the complete book of underground houses-how to build a low-cost home

149 Pages·2003·36.49 MB·English

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF

UNDERGROUND
HOUSES

HOW TO BUILD A LOW-COST HOME

ROB ROY

(a
I |
STERLING PUBLISHING Co., INC.
New York
Acknowledgments

“Th best part about siting this book was reacts
fn old acquaintances tand making rw) 1 all
the sighth out-of step eccentriex who dare Wo de
Something euicallyswasiole, Thanks to arehitects
Malcola: Wells, Don Metz, and Les Boycr forthe
hsiful cna, aad to Ray Sterling al the Unc
round! Space Cente Susan Nelsor atthe Ameri-
fin Underground Space Associeion, and ter
(Cesperteral ve itish Farth Sheltering Assucia-

tion. Special thinks to uwnerbullders Peter ard
Eilean Allen Kor aep with tke radon commen:
tesyh Richard and Use Gums, Plaire Riely Cos
‘erent, Becky GilllLe und Reger Jantey and Lind
find Ray Hursl for sharing shelr experiences
Exra-special thanks go. :6 Goof? Huggias,
Siegfried Blam, ane Joan and Keith Ry:ander for
Sclually weiing their owa excellent case Studies

Lovinaly deslented to fab my building poriner at Log kind Cottage,
Log Ei Gave Earthivood, Mushwwood, and vino knox what in te
future. Tharss for the swemories past and ai those yes to couse. Its
beer ‘um.

Libeary of Congress Cataloging:In Publication Dats

ey be
“lompletebonk af snderzreus ous: hoy te bua Iowa ome’
by Rab Rey

ae
Inet bsugrap cal rterenoes index,
ISBN 0 9000-0723-2

‘eifast sheer ed hokes—esgn ane canstmetion
Hesigezruers 198

bao a1 dezo

Lie,

aaa

woeTesaazt

Publisnes ay Stell Publishing Compars, inc
{BP Park Averge South, Rework, NY HOE

fo ty obert L Roy

Disrbtel p canada by Steting Pus sbing

ee Cinudien Marga Group Cae Alate avenue Suite
iyvmto, Ona, Cangas MEK SE

Distnted Great Bran ane Europe by Cassel, PLC
Vers House 41/47 ecrand, London WCEN Se, Euglane
(atited = Abstr by Capcieora Link (Aus-caal yi

Po. Bex 663), Baum Hile, Buses Cenze BS 2788, Aeralia

‘Munufacenre! inthe Last Sites or Ameri:

Aah reseved

Storing ISBN Csoss-0720-2
Contents

Intredaciion
Preface Sarit
1, Past & Presents...
2, Desien 5
3, Siting & Excavation.

4. The Footing 6...

5. The Floor

6, External Walls

7, Timber Framework

Color section fullows page 64

8 Roof Deck

9, Waterproofing .

10, Insulation, Drainage & BacktLling
1, Barth Roof

12, Closing In ie
19, Retaining Walls & Landscaping
44 The Imerior

45, Pesformance

16, Case Studies fn the Novth

7, Case Studies in the
Appendix 1: Radon «
Appencix 2: Sources «
Eootsotes
Libliography

Metric Fequivalents
Ine

us.
Introduction

bby Malcolm Wells

ola Rey isa man you cea trust, and I don't
Just because he has returned toe BOCK |
{is honesty is obvious. Glance at ary page i his
hook fsa want pov He's so pen about ene few
ercors bes rude durieg his “uncergrounet” ca
reer i's simost embarrassing to ead abet them,
Bthen, as reson. (find Nis openness seassur.
ing his solutions sisyple wad ering g

Rob is one ef « growaag amber v: peuple
\wharve uit far mare anceseraane Noeises than

{yet be assumesthes ve dome far mare than Phan
Rob's not unly talked ubwut underground rel
cecrure, and weit about i hes aetually gotten
fot there und doreit~ane ug ata lot others 0
1 you have even a sight incerest in building a
fete: uncbtnisive kind of nore real on Toby
‘sil ake all ne nyscery out uf He ever let his
‘hens tell f then saventures wil his cess

va reer Rowse
hhoua i fai Stuciures

His atest
Preface

‘Over she past 20 years, my career nas consisted 6
tb line, vzritng ane teaehing about two Feber
tine: balling sles: cordvinod “sony con
srachen aiid uncer ground Ihgusi. Cox cw
fasonry, where:a walls are constructed of shor
logs ic trenseersy Hee a stark a fied)
bbeeay’oriely touched vor in ths veluane Fle
fever ma ef the buildes featured ine «ase
Ssucies seetion ei inenrparate candaxnert mae
Sonny eco tier hones, Tove interested nom
Infosmaticn en co-twooe masonry ekauke refer
te tne Complete Bock of Conasoed Mason.
Housel ag, The Earchvvurnd Methon! Stern,
Publishing Co Inc, 12h Tha: buok alo eves
the-uugh step-by-step nccourr ofthe corse cor
for ous cw round como masonry ent
Sheltered home. Karthwood,

