Do-it-yourself underground house. Modern underground houses: photo. How the engineering systems of the dugout are arranged

In this article we will consider the construction of an underground house. We will consider the main disadvantages and advantages of such a structure and see how it differs from the ground one. An interesting point in such a house is that the landscape outside the window will match the landscape of the ground house thanks to a system of mirrors. Thanks to this, there is a complete feeling of life on earth.

Let's start with the pros:

1) Do not need a facade of the house.

2) In winter, an underground house retains the greatest amount of heat than a ground one. This reduces the cost of gas and electricity.

3) In summer, this house will be cooler than the ground one and we can not install an air conditioning system.

4) The very structure of the house is a protection against thieves, because the only way to get into the house is through the entrance.

5) Having windows (with mirrors) in the design, you will be able to observe the outside world, but they will no longer be able to look into your windows. Thanks to this, you will feel comfortable.

6) Your house is underground and almost the entire site is free for landscape design ideas. For example, you can lay out a beautiful garden.

7) Such a house is not afraid of the news of an approaching tornado or heavy rain.

Cons of this house:

1) The most difficult thing in this house is to organize a sewerage system. To do this, it is required to install a system of pumps so that wastewater enters the wells.

2) In such a house, it is required to install electric generators in case of a power outage. For example, the same sewage pumps will turn off.

3) Russians like to show their wealth with beautiful facades of houses. With an underground house, it turns out that there is no house, as it were, and home you climb into a dugout.

Consider the main points of the construction of such a house.

The first step will naturally be digging a foundation pit. The pit for this project will be deep and special safety precautions must be observed. The most dangerous is the collapse of the walls of the pit. In order to avoid such a problem, you need to dig a pit at an angle from four sides.

After the foundation pit, monolithic construction begins. The next steps will be the installation of the slab, the installation of formwork under the walls and later under the monolithic ceiling.

In such construction, we save money. For such a house, only concrete and reinforcement are needed and you do not need to think about the beauty of the facade and the expensive roof. Having made the building, we remove the formwork, smearing it with bituminous mastic. After that, we fall asleep to it, not forgetting about the entrance group. You also need to remember to make an outflow of water before entering the building.

The only thing you can do in this beautifully for others is the entrance group. It can be overlaid with buta, or other material.

Consider a window system. When pouring the walls, we leave an opening for the window in the place where we should have it according to the project. From the inside of the wall, under the window, we cast a platform to the width of the window, and the length must be determined in advance depending on the height of the window and the slope of 45 degrees. The edge of the mirror when tilted should match the top edge of the window.

A pipe made of red brick is laid out from the site. We mount the pipe for the height from which you want to observe the site. A mirror is attached at the top of the pipe in the opposite direction.

Upon completion of the installation of the pipe, you can begin to ennoble the above-ground part with a stone to blend with the landscape.

In the next article we will look at the additional effects of this house (ventilation system, roofing, etc.)

Anyone interested in the article, write to us with questions or suggestions.

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A dugout is a dwelling that is located underground. It can be round, rectangular or square. The roof is usually made of logs and covered with earth.

Such buildings in our time have become popular among lovers of environmentally friendly housing. Such a building is convenient both as temporary housing and on the site where a new house is being built. Often dugouts are used by hunters for wintering.

Many people imagine the dugout as a damp room, which is not very suitable for habitation. But this is far from true. If a do-it-yourself dugout is built correctly, it has many advantages. First of all, it does not require large construction costs.

She doesn't need an exterior finish. The dugout is invisible to others, especially if covered with turf on top. Its next advantage is good thermal insulation. In winter it is quite warm, and in summer it is never hot. If a stove is placed in a dugout, then it will compete with any adobe house.

Another undoubted advantage is the speed and ease of construction. You can build such a home with your own hands in just a few days.

In order to build a dugout with your own hands, in which there was no dampness and it was comfortable to be, first of all, you need to choose the right place for its construction. When choosing a location, consider the following factors:

• wind rose: the wind should blow mainly in the direction where there are no doors;
• it is necessary to place the building on a hill or hill so that there is less likelihood of flooding by groundwater;
• terrain features;
• the dimensions of the dugout must be made taking into account its insulation from the inside.

Before you start building a dugout with your own hands, you need to complete a drawing of the future building. Below are the drawings of dugouts.

Of the materials for the construction of a dugout with your own hands, you will need roofing material, which will cover the roof and cover the floor. Boards, beams, chipboard, insulation, floor boards, doors and windows.

