Building Underground

The design and construction handbook for earth-sheltered houses.

The Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book is the first to promote the benefits of both passive solar energy and earth sheltering in greenhouse design. This combination results in greenhouses which need no additional heating. The captured sun's energy and that which is stored in the earth is enough for successful year round harvest. It takes you step by step through the construction of an inexpensive greenhouse which may be built with either newly purchased or salvaged building materials for pennies on the dollar. It explains the author's unique Post/Shoring/Polyethylene construction methods and design techniques. The Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book has 230 pages with nearly 200 illustrations, photos, diagrams, lists, charts and drawings. It contains all the information you need to free you from the pesticide, herbicide, fungicide, waxed, and E-coli laden, genetically modified and irradiated supermarket produce.

Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

Offers exposition of the classification of underground space, important considerations such as geological and engineering and underground planning. This title includes chapters concerning applications for underground water storage, underground car parks, underground metros and road tunnels and underground storage of crude oil, lpg and natural gas.

High energy costs have spurred the search for new and better ways to increase energy efficiency in family dwellings throughout America. One exciting solution is to reduce energy needs by building underground. Underground Homes offers the layman a complete and thoughtful approach to planning, building, and inhabiting an earth-sheltered home. Author Louis Wampler takes the reader step-by-step through a potential maze of construction problems. He uses simple language and numerous diagrams and illustrations to answer the questions people ask most often about underground homes. The book offers information and guidance on such key factors as Planning interior and exterior design Choosing the proper site Insulating for maximum energy savings Waterproofing the structure Deciding what roof will work best on the home Selecting appropriate heating and cooling systems Underground Homes also addresses specific problems associated with subterranean homes�determining the local water table, reinforcing concretewith steel, using skylights and windows�and discusses the common psychological barriers to living underground, while presenting solutions and insights into all of these problems. Living in a house surrounded by soil, the author contends, achieves two important energy-related objectives: it moderates extreme temperature fluctuations of outside air, and it reduces temperature loss or gain. The higher energy bills rise, the more appealing energy-efficient underground dwellings are sure to become.