Arant Earth Sheltered Home

2009-11-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

We just had an open house for persons interested in the details of our home and prepared the following fact sheet. It serves well as a summation of the finished project:

ARANT EARTH SHELTERED HOME

Fact Sheet

Designers: Michael and Chris Arant
General Contractor: Michael Arant
Concrete Contractor: Ralph Smoot
Finish Work: Michael and Chris Arant (March 2008 to present)

Construction began in October, 2007, with the home occupied in March, 2008. Finish work continues (baseboards, counter trim, bookcases, landscaping).

Basic Design
2500 square feet, 2 bedrooms (can be 3), 2 baths on 3/4 acre lot.

The home is designed on four 24' square concrete modules placed on 2' footings. Each module was formed with aluminum wall forms producing 9” thick walls including reinforcing bars. Once the wall forms were in place an umbrella shaped form was raised in the middle of the room and attached to the top of the wall forms. Concrete was then pumped to the top of the ceiling form and allowed to run down to fill the wall forms. When the walls were filled the concrete continued to cover the roof form to a depth of 6-8”, including rebar. The roof is engineered for a load of 50,000 pounds per square foot. After the concrete had set the module was a single piece of (monolithic) concrete, walls and roof, with no seams. The floors were poured last, after all electrical and plumbing was in place. The roof and walls are waterproofed with an emulsion compound, special waffle weave fabric and plastic sheet. Water drains off the roof into the surrounding soil, then down to french drains which conduct the rain away from the home.
All penetrations (doors, windows, etc.) are framed inside the concrete forms before the concrete is poured, as are the outlets, switches and all wiring within the walls. There are additional framing details in place for future features such as a fireplace, lighting and the like.

Energy Saving ('green') features:
Concrete is a poor insulator, so all exterior walls have 2” of foam insulation on the outside under the stucco. Concrete does provide excellent thermal mass which levels the temperature throughout the year. With 900,000 pounds of concrete it took a year for the walls and ceiling to stabilize temperature at about 74 degrees. It appears the temperature will vary from about 70 to 74 on a year round basis, with a thermal flywheel effect giving the highest temperature in Oct/Nov and the lowest temperature in Jun/Jul. The concrete walls completely prevent air infiltration through the walls at outlets, switches, etc. (The average house changes interior air due to leaks about 4-6 times per hour. This home changes air 1-2 times per day.) The largest source of heat gain in the summer is the west windows, which are presently shaded with removable shade cloth and will eventually have shutter/shades.
Each room has a ceiling fan which runs constantly. This keeps the temperature within the home even and prevents any pockets of static air which could result in mold or mildew. We have had absolutely no problem with mold or mildew, and keep the indoor humidity at about 50% for comfort. Most of the ceiling fans are an energy efficient design from the Univ. of Florida. The fan blades are about 40% more efficient than the typical ceiling fan, allowing the use of a smaller motor. It is actually a commercial fan available at Home Depot (look up in their stores and you will see they use them too).
Windows are from Don Young Co. and are high efficiency all vinyl with thermal breaks. They are double pane with argon between the panes and a low emissivity ('low e') coating on the exterior.

So far it appears energy usage will average less than 1000 kwh/month, and 10 gal of propane/month.
All water fixtures are water saving, with low flow faucets and shower heads. The toilets are dual flush low flow Toto units from Japan. Exterior water requirements are minimal, with drip irrigation used where needed. The primary hot water heater for the home is a wall mounted Takagi TK3 point of use propane water heater that will provide up to 7 gpm of 50 degree rise water constantly (until we run out of propane!). There is a backup electrical hot water heater that is turned off most of the time.
All electrical appliances, including the heat pump for heating and cooling, are Energy Star or similarly certified. All lights except a few accent fixtures use compact florescent bulbs or LEDs. Cooking and primary water heating is with propane, with one 250 gallon tank lasting about 2 years.
The xeriscape landscaping is primarily of native, low water use plants. The grass is a combination of Blue Gramma and Buffalo grasses that need only 7-12 inches of water per year. If the summer is very dry they will become dormant, to come back green with the fall rains. The roof has 1-3 feet of soil covered with Lumite weed cloth which prevents penetration by weeds but allows rain to pass through. We have planted Texas purple sage and purple trailing lantana which will eventually cover the entire roof, providing shading and controlling erosion. For additional insulation the mulch on the roof will be 6” of pine needles under the sage and lantana. The citrus trees (NC 33 navel orange, Rio Red grapefruit, dwarf Improved Meyer lemon, Mexican lime, and Miewa kumquats), bananas and orange Esperanza will be drip irrigated. Pride of Barbados are planted along the fence line. Live oak, burr oak, western soapberry, Texas persimmon, wild plum, pomegranate and thin shell pecan trees have been planted throughout the yard and will receive only rainwater.

