Construction & Contractors Blog
Earth-sheltered homes sit partly or fully underground. Often hailed as eco-friendly houses, these homes also come with various other benefits. What are they?
1. Reduced Energy Costs
You can build an earth-sheltered house that is laid out completely under the ground. Or, you can build a bermed house that is partly covered by earth. In either case, you'll benefit from energy savings.
If your structure sits under a layer of earth, then the soil creates a thermal layer around it. It keeps heat inside the building when the weather is cold. It also keeps the building cool when the weather is hot.
This thermal efficiency boost reduces the amount of energy you need to use to heat or cool the building. Your usage and costs will be lower.
2. Reduced Outside Maintenance
When you live in a regular house, then you have to take on some maintenance jobs. For example, you have to keep your roof and walls in good shape.
So, you might need to clean your roof to keep it free from moss and dirt every now and then. You'll have to do minor repairs if a tile breaks or cracks. Eventually, you'll have to replace the whole roof when it gets too old to work effectively.
If your home sits underground, then you don't have to worry about maintaining these outside areas. Your roof, and potentially all your walls, are covered by a layer of soil and sometimes turf. You might want to mow your roof to keep it looking neat, but you shouldn't have many other jobs to do.
3. Reduced Noise
Your home should be a haven of peace and calm. Unfortunately, you can't control incoming traffic and human noise a lot of the time. If you want a quieter home, then an earth-sheltered house is going to work for you.
The earth that surrounds your home doesn't just have thermal benefits. It also dampens outside noise. Most noise won't penetrate through the earth and your walls. So, your home will be much quieter inside.
4. Reduced Insurance Costs
If you bury your home under the earth, then it has a lower footprint and a protective layer against weather-related events. For example, storms might batter and damage a roof on a regular house but they won't have the same effects on an earth-sheltered home.
This extra protection might reduce your insurance costs. If an insurer knows that a home is less likely to get damaged, then they might charge you less.
You do need to get specialist help before making this kind of build. So, to get started, contact a local earth-sheltered home builder and ask for their advice.
Share30 April 2021
My name is Debbie Greenberg. I’m a single woman who owns her home, and like most homeowners I dread home repairs. I’m not very handy with do-it-yourself projects around the house. I can do a few minor repairs when necessary, but for the most part I have to call in a professional. Last year I had a leak in my roof. When it rained, water would leak into my kitchen. What appeared to be a simple fix turned out to be anything but simple. It took over four months to finally identify the problem, and double the money I was initially quoted to fix it. The problem ended up being that the flat part of my roof didn't have shingles, but a sheeting material. I learned a bit about home roofs along the way, and that is what I want to share with you.
