Earth-Sheltered Houses: How to Build an Affordable Underground Home

by Rob Roy

Overview

The only how-to manual on the subject directed to mainstream owner-builders

An earth-sheltered, earth-roofed home has the least impact upon the land of all housing styles, leaving almost zero footprint on the planet.

Earth-Sheltered Houses is a practical guide for those who want to build their own underground home at moderate cost. It describes the benefits of sheltering a home with earth, including the added comfort and energy efficiency from the moderating influence of the earth on the home's temperature-keeping it warm in the winter and cool in the summer-low maintenance, and the protection against fire, sound, earthquake and storm afforded by the earth. Extra benefits from adding an earth or other living roof option include greater longevity of the roof substrate, fine aesthetics, and environmental harmony.

The book covers all of the various construction techniques involved including details on planning, excavation, footings, floor, walls, framing, roofing, waterproofing, insulation and drainage. Specific methods appropriate for the inexperienced owner-builder are a particular focus and include:

• pouring one's own footings and/or floor
• the use of dry-stacked (surface-bonded) concrete block walls
• post-and-beam framing
• plank-and-beam roofing, and
• drainage methods and self-adhesive waterproofing membranes.

The time-tested, easy-to-learn construction techniques described in Earth-Sheltered Houses will enable readers to embark upon their own building projects with confidence, backed up by a comprehensive resources section that lists all the latest products such as waterproofing membranes, types of rigid insulation and drainage products that will protect the building against water damage and heat loss.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780865715219
Publisher:	New Society Publishers
Publication date:	04/03/2006
Series:	Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series , #4
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	16 Years

About the Author

Rob Roy is a former contractor with twelve previous books to his credit, including Cordwood Building and Timber Framing for the Rest of Us . An expert on underground building, he founded the Earthwood Building School in 1981 with his wife, Jaki, and is frequently a speaker at events throughout North America.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

Chapter 1 – Earth-Sheltered Design Principles
Earth as Thermal Mass
The Importance of Insulation
Insulation in the North
Insulation in the South
The Earth Roof Factor
How Much Does it Weigh?
Simplicity of Design
Types of Earth-Sheltered Designs
Egress and Fenestration Code Considerations
The Original Log End Cave Plan
The 40 × 40' Log End Cave Plan
The Earthwood Plan
Using "Marginal" Land
Design Around Bargains
Plans and Models

Chapter 2 – Siting and Excavation
Flat Site Excavation Calculations
Log End Cave: "A Gentle, South-Facing Slope"
Log End Cave: Laying out the Excavation
Earthwood: Site Work

Chapter 3 – Foundations
Log End Cave: Laying Out the Footings
Log End Cave: Insulating the Footings
Resisting Lateral Load on the Wall
The Frost Wall
Earthwood: The Floating Slab
The "Monolithic" Floating Slab
Earthwood: Laying out and Digging the Footings Tracks
Log End Cave: Forming the Footings
Reinforcing Bar (Rebar)
Earthwood: A Round Footing

Chapter 4 – The Floor
A Wooden Floor
The Concrete Floor
Earthwood: Insulation
In-Floor Radiant Heating
Under-Floor Plumbing
Under-Floor Electrical
Under-Stove Vents
Log End Cave: The Fence
The Floor Pour: A Final Checklist
Log End Cave: Pouring the Floor
Earthwood: Preparation for the Floor
Earthwood: Forming and Pouring the Buttresses
Earthwood: Pouring the Floor

Chapter 5 – External Walls
Conventionally Mortared Concrete Blocks
Stone Masonry
Cordwood Masonry
Poured Concrete
Pressure-Treated Wood Foundations
Rammed-Earth Tire Walls
Mike Oehler's "PSP" Method
Surface-Bonded Blocks
Log End Cave: The Walls
Log End Cave: Finishing the Top of the Block Wall
Simultaneous Events at Earthwood

Chapter 6 – Timber Framing
About Posts and Planks
Design Considerations for Rafters
Bending and Shear
Sources of Timbers
Timber Framing for Earth-Sheltered Housing
Log End Cave: Timber Framing
Installing Posts on Concrete
Log End Cave: Plank-and-Beam Roofing
Log End Cave: Installing the Planking
Earthwood: Timber Framing
Earthwood: The Floor Joists
Earthwood: Decking
Earthwood: Upstairs Post-and-Beam Frame
Earthwood: Rafters