ADA features:
The home is designed and built to be primarily handicapped accessible. It is on a single level with no stairs. All doors open with levers, as do all bathroom fixtures. The toilets are raised, and there is blocking within the walls for the installation of grab rails where needed. There are no steps or impediments to wheelchairs anywhere inside the house, with all doors 36” wide and full wheel-in access to the master shower. All light switches are press pad style. The dishwasher and front loading laundry are raised about 6” for easier access. Dish storage is in pull out drawers in the base cabinets.

Safety:
The entire structure can serve as a storm shelter in the event of a tornado or hurricane, with the mechanical room providing complete protection to virtually all hazards except earthquake.

Summary:
We are very pleased with our home and would definitely do it again. So far it is performing as we hoped, with few problems other than design features we would do differently. Ralph Smoot did a great job and is a wealth of information and experience on earth sheltered building. We would not do it again without him.

2009-08-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

The kitchen-dining room. This room has only the two windows shown, but it also has the large Sun Dome in the center of the ceiling which, when the sun is out, makes it the brightest room in the house! We can tell the weather just by looking at the Sun Dome, from the passage of clouds to rain. The house is so well insulated for sound that the only way we can tell it is raining without looking outside is the sound of it beating on the Sun Dome.

This is the last entry on the blog, as the house is now finished (if any house one builds and finishes oneself is ever finished). So far we are very pleased and would do it again. It performs as we hoped, with the average electrical usage for 13 months through the end of June (including a record heat wave last summer and another this summer) of 900 KWH/month. We use propane for hot water and cooking and used about 125 gallons during that period. It appears most of the savings come in the fall and spring as we do not need to run any space conditioning from about October to April, just using the fans to circulate the heat stored in the walls. We will probably need to turn on the AC sometime in early May.

Thanks for your interest. If you wish to ask any questions just post them to the blog and I will answer as soon as I can after I receive notice of the posting.

2009-08-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

The living room showing the large windows and amount of light. Though it is an earth sheltered home there is no sense of being in anything other than an ordinary house.

Every room has a ceiling fan that runs 24/7. They keep the temperature even and prevent any stagnant air that could cause mold. We have had absolutely no problems with humidity in the house, and are able to maintain 50% or less in the house all the time. This particular fan is an exceptionally efficient design from the U of FL. It uses about 40% less energy than the normal fan and can move prodigious amounts of air. It is actually an industrial model fan available very inexpensively at Home Depot. We have 3 of them in the house.

2009-08-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

Closeup of the stain showing the variety of shades possible and the irregular nature of application. We are very pleased with the results.

2009-08-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

This is the drive after staining. The stain commonly used on concrete is acid based, requiring protective gear and the protection of plants. It is also quite expensive, particularly for the large area we had to color.

We learned about an alternative and decided to try it. It is Iron Sulfate, which is an acid type fertilizer. (Referred to as Copperas in TX.) It is merely mixed with water and applied with a hand sprayer. Any runoff benefits the grass. There is only one series of shades, all of an orange-red hue, depending upon the concentration and number of coats applied. Since it was the same general color as the house it was perfect. It is permanent, does not fade much, and really muted the brightness and glare of the native concrete. Enough to do the entire drive cost $5.

2009-08-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Driveway shortly after pour before staining. There is about 5,000 sq ft of concrete, which is really glaring and ugly. We knew we needed to do something about it.

2009-08-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

This view is from SW to NE, showing the landscaping and grasses. The spots on the bank in the center of the picture are prostrate rosemary which are spreading and stabilizing the soil.

You can see the shades we need to cut down on heat gain and glare from the PM sun. Left center is a live oak we planted which will eventually shade the windows and alleviate the need for the shades.

They are difficult to see, but we have planted banana plants that will screen the propane tank, and, behind the tank and along the left windows in the house are citrus trees (N33 Navel Orange, Rio Red Grapefruit, Mexican Lime and dwarf Improved Meyer Lemon) At the front of the house next to the porch are two Miewa kumquat bushes. All citrus plants are from the Texas A&M plant sales, propagated by students as part of their education. (All citrus imported into TX must be certified pest free before it can be imported.)

2009-08-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

A closeup of the Blue Grama and Buffalo grasses. The Blue Grama is dominant now, with the Buffalo underneath. They will need no fertilizer and very little care unless we want to groom them. Blue Grama is supposed to grow 6-8" high, the Buffalo only 4-6", though we are seeing much greater growth this year due to watering a lot to get them established.

2009-08-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

Finally have a chance to post photos of the house and grounds as finished.

This is looking NE up the drive, showing the Short Grass Prairie planting. It is a combination of Blue Grama and Buffalo grasses. They are native to the area from Texas to Colorado and need only 7-12 inches of water per year when established. We plan to leave them natural, with only minimal mowing. The Blue Grama is presently setting seed.

2008-09-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

The front porch is an excellent place to watch people and Texas thunderstorms. In the humidity the outside fan is a real plus, something we never would have thought of coming from Oregon.

The house looks better with some vegetation around and upon it. The locals think they are weeds, but they are really native wooly croton, also known as dove weed since it attracts them with its seeds. From our point of view anything with roots gets to stay to hold down erosion. When the rains begin we will begin the landscaping.

2008-09-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

The area between the living room and the kitchen. It is also a path(way into the garage and out to the future patio area.

Kermit says hi to all his friends. Black dogs are really hard to photograph.

2008-09-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

View from the guest bedroom to the living room. We finished the tile entry a week or so ago, giving a place to try to keep dirt out of the rest of the house.

2008-09-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

Guest bath with travertine tile surface. The faucet is from the internet. We like it a lot, but if it ever breaks we will have to replace it since there is no indication of the manufacturer.

It took a long time to find the sink, but was worth it in the long run.

That brings a thought to mind. A lot of our friends do not understand why we chose to finish the inside ourselves. There are a lot of reasons, including that we like doing the work. We have learned a lot in the process. One thing we did not realize, though, is that we have a lot more time to find the things we like. If we had had the contractor finish it all decisions on fixtures, faucets, lights, etc. would have been made months ago. We have found it much more relaxing and satisfying to take each project as it comes and wait until we find what we really want. It is a benefit we did not realize would come from finishing it ourselves.

2008-09-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

The living room is still not finished, but gives a better idea of what it will be like. The area below the tv is has gas and electricity for a direct vent gas fireplace, though in the short term I will probably put a small bookcase in there. The floor is not yet done, but we just picked up the maple hardwood floor materials which are seasoning before installation. That should be done in a week or so.

This gives a good idea of the view onto the course. It allows us to watch the pros on the tv and the hackers in the front yard at the same time. It is kind of fun.

2008-09-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

Entry into the master bedroom. Our friends will recognise the painting from our office. It gives us a feel of the Oregon coast, which is really welcome in Texas!

The floor is not yet finished. We plan on carpet in the bedroom with tile in the bath.

2008-09-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

Master bath with window to the south. The counter is black pearl marble tile. You will note the cabinets are up off the floor to give a lighter look and feel. With the linen closet on the left and 6 drawers there is plenty of storage. The walk in shower (earlier post) is around the corner to the right.

2008-09-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

The stove hood is of stainless and curved glass. We are very happy with it, and installation was not a problem. (Except that the contractor forgot to put a hole through the wall for it and had to chip out a 6" hole through 10" of concrete.)

