I've always been interested in primitive and/or ancient underground shelters. I've seen Anasazi pit houses and kivas in the desert, reproductions of Eskimo and Athabaskan below-grade shelters, and I've read about colonial-era bank houses. Supposedly they're warmer in winter and cooler in summer. My wife and I recently bought 52 acres of remote land, and I'd like to build one there. But first I decided to test the concept right in our yard, where the construction will be easier and more convenient. So I started digging. After three days with a pick and shovel, this is what I'd done:
A curious neighbor wandered over to see what I was up to, felt sorry when he saw the blisters on my tender pink hands, and came back with a little backhoe:
There's still a tremendous amount of dirt to be moved in order to make the sides square and the floor level, but I'll end up with a 10'x12' hole at least four feet deep. The soil is very sandy and gravelly, so I don't think drainage will be a problem. I plan to build the sides up of four-inch-thick pressure-treated lumber locked together with lap joints. The roof will be two-inch-thick planking covered in plastic cement and then a sheet of black poly with sod planted on top. There'll be a vent at each peak, and a door with a window at the downhill, southern side.
A curious neighbor wandered over to see what I was up to, felt sorry when he saw the blisters on my tender pink hands, and came back with a little backhoe:
There's still a tremendous amount of dirt to be moved in order to make the sides square and the floor level, but I'll end up with a 10'x12' hole at least four feet deep. The soil is very sandy and gravelly, so I don't think drainage will be a problem. I plan to build the sides up of four-inch-thick pressure-treated lumber locked together with lap joints. The roof will be two-inch-thick planking covered in plastic cement and then a sheet of black poly with sod planted on top. There'll be a vent at each peak, and a door with a window at the downhill, southern side.