Chapter 7 – Waterproofing, Insulation & Drainage
Waterproofing Options
In Search of the Perfect Membrane...
Waterproofing Vertical Walls
Waterproofing Roofs: The Drip Edge
Earthwood: Waterproofing the Roof
Sidewall Insulation
Roofing Insulation
Earthwood: Insulating the Roof
Drainage
Footing Drains
Draining the Sidewalls
Drainage Mats (Composites)
Roof Drainage

Chapter 8 – The Living Roof
Stoneview Roof: A Step-by-Step Photo Essay
The Earth Roof
Retaining Earth at the Edge with Timbers
Retaining Earth with Sods
Log End Cave: The Earth Roof
Earthwood: The Earth Roof
Other Living Roofs
What to Grow on the Roof...
Planting a Lighter-Weight Earth Roof
Maintenance of Living Roofs
Living Roofs on a Commercial Scale
Chris Dancey: Our Living Roof in Ontario

Chapter 9 – Finishing the Exterior
Bracing before Backfilling
Retaining Walls
Log End Cave: Backfilling and Retaining Walls
Other Choices for Retaining Walls
Coating Exposed Rigid Foam
Log End Cave: Landscaping
Earthwood: Landscaping

Chapter 10 – Interior Considerations
Nothing Special
Filling the Space between Rafters
Log End Cave: Heat Sink
Earthwood: Masonry Stove
Floor Covering Options
Earthwood: The Upstairs Floor
Earthwood: Kitchen Cabinets
Closing Comments

Chapter 11 – Performance
Part One: Log End Cave
Energy Nosebleed – One
Energy Nosebleed – Two
Livability
Heating and Cooling
Economy of Construction
Part Two: Earthwood
Cost at Earthwood
On Big Projects

Chapter 12 – Our Earth-Sheltered Home – A Case Study by Mark Powers

Appendix A: Radon
Appendix B: Resources
Appendix C: Stress Load Calculations
Appendix D: Metric Conversion Tables

Annotated Bibliography
Index
About the Author

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"If there were a Pulitzer prize for building books, Rob Roy would surely have won it by now. His books are always a pleasure to read — witty, entertaining, and informative. This latest volume provides crucial and hard-to-find details about a sticky subject — how to design, build, and waterproof the parts of a house that are in direct contact with the earth. For lack of some of the information in this book, one of my first living roofs has sprung multiple recurring leaks. I'm about to tear it off and replace it the right way — using Earth-Sheltered Houses as my guide."
— Michael G. Smith, co-editor of The Art of Natural Building and co-author of The Hand-Sculpted House

"Rob Roy is the guru the of the earth sheltered home movement. Earth-Sheltered Houses is based on years of practical experience building and living in earth sheltered homes. The diagrams, photos, and charts make it a must have resource for anyone considering building with this medium. And better yet, the humor and wisdom of the writing make it a fun read."
— Tehri Parker, Executive Director, Midwest Renewable Energy Association

"If it's "conventional" advice you are seeking — on home design, construction, or financing — Rob Roy is not your man. But if you are receptive to new solutions, Rob Roy is a fountain of new ideas. He is one of the truly original thinkers of our time."
— Stephen Morris, founder of The Public Press and publisher, Green Living Journal

"Finally, a detailed yet user-friendly book on earth sheltered houses. As always, cordwood-masonry master Rob Roy offers a hands-on, accessible read on the advantages (comfort and savings from thermal mass, living roofs, affordability and dependability) and challenges (insulation and waterproofing) of one of man's earliest and simplest forms of housing."
— Andre Fauteux, publisher/editor, La Maison du 21e siecle magazine

"At last a comprehensive, authoritative book on earth-sheltered home building. This valuable book contains a wealth of accurate and clearly presented information on one of the most important ways to build environmentally friendly, energy-efficient homes."
— Dan Chiras, author of The Solar House ; The Natural House ; The New Ecological Home ; and The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy