Earth Sheltered

Roger and Patricia's House in the Hill

Roger and Patricia are building a 2,500 sq foot earth sheltered home in Illinois. This home is a true example of Passive Annual Heat Storage as taught by John Hait.

Roger’s blog “House in the Hill” gives a very detailed explanation of his air tubes, or some call earth tubes, and how they will control the humidity levels in this underground house. I know this information can be hard to come by on the internet, so I take great interest in his description.

Rogers home was built with poured walls which were then waterproofed. The exterior exposed walls are of double-wall construction with insulation sprayed inside the outer wall and bat insulation placed in the inner wall to get R40.

The home will be heated with passive solar, with a back up masonry heater, ducted throughout the home. There is a sun room that will also collect a lot of heat that can be circulated through out the home. Additionally, indoor temps will be controlled using awnings and insulated drapes.

Davis Caves built the concrete structure and framed the outer walls.

I hope you will visit his blog as he gives very detailed descriptions and explanations. As a future owner/builder, I know this blog will be in my reference section when questions arise. Thanks, Roger, for putting in the effort to help the rest of us.