Undercrourd talso known es “eartn-shol
leroy ire jet tthe hte 1270
ane eat “Xl, these vas a national nin -crsze
bot vaderareune housine, probably in
Spande ta heighence awareness of energy con
Se-vaton, Several new books om Une subject ue
bine publisnea each yeor

‘Some ofthe best of these beaks were precaced
by tie Undergrouad Space Ce:ter atte Univer
sly of Minneso:a, The Center i stilin existence,
but has de-emphasized hoaschuiling probably
in response tim mised iors interest.
altension hes recerdy beer focusee on e-her ses
fer undereround space storage, Ineusira) and
ommertialusrane Lanne!iag. Inarecent corse
Sutlon wth ay Scaling, USCS director who alse
cova.chored many of tae Centers books, Tearned
that bnerest on earth shotering is presing up
agai

“Maleolm Wells, architect, writer ane sisionsry
le fhe underqraurd-ho-sin mexemert, con
tins his work in Brewster, hus, Wells ts ioe
al since Tea!

Myewn Unaecgrvund Eouse: How 'o Ries
Low Cost Home Sterling Publishing Co.

1879) sold over 200.000 copies in oes printings
Dat has been ot: of pra fer several years. Tas
oresert volume eentains uch material fom tat
work, news grvally revised! and updated

Uncesgraund hcusing isa bron! §
broader then cordiwacd rascary,
Te found it mesessary to speciale within the

2 eld, and acces sets sad techn ques
“haat make underrated housing Both cose
find afrtable to tae awimer hale wh nas
wom abe state llvery, The methods aecened ere
4re: the slab foundation, suriace-donded block
wall pest area and plank-ane Rear fram

ty, id Ue seie-swaling rellet-0ut walerprootg
“nembrane These are the methide that "ny fe
Jak}, and | have use successfully at Leg Ered
Cave, Earthwood. an several earth- caver ont
pauline.

‘Tais on uses Log Fd Cave as a model anit
hes he reader the-wugh Ue step by sep enn
uction ef asingle-storey recliner r-cost
eeqroundd horse. Where inprawemen's 9 te de
Se are suggested. atiertion Ie ealled 16 the
40, < 49 Leg Ld Cave plans on gage 15, The
case-sud es section expands on the basic taeme

newbs by inducing Houses of uthe" shapes,
shows examples ron the" Deep Seth he
US %o Ontario, Carsda,

‘The reacer he intends n hui his own house,
should design it himself fer bersell too Thisis one
tony two Wess to get the house you wnt, The
her wi sa hoe food aritect

eres mo danger of my puting contractors or
sreh-eets out 0” business y advising tat folks
esign ane ull thelt awn names, While the
tell ods und diiensians éescribed in this book
have worked well for us, Hts importar: ‘0 have
e's plans checkes hy a competens architec oF
Sruced exginesr. Ater al, cenvlivans of sol
imate and materials vary from site: site, But
having plans checkee or critiqued is much ess
‘expensive thun Funding ar architect a bank shes
6 COMPLETE ROOK OF UNDERGROUND HOUSES

and saving, "Design a bouse that wil be right for
‘ne Sometimes ts ossile ra have arrestee
Caleulathing checked hy a enlage' structural

aqinceing class as a stacy project.

"AS for construction, even the most resourceful
rer bviners may fe. tat Where une belli
trodes shat are simaty beyond thes conficeace oF
ably: Even ere. chug, rs possible t0 save
money by seing as ones enun comtracta” sendieg
tsors wt tesups oul fo subcontractors fo idan,

and getting eiscounts at
\ards Som readesmay sibonnrecral-nostallat
te work, ne sti! ceri sunzansil savingsover
cont-actor-oui heme.