It has 6 speeds, but we only need to use the lowest 2 or 3. The lights that are built in are halogen and adjustable from dim to bright. One interesting feature is a timer you can set to run the fan for 5-10 minutes after you finish cooking and then turn off. It also has an elapsed timer to tell you when to remove and clean the filter.

2008-09-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

The main sink is from Blanco, with a large, deep side and a smaller one on the right. The disposal will be under the right side, but we have not installed it yet while we learn how to live with a septic tank.

The island is two levels, with the higher one correct height for a breakfast bar. It also allows us to elevate the dishwasher about 6", which makes it much more pleasant to use. If you have never tried it you should, and you will never bend over to the floor again.

The top of the island has marble tiles for the upper surface, while the lower has granite matching the main counters.

Both sinks are from Blanco, and are made of silgranite, which I think is a man made substance. They are easy to clean, and remain good looking after several months of use. The bar faucet is also from Blanco. I learned a surprising thing about this bar faucet which may be common, I do not know. It only accepts one supply hose, so you have either cold or hot water, but not both. It has not been a problem, since this sink is used for beverages and cleaning vegetables, but it was a surprise. One of the hazards of purchasing things on the Internet, I guess.

Kitchen 'after'

2008-09-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

This is the 'after' of the kitchen. All cabinets have been installed. I installed the corner sink and faucet, as well as the bar sink and faucet. The counters are granite tiles, 18x18. I was able to install the tiles, with a total cost of about 20% of one piece granite.

The cabinets are of ash and were made by a local cabinet maker to our design. You will notice few upper cabinets, but a lot of lower ones with drawers. One thing we did was to place drawers directly across from the dishwasher for all the dishes, so we can just stand at the dishwasher (which is elevated about 6") remove the clean dishes, turn and place them in the appropriate drawer. It works quite well, though the drawers are a little too deep. Would work better with 3 shallower drawers instead of 2 deep ones.

The upper cabinet on the left is for glasses, close to the refrigerator and sink. The upper on the right is for cups, near the coffee pot. On the far right end of the long wall is the pantry, with two appliance garages at counter level. The garages have power inside, so we only need to pull out the needed appliance and we are ready to go. At the far right of the pantry, facing toward the arch into the bedroom, is a bookcase for cookbooks.

What an improvement!

Kitchen 'before'

2008-09-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Since we intended to do most of the interior ourselves we set up the kitchen as soon as possible. You will note there is no sink yet, or dishwasher, but since our 5th wheel was still functional we carried the dirty dishes out there to wash them. This went on for 3-4 weeks while we waited for the cabinets to be completed and installed. Needless to say, it became old quickly.

2008-05-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

May 15, 2008: The exterior is finished and Ralph, Conrad, Jose and Russell are done. They did an outstanding job, with only a few hiccups along the way. We will be doing the rest of the finish work over the next several months. Finally we have our house!

I will continue to post to the blog, but they will be normal interior posts, with nothing to do with earthsheltering. When I get the landscaping done I will post that, but it may be a year from now, given the quality of the soil and the climate.

If anyone is interested, the house is featured in the May issue of Earth Shelter News (http://www.earthshelternews.com/)

Thanks for your support

2008-05-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

We are finally getting the color coat of stucco applied. I designed the trim so the difference in size would result in changing appearance as the sun moved due to variance in the shadow lines. At noon there is nearly no shadow, with the shadows increasing as the sun is lower in the sky. It will, of course, also be different with the changing seasons. This angle displays clearly the effect of the shadows. The left wall faces west, with the right facing south. This photo was taken in mid afternoon.

Finally, a chance to see what the home will look like when finished. The entire color coat should be finished around May 15.

2008-05-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Jose is applying the styrofoam trim to the front of the parapet walls. The top one is 4x4 inches set 8 inches down from the top of the parapet. The other is 2x4 inches set 12 inches below the upper one. The wall is prepared with a layer of bonding cement, with the foam stuck to the wall. Then a layer of yellow netting is bonded to the foam and wall, making the entire structure strong enough to stand up to the elements.

The top trim is ready for final stucco, the second awaiting netting and the final layer of foundation cement. You can see the difference in the sizes of the trim pieces.

