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Build a house underground on agricultural land

Build a house underground on agricultural land

Build a house underground on agricultural land

(OP)
would i need planning permission if the house was recessed into a hill with only the windows showing?

RE: Build a house underground on agricultural land

That would depend entirely on where you are located, and the laws/rules that apply in your jurisdiction.  But wherever you are, building an earth covered house takes some engineering skills, so suggest you ask this question of your engineer.

RE: Build a house underground on agricultural land

(OP)
thank you for your speedy reply, I am not at the point yet of affording a structural engineer, only drawing plans only from my bricklaying experience but i think i have done well in my plans to hold back the earth and integrate a system that will allow filtered water to flow,  

RE: Build a house underground on agricultural land

Don't forget to include the cow and cowpie live load factors, to include impact.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
http://mmcengineering.tripod.com
 

RE: Build a house underground on agricultural land

(OP)
the soil integrity?

RE: Build a house underground on agricultural land

Building an Earth Ship?  Did a little work on one ~20 years ago in CO, but was not engineer of record or involved in building permits.

RE: Build a house underground on agricultural land

(OP)
how did you approach it? damp is my main concern  

RE: Build a house underground on agricultural land

At that particular location, damp was not an issue, and I don't think they did much.  It was actually set into a little knoll that sloped away on the back and sides.  It was cut into some very fractured and somewhat weathered granite-like rock that was quite pervious, so anything that did infiltrate promptly dropped well below the house, which I'm guessing was a couple hundred feet above the water table.  No drains were needed.  It was absolutely dry during exc.  I haven't been there in several years, and can't recall whether they ever got any water in.  The owner was a friend, so maybe I should call him up to say hello.

That rock was also just about perfect for stability of vertical cuts up to about 8', and being excavatable (is that a word?) without huge difficulty using a small hoe.  Lucky site selection.

RE: Build a house underground on agricultural land

Generally, earth covered structures need to be waterproofed on the outside, a protection board used to protect the waterproofing, then a drainage layer with geotextile between the earth and the gravel to prevent clogging, a perforated drain pipe with geotextile sock placed at the bottom, and drain to daylight.  Below ground, and depending on where you are, humidity could still be a problem, and you can handle that mechanically.

RE: Build a house underground on agricultural land


you might get some good ideas from this place. Saw a video on TV the other day. The do have water coming into the cave from time to time, especially in the winter and when it rains hard. They collect a lot of it for drinking and use french drains and trench drains and humidifiers to remove it.

http://www.thecavehouse.com/

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