Earth Sheltered Housing

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My husband and I are looking for people who have built (or know of people who have built) earth sheltered housing. We are in Southern Oregon and would love to visit some of these homes and talk to owners/builders before embarking on our own project.

-- Laurie Hunter (LAHunter90@aol.com), January 25, 2001

Answers

You are not to far away from the person that wrote a featured article in the last issue of Countryside. He designs and build them.

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), January 26, 2001.

Hi, Laurie,

I, too, live in southern Oregon (just north of Grants Pass, on Jumpoff Joe Creek. I'm a semi retired builder, and built my first earth sheltered house for me and my wife a little over three years ago. It's been great. I also put in a "ground source" heat pump, which is so efficient I can't believe it.

My place is only earth sheltered on the downstairs, for reasons involving room layout, and my desire to be able to heat the whole place with one wood heater in the living room. If I do it again, I'll probably do a one story, with a few inches of soil on the roof, mostly for keeping the roof cool in the summer.

The main reason I even put in the heat pump was because we figured we'd need air con, since we're on a very sunny southern exposure. However, the house stays so cool, aided by a whole house fan, which I turn on for an hour or two a day to bring cool air in, that we've only run the heat pump for air con about fifteen or twenty hours total in three summers!

I sent you a separate letter with my "real" address and phone number. Drop me a line or call, and let's talk!

JOJ

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoff@echoweb.neet), January 31, 2001.


Is this the same concept that's called Biotecture? Just came across a website about that building principle and don't completely understand it.

-- Joanne Schaefer (JoOhio1@aol.com), February 01, 2001.

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