2008-05-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

I just got the large Sun Dome lens installed. It took some planning since it is a 21" reflective tube inside a 24" plastic sleeve. The resolution was to order a special trim ring from the manufacturer which holds the lens and is large enough to cover the entire sleeve. I then glued the lens inside the trim ring and attached it to the concrete ceiling with tapcon concrete screws and caulked around the edge. It does an excellent job of lighting the kitchen/dining module.

These photos do not show it very well due to over exposure, but the lens changes during the day as the sun moves. It actually looks like alabaster glass with a changing pattern. I think it is probably due to the reflection changes caused by the joints in the reflective tube. We were fortunate that we needed only one reflective tube in addition to the top section, which results in more light into the house. (Anyone need a 3' section of highly reflective light metal tubing?)

2008-05-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

These photos are for my friend Kim, who collapses with laughter at the mere thought of me rototilling the roof. Had to rent a large tiller and get used to handling it without falling off the edge.

We needed to till a couple of inches deep in order to be able to plant the grass (though at this point anything with roots is allowed to live to prevent erosion). We planted a special variety of Buffalo grass known as Cody, which was developed by the Univ. of Nebraska. It likes full sun, little water when established, and only grows 2-4 inches high, which is perfect, since I do not intend to own a lawnmower. The grass is now up, though it spends most of its time developing roots at the outset. I may plant annual rye for the first year to help control erosion. I think any earth sheltered buyer/builder needs to plan from the outset to control erosion, since it will be a problem no matter where you build. Fortunately we back into the hill, so the main problem is only on the two sides behind the retaining wing walls.

2008-03-08T13:44:00.001-08:00

The test board for the dining/kitchen floor, designed by Chris.

Ed, from the Permacrete company, starting to apply the color on the floor design. It was laid out first with tape, visible by his knee, which defines the design. At this point the base coat had already been applied to the floor. It is the white surface, which will act as an anchor, leveling out all unevenness and will show through as grout lines when the tape is finally removed. It is also used to give the final surface texture.

This is the final design after application of all color. It will cure for a day, then sealer will be applied, which will result in a rich, matte finish. (The kitchen island is on the left) This room is about 24x24.

At this point we are confident that the Permacrete system will solve our initial problems with the concrete floors.

2008-03-08T13:37:00.001-08:00

Two views of the 4x5 shower, showing the concrete and greenboard walls before we begin treating with the Permacrete mix. The floor has the first layer of Permacrete in which we have placed river pebbles.

2008-03-08T13:33:00.001-08:00

Detail of how the frame walls are finished against the curve of the dome. The drywall will be cut to fit, taped and finished, giving a vaulted ceiling in the guest bedroom. These are two views of the same wall. The first is from the outside in the garage, the second from inside the guest bedroom.

2008-03-08T13:29:00.001-08:00

Moving dirt into place on top of the home with the tractor. It took several days and many truckloads of dirt to finish the job. The layer of 3/4" foam and the second layer 6 mil plastic are visible. There will be another 1-2 ft of dirt on top of them when finished. The surface will then be raked and seeded.

2008-02-23T06:38:00.001-08:00

View from the top of the house back toward the street. We decided to dump the fill down the hill from the street to reduce transit time for the tractor moving the dirt to the top of the house. Since the tractor time is by the hour reducing the time results in substantial savings from having to move the fill from the front or side of the house.

The red line on the corrugated pipe indicates the approximate top of the fill when completed.

2008-02-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

Beginning to place fill on top of the house. 6 mil plastic sheeting is put on top of the black emulsion coating for protection and added waterproofing.

2008-02-23T06:32:00.001-08:00

Conrad Smoot using the tractor to place fill at the rear of the house. The 2x4' s are used to hold the membrane in place until the fill is piled against the wall.

The tractor is on top of 8' of fill at this point.

2008-02-23T06:31:00.001-08:00

The waterproofing membrane at the top of the wall with the sandy loam backfill in place.

2008-02-23T06:29:00.001-08:00

This a closeup of the waterproofing membrane used against the vertical surfaces of the walls. It consists of a solid dimpled sheet of plastic with a permeable fabric layer attached to the outside. As water moves through the soil it goes through the fabric and runs down the channels formed by the dimples to the french drain at the bottom of the wall.