All wooden materials should be immediately treated with antiseptic agents that protect them from decay.

Also for fastening you will need nails and staples for the stapler. In order to build a dugout, you need to prepare the following tools:

• shovels: shovel and bayonet;
• a hammer;
• building level,
• carpentry tools: planer, chisel, saw, chisel;
• hand drill;
• sledgehammer;
• stapler;
• measuring tools
• ax etc.

Getting started: digging a pit and installing support pillars

Before digging a pit, it is necessary to mark the area. The pit can be rectangular or square, with exact dimensions. The correctness of the dimensions is checked by measuring the diagonals. They must be the same.

A twine is stretched between the pegs and they begin to dig a pit with their own hands. First of all, the turf is carefully removed, which will then be used for the roof.

First, the pit is dug with a bayonet shovel with loosening of the earth. With a shovel, the earth is thrown out of the pit. The earth must be folded back about 50 cm from the edge so that there is room for the construction of the roof.

The depth of the pit should be approximately two meters, taking into account future floor. When the hole is dug, vertical slopes are formed with a shovel.

It is important not to forget about the gentle slope to the doors, if any. You can cut about three steps with a width of 0.3 m.

The walls of the pit are reinforced with bars with a section of 50x50 or 100x100, digging them into the ground and leaving a gap between the bars and the wall of the pit. Boards will be laid in this gap.

Boards are pressed with wedges. Support posts are dug in the center of the pit to a depth of half a meter. They should protrude about 220 mm above the ground.

Pillars are dug in at a distance of 1.5 meters from each other. A do-it-yourself roof will be installed on these pillars, so they must be on the same level. The evenness of the pillars is checked using the building level.

Boards are nailed to the top of the posts, which will be used as guides for the run. A run is a log that serves as a support for the rafters.

Laying rafters, roofing and interior decoration

Around the pit, half a meter from the edge, support logs for the rafters are laid. They are fixed with the help of stakes, which are driven in along the edges and in the middle on both sides of the logs. The rafters are laid on the supporting logs and the run in increments of 50 cm. When laying the rafters, it is necessary to provide for the installation of a door frame.

After installing the rafters, sheathing with boards is performed. Boards are nailed so that they fit snugly against each other. If you start nailing the crate from above, then you will have to adjust the bottom board, as it may not fit in the remaining gap. If you start from the bottom, then the top board will fit.

Before laying the roofing material, it is necessary to bring out two ventilation pipes and a pipe for the stove, if it is to be installed. As pipes, you can use plastic sewer pipes with a diameter of 10 cm. One pipe should be located near the ground, and the other near the ridge.

Sheets of roofing material are laid in several layers: along and across. A layer of brushwood, earth is poured over the roofing material and cut turf is laid on top.

Finishing inside is performed either with clapboard or chipboard sheets. You can make foam insulation by laying it between the inner and outer skin. The floor can be left earthen or made of boards or chipboard.

It remains to install the stove, build bunk beds with your own hands. If you think over the interior, then a dugout can be quite a comfortable and attractive home.

Although not a very popular idea, some people today prefer to live underground. Such an alternative to ordinary houses. Whether it's a decision based on style, personal preference, or a desire to recreate a scene from a movie, living in any of these homes should be simply unique.

The amazing home was designed by Make Architects specifically for British football star Gary Neville. This is a prime example of a successful combination of beautiful design and functionality. The one-story underground residence occupies about 8,000 square meters. One of the main goals in designing this house was the idea of ​​creating a special building in which energy consumption would be kept to a minimum. Plus, it should also be an environmentally friendly version of a standard house.

The house was built from natural materials and using traditional building methods. The heat pump provides heating in the house, while photovoltaic panels and wind turbines generate energy. The house is built almost entirely on a hillside and this allows it to be easily integrated into the environment. Externally, the house resembles a flower with rooms instead of petals that are organized around a central kitchen. At night, the house looks just magical. A fabulous luminous flower on a hillside! An interesting and beautiful example of how nature and the work of human hands come together in a harmonious building.

A stone house built on a hillside is the result of a collaboration between Dutch architects SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects. It is located in the Swiss village of Vals and is quite difficult to spot. There are two access roads leading to the house. Large platforms open at the main entrance, and the second entrance leads underground. The round wall has many windows that let in sunlight and allow you to admire the amazing mountain scenery.

Probably, for most people, the underground house is associated with the village in which the hobbits lived. These little creatures have become a real inspiration for many people. Many fans have tried to create something similar to their little hillside dwellings, and only a few have managed to create simply unique and wonderful masterpieces.

