I’m considering building in SoCal … inland near Death Valley. Always considered earth sheltered a good option. But I’ve heard ‘stories’ that earth sheltering is shunned by BOs because of the earthquake thingy.
Does anyone have any basic experience related to earth sheltering design and acceptance by the building department? I’m willing to have an engineer design it and I am assuming that given that, it should be a very doable option.
Comments, experiences?
Replies
Shout out ( holler ) at VATom, he has actually built them.
http://paccs.fugadeideas.org/tom/index.shtml
This is a link to his house. Good luck in california with that.
You're willing to pay THEIR taxes for no ocean access and weather extremes? And Death Valley is below sea level. When the big one hits, it'll be flooded! Or else LA will someday pump their sewage into it.
I dunno. What's the upside?
Death Valley is exquisitely beautiful. If you can appreciate deserts. No problem for me, growing up on the Sonoran desert. My time in Sinai was also a real treat.
Clew, all you need is an engineer who understands seismic design. Which would be about any structural engineer you find there. Extremely simple, inexpensive. I used common commercial construction, uncomplicated, with minimal skill required.
No maintenance, comfortable annual indoor temp without doing anything ... pretty easy to live with. Even if they call you troglodyte.PAHS works. Bury it.
You're a troglodite.
Well Grounded Individual?
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Boo... hiss...
Here's one near Atlanta, awaiting the building permit. Peculiar state laws there. Requiring thermal engineering that no engineer (apparently) in Ga. can perform. This one has a full basement, open to the main floor.
The only engineering I have to furnish my plan approver is the bar joist chart. And a wall drawing that knocks their socks off.PAHS works. Bury it.
You're a troglodite.
And his theme songs "wild Thing" : )
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
and big Bertha figures in there some place..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
in 15 years I have prime ocean front property?
I thought that in Cal you built standard house at the bottom of a hill.Then wait for the rains. You end up with an earth sheltered house. Some times 3 or 4 stories of house without spending any more money..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
That was a funny one Bill!>G<