“Finally our esn Eectnwood Building) Schoo!
has since: {990 sete ks w enringhense oe infor
‘mation about earth-shetered nowsing and cord
‘Wood masonry

Pb Rey
Wiest Cneay: NA
1

Past &

Uncersprand having, even iow cnet urder-
SOME nosing, 5 neing nee Afr all what
fc it cost the ist caveman te walle inte nis new
Shelter? He certainly didart nave a th-rs-jeat
mo-tgage

‘though taeres some very pasb housine en
verted fram true ears in the Lave Vale
Fraice riocern earth shelters nave hit in
son with exes,

‘Man bas lived ndengrotnd st may es a
places vaginal Fissory In Cappadocia, Tekey
people have been living in uaderground tenn
fd lies forthe, sss 0” sears. Pas sels
Some ol whi! sen end eight stories below around,
Jrebesn o:tof soft stone. These settlements ane
resoorse ta hostile surface ervisonment, ane=ne
rieroet mate of he anler:rwune ages emis
<onstan and comfortable, despite Revsh varia.
tons of heat and cole on the ¢ro:inds surface,

Fok architeccare bus alwagys made inteligens
iw of aailable materia, Whoa these consist of
fomore tan te sat strate sels ony aural
that vndengroune eve ngs eee bv Chit is
‘ype of develop ment has persisted for WAH years.
in arth Sheltered iteusing Desir, 9 kar

Inaeua mc agente recery rae

tame "oo! porting «thi yer of seal
Sha vegelation. In ater certriea cave dwelling Be
ate widely edopted practice in he cra egpons of

ter central Chin, ne dee Wass #2 be
‘id esate andi eit poring excavate
Ingo Marcelo. soled several tres ho eed
in excavarce bumiem Toe terial advantages of te
ists temperature maceration ina enna
nate wt cold winters and ask es ger
tris he lity to provide shelter wh ones p ek ane
rowel nev leo he eonstatin of aliens Use

Present

cave dyelhings shou to the pees day If many
Iocatifarmin conlinvesion the surface above the
tle grace neues. paresis 2Ormlion people
Ieim eave seelings in China tay

‘on tenerife. in the Canary Isiards, cave
ddweling is founé in the eariculural uplands
‘When I visite this ore, | ought these homes te
be ast uncavelike. I was as t Fouses had been
set into the hilsice with only one wall left ex
[Posed Tere were ever: curiam the windows
‘Ts huss wurer’ arigily 11 (as is possible to
rane ther today with the aevent of te insulated
Soft) aur they were cheery ane wal 9 doubt
bie mth the sane nundreds of years srom now
How mary genieratons 07 lle troglodytes re
turned io "ner eocl hemes afer a wt day on ae
terraces?

‘Why woule anyone want fo build underground
inthe modern wore? Raleolm Wels says:

_Eoury gue fool of ths pares surface—tad and
Sea femippesed <9 be rebusily ale. I: sup-
Jove 16 Be snopping-contered, parking ioted. ae
Dili, concreted, conceal, notsed, mowed. pol
ted, polzonee rao, or tans was subg i
restate jisresentanilar spores can nee

vury Rouse which we an design and bud nas

pact of some tine on the olanet, sill ney
we The type of home withthe pkerial for the
Teast negative impact is le underg-eund rome,
"#5 the only indo! housing tnt allows a pete to
semettq approximating "he e-iginal landscape

2vgrect cxsmpee oF this Rous.ng is @ beautiful
sonve iy Yorkshire calied “Underhill” It was de
sened and bailt by Arthur Quormby, architect,
a COMPLETE BOOK OF UNDERGROUND HOUSES

ane plastics engineer Having ten &9 Bra for
seven wears, | knew that one of the orimary cox
fren af the county and egional ean basis
‘was to lain the “sal amenity” of 9 villages
and counirysde. A much better fea o- retain
ites Fas teen dan inthe ik thar mis been done
Incas US Quarmby's hse, th, tie was he
fon “lly earts-sheltered tome 1 Erland ta
han have beer ual lace “9A, Ie Be
feu 6 reystunce oy the paaners! Tas i very
{AF icult 0 anwlerstard, A "Unce hil the same
Sheop which ta been e-aring the Quarmby at on
the sege athe vil se wore abc to evame Inet
fon: nue thei grazino alter the Same was ba
‘shed. From eae malt rove, he som is hardly
se Thar saalarneni.y. ote misao agri
ultural ane environmental weary ls. 1-1.

