The Official Underground House Thread.

[Michael Fisher]

We have many Gandhis this time around.  With God's help, we'll succeed in a fraction of the time!

[KBCraig]

If anyone makes an underground home/complex, keep some room for me and I'll join you there in a few years.  It needs to be near the Darmouth area and a state prison and/or local jail. This will aid in my ultimate plan for liberty that will commence at that time.

The Dartmouth area isn't really near to any state prisons. The closest would be the Lakes Region Facility in Laconia.

There are four state prisons in NH:

http://www.nh.gov/nhdoc/facilities/index.html

Kevin

[Recumbent ReCycler]

You could even use a precast septic tank to make an underground room. http://www.scituatecompanies.com/result.cfm?PID=43

[dann]

we'll be moving to new hampshire next spring and will be building an underground [ug] house.   we're now looking into the companies involved.  came across one that we liked but have never heard anything about their 'track record'.  we're wondering if any of you have any info, pos or neg, on this company..?  or if you know of anyone who does.  the company name is Terra-Dome [www.terra-dome.com].   thanks!

[John Edward Mercier]

They're site has them out Missouri...
You might want to check into the currently existing UG homes in NH... maybe they have someone closer.

[J’raxis 270145]

Cool, I didn't even know about this thread. This is what I'm planning to do when I buy land.

Welcome, dann.

[dalebert]

You could even use a precast septic tank to make an underground room. http://www.scituatecompanies.com/result.cfm?PID=43

I wonder if you can get a used one cheaper. Oh wait... nevermind.

[Puke]

You could even use a precast septic tank to make an underground room. http://www.scituatecompanies.com/result.cfm?PID=43

I wonder if you can get a used one cheaper. Oh wait... nevermind.

There are preformed storm cellars.
http://www.americanstormshelters.com/dropin.asp

[Russell Kanning]

we'll be moving to new hampshire next spring and will be building an underground [ug] house.   we're now looking into the companies involved.  came across one that we liked but have never heard anything about their 'track record'.  we're wondering if any of you have any info, pos or neg, on this company..?  or if you know of anyone who does.  the company name is Terra-Dome [www.terra-dome.com].   thanks!

What are you buying from Terra-Dome?
Some of us would be happy to build you a underground house of whatever sort.

[Russell Kanning]

also ... uber that you guys are moving soon dann

[Russell Kanning]

passive annual heat storage:
http://www.earthshelters.com/

and one step further:
http://greenershelter.org/index.php?pg=2

[John Edward Mercier]

The second method with earth tubes seems more cost effective.

[MaineShark]

we'll be moving to new hampshire next spring and will be building an underground [ug] house.   we're now looking into the companies involved.  came across one that we liked but have never heard anything about their 'track record'.  we're wondering if any of you have any info, pos or neg, on this company..?  or if you know of anyone who does.  the company name is Terra-Dome [www.terra-dome.com].

We can build an underground house, here, using insulated concrete forms.  We could even manage the fancy domed roof, I suppose, but unless you are planning on a deep burial, that's not as big a deal as they make it out to be.

passive annual heat storage:
http://www.earthshelters.com/

and one step further:
http://greenershelter.org/index.php?pg=2

Just FYI, they're selling snake oil.  You can't store summer heat for winter use by using a bit of dirt.  Even with the fanciest technology we have available, we cannot do that in a practical way (using mediums that are much more efficient than dirt).  These houses work on the same principle as any underground house: once you go below the frost line, the temperature is very stable.  An properly-designed and insulated underground house will out-perform one of those things, easily.

Why they want to claim that they are storing summer heat, instead of just talking up the thermal stability of the ground, is beyond me.

Joe

[John Edward Mercier]

Because the PAHS system works to remove summer heat... but really doesn't work in reverse.

The first time I became aware of the earth tubes was a super-insulated house built with the tubes feeding the ERV. It helped in the winter by supplying tempered air to the ERV intake rather than the much colder ambient.

[MaineShark]

Because the PAHS system works to remove summer heat... but really doesn't work in reverse.

That's not PAHS - you aren't storing heat - you're just removing it from the house and letting it dissipate.  Nothing wrong with that, but when the companies start selling it as "storage," that's dishonest.

The first time I became aware of the earth tubes was a super-insulated house built with the tubes feeding the ERV. It helped in the winter by supplying tempered air to the ERV intake rather than the much colder ambient.

Yup.  Works pretty well, although HRV's and ERV's should be used carefully - don't want to use the wrong one for the wrong application, or you can end up living in a steamroom...

Joe