One successful project is the world's first hobbit motel, located in Woodlyn Park, on New Zealand's North Island. It is built from styrofoam blocks. Thanks to this, the rooms are not very hot in summer and not cold in winter. An interesting and effective isolation method. Surprisingly, the rooms are quite spacious. They are also very well furnished. Each room has a kitchen and shower, and each unit can accommodate up to 6 people. The motel also offers a bar and a restaurant.

Hobbit houses from the world-famous Lord of the Rings trilogy have become a real symbol and inspiration for many projects. In the village of Matamata in New Zealand, you can see real hobbit houses. This is exactly the place where scenes from the movie were filmed. After filming was completed, the decision was made to keep some of the Hobbit houses and use them as tourist attractions.

Recently, a lot of eco-projects have appeared, and eco-hotels are no exception. In Italy, you can find the amazing KlimaHotel, designed by designer Matteo Thun, who set himself the goal of creating a reliable eco-friendly hotel. It is exactly the same as the Bella Vista hotel. It consists of 11 individual hostels, smoothly built into the slopes of the hill. Construction began in 2009.

Buildings differ from others in environmentally friendly heating and cooling systems, as well as construction methods. Local resources and materials from nearby areas were used. As for the architecture and design of the hostels, they were strongly influenced by the local culture. Emphasis was placed on creating a strong connection with nature in order to combine natural and artificial elements and create a harmonious image.

Most of the underground houses or structures were built on hillsides, following the model suggested in the Lord of the Rings films. But there are other possible construction options, such as a cave. Very logical and simple solution. A wonderful house is located in the city of Fest, Missouri. It was built inside a sandstone cave. Designers Curt and Deborah Sleeper developed and realized this project, which became their cozy home. The interior is very modern, using unique textures such as unfinished sand walls, giving the home a unique charm.

Not only is the place for a home unusual and unique, but there are other details that make it a great role model. This is an energy efficient home equipped with geothermal heating and smart design that eliminates the need for air conditioning. The cave house has three rooms, all with unfinished walls. This is a house that, in a sense, is more like a museum than a residential building.

Located in Switzerland, this unusual underground house is the realization of a new and original concept associated with sustainable, progressive architecture. The structure called Earth House Estate Lättenstrasse consists of nine houses with different numbers of rooms. The houses are much larger than they seem at first glance. This is mainly because they are almost completely hidden by the earth and grass. It seems that they appear out of nowhere. The houses are grouped around a small artificial lake.

In the development of all houses, the earth is used as an insulating "quilt", which provides not only protection from heat and cold, but also from rain and wind. The organic forms of these structures will allow them to naturally integrate into the surroundings and become part of the landscape.

Most underground houses that are built on hillsides have entrances that make them visible. However, the Malator house, located on the Welsh coast, is an exception to the rule. It is very difficult to find if you do not know the exact location, because the house almost disappears into the ground. The project of the house belongs to Future Systems. It was built in an artificial embankment and is located on top of a hill. Thanks to this location, the windows of the house offer stunning landscapes of the coast of Wales.

Using materials found in the area for construction is another way to integrate the house into the surrounding landscape. A house built from them will simply dissolve in the surrounding landscape. That is why most of the houses on the slopes of the mountains and hills of the Cyclades were built of stone or wood.

Aloni House is located in a beautiful area of ​​the Cyclades. It had to match the landscape of earthen ramparts and agricultural areas. Therefore, in the construction of the house, materials were used that have a low environmental impact and are effective as insulating materials. The house is a one-level construction with an area of ​​240 square meters. The earthen walls regulate the temperature, while the green roof provides additional insulation and helps the house to disappear into the surrounding landscape.

There are many different villages and unusual houses in the mountains of West Wales. But the ecovillage in the Preseli mountains is by far the most interesting. It is distinguished by huts built into the hills, made of straw and clay. It should be noted that it has become a very popular building material in the modern world. In addition to the fact that the houses in the village are eco-friendly, the people living here also grow their own organic food.

The unique community was created in 1993 and remained a secret for several years. The village was opened in 1998 when they noticed reflections of sunlight on a solar panel placed in the main building. The pilot saw the reflection and reported it to the highest authorities, but at the time officials could not find any information about the construction project in that area or permission to do so. The houses were very well camouflaged among the trees and bushes. After the information given by the pilot, a real nightmare began for 22 villagers. However, everything turned out well, people were able to defend their homes, and now they can finally officially enjoy this way of life. The plans for houses, farm buildings, workshops and other institutions were officially approved.

Adherents of extreme outdoor recreation often face the problem of accommodation for the night. If you are going camping or hunting for a long time, the best option for a shelter is a do-it-yourself dugout. It is suitable for a long stay in the forest: from a couple of days to several months. However, the experience of our ancestors proves that one can live in a well-equipped dugout for years.

The minimum set of household items in dugouts includes: a stove, a bench or a bed and a place for storing provisions. Other amenities can be added to the shelter if desired.

Finding a place for a dugout

Before you go to the forest, you should inquire about the type of soil and the level of groundwater in its territory.

Important! The place for the dugout must be dry. Therefore, before digging a dugout, make a deep ditch 1-2 bayonet spades wide. This will allow to study the level of groundwater in the territory.

The surest option for a place for a dugout is a hill on the sunny side. In such areas, the groundwater level is minimal, and the land is dry. The lack of moisture in the soil is a very important indicator, it is dangerous to neglect it. Due to the high water content, the supporting structure of the dugout will begin to rot, leading to collapse. If you plan to live in a shelter for a long time, choose a dry place, this will protect the structure from rotting, fungus and mold.

Advantages and disadvantages of the dugout

If you are unsure whether to build a dugout in the forest, consider the advantages of this structure:

• The design does not require a foundation, which greatly speeds up the construction process.
• Heats up quickly and keeps warm for a long time. If you equip the shelter with a stove or potbelly stove, it will be comfortable in it at any time of the year.
• The dugout is very inconspicuous for the eyes of people and animals. It is convenient to use while hiking or hunting.
• Construction does not require specific skills. Almost anyone can handle the construction of a dugout.
• Shelter in the ground is being built very quickly. It will take no more than a month to make a solid dwelling.

But, despite all the positive qualities of the dugout, such a structure has its drawbacks:

Among low-budget buildings, the dugout occupies a leading position in terms of comfort and safety.

Tools for building a dugout

If you regularly hunt or go hiking, it is better to build a dugout in advance or gradually. For work you will need the following set of tools:

• bayonet and shovel;
• nail puller and hammer (or 2 in 1);
• ax and saw for working with wood;
• roulette.

Tools can be brought gradually and a cache can be made so that everything is at hand during work. It is also a common practice to build a dugout in stages: one day they bring shovels and dig a hole, then they saw boards, etc.

Preparation for the construction of the dugout

If you want to learn how to build a dugout, read the detailed instructions below. Before starting construction, consider the future layout of the building. First you need to choose the right place. It is better to do this gradually so that the dwelling stands as long as possible.

Important! If you are digging a hole in an area with rich turf, remove it and save it. It can be used for insulation and camouflage of the building.

The construction of a dugout begins with a pit. On the ground, you need to outline the dimensions of the shelter, most often they make a dugout 3 by 4 meters. The depth of the pit for the dugout is chosen depending on the growth of the future tenant, the average is one and a half meters.

Note! The dugout is a place to stay for the night. Therefore, you should not make a high ceiling in it, this will greatly complicate the work.

When the pit is ready, they begin to cut the boards. Many people want to know how to build a dugout at minimal cost. To do this, you can conclude an agreement on the sale of wood in the area where you are going to build a dugout. If this is not possible, it is better to order the material and bring it in advance. Remember that wood for a dugout is harvested with a margin. The percentage of culling during the work is inevitable.

Construction of a dugout

When the material is prepared and the hole is dug, you can start building. Making a dugout includes the following steps:

Note! All wooden parts of the shelter are recommended to be treated with flame retardants.

Many people want to know how to make a dugout dry. To do this, they construct a drainage system around the walls, so that water flows from the entrance to the far wall and down the hill from the dwelling.

Interior decoration

To make it cozy inside the dugout, it must be equipped with a stove. If you have chosen a potbelly stove, there will be much less work. Other types of ovens are more expensive. For them, stones or heat-resistant bricks are used. The place around the furnace is finished with sheet iron or bricks.

We often talk about how to build an eco-house. We talk about different construction technologies, but we undeservedly forgot about one of them - the construction of dugouts! But the modern dugout has long turned not just into the ground, but into a cozy and comfortable dwelling, the principles of construction of which, however, have remained the same. We will tell you a little more about how you can build a dugout and why it is profitable and simple.

