Going Down Under

When talking about one of the biggest home expenses

, cost of energy is definitely one of them. In order to combat this cost, a good option is going down under. By going down under, I did not mean Australia.

Building a house that takes advantage of the surrounding terrain is one of the best ways to save money on utilities. If you want to really bring this to fruition, try to go completely or nearly below grade. This approach, also known as an underground structure, can drastically cut the cost of utilities and give you the chance to build something creative.

You can have depths from 10 inches to nearly the house's full height. Keep in mind that this isn't about a house under a lawn. The atrium layout is one of the most popular designs for these structures.

Basically, the atrium house is a four sided structure that faces an open atrium in the middle. Positioned flush to the ground or built up berms are the outer walls of the house. All the major living areas face the atrium. If you want to facilitate heating with passive solar energy, what you can do is use the windows and glass doors. Stairways are used to provide access to the garages and the ground. If you take this approach, not only will your house be protected from the wind, but the temperature is regulated from the ground with an indirect geothermal gain strategy and your house will also have a nice and open atrium.

One more thing you may find interesting in this approach is its appearance above ground. You can see the top of the house is nearly flush with the ground. Not only will there be escape from noise pollution, but it also provides protection from the wind. Not only that, but the design also allows you to get creative with landscaping. Putting in exotic landscaping is one way to take advantage of the situation. To have a striking effect, others use Japanese gardens or small forests.

With an underground house, one are you need to be careful with it the drainage. To remove everything, you need sufficient pumps that you need to plan at the outset. After all, you wouldn't want to be sitting in a very expensive pool after that first rain, do you?

by: Jeremy House

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