Underground Housing

"In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

Earth sheltered houses are cheap and easy to build. This makes them very attractive option for building resilient communities. They also require very little energy to keep warm. Because greenhouses must be kept warm, underground greenhouses make a lot of sense.

Pictures: [1], [2], Ziggurat-type

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From The $50 and Up Underground Housing Book (link is to a 115 page pdf file) by Mike Oehler of http://www.undergroundhousing.com/ -

"They have 23 distinct advantages over conventional

structures. These are:

1. NO FOUNDATION.
2. LESS BUILDING MATERIAL.
3. LESS LABOR.
4. MOST AESTHETICALLY PLEASING.
5. LESS TAX.
6. WARM IN WINTER.
7. COOL IN SUMMER.
8. BETTER VIEW.
9. BUILT-IN GREENHOUSE.
10. ECOLOGICALLY SOUND.
11. INCREASED YARD SPACE.
12. FALLOUT SHELTER.
13. CUTS ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION.
14. DEFENSIBLE.
15. CONCEALMENT.
16. CLOSER TO SOURCE OF WATER.
17. RELATIVELY FIREPROOF.
18. PIPES NEVER FREEZE.
19. SUPERIOR FLOORING.
20. CAN BE BUILT BY ANYONE.
21. WEATHERPROOF.
22. LESS MAINTENANCE.
23. SOUNDPROOF."