# Underground Home



## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

O.K one thing that really gets me is ......I want a underground home.I'm a 64 year old single female working but with very little savings.So I am the "prepper" of the family anyway.I bought 3 acres out in the country and wanted an underground home..Ha FAT CHANCE...The cost is unreal.When I talked to all the guys online or at the expo's they look at me with a straight face and say "oh it's only 280,000.00 dollars" like I could afford that even if I win the lottery.What ever happen to something like the old fashion Jim Walter homes.Or something at least "reasonable"?????Here I am tryin to get prepared for whatever and I feel like most of these people are jumping on the prepper bandwagon to catch the few of us that do have money(well that sure ain't me) so here I live in a trailer(mobilehome)and hope to have a "container" for shelter(underground)until the day comes someone points me in a direction that I can afford. If anyone out there has a suggestion,hey I'm willing to listen


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## DKRinAK (Nov 21, 2011)

gabbyj310 said:


> O.K one thing that really gets me is ......I want a underground home.I'm a 64 year old single female working but with very little savings.So I am the "prepper" of the family anyway.I bought 3 acres out in the country and wanted an underground home..Ha FAT CHANCE...The cost is unreal.When I talked to all the guys online or at the expo's they look at me with a straight face and say "oh it's only 280,000.00 dollars" like I could afford that even if I win the lottery.What ever happen to something like the old fashion Jim Walter homes.Or something at least "reasonable"?????Here I am tryin to get prepared for whatever and I feel like most of these people are jumping on the prepper bandwagon to catch the few of us that do have money(well that sure ain't me) so here I live in a trailer(mobilehome)and hope to have a "container" for shelter(underground)until the day comes someone points me in a direction that I can afford. If anyone out there has a suggestion,hey I'm willing to listen


ANY new construction is going to be _at least_ $50/sq ft. In some areas of the country, it's closer to $200/sq ft.

You can try your hand at rammed earth, straw bale or even Grancrete.

Good luck.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

If you have a hillside on the home you can have a foundation poured for a basement in the home and just make the basement the house. with one side in the open and a roof that is very near ground level.

We had a neighbor that had a home like that and it was very cool in the summer and easy to repair the roof on.... LOL

The home would look something like this from the back and sides.....










Be sure to waterproof the walls well and a french drain around the base of the walls outside is also a good idea.


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

Is this in Ky or Florida?
You're talking to the wrong builders. The ones that set up at expos are always high priced.
I suggest that you drive around and see NORMAL (not super big, or really nice) houses that are being built and stop in and talk to some of the builders. 
Even better, is if you see a house being built that has a basement entrance. You can ask the builder approx how much the basement cost to dig and pour.
I build, but I'm in south east Indiana. So I cant help you, but if you are in the northern KY area, prices around there should be pretty comparable to prices in this area. Let me know if that's your area.

My sister has an earth shelter house that is basically a basement that is covered by dirt on 3 sides, the south side is windows and entry door, and the roof looks similar to the picture CNSPER posted. She has electric baseboard heat, no A/C, and a wood burner in the living room that uses about $120 of wood a year to heat. Floors are concrete with tile on them, which the windows let sun in during the day to heat the tile and radiate heat through the night.

Sorry, long winded reply...


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

There is an underground house just outside of Prestonsburg Ky. Open on east only, barn out back with garden on top. It's been there 30 years I'd say.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I would also suggest coming up with an approximate square fottage estimate for someone you talk to. The $280,000 estimate might have been for a 5,000 or 6,000 sq ft 5 bedroom, 5 bath home. Tell them you are looking for a 24' by 30' basement and ask for an estimate or ballpark on that.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

A house with a basement, with three walls of dirt/soil & one side not soil is called a walkout basement, here. There is a thick 3/4 or 1 inch tar paper liner that should be in stalled around the out side of your basement/home after the walls are sealed with an larger then spec french drain. This is worth it weight in gold in the long run. The house next to mine had to have that liner installed after the house was 3 years, it's $$costly$$$,too.
My house is a walk out basement 30 feet from his & I did not need the add on & I have been here 22 years. I do not know why his is different, but the next house will have this liner installed went It is built.
Some of the premaculture people do these house for $5.00 a foot, these house have stood for 30 years, but you may have a code problem. So check into it in the county,state you want to build.


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

Consider a conventional house, with basement, and a safe room in the basement.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Geek999 said:


> Consider a conventional house, with basement, and a safe room in the basement.


How do you get out of the safe room if the conventional house collapses into the basement?


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

DKRinAK said:


> ANY new construction is going to be _at least_ $50/sq ft...Good luck.


Hmm.... I built my 12x28 cabin, pier-and-beam (basements do cost more) fully insulated and sheet-rocked, three-tab asphalt shingles, and all windows and doors for $8 a square foot.



cnsper said:


> If you have a hillside on the home you can have a foundation poured for a basement in the home and just make the basement the house. with one side in the open and a roof that is very near ground level.
> .


That was my first thought as well.



TheLazyL said:


> How do you get out of the safe room if the conventional house collapses into the basement?


Old-fashioned cellar door:
http://www.jctonnotti.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/waylandfinal_web.jpg


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

LincTex said:


> ...Old-fashioned cellar door:
> http://www.jctonnotti.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/waylandfinal_web.jpg


So the basement safe room door would swing into the room. That might enable a person to dig thru the debris to get to the "Old-fashioned cellar door" that swings out if there is no debris on that door?


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

A long stroke hydraulic jack from a Cherry Picker is $50 and could push the outside doors open. 

Then there's always shape charges....


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

I'm not a big fan of hyd jacks for situations like these. Most don't work unless they're vertical. If you need to push sideways, you're screwed.


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## Norse (Jan 30, 2010)

TheLazyL said:


> How do you get out of the safe room if the conventional house collapses into the basement?


You build it with a door that opens inward, and keep a chainsaw and a sledge hammer in the room.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

zoomzoom, where do you get your hydraulic jacks, bottle jacks,port-a-power.
I have used 1 ton to 100 ton in all angles with no problem.
The only problem I have ever had was:1) jack to small for load/ under tonage for the job.
2) oil leaked out, no power. 3) bad seals so oil leaked out, not power.
The 100 ton is mounted on a arbor press & has been upside down for 30 year that I know of it, worked as good earlier today as it did 30 years ago.

Linctex a shape charge for home use, what do you hunt with!??!?
I know things are bigger in Texas, but do you use a L.A.W. to bring down black tail deer?:scratch
Got an ideal, build the house correct to with stand most of the things that cause the house to fall inward. After 22 years & very loud rap my house is still standing.
But just to be safe run 48"dia. drain line to your outdoor root cellar or barn like 007, no boat or plane, just the drain line, with a shape charge to stop anyone from following you.:teehee:


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

TheLazyL said:


> How do you get out of the safe room if the conventional house collapses into the basement?


I am just wondering if this happens very often? Maybe in a tornado situation?


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Basement homes*

When I was a kid, there were a few basement homes in the area. People lived in them for years and eventually built traditional homes on top. I know that there are basement homes in existence still as I have seen them and have heard about them. I know of them in a few states. Basically you have a basement with a roof.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7035824983/

Check out this community in southern Utah. Bob Foster was a polygamist as a member of some break off branch of the Mormons. I have met one of his daughters and two of his grand daughters. They are not Mormons and do not live this life style at all. Actually, they are somewhat traumatized by it. However, this "cave" situation is well developed with several families living there. Some of the caves go all the way through on the narrow end, while many do not on the thicker part. One guy told me that it is so quiet and dark you lost track of time in the back of the caves.


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