With Climate Volatility/Tornados- We Should Begin Building Underground Houses. It Saves Energy

[KittyWampus]

and saves lives. Besides Underground Housing, there is also the concept of Earth Sheltering.

From Wiki:

Underground Living-

Besides obvious novelty, underground living offers additional benefits when compared to living in traditional buildings, such as a nearly constant comfortable temperature without the need for additional insulation, quiet, resistance to hurricanes, tornadoes and most weapon systems and the unobtrusiveness of such buildings on the landscape. One of the greatest advantages is energy efficiency.<1> The stable subsurface temperature of the Earth saves around 80% in energy costs. If married to solar design, the energy bill can be completely eliminated. Additionally, the noise insulation of the surrounding earth makes underground homes exceptionally quiet, and with a smaller surface area, fewer building materials are used. However underground living can be easily affected by flooding and sometimes special pumping equipment is necessary.



Earth Sheltering-

Earth sheltering is the architectural practice of using earth against building walls for external thermal mass, to reduce heat loss, and to easily maintain a steady indoor air temperature. Earth sheltering is popular in modern times among advocates of passive solar and sustainable architecture, but has been around for nearly as long as humans have been constructing their own shelter

[AndyTiedye]

1. Seasonal Affective Disorder Would be a Problem

Perhaps just put the bedrooms underground,
but keep the living space above ground,
and use passive-solar to reduce the energy use further
(and be able to grow some food that might not grow outdoors).

[KittyWampus]

3. Imagine how much extra land would be available for parks, recreation fields, vegetable gardens.

But yes, I'd imagine living like this would require some windows somehow... so our biological clock could keep time.

[AndyTiedye]

26. Vegetable Gardens and Edible Landscaping can Replace Lawns. Roof Gardens are Also an Option

Lawns are a social obligation. Most people really wouldn't miss them,
especially if the garden that replaces it produces yummy vegetables.
Kids need space to play, but that can be edible landscaping instead of grass.

Roof gardens will likely become more popular as well.
These are an option even in the densest urban settings,
and they can significantly increase the cultivatable space in the suburbs.
All that dirt on the roof would provide quite a bit of insulation, and
capture waste heat from the house, possibly extending the growing season.

[KittyWampus]

30. Roof gardens in urban areas would cut pollution and add some O2. Great idea.

As for lawns, I'm firmly against them. When I was a landscaper I would reduce some lawns by making some ground cover beds.

[kentauros]

20. Sunpipes to the rescue!

...

:D

I could use one in my ancient, flat-roofed and windowless apartment kitchen. It's as dark as a cave all day long, situated at the back of the living room. And I don't live in a part of the country where I'd normally have to worry about SAD, yet I would love a sunpipe.

There are fiber-optic types, too, mainly for use in office buildings, but they can add some ambient light to normally dark areas.

[KittyWampus]

21. I'd never heard of them, but they make sense.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Not everywhere....

weren't the control panels at Fukushima in the basement, which contributed to the problem?

People in flood plains and tsunami/hurricane prone areas should take heed.

[Ian David]

6. I like the idea of having a house boat floating on a "basement" full of water.

If a hurricane or a tornado comes, you let the water out of the basement, and "sink" your house down into the ground for shelter.

[Ian David]

4. Radon

Radon

<snip>

Accumulation in houses
Typical log-normal radon distribution in dwellings.

The phenomenon of heightened radon contamination in homes was discovered by chance in 1985 after the stringent radiation testing conducted at a nuclear power plant entrance revealed that Stanley Watras, an engineer entering the plant, was contaminated by radioactive substances.<60> Typical domestic exposures are of approximately 100 Bq/m3 indoors. Depending on how houses are built and ventilated, radon may accumulate in basements and dwellings. Radon concentrations in the same location may differ by a factor of two over a period of 1 hour. Also, the concentration in one room of a building may be significantly different than the concentration in an adjoining room.<1>

The distribution of radon concentrations tends to be asymmetrical around the average, the larger concentrations have a disproportionately greater weight. Indoor radon concentration is usually assumed to follow a lognormal distribution on a given territory.<61> Thus, the geometric mean is generally used for estimating the "average" radon concentration in an area.<62> The mean concentration ranges from less than 10 Bq/m3 to over 100 Bq/m3 in some European countries.<63> Typical geometric standard deviations found in studies range between 2 and 3, meaning (given the 68-95-99.7 rule) that the radon concentration is expected to be more than a hundred times the mean concentration for 2 to 3% of the cases.

