anyone ever consider an underground house?

we are thinking of nixing the log house and building an underground house. from what i read about them the energy savings are as much as 90% over above ground houses.

anyone ever think about an underground house?
seems the building costs are less than 1/3 of traditional building.

underground homes

wondering what other folks think about this kind of set up. i'd like to go totally green and not have to run powerlines through the farm.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I could not. I am too claustrophobic. I like tons of natural light and open space.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I couldn't.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I don't really understand - from the description it sounds like the whole house is underground, but in the pics it looks like aregular house.

If it is all underground, I don't think you could do that on LI. Depending on where you are you could be too close to the water table.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I think they are usually partially underground, so you get some light--this explains it a little more.

HGTV article

I've scene them on TV, I'm not sure I could build one thoguh--I 'd have to be positive I could live in it for a longtime. There is a B&B like that opening up in IL according to that first site. If it were me, I think I'd have to try it out first.

Message edited 2/16/2007 3:51:59 PM.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I've been in a house like this in Port Jeff Station. It's pretty cool. The owner is a dressmaker, but I can't remember her name. I think one side is not underground, so there is natural light.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I remember a house in Deer Park like that....it was 1/2 undergound & 1/2 above ground

I could never live in a house like that...I need light!!

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

It's an interesting concept, but I think I would miss the natural light in some of the rooms. It would probably be great for energy use, since it would probably stay at a more moderate temperature.

My biggest concerns would be with drainage and waterproofing, but if the structure is designed properly, it should be OK. I would also worry about being able to exit from only one side of the house if there were a fire.

Message edited 2/16/2007 4:36:44 PM.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

no we haven't, but we have considered a dome home as a 'starter' house on our acreage(when we get it
)

There is one is baiting hollow that was on the national solar energy home tour we went on. It HUGE inside, & its totally powered by green energy. He has geothermal a/c & heating, radiant heating powered by solar panels, well water powered by a wind turbine. He is operating a ten thousand sq ft home 100% OFF GRID!
And they are economical the build, they get more pricey as you add esthetic features.
The chances of us buying land with a livable home on it is slim so rather than live in a manufactured home until we build we are thinking about a dome, then in the future it can be a guest house, workshop, studio, whatever.

http://www.domehomes.com/


http://www.naturalspacesdomes.com/

Log cabins are BEAUTIFUL, but not the most energy efficient.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I couldn't live in one either. I think I would be very depressed because no natural light would be coming in.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I could never live in one.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

There is a similar type house in Miller Place too- on Miller Place road, but I do not think it is by these builders.

The OP is building a house in upstate NY, I believe.

I don't think I could live like this, I need windows in every room, light, etc.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I couldn't do it. I lived in a basement apartment once, and there was definitely some light coming in, but it was still dim overall. I always felt like I was in some cave. My plants didn't do well at all either, and I love plants. It was also cold in winter (though cooler in summer too, which is a plus).

Do these underground homes have flooding issues? I would also look into that. The basement apt. bathroom flooded everytime there was a really heavy rain, which ultimately drove me out of it. When I moved into my new, fourth floor apartment, the difference was amazing to me.

I know I'm talking about a different kind of home, but I think the problems could be the same. To each their own, but I would never consider this.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

not for me. I like windows with a view

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I like the concept but for me I need light and windows.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

Posted by KellyFG

no we haven't, but we have considered a dome home as a 'starter' house on our acreage(when we get it
)

There is one is baiting hollow that was on the national solar energy home tour we went on. It HUGE inside, & its totally powered by green energy. He has geothermal a/c & heating, radiant heating powered by solar panels, well water powered by a wind turbine. He is operating a ten thousand sq ft home 100% OFF GRID!
And they are economical the build, they get more pricey as you add esthetic features.
The chances of us buying land with a livable home on it is slim so rather than live in a manufactured home until we build we are thinking about a dome, then in the future it can be a guest house, workshop, studio, whatever.

http://www.domehomes.com/


http://www.naturalspacesdomes.com/

Log cabins are BEAUTIFUL, but not the most energy efficient.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

Posted by oakslady

Posted by KellyFG

no we haven't, but we have considered a dome home as a 'starter' house on our acreage(when we get it
)

There is one is baiting hollow that was on the national solar energy home tour we went on. It HUGE inside, & its totally powered by green energy. He has geothermal a/c & heating, radiant heating powered by solar panels, well water powered by a wind turbine. He is operating a ten thousand sq ft home 100% OFF GRID!
And they are economical the build, they get more pricey as you add esthetic features.
The chances of us buying land with a livable home on it is slim so rather than live in a manufactured home until we build we are thinking about a dome, then in the future it can be a guest house, workshop, studio, whatever.

http://www.domehomes.com/


http://www.naturalspacesdomes.com/

Log cabins are BEAUTIFUL, but not the most energy efficient.

thank you so much for the links - i am going to go through the websites now.

yes i am building upstate in a town called hamilton. the underground houses are underground on 3 sides and built into a hill - there is a hill on the property we would use.

a dome as a starter might be a good idea. we want to get up there faster than waiting for the log house to be built. thank you so much for the websites.

thanks ladies for all the ideas and opinions. personally for me light isnt a big deal. loooking for something more cozy. i have claustrophobia too but it is more about the height of the ceilings and the closeness fo the walls than not having light at least for me anyway.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

I agree with the watertable issue, but if you were allowed and able to, you could have plenty of skylights and/or sunlight tunnels, so you could actually wind up with more light in an underground house than an above-ground house.

Re: anyone ever consider an underground house?

i remember the cute houses from Lord of the Rings. The ones that the hobbits lived in. i loved them and wondered about them. then i found pics. so cute!

the 2nd pic is from the LOTR set they built in New Zealand.

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