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In a spring/summer like the one we are having, I would pass on the under earth house...
We have a few spaces and areas below grade and getting them 'dried out' and not smelling musty for most of this season, is a part time job.
But, everyone has their own bag, even if that bag is weird or impractical or, a long reach.
GL, mD
The other one is on Merrimon Ave. in front of Ski Country om the same strip mall as Fresh Market. The DOT is still repairing it. It was as large as the parking lot.
Others I have seen were on Beaucatcher Rd (at the bottom of the mtn) in front of my rental home. I could stick my head in it and see the entire block. The city did not think it was a big deal.
The others are in Madison County and McDowell County. I-40E had on on the Old Fort Mtn side going westbound.
If the sink holes are not fixed correctly the first time, they grow in size rather quickly.
Most of the sinkholes in Asheville are due to the underground pipes for water and sewer. Asheville has the oldest sewer lines in history. And few have been upgraded to larger pipes to withstand the growth of Asheville. I am also including Buncombe County also.
I feel that there are more "underground home" situations than most realize. Another term for them is walkout basements. The key difference in your plans is to have the grade or living roof extend over the top of the home.
Very interested in this type of construction myself as its exactly what I want to do when I build my personal home. Radon is easy to account for; perforated pipe under the slab sloped to daylight with a vertical stack. This cheap and easy solution doubles as sub slab drainage.
As for the objection of ruining the look of the land, what's more obtrusive, a two level timber frame you can see from the blue ridge parkway or a completely hidden structure (save the South facing passive solar windows)? That's just surface aesthetics. Passive solar and earth bermed construction reduces the need to burn coal which reduces the acidification of our forests and streams which many scientists think is contributing to our dying flora atop our ridges and mtns.
Walk out basements (underground passive solar) are designed with a daylight wall and loaded up with windows and natural light. They can be more bright and comfortable than a log cabin with a wrap around porch (which drastically cuts interior light).
Waterproofing, damproofing and eliminating the musty smell of underground structures is easily handled with the proper construction techniques and fresh air introduction per ASHRAE 62.2. Coincidentally, recently wrote a blog about it, want to hear it here it goes..
The biggest challenge with such a home is the roof. Living roofs are one of the most challenging construction techniques one can face. I feel they can be done appropriately but it takes a lot of smart design and attention to detail.
Living roofs are designed to be light weight. Things get even trickier as you add soil and other landscaping. The amount of weight involved is enormous and could require extensive engineering. Keeping rooms narrow with short spans will reduce costs substantially.
As for completely avoiding heating and cooling with the PAHS techniques.. good luck. This type of structure will reduce the need of heating (mainly passive solar) and cooling but it will not eliminate it. I dont think PAHS has proven itself with repeated, measurable results but perhaps your structure can help prove the skeptics wrong.
I dont think being from WNY or NYC has any impact on the enjoyment of life you will find here. Now if you come with the wrong attitude, then yankees be damned! But I like the sounds of your project and philosophy and think you will be a welcomed addition to this area.
The idea of an underground, or berm home built into the side of a mountain is fascinating to me. I love the thought of it, and played around with designing one for a hillside lot overlooking a lake back in NY, but the cost was prohibitive and there were no imaginative builders in the area. Good luck with this project, I hope to hear more about it if you go ahead with it.
The winters in WNC are very mild compared to upstate NY. I lived in upstate NY and know. It breaks 50 quite often in January so if you are going to build a solar home, your biggest obstacle will be cooling, not heating. Regular 2/4 or 2/6 framing with 2" of rigid foam insulation taped at the seams with tyvek tape should be enough for NC winters.
I agree mlhm that 2" of insulative foam sheathing will result in an excellent building envelope if the many other details are done as well. Dont use tyvek tape on foam though, foam shrinks and tyvek tape does not stretch. I currently would use 3M 8067 tape and consider dong the foam in two layers with offset joints.
As for heating loads vs cooling loads, asheville is darn close to 50/50. The higher elevations will tend to have more heating loads. Since well done passive solar construction can reduce heating costs 40-90%, it certainly makes sense to put in the little effort required in our climate if the site is right.
Cooling isnt really an obstacle if one is planning on having a heat pump, which is required in our climate in my opinion for all but the highest elevations. Underground walls tend to be at an advantage for cooling because no sunlight hits them and there are cooler temps on the other side of the wