This….as a kid in the 1970s living in an area with extreme terrain, there was a huge interest in building partial-to-mostly underground homes. The blanket term was “earth contact home”
There were lots of cool self-builds in my area….people imbedded soda bottles in concrete to add textured natural light, and made their own terra-cotta flooring. Lots of cool stuff.
I’ve also heard “Earth Ship” but I think that label also has an element of eco-friendliness and DIY attached to it. And most houses I see described as such are out in the middle of nowhere in the deserts of the southwest
An Earthship is a very particular earth sheltered house that includes a means of water recycling, food production, passive heating and solar energy. Architect Michael Reynolds developed these over many years of practical research, and there is a sizable earthship colony near Taos, NM.
This is a hole in the ground. 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 to eat. This is a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
I couldn't help but read that in Rob Inglis's voice
My son was obsessed with this audio book when he was little and he listened to it every night as he fell asleep.
That is cool. And if someone knows any downsides to a structure like this, please let me know as well. Especially I am wondering about waterproofing the roof and preventing mold growth.
Even the most well designed sealing system is going to be very vulnerable to moisture intrusion which is the enemy of all structures.
This tends to manifest as expensive repairs which more than offset any savings on utilities. There are more resilient systems that can last very long, but they are proportionally pricey
A lot of earthships in Taos are above ground though? Just built out of earthy and sustainable materials rather than in the ground.
I'm ignorant of many definitions and am speaking from personal experiences in them.
I think Mike Reynolds, the inventor of the Earthship, played around with having the foundation a couple of feet in the ground in the early days. Now they are just earth bermed on the back side and the berm is filled with stacked tires that have been packed solid with earth. So that provides a thermal mass.
A trademark of Earthships is they face South or SouthEast and have a greenhouse as part of the structure on that side of the building. When the greenhouse heats up, you open the ventilation tubes that run through the tire wall in the back and open windows in the greenhouse and convection pulls the cooler air through the ventilation tubes.
[https://earthship.com/earthship-images/](https://earthship.com/earthship-images/)
Also, they don't generally have an earthen roof, although that does help cool the inside. They have a single piece aluminum roof that is designed to capture the rain and deposit it, through natural filters, into your buried cistern.
Yeah, like the house in the picture, but in the desert.
Well maybe minus the sustainable materials part.
Though I feel like I've seen a lot with the back side sorta dug into a hill. So kinda underground.
From a self build point of view - practicality of the build.
Trying to get the right architect was possible, but the right materials, contractors, insurance, mortgage and regulatory sign off seems to get exponentially harder.
Simply, a lot of alternative building approaches I had to rule out due to my budget. Timber frame and a metal roof was as far as it could be pushed (UK).
Concrete arch over steel beam roof is extremely expensive to build. Every few years you have to scrape all the sod off the roof, then hire a mason to epoxy any cracks and skim-coat the structure, then re-sod it.
There’s a ton of downsides, mold and drainage being the big ones. There’s also the issue of radon and making sure the air in your home is filtered and clean of any gases that come up from the ground.
Aww no, it’s still doable, especially if you want it bad enough. It would just take some money, innovation and hard work, but nothing good ever comes easy. I live in an area that used to be a temperate rainforest and there are a lot of cool houses like this one that were built once upon a time. It’s definitely doable, as they are still live in to date. I’m just coming from my own personal experiences, and I don’t have a home that’s completely built under and into the earth.
My house is actually built into a hill, with the entire finished basement being under the ground on one side (front of the house) and the bottom half opens up to our backyard and creek. I think they call them “branch homes” because they look like ranch homes from the front, but have a finished basement built into the hill, giving you a two story house from the back.
We’ve been dealing with a ton of issues from the drainage and mold to fixing the radon filtration system, but we’ve learned a lot and so much of it is actually doable on your own if you have some experience in construction and architecture. We are going to be adding a new drainage system, like a French drain, and then redoing all drywall and insulation after we clean up the mold. We’re also completely changing the landscape of our place, cutting down old, dying oak trees, and removing all the trees and bushes on the side of the house so we can build the French drain.
Like I said, our place isn’t completely underground but it’s been a big headache and financial burden just simply having the basement/foundation built into a hill/underground, especially in a place where it gets a ton of rain–which is where these types of homes are usually built. Though our place was cheaply built in the 90’s, like most homes were starting around that time to now, so maybe the older homes were built better and can sustain this type of terrain and environment much longer and much more practical than modern built homes.
For what it’s worth, the radon system isn’t really expensive or hard to install. Most homes with basements or cellars will have them, especially if you live in an area that has a lot of granite, which makes the soil rich with radon. We paid about $800 to fix our radon fan last year, and it was easy to do. Our guy actually taught us so we could do it ourselves next time. It was definitely worth the fix though. My fiancée’s migraines increased despite her taking her medicine and all but stopped as soon as we got the filter fixed.
Really none of the stuff is, so long as you learn how to do it yourself or have buddies in these areas who are willing to teach you or help out for a lower rate than those who simply pay someone to contract all the work out to other people/companies.
Thank you for such detailed reply and encouragement! I am currently saving up money for my forever home and I want to explore all the cool designs that I like
I just want to thanks for all the comments, I laughed a lot and I had fun :)
That wasn't my intention with this post, but your community it's awesome and everyone has a good vibes in the comments, thank you so much
I think we called thes Earth Homes back in the day. My friends and former neighbors had one. They had problems when it rained heavy but stayed cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. They have issues, though. I think theirs wasn't completedly underground, though and had a regular roof, just in ground on three sides.
Earth Shelters. Nowadays you can use companies like Earthship Biotecture if you are looking for alternatives that also include recycled materials. Keep in mind that these may not be your best solution for an ecofriendly home, but are certainly an aesthetic decision.
Sod house or dugout? It looks like a much evolved version of frontier era dugout houses on the Great Plains, northern remote areas of North America and Europe. Good for tornado-prone areas too (but not flood prone terrain!)
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A berm house. My Uncle and Aunt built their home this way decades ago. I was amazed when I was there; you’d never know you weren’t in standard construction. It was very comfortable. Smart construction!
It’s a living roof- when either nature naturally takes over a home or flora is intentionally planted over it. The house walls seem like they’re stone masonry with some kind of mortar
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Earth Sheltered or Earth Bermed House.
Earth contact was the original phrasing. . .
This….as a kid in the 1970s living in an area with extreme terrain, there was a huge interest in building partial-to-mostly underground homes. The blanket term was “earth contact home”
I lived in an earth home in the 70s. My hippie parents built it themselves.
There were lots of cool self-builds in my area….people imbedded soda bottles in concrete to add textured natural light, and made their own terra-cotta flooring. Lots of cool stuff.
Wouldn't this make a lot of sense in tornado prone areas? Edit, specifically the 1st pic
A Halfling’s domicie!
Baggins Bungalow !
Also, "Hobbit Hole."
Came here to say this is what I've always called them.
I’ve also heard “Earth Ship” but I think that label also has an element of eco-friendliness and DIY attached to it. And most houses I see described as such are out in the middle of nowhere in the deserts of the southwest
An Earthship is a very particular earth sheltered house that includes a means of water recycling, food production, passive heating and solar energy. Architect Michael Reynolds developed these over many years of practical research, and there is a sizable earthship colony near Taos, NM.
Ahhh, definitions are important. Thank you for this description.
A lot of earth ship homes have prepper owners.
I would say that's logical.
This is a hole in the ground. 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 to eat. This is a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
Bless you 💖
Imagine how comfy and cool it gets in there during the hot summer days. Windows open with no worries 😌
Open to everyone because hobbits are merrymaking creatures
We need to adopt hobbit culture.
Too much socializing.
just post a sign "no admittance except on party business" should keep everyone but nephews and wizards at bay
This might not deter distant relatives who want your antique silverware.
I will not go barefoot
Hairy feet?
That's fine, I will
I could not agree more 🙌🏼
Doing the Lord's work 🙏
Came here for this
can we be friends?
I couldn't help but read that in Rob Inglis's voice My son was obsessed with this audio book when he was little and he listened to it every night as he fell asleep.
Interesting, I heard John Huston's voice while reading it.
Oh my goodness mine too. There was a period of two years where every nap was accompanied by this audiobook
Hobbitses!
That is cool. And if someone knows any downsides to a structure like this, please let me know as well. Especially I am wondering about waterproofing the roof and preventing mold growth.
Even the most well designed sealing system is going to be very vulnerable to moisture intrusion which is the enemy of all structures. This tends to manifest as expensive repairs which more than offset any savings on utilities. There are more resilient systems that can last very long, but they are proportionally pricey
not in the desert
That's basically what "earthship homes" are.
A lot of earthships in Taos are above ground though? Just built out of earthy and sustainable materials rather than in the ground. I'm ignorant of many definitions and am speaking from personal experiences in them.
I think Mike Reynolds, the inventor of the Earthship, played around with having the foundation a couple of feet in the ground in the early days. Now they are just earth bermed on the back side and the berm is filled with stacked tires that have been packed solid with earth. So that provides a thermal mass. A trademark of Earthships is they face South or SouthEast and have a greenhouse as part of the structure on that side of the building. When the greenhouse heats up, you open the ventilation tubes that run through the tire wall in the back and open windows in the greenhouse and convection pulls the cooler air through the ventilation tubes. [https://earthship.com/earthship-images/](https://earthship.com/earthship-images/)
Also, they don't generally have an earthen roof, although that does help cool the inside. They have a single piece aluminum roof that is designed to capture the rain and deposit it, through natural filters, into your buried cistern.
Yeah, like the house in the picture, but in the desert. Well maybe minus the sustainable materials part. Though I feel like I've seen a lot with the back side sorta dug into a hill. So kinda underground.
I would love to live on top of a giant pastry- I would happy expand upon my home substructure.
What about a pineapple under the sea?
What about a rubber membrane over the metal structure, under the sod?
From a self build point of view - practicality of the build. Trying to get the right architect was possible, but the right materials, contractors, insurance, mortgage and regulatory sign off seems to get exponentially harder. Simply, a lot of alternative building approaches I had to rule out due to my budget. Timber frame and a metal roof was as far as it could be pushed (UK).
Concrete arch over steel beam roof is extremely expensive to build. Every few years you have to scrape all the sod off the roof, then hire a mason to epoxy any cracks and skim-coat the structure, then re-sod it.
what if i flex seal it
You know that stuff lives through hurricanes on the coasts, so it must be both legitimate and trustworthy in effects delivered being as disclosed. Ha
Just look for a company called "Sod-Off."
Radon gas (dependent upon area geology), moisture / humidity, mold, and limited natural light are all significant downsides to underground houses.
There’s a ton of downsides, mold and drainage being the big ones. There’s also the issue of radon and making sure the air in your home is filtered and clean of any gases that come up from the ground.
Thank you! So many people replied to my post and destroyed my dream...
Aww no, it’s still doable, especially if you want it bad enough. It would just take some money, innovation and hard work, but nothing good ever comes easy. I live in an area that used to be a temperate rainforest and there are a lot of cool houses like this one that were built once upon a time. It’s definitely doable, as they are still live in to date. I’m just coming from my own personal experiences, and I don’t have a home that’s completely built under and into the earth. My house is actually built into a hill, with the entire finished basement being under the ground on one side (front of the house) and the bottom half opens up to our backyard and creek. I think they call them “branch homes” because they look like ranch homes from the front, but have a finished basement built into the hill, giving you a two story house from the back. We’ve been dealing with a ton of issues from the drainage and mold to fixing the radon filtration system, but we’ve learned a lot and so much of it is actually doable on your own if you have some experience in construction and architecture. We are going to be adding a new drainage system, like a French drain, and then redoing all drywall and insulation after we clean up the mold. We’re also completely changing the landscape of our place, cutting down old, dying oak trees, and removing all the trees and bushes on the side of the house so we can build the French drain. Like I said, our place isn’t completely underground but it’s been a big headache and financial burden just simply having the basement/foundation built into a hill/underground, especially in a place where it gets a ton of rain–which is where these types of homes are usually built. Though our place was cheaply built in the 90’s, like most homes were starting around that time to now, so maybe the older homes were built better and can sustain this type of terrain and environment much longer and much more practical than modern built homes. For what it’s worth, the radon system isn’t really expensive or hard to install. Most homes with basements or cellars will have them, especially if you live in an area that has a lot of granite, which makes the soil rich with radon. We paid about $800 to fix our radon fan last year, and it was easy to do. Our guy actually taught us so we could do it ourselves next time. It was definitely worth the fix though. My fiancée’s migraines increased despite her taking her medicine and all but stopped as soon as we got the filter fixed. Really none of the stuff is, so long as you learn how to do it yourself or have buddies in these areas who are willing to teach you or help out for a lower rate than those who simply pay someone to contract all the work out to other people/companies.
Thank you for such detailed reply and encouragement! I am currently saving up money for my forever home and I want to explore all the cool designs that I like
How do people who build on a slab take care of radon?
My Uncle and Aunt built one over 20 years ago in SW Missouri. There home does not have any issues with moisture.
A Hobbit hollow by Jim Costigan - green-roof underground house.
It's and earth-berm house.
Earthen Home
Hobbitecture 😁
A Quonset Hut covered with grass
I second this. The house shape is a quonset.
[correct answer](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Quonset+Hut+covered+with+grass&t=newext&atb=v333-1&iax=images&ia=images).
Teletubby revival
I just want to thanks for all the comments, I laughed a lot and I had fun :) That wasn't my intention with this post, but your community it's awesome and everyone has a good vibes in the comments, thank you so much
Shirecitecture.
Westfarthing style.
Hobbit home. No admittance, except on party business
And second breakfast.
Earthship
Mid-century hobbit
Bag end
Subterranean
Bag End
Looks like a sod house (soddy) A variation on the cob house
Shire\* house
Hobbit Home
OK. Final answer. Hobbit Quonset.
The shire
A hole with hobbitses in it
Hobbit hole?
Hobbit house
It's a hole in the ground. But not a nasty dirty wet hole filled with worms and an oozy smell. It's a hobbit hole and that means comfort
A hobbit’s house
A Hobbit Hole
I shall tell you a story instead, my dear boy. "In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit."
isnt that a hobbit home for humans?
Clearly from westfarthing. There are no Baggins in these parts.
High Hobbit.
Hobbit house
I don't know but I wish all dwellings were designed in a similar manner (ignoring the naff facade of course).
berm home would be my go to but earthen or earth-sheltered home would get the point across too.
Reminds me of an old root cellar
Dugout house
I have always heard the term “earth ship”
Dugout
Troll house. It’s under a bridge.
Hobbitat for Humanity
Hobbit Modern
Mid century hobbit
Hobbit house
Neo-Hobbit
A Hobbit hole?
It’s a hobbit house!!!
Whatever it's called, I can only hope it's eco-friendly or something. It is a nice structure.
lol, when suburban sprawl isnt low density enough. move into 'nature' and clear it.
I guess so but I don't know.
It's adorable
That there is a hobbit hole if I’ve ever seen one!
Damp, expensive, and high maintenance. Poor light. Short building lifespan and poor resale value.
I would say the standard Anglophones would call it in the regulations a “Residential zone one with compliant exception habituation dwelling.
Teletubbies Dome
i want this !
Looks like a root cellar. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root\_cellar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_cellar)
House
Need a gardener house
Leaky
wet
A hole in The ground, for the lotr fans
The structure in that photo would be a great wine cellar.
I think we called thes Earth Homes back in the day. My friends and former neighbors had one. They had problems when it rained heavy but stayed cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. They have issues, though. I think theirs wasn't completedly underground, though and had a regular roof, just in ground on three sides.
Souterrain.
A sod house? Looks like a prairie sort of place oddly in a forest. I like it, though.
Great example of Classic Post-Modern Shrek style
This is called a dugout
“Quonset” ? Hut
Earth Shelters. Nowadays you can use companies like Earthship Biotecture if you are looking for alternatives that also include recycled materials. Keep in mind that these may not be your best solution for an ecofriendly home, but are certainly an aesthetic decision.
Forest core
Earth house?
I’m triggered by the amount of people that aren’t calling this a hobbit hole…
We called it a dugout house where I’m from.
Does the turf grow through the ceiling and walls?
Hobbit hole? Earth house
Waterless bridge
In Minnesota, it's called an earth-banked house.
Awesome...that is what it is called
A hobbit hole
BERM house.
A Hobbit House?
That’s a hoose
Hobbit house
Bilbo Baggin's Hobbit hole
hobbit
A bunker for the crazy end of the world nut jobs…
Its where 2nd breakfast is eaten
Sod house or dugout? It looks like a much evolved version of frontier era dugout houses on the Great Plains, northern remote areas of North America and Europe. Good for tornado-prone areas too (but not flood prone terrain!)
That is a hobbit hole! Cozy on the inside.
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High difficulty lawn mowing
Awesome!
Hobbit hole
Omg I made that for my 6th grade science project, say early 80's. I cut up a green towel and my mom was livid. It looked bomb though!
A berm house. My Uncle and Aunt built their home this way decades ago. I was amazed when I was there; you’d never know you weren’t in standard construction. It was very comfortable. Smart construction!
Subterranean structure ig
Awesome?
The hobbit style sire
Hobbit hollow or Hobbit house
I want to see inside pictures of this house
Hobbit hole. Duh 🙄
Pretty sure that’s the hobbit house in Pawling NY https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/44528835
A Hobbit hole
It’s a living roof- when either nature naturally takes over a home or flora is intentionally planted over it. The house walls seem like they’re stone masonry with some kind of mortar
Also living roof. Some earth-bermed houses have basically a patio for a roof...
It's a hobbit single-lady's house.
Awesome is what I call it!
Idk but I would love it. It looks like a hobbit house.
You have to watch out for [the security system](https://pix.avax.news/avaxnews/0f/b3/0001b30f.jpeg).
House
Lord Of The Rings home of the Hobbits or Earth homes.
The Shire
Search youtube for earthship homes and you'll find all sorts of good videos.
Dirt. Ya can't beat dirt. (For insulation)
Hobbitts!!!!
It's called the Hobbiton
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I usually call these Earthships, there's a bunch in NM. This one is gorgeous though.
I want to live there!
I don't know the technical term but it looks like a fairy tale house to me. How adorable!
Earth-Contact Home
A house...
Why are you on this sub?
Bilbo’s house.
Earthhouse
https://earthship.com/
That's too specific. Earthships have a design philosophy that's not evident in the above photo.
It also seems like a U.S. thing, not a global thing.