2008-02-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

We instructed the concrete finisher to finish the floor very smooth all the way to the walls so we can stain the floor. He did a lousy job and we are now working on fixing the problem. We will try a concrete grinder in hope that it will result in a smooth, stainable surface, but the different chemical compositions of the different pours may be a problem. We may also have to consider a complete new coat, possibly with a product like Permacrete. (We would appreciate any information or ideas anyone has to solve the problem.)

The subcontractor did such a bad job that they also covered completely over nearly all the drains with up to 3/4" of concrete. The drains all had to be chipped out and the drainage will need to be redone.

2008-02-09T09:52:00.001-08:00

Conrad and Russel spraying the waterproofing on the roof area. It is a combination of an emulsion with a catalyst. The solution will set up, but remain pliable for many years to accommodate flexing and expansion/contraction of the building.

2008-02-09T09:50:00.001-08:00

In addition to all penetrations, all cold joints and areas where there were leaks detected during the initial water test are hand sealed. Cold joints are sealed with a combination of mesh fabric and emulsion. Subsequent testing shows all leaks properly sealed.

2008-02-09T09:48:00.001-08:00

The base of the large hdpe sleeve for the 22" Sun Dome. All penetrations to the roof are hand coated with a thick preliminary layer of sealant before the entire roof is sprayed.

The sleeve for the Sun Dome from the interior, showing the painted marking of the initial leak. When the roof is completely coated another water test will be done and any (hopefully none!) unsealed leaks will be marked with a different color paint and corrected.

2008-02-09T09:45:00.001-08:00

Polka dot house. Before waterproofing is applied all the metal ties that held the forms together receive a special coating of emulsion to insure they are completely sealed to outside moisture. They will be coated a second time when the entire wall is sealed.

2008-02-09T09:22:00.001-08:00

Living room facing west, ready to pour the 4" floor. The white blocks are polystyrene glued to the top of the 8" hvac ducts to prevent concrete from covering the area for future registers. After pour they will be removed, revealing the top of the ducting, which can then be cut out to allow treated air into the room.
Rebar is held up off the surface by 2" 'chairs' for maximum strength. 6 mil plastic is under the rebar as a vapor barrier. The mound at lower left is for the tub/shower with the wiring, water and drain for the guest bath sink at the middle right. The light green tube at right is the outside air inlet for the toilet area.

Below is the master shower area ready for pour. The boards are to allow the shower floor to be slightly lower than the surrounding room for drainage. The entry will be without a lip for a smooth roll in floor.

2008-01-19T10:48:00.001-08:00

Berm is native soil that will be removed and placed around the house as fill. I expect to use over 300 yards of soil to cover the house and back walls.

Easy 9 iron to the green!

2008-01-19T10:46:00.001-08:00

Front of house looking toward the northeast. Living area on the right, master bedroom on the left.

2008-01-19T10:44:00.001-08:00

Entry from garage area along front of house, showing 4' overhang and 8'porch area.

2008-01-19T10:39:00.001-08:00

View west from the front porch, which has an 8' overhang to shade the windows in the summer. There is wiring in each column for lighting, and in the overhead for a fan in an area large enough for a small table and two chairs

2008-01-19T10:32:00.001-08:00

The living room showing smurf tubing from the entertainment area (left) and the guest bath (lower right). Also shown are the plumbing connections for the bathroom, all of which will be inside a frame wall. On the left is an exit door to the outdoor living area. The arch will be framed in with a raised counter, providing for conversation and a view from the kitchen to the living area and golf course for the cook.

2008-01-19T10:29:00.001-08:00

This is the other end of the smurf tubing showing the wiring for the kitchen island. It also shows the drainline for the sink and dishwasher, which will have an atmospheric relief valve to avoid a vent line through the roof.

2008-01-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

The blue tubes are 'smurf' tubes which contain electrical wires from the individual circuits (lights, outlets, stove, etc.). They go through slots in the base of the wall into the mechanical room to the main electrical panel. Once all the electrical and water lines are in place we will pour the floating concrete floor 4-5" thick, covering all utilities and closing off the holes in the wall.