In fact, building a dugout is quite profitable - a well-designed and built house has a number of serious advantages, which include the following without a doubt.
Firstly, any dugout is very energy efficient - due to the poor thermal conductivity of the earth, heat is stored inside the house for a long time, and the dugout itself is easily provided with a stable temperature, which makes such an underground house no doubt comfortable in a harsh climate. By the way, not everyone knows that temperature fluctuations on the earth's surface reach depth with a serious delay. For example, if measurements are taken at a depth of three meters, it turns out that the temperature of the warmest moment of the year comes here with a delay, not much, not a little, but about three months! In addition, the soil does not freeze so deep - in winter (in our climate) the temperature at a depth of 2 meters is 6-8 degrees C, and in summer 15-18 degrees.
Secondly, the earth poorly transmits not only heat, but also sounds, which means that in an earthen house you will have excellent sound insulation from external sounds, which is especially important if you choose a place to build in a noisy area, for example , near motorways or airports.
The design of earthen houses is safe in conditions of natural disasters and even military operations - a dugout can easily serve as a bomb shelter, and the landscape will play the role of a camouflage. From this point of view, the builders of such houses should benefit from the preservation of the primordial landscape, and the maximum greening of the site is a guarantee of its ecological cleanliness.
Fourthly, a plot for building an earthen house can cost you several times cheaper than a regular building plot. Why? The answer is simple - for the construction of dugouts, unattractive areas for development or crops (slopes or hills) are perfect - as a rule, such unsightly territories cost several times less than their counterparts.
Fifthly, the dugout is very easy to maintain - even at the construction stage it is important to ensure good waterproofing of the house, and subsequently the roof or walls covered with a layer of soil with grass will not need special care.
Another advantage is the reduction of construction time. Part of the labor-intensive facade and roofing work will not be required, by the way, here you can also save money - after all, you will not need to buy materials for such work.
But the dugout also has its drawbacks: due to the lack of walls and natural lighting, the climate inside such a house will always be humid. Due to the peculiarities of the site chosen for construction, there may be problems with the view from the house (it depends on the area). It is very important to make a very high-quality waterproofing - otherwise, water may enter the house due to incorrect calculation of the groundwater level, their rise or soil shift. Another problem - however, very relative - is the small area of ​​​​glazing for natural lighting, but, as modern experience in the construction of dugouts shows, all this is very relative!
By the way, dugouts became popular at the end of the 60s of the last century - then, for the construction and arrangement of "dugouts" (it is impossible to call such houses dugouts without quotes), modern technologies and environmentally friendly materials began to be used, and at the same time the cost of such an environmentally friendly building was equal to cost with similar buildings erected on the surface of the earth. Today, the construction of a dugout can be both economical and very wasteful, but the result can turn out to be fundamentally different!


Which area is more suitable for an underground house?
If you are determined to build a dugout, first take care of choosing a site: it is important to take into account all the features of the territory. Choose sites on the slopes of the hills, which will make the building look better, and you will save on excavation work. On an inclined platform, it becomes possible to make the house completely underground, and on a hilly place, the walls of the dugout should be partially sprinkled with earth. Therefore, if you have your eye on a beautiful but difficult hilly area, you can easily turn the disadvantages of this land into advantages.
Remember - the greater the angle of inclination of the site, the faster surface water moves. Do not start construction in a lowland or at the bottom of a ravine - you risk flooding the dugout before construction is completed. The groundwater level should be at a sufficient depth from the dugout to lower the structure into the ground as much as possible. Check also the places where underground streams flow.
The cardinal directions will also play an important role in the construction of an underground structure - a dugout with a southern slope orientation will provide the underground house with solar lighting, and the northern slope will give maximum coolness. If the terrain is not too hilly, but you still intend to build a dugout, orient the doors and windows to the sunny sides.
It is best to build dugouts in areas with soil that has good throughput - for example, these include sand, sandy loam or loam. But clay in its pure form will not suit us - it holds moisture for a long time, eroding when moistened. But the clay will serve as a waterproofing lock in the layers that are adjacent to the main structures. For the final coating of the dugout, fertile soil is used - in other words, turf. Therefore, even before the start, the sod must be removed and stored.
If you have not yet chosen where the dugout will be located, then build an underground house on the top of the hill, because you can’t find a more convenient place. Everything favors this construction site: orientation, diversion from water sources, good visibility and the maximum percentage of natural lighting. Yes, and the construction here is extremely simple: the top of the hill is simply torn off, and at the final stage of the construction of the house it is covered again, getting a house that is actually “dug” into the ground.
A dugout is an eco-friendly, simple, relatively cheap, and today also a very stylish version of the house. If you are already a happy owner of such a building - share your impressions!