The highest average radon concentrations in the United States are found in Iowa and in the Appalachian Mountain areas in southeastern Pennsylvania.<64> Some of the highest readings ever have been recorded in the Irish town of Mallow, County Cork, prompting local fears regarding lung cancer. Iowa has the highest average radon concentrations in the United States due to significant glaciation that ground the granitic rocks from the Canadian Shield and deposited it as soils making up the rich Iowa farmland.<65> Many cities within the state, such as Iowa City, have passed requirements for radon-resistant construction in new homes. In a few locations, uranium tailings have been used for landfills and were subsequently built on, resulting in possible increased exposure to radon.<1>

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon#Accumulation_in_houses

[KittyWampus]

5. Sealing and Venting can be done. Solar magazines etc probably suggest ways to deal with radon.

[Ian David]

7. Radon is mitigated by removal and replacement of contaminated soil...

... and by extra ventilation.

But I don't know if either is sufficient for a dedicated living space.

[XemaSab]

8. Here's a terrific video about living underground:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-0epNp-xS0

[cyberpj]

9. Earthships! We rented one in Taos for a bit but they're being built in mnay other places too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ozX_nt5A4o

http://www.earthship.net/

These have been featured on The Weather Channel's Cantore Stories recently but I've seen 'em on Discovery and CNN before too.

[KittyWampus]

10. Is that Jim Cantore? LOL!

The joke was, you never want him to show up in your neighborhood (it means a bad storm is coming) :D

But thanks for the link to earthship. The opening graphic is gorgeous:

[cyberpj]

13. Yep. I've seen signs saying "Cantore Go Home!" many times in towns readying for bad storms! He

said he doesn't mind; that he understands how people might attribute bad luck to his appearances.

[jwirr]

11. My parents built their home back into a hill in the late 40s before we

knew how it should be done. Yes we did save money on heating, etc. and we were very safe from tornadoes. They would come down tornado alley right above our home but they could never touch down because the hill was in the way. My cousins had a cave they had built for a shelter and a root cellar. Underground is good but not possible in all places. I think OK is kind of flat?

[AndyTiedye]

33. in a Hillside Could be the Best of Both Worlds

The energy savings of being (mostly) underground, but you also get windows and possibly a fabulous view.

[jwirr]

35. Yes, the front had a big window and all other walls had smaller windows

right at the top of the walls for air circulation and light. Because it was built so long ago it has always had moisture problems but my mother used fans and my brother, who now lives there uses a dehumidifier. It was so cool in the summer that our family and neighbors tended to congregate there in the evenings.

[MadHound]

12. Not for everywhere, not for everyone

Certain areas it is impossible to dig down to the depth you need without hitting water. Other places the bedrock is far too close to the surface to make carving out a house sized hole practicable(unless you are damned the expense).

You also have to have a very knowledgeable builder. You can't just throw these things up. They have to be very carefully dug, poured and reinforced, otherwise you're going to have lots of leaks, cracks and deterioration. It is this fact that make building a quality earth contact house fairly expensive.

But if you have the money, and live in the right place, an earth contact can be the perfect solution for your housing needs.

[csziggy]

18. Florida is one place it's almost impossible to have a basement

Or underground house. Many parts the water tables is very close to the ground surface. There is also the problem of trying to put an underground structure in sand or in the red clay we have here in North Florida.

[MadHound]

22. Yeah, Florida, down around New Orleans,

Some other coastal and/or riverfront land.

On the other hand, you get up into the mountains, even in such small mountains as the Ozarks, and you will hit bedrock within just a few feet. From there on out it is dynamite and jackhammer work.