2008-01-19T10:14:00.001-08:00

All four modules and parapet retaining walls are finished. We will wait 30 days to begin backfilling. The area to be backfilled will be coated with spray on waterproofing (resembles spray on pickup bed liner when dry) then sheets of dimpled plastic membrane. The dimpled plastic has wicking material on the outside which picks up moisture that travels through the ground and conducts it to the french drain at the bottom of the wall for drainage away from the house. Then soil is backfilled against the membrane.

2008-01-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

This is a closeup of the aluminum forms showing how the slotted pins and wedges fasten everything together. As the pins are pounded into the pin slots it tightens up the forms until they can stand alone and not allow any concrete to leak out of the seams.

This is a wall and the top of the 3' parapet form.

Seguin TX Earth Sheltered Home

2007-12-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

Marlin and Christa have an excellent earth sheltered home in Seguin, TX that helped answer a lot of questions we had before we began.

http://earthshelterhomes.blogspot.com/

Floor Plan

2007-12-23T11:54:00.001-08:00

I thought it might be of interest and helpful in viewing the blog if there was a floor plan for reference. I designed the house after learning the required parameters for the actual construction. The plan has a few minor discrepancies with regard to measurements, but not more than a few inches. My design program does not allow me to show the 4' and 8' overhangs which surround the west and south sides.

When finished we will backfill the entire north side and part of the east side all the way to the roof, which will also have about 3' of earth on top. The north side is dug back into a hill, so from the street it will just look like a few low mounds (with vent pipes, etc.) covered with buffalo grass.

2007-12-22T16:15:00.001-08:00

Looking northeast at the front of the living room. All forms are in place, ready to pour. All window and door blockouts are covered by the outside forms. The 3' parapet wall, as well as the 4' and 8' overhangs are clearly shown.

West wall forms all in place, with parapet and 4' overhang. The temporary bracing is in place, to be removed when the concrete has set and the forms are removed. This can usually be done the day after the pour.

2007-12-22T15:58:00.001-08:00

Looking west toward the entry with an 8' overhang to protect the south side of the living room. The straps on the inside of the forms for the 4th module are clearly shown. They hold the inside and outside parts of the forms together, and support rebar in the middle of the poured wall.

It is possible to see the roof structure over the porch, together with the 3' retaining wall on the left top of the forms. This area will eventually have about 2.5 ft of earth upon it, together with the rest of the roof.

2007-12-22T15:51:00.000-08:00

The west wall of the living room module, with 2 6050 picture windows. To the left of the windows is a 3' door.

When the outside form is in place the concrete will be pumped into the forms. The initial pour will be somewhat wet to be sure it fills in the voids under the windows.

2007-12-22T15:50:00.001-08:00

Third module, inside forms. This is the living room at the front of the house, with the front door, a 3050 window and a 6050 picture that will look out to the south.

2007-12-22T15:44:00.001-08:00

The trailer with the center form for the roof is inside the framed walls. Each room has a 9' opening to allow future removal of the trailer. This opening is framed in later as needed for windows, doors, or solid wall

The crew is attaching the wings on the ceiling center section prior to lifting (with a hydraulic piston on the trailer) the entire ceiling up into place and securing it to the top of the walls

2007-12-22T15:38:00.001-08:00

The inside of a poured wall with the electrical boxes visible. At the bottom is the area where the foam blocks were excavated, then a plug box (left) for power and another (right) for phone. In the middle of the wall is a switch box, with an electrical box high on the wall for valance lighting.
All wires will be run and fed into the conduit prior to pouring of the floors.

2007-12-22T15:31:00.001-08:00

The inside of the forms, with the metal straps that hold the inside and outside forms together visible. The conduit and boxes for electrical are in place, held tightly against the inside form by wires. At the bottom is a block of white polystyrene foam which will be excavated after the forms are removed to allow wiring to be fed into the conduit and up to the plug, switch, junction box and, at the top, another box. The open conduit will be connected to another conduit up on the ceiling with a box for a fan or light. During the pour the concrete will flow around all the boxes. Each box is wrapped in duct tape to seal it against the concrete and allow easy access after removal of the forms by simply slicing the tape out of the way.

