Unless you are a huge Tolkien fan, you might not have considered an underground house option, yet they are becoming quite popular and some designs are unique and beautiful. Also, having a home like this is not only a true “hobbit home”, but it has its benefits as well.
You might wonder why people will choose to live in underground houses or, earth sheltered homes as they are more commonly known, but considering the advantages it has for the environment, the novelty of an earth sheltered home and low energy bill, you will understand.
First of all, by using this particular building method, you are in fact multi-purposing valuable land. You can even park your car on the roof.
Image: Trendir.com
Another great thing about these kinds of homes is that they are safe. They can withstand hurricanes and tornadoes when built properly and properly protected.
Because earth sheltered homes have a very small part exposed to the outside, you can save tons on maintenance costs and using chemical based cleaners. When building your home, generally your sustainable building material needed is also less, yet labor costs can be high due the unique building style.
Saving on energy costs is a definite when it comes to these kinds of homes. Heating and cooling costs will not be as high as in a regular, conventional home. This is because nature protects your home and it is not influenced greatly by outside temperatures. Your pipes are far less likely to freeze in the winter due to the home’s natural insulation.
To further ‘green’ your home, you can incorporate solar energy to further save on energy costs. If this is done effectively, your energy use might end up costing you nothing at all.
An underground home is both unique and suprisingly green.
In the end, these kinds of homes are designed and built to save energy and in turn save you money. It reduces your carbon footprint and, combined with sustainable and eco-friendly building methods, these homes can become a more popular design of the future.
Because it is so energy efficient, you can save up to 80% on energy costs. An added bonus is that because of the natural insulation, noise will not be a problem.
