Home” starts out as a regular low profile house which is then covered in dirt to achieve the underground effect.

This is an example of a Bermed Home.

Archi0780 / Wikimedia Commons

Bermed Homes Heat insulating capabilities makes them a popular choice for hobbits.

SimonDale / Wikimedia Commons

• Decide on the materials you will use for floors, walls and roof. Steel-reinforced concrete is very effective and long-lasting. Waterproofing cements should be applied to the walls of the house to prevent water from leaking through the walls and into your underground house.

• Now find a dependable Construction company that has experience in building underground. Present them your plans of what you want to be included in your future home. Coordinate the work of your contractors so that tasks are accomplished in a way that does not impede completion of other necessary tasks.

Now when the contractors are finished you join ranks with the few elite who are proud owners of a house underground.

Why is living in a house underground gaining popularity? Is it just a fad that will eventually subside? Whether you’re one of those people who are pro for living underground or simply those who are curious about strange houses there is no denying the happiness, contentment and especially the security felt by those who have accomplished their dream of having their own house especially one that’s underground.  Underground house owners have really put to heart the phrase “Sheltered by the Earth “. You might ask “what are the reasons that drive people into owning underground houses” besides being different.

• Minimal exterior maintenance. This is especially true if your type of underground house is the kind that is built into solid and sturdy rock formations. A graphite hill perhaps or a limestone formation. Now these houses are fortified further by incorporating steel into the framework of the house. No need to maintain the houses exteriors as these types of houses are immune to the usual wear and tear a regular house is exposed to.

• Greater resistance to the natural elements. Houses underground provides little to no wind resistance as they are underground and only a small portion would be exposed to harsh winds and even if it were exposed the solid material are more than enough to withstand even the strongest winds. What about a violent storm? Easy, especially if the location is a sturdy rock formation like mentioned above. These formations have seen the going and passing of a number of storms and still stands. Also underground houses rarely catch fire.

• Environmental. The number of trees cut down yearly for the construction of regular houses is staggering more so on Asian countries that have relied on wood for shelter for centuries. Design wise, an underground house would also incorporate into the environment seamlessly. It would not be a hindrance to the natural beauty of your surroundings and provide minimal impact to the surrounding wildlife.

• Efficient use of land. Imagine a house underground with nothing but a beautiful garden on top that would be nice huh? Economical too if you happen to be vegetable gardener. Need tomatoes? Just pick it upstairs.

It really is more of a combination of these reasons that convinces people to own an underground house. Maybe for some it is simply a matter of fulfilling a childhood dream and having a bat cave like batman. No matter the reason, living in underground houses really has its edge over regular houses.

must be a unique experience to live in a house like this:

Chris 73/Wikimedia Commons

Everywhere you go today it seems as if being eco-friendly is the in thing. This applies to everything from the food we eat, the clothes we wear and so on. One area that has been relatively untouched is houses. It’s not often that we see an eco-friendly home, but they do exist and one such example would be earth sheltered homes. The concept of earth sheltered homes is simple. A part or sometimes the whole house will be located underground. In most cases it will be built on the side of the hill and the house itself will become a part of the hill, with doors and windows showing!
The next natural question will be what the advantage of building a house this way? The main reason why an earth sheltered home is built is for energy efficiency. This means, regardless of what the temperature is outdoors; inside the house the air will keep a steady temperature. In fact, even according to conservative estimates, it is possible to save as much as 60-70 percent on energy consumption. What this means for people who own earth sheltered homes is that, the thermostat almost never gets touched throughout the year, no matter what the weather is outside!
There is a misconception that earth sheltered homes are cold, damp and dark. This is simply not true. As mentioned earlier, there will be doors and windows at the front side of the house. This will be enough to bring in all the sunlight it needs. And believe it or not, the air quality in these homes is usually better compared to conventional houses. Other benefit includes less fire hazard, pipes remaining intact during winter and less insect invasion. What makes earth sheltered homes different from ordinary homes as far as construction is concerned, is that concrete will be used instead of wood. All of these items put together is what makes earth sheltered homes popular with environmentally sensitive people.

There are many people that are completely unaware of the many underground homes that exist in the world. These homes are typically built into the side of a mountain. For the most part, underground homes are nonexistent in urban places, and are only seen in the countryside. Because of this, many people know nothing about underground homes and their many advantages.

A myth about underground homes is that they are always cold all year. The truth is, underground homes are cold in the summer and fairly warm in the winter which is highly desired by many. Earth is a natural insulator that will keep your underground home’s temperature hovering around 55 degrees year round. This means less money spent on the air conditioner in the summer, and less money spent on the heater in the winter.

The interior air quality of an underground home is not poor like many people believe. The use of air exchange systems in underground homes often makes the air quality much better than the average conventional building.

Underground homes are much safer from natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornados due to their outstanding structural integrity. Fire and hail is less of a problem for underground homes than conventional buildings because of the surrounding earth.

Depending on where an underground home is built, the homeowner could possibly be saving a great deal of land. There are some owners of underground homes who are able to park their own car onto the roof of their own home.

Underground homes can definitely serve as an advantage for farmers who wish to preserve as much farmland as possible for growing crops. Because mountains and other landscapes can’t be used for growing crops anyway, building a home using these landscapes will save farmers from using precious land that can be utilized for crops.

Thieves are more likely to rob a conventional building than an underground home. Most underground homes only have a single open wall, providing fewer methods for the thief to get inside. Underground homes also have an impenetrable shell that makes it hard for thieves to get inside.

There are many conventional buildings that have to deal with insect invasions a couple of times every year. Underground homes usually never become the victims of insect invasions due to the fact that these homes are very hard to penetrate.

Most people who live in large cities could never imagine living in an underground home after living in a conventional building for so long. Although underground homes may seem like a strange way to live, these homes actually have many benefits that make living in them very worthwhile.