All about Earthsheltered homes and buildings

Earthsheltered homes have very low energy costs. Earth-sheltered construction is growing in popularity as homeowners want to reduce fuel usage. This form of green building design can be combined with straw bale walls or cob walls.

Oftentimes an earthshelter house is built and then soil is banked against it on one or 2 sides; other times it is built partly or completely underground. Green construction is becoming the norm rather than the exception in homebuilding.
Finding a green design contractor is becoming easier these days. Your average homebuilder has to become conversant with green construction techniques in order to remain competitive in today's market.

Earth-sheltered house plans often use passive solar energy to store heat for the house. An earthshelter house can have amazing energy efficiency. Among the many pluses of earthsheltered homes is that you get some natural soundproofing, and of course there are fewer exterior surfaces to maintain.

Earthsheltered homes offer many advantages for the homeowner. Like the dugout homes of the American prairie, earth-sheltered homes provide insulation against the harshest extremes in climate. Soil piled around and or atop the home acts as a barrier to winds, precipitation, and temperature variances. Concrete might also be used in the construction to further increase the amount of insulation. By achieving a more stable environment inside the home, heating and cooling costs are lowered. In many instances, homeowners have lowered their energy costs by up to 80%. In addition to heating savings, homeowners could be saving their lives. The construction of an earth-sheltered home provides maximum protection against various natural disasters: hurricanes, tornadoes, fire, hail, and earthquakes.

Modern innovations to earthsheltered house building provide homes to break through many misconceptions. While a buried home might seem dank and dark, many builders offer domed ceilings to increase available light and space and ventilation systems to prevent mold and mildew. The dome also helps to circulate air throughout the home. Proper ventilation and lighting, coupled with the concrete building material ensure that the home will minimize mold to a greater degree than traditionally built homes - a boon to those with allergies. These factors help to create a home which is more comfortable and easier to maintain than any other construction design. There are no barriers for building an earth-sheltered home with the exception of having a construction site with undisturbed soil and not filled land. Depending upon the landscape around the proposed site, any of three different basic forms for an earthsheltered home could be built. Those wishing to build at ground level might construct a berm home. For a house below street level and to include a courtyard, an atrium style home could be built. Nearby hills provide a convenient construction site to build an elevational design with soil on three sides of the home. Homeowners should keep in mind that the more soil around their earth-sheltered home, the more energy efficient it will be. The decision to build an earthsheltered home will result in a cool, comfortable home which could easily pay for itself from the energy saving costs.

Links to Nature, Conservation, and Alt Energy Sites
Here are some good resources for news about green living, green technology, and sustainable energy options.

Introduction to Structural Insulated Panels and Green Homes
Structural Insulated Panel or SIP is the new buzz-word in building construction industry as 21st century “green” building material. SIPs can be used in the construction of exterior walls, floors and roofs of residential and commercial buildings offering advantages of low cost and energy conservation over traditional wooden frame construction. SIP addresses two major concerns while building “green” home - energy efficiency and diminishing natural resources.

Earthsheltered homes and bermed building plans. Among green building technologies, earthsheltered construction has advanced to the point where a bermed home no longer has to lack for sunlight and a feeling of openness.