Inkl ant cae lived fo an old ne camtae on
the outskirts of Dingwal in Scolar. We vere in
the middle 0° a 600-aere sheep-ane-<atbe fra on
tie south-facing slope of a larg hill Over tke
years, the Win of Dingwall gracually mais is
Shay finards ta farm where we Lived one el al
8 time “aling to tract housing. The ta. (elnost

fama) eases thet wen bit warns erode 10
{i Uaezerein the duvelopient toe feet be
thatthe view’ fromany house wes te gable ends
tens howses facing Fadia dewelogmen: ft
‘esis Geen approved caste, the ves” fiom
teach home woul eve been 0° the eressy roo" of
the home facing it, Iain an unstruced view
crys the Cromarty Firth. he swap coc
returned

‘Architerea, an international arcatcectural
(group seca in var fr s-lited Dowsing, ac
{uals bait severa’ cocapleses in Frage sd Spain
thoronldkave been peer 9 oiace ofthe i pas
ing boxes hat sere alt near Bing

plese ne curved glass Pont walls W'trounlts
fort residents enjoy « tew of the sure andng
landscape. These seuch-tacine alas walle prowiee
naturel (ound iow ard pessiesolar ge rd help
teumis2 per maura egrstc wih he hide
Eveause of the Cio tel ew
sale porruting shay unico"

se i

Im Avehitetras Nice project she dersity wats
sib0ur 40 houses per acre similar it density to the
ayremetiones abave-g-vand araject in Seet
land, Areaiterra tree so fac ch sim. 2° projects
ne Loitee States nthe 1903s, ut their eres eas
swe cafe
‘Many reacts whee followed for bed (0 Tol
los the underground movement snes the eas
‘aay of he late HEP ay etn wha as ha
pened in tae past ter 0" fiteer. years. Malcom
Valls as satee. is stl active, even aner thee
Ucar i the cnexcrient Rey Steslig al John
(Carmody aullirsol Baril Sheltersu usin De
Son still iwors st the Und=reround Space Center
at the Unisersiy ae Minresta, aihwrigh thelr
fork aa6 more te €o how with unde: round
Serco “tr uses olver than Reusing, Architect Don
Metz, wae designed and surervied ‘he eersirc
Como son of Lie mgs: be-tful varth-saelered
ames Ive seen, is sill active, as is Les Bower
raleesor oF Archltecure at Texas A&M Univer
sily. Andy Does, a0 publicized his “Davis Caves”
se viellir she 18706 stl going strona, The Brash
eet Shalini Asscclatign a procehiy rape r=
Yo promoting residential uses of underground
rousing than any comparable erganizatien in
‘Amse'2a, altho. only @ banal of earl shelters
sve aetuay been built Brita
The bad news: Ie magazine Larth Sewer
{pest wns. cosualty ofthe 1360s, along with Archi
fora and several vik vonsteuction aad Ges
Sompanies which tied o sake a living Jb spe
Paving in carth-sheltered nonsien
The qi news Theres sense of etimism
aniorg the off gear. ths: underground is of the
Seay buck -plecest es picked ap in Malee-™a Wes
books. ane, after a pesied of slow going. at the
cider Suave Cente= ay wall clorest is
inereasiva agian al Larshwood Ukcing e300),
shone ve eenductee urederg-o'und housing
fwotsshops coin oud sacs 1959,
What causee the Dust which followed the
boom? Why = interest retiring
bly 1th 7470k Followed anew awareness
hat ereray sources weren't inethe ustible. The
public wok a faney <9 the “ney” idea ef wader
{rou hesses, Articles ia agueines sch as
New Shelter ard The Metter Larth News pret
‘rated’ Pueryene seemed tone publishing a book
PAST & PRESENT 9

omundereroune housing ®ve qo: darenseseiter-
fetvelurnes a ry seference

The eave se pubce pe-eepton that tae en
sis his as ithe oes or a hoon a Toa it
he Fst pace neithe skew rnd oUt Lo ae Le
Pros cont eaigar speed 10 upward melts
nix cnbridlec écoaorite optimise the ih
got icter ne poe gut pew The dle lass ¢
only creating Ua Lae same oll realites ue
Sil wits, to wit We sll waste Inordinate
nenounisof ences he late! Staes her ee

saved with ether ineusirial nations with a sila
Standard of living, We soatnue to encroach fur
Ther ane ur un she very exelexpeal sem
that supsort fe on tis panel een water and
‘seta, frets psu

For ihe first tinae inv a deeace, yourd peop
seem tn be wxaicerned aezin with the cai
treat sith quality of fe inseas of standsrd ef
fivind, Uindereraunesnausing isvery me tune
setth as hacking

Mas. 1-1. Arthur Quarmby’s “Cader home, ip Holme Yorkshire, UK. malitains the visuat
amenity othe village ancl couneeyde