Earthen Shelters?.....anyone?

[C141-B LOAD]

has anyone found plans for constructiing an earthen shelter? basically digging into a hillside and building the guts of a cabin in there. just have a ton of questions about one. seeing as they offer excellent concealment, low amount of heat needed to maintain comfortable living . Help anyone?

[voodoo]

Get yourself a copy of Mike Oehler's The $50 & Up Underground House Book. It will answer any questions you may have. I got mine on Amazon. Great book. We will be constructing one large "cave" with his design, after we finish our earthbag structures.

[cwconnertx]

I definitely have an interest in underground shelters, or at least partially underground. The energy efficiency benefits alone make it very appealing. Keeps the home cool in summer, warmer in winter.

Protection from weather, etc.

I actually had a design I was considering for the side of a hill on a lot on the lake, but didn't get the lot, perhaps with the real estate market it is time to consider it again.

I think if energy prices continue upward more and more people will consider it.

[Oscar Wilde]

Wikipedia has some good info with supporting links. Search for earth shelters. Under current / developing circumstances try not to make the entrance to your shelter open directly to the outside...create an "L" shape entrance....as well as an emergency escape if at all possible.
O.W.

[Awesome]

Anyone have any experience with building something small underground? Maybe a bugout shelter? Weather shelter?

I'm curious about problems (comments/concerns) you might have come across.... I.E. a lot of flooding, cracking, etc....

What materials you might have used/which worked well/which didn;t work well

Any info would be interesting to me.

[bart]

backwoodsman magazine had two stories about underground earthen homes recently.

[Awesome]

Hi Bart,

Thanks for the info... Can you give issue (dates/details) and/or maybe a website?

[bart]

september/ october 08 has an article and jan/feb 09 has a reader's letter with details as to how they were done. no real measurements or anything but still plenty of good info. google backwoodsmanmag for info

[buddamomma47]

Earthen shelters

(Hogan).It's what I plan on doing,If I ever find that nice chunk of Land.
plan on doing a bagged earth one's and connect them together.:)

[OneBadPig]

Get yourself a copy of Mike Oehler's The $50 & Up Underground House Book. It will answer any questions you may have. I got mine on Amazon. Great book. We will be constructing one large "cave" with his design, after we finish our earthbag structures.

Thats one i want. Rob Roy refers to Oehler several times in his book "Earth Sheltered Houses".....including the story about how Oehler was "evicted" from hie first cave house by a bear.

Aside from Amazon, go to the bookstore on Mother Earth News website.