2007-12-13T12:17:00.001-08:00

View from top of forms showing roof form and wall internal structure. The rebar for both the roof and wall are visible, as is the conduit for electrical outlets and plugs, which must be wired to the rebar inside the forms to hold them in place during the pour. The wood is internal framing for openings such as windows and doors. Each wall is 10" thick.

2007-12-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

Interior view prior to pour. The arch of the roof is visible, as well as the framing for the side walls. Concrete is poured on the roof and walls at the same time, making each module a single structure, with no seams. Each module uses 50-60 yards of concrete.

The black cylinder in the right of the photo is the hydraulic piston that lifts and supports the roof form in place. The roof form is made up of fiberglass panels, with the walls formed by flat aluminum forms held together with pins.

2007-12-13T12:00:00.001-08:00

We are pouring the second module with the overhangs and parapet. The white lines on the roof form to the right are the seams sections of the fiberglass roof forms. The white is a coating to seal the seams during the pour. I doubt the house would be possible were it not for the concrete pumper truck.

In the background is the 10th green of Pine Forest golf course.

2007-12-13T11:53:00.001-08:00

Interior looking toward the corner of the kitchen. A corner sink will go directly ahead, with a 3'x3' counter height window framed into what looks like a door to the right. The arch on the left will also be framed up to counter height to allow the cook an open view into the living room. (The top of the arch will be clear. The braces at the top of the arch are part of the form which allow the strength to pour the actual arch itself.)

2007-12-13T11:47:00.001-08:00

Overview of the top of the first module showing the pattern of the rebar. Rebar is held up about 2-3" from the surface of the roof mold for strength. The roof mold is fiberglass, with a gel coat to insure release from the concrete once it sets. The black tube is for a 21" Sun Dome solar light tube into the kitchen/dining area. It will be trimmed to length once 3" of earth is put on top of the roof.

2007-12-13T11:34:00.001-08:00

A view from the top of the roof prior to the next pour. This shows where the 3' parapet will be (left of the blue foam) and the 4' overhang, which will be on top of the blue foam. You can also see some of the pattern of the rebar for the domed roof on the right.

2007-11-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

Nov: 14: Pouring final footings. They are 24" wide, and vary from 1-5' high depending upon slope, to be sure final footings all rest on native soil and are level on top. They contain pex piping for hot and cold water, drainlines for the septic system, and conduit/sleeves for future water, electrical, communications, and anything else we forgot or think of later. The vertical rebar will tie in with the module walls, which will be 10" thick. The home is designed around 24' square modules, with no internal supports. The ceiling/roof is also concrete, poured in one piece with the walls, and arches to a 4' dome in the center of each room.

2007-11-22T08:34:00.001-08:00

Nov. 14: Shows forms for footings on house, ready to pour. The white tubes are 8" pvc which will act as the perimeter hvac ducting. They will be just inside the final walls. The immediate foreground is the master bedroom & bath.

Excavation Complete

2007-11-11T06:41:00.001-08:00

Oct 24: Excavation completed. Cut back into the hill where the back of the house will be located. Had to move the house South to preserve three large post oak trees and make sure we do not cross building set-back. Ground was generally river rock soil and clay. Since the footings must be on native soil we will have to have high footings on the South side to make everything level. In layout we discovered we will have an ideal place for the RV, with full hookups, which is a real plus since we thought we would have to put it in a much more obtrusive and expensive location.

The Jungle

2007-11-11T06:37:00.001-08:00

Oct. 10, 2007: When we returned to the site this fall to begin construction we found that the heavy rains had caused bloodroot plants to cover the area, 10' high. They were easy to knock down with a tractor, ready to start site prep.

Arant Earth Sheltered Home

2007-08-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

I plan to post photos of the construction of our earth sheltered home from start to finish. We will start construction 11-1-07 in Bastrop, Texas (20 miles East of Austin). As we progress I will post details of the construction and features we incorporate. I enthusiastically request comments and suggestions.