[TheKentuckian]

14. A hobbit hole is my dream. I'll even run some solar tubes to bring the sun below.

[OneGrassRoot]

29. Me, too!

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

[TheKentuckian]

32. Awesome link, thanks!

[cyberpj]

15. And for the rich there's always a condo in one of these Underground Silo/Apocalypse Bunkers:

http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/17712/how-luxurious-will-your-apocalypse-bunker-be/

[KittyWampus]

17. You're good at finding interesting info. You should start a DU Journal!

And about that silo apartment, this had me laughing-

8) This: The overall design finishings are “Ultra Modern” except the general store which is “Country”.

[cyberpj]

28. Time! Time! My Kingdom for some time!! LOL

Actually, we saw those on a Jesse Ventura Conspiracy Theory show about 2012 preparations (really, ANY Earth-threatening event) and what may or may not be being built under the new Denver, CO airport.

In addition to proposing that the government is preparing massive underground sites, tunnels and stockpiles for such a catastrophe he interviewd the guys that were building these Underground Silo Condos to sell to the wealthy.

[Logical]

16. Basements are much easier! We all have them in Kansas. But soil type matters. n-t

[FLPanhandle]

19. Alas, won't work in Florida

I dig down 4 feet and I hit water.

[elocs]

23. There are areas of the country who cannot even have basements due to water issues.

If I had the money and the wherewithal I would find a nice bluff in the countryside here in Wisconsin with a southern exposure and build a house into the side of it utilizing solar for heat and power as well as geothermal for heating and cooling. I would have some wind turbines and be as self sufficient as possible. A nice hobbit hole would be pleasant.

[Shagbark Hickory]

24. Now this makes sense. Recommend.

I come from florida and even there where there's a high water table and very sandy soil, I've seen it done.

Of course people will have to part with a lot of their shit and their ideas of what success looks like.

[Strelnikov_]

25. Always thought the Mandans had the right idea

Earth sheltered. Especially in cold/windy climates. Problem is, does not fit with the pressboard and 2x4 5000 sq. ft. McMansion paradigm.

[SoCalDem]

27. My husband and I were talking about the tornadoes last night &

I was reminded of how the pioneers built soddies into hillsides on the plains because they could not find many trees, and they had to have immediate shelter. Ironically, those were the perfect houses to be in if they settled in tornado alley..


http://www.beatricene.com/homestead/world.html
Prairie Palaces of Nebraska Marble Family in front of Soddie
Homesteaders in the eastern prairie could burrow into hillsides before wooden cabins were built. Newcomers to the flat, treeless grasslands farther west found a durable building material beneath their feet. Buffalo grass was short and tough with a dense tangle of roots; it held its shape when cut. Using a special plow, one could shave enough sod from half an acre of prairie for a 16 by 20-foot house. The sod strips were cut about a foot wide and 4 inches deep, then sliced crosswise into 3-foot slabs. Slabs were laid grass-side-down in double courses and secured with four corner poles. Frames reserved openings for doors and windows. A sturdy ridgepole was laid across forked upright posts. Branches formed rafters on which more sod was laid - grass side up.

Certain advantages kept owners in their homes of "Nebraska Marble" long after lumber was available for housing. Soddies were inexpensive, quick to build, well insulated, tornado-proof and did not burn. On the other hand, they needed constant repair, especially after rainstorms when the roofs dropped dirt, water and sometimes snakes. No wonder pioneer Carrie Lassel Detrick's mother "gave way to the only fit of weeping I ever remember seeing her indulge in," when she first arrived in Kansas and saw the sod house her husband had built. Soddies remained a marvel to easterners. As Mark Twain noted in Roughing It, "It was the first time we had ever seen a man's front yard on top of his house."

[Marrah_G]

31. We are looking for land in northern VT to build a few of them :)

And cob round and cob earth sheltered houses. Very energy efficient. Mix it with solar, passive solar, springs and permaculture and you have a pretty sustainable way of living.

[Jack Sprat]

34. I'm for it. n.t

[Marr]

36. Here are some neat ones:

http://www.boutique-homes.com/dispatches/nice-digs/

I love the idea of subterranean homes. You free up tons of green space, and get instant insulation. If I were a billionaire, I swear to god I'd build a housing block of subterranean structures.

[WatsonT]

37. A bit difficult when the water table starts about a foot down

I think it's a good idea in some places but not a universal solution.

Better built houses would be more practical. They would be more expensive but would be safer and use less power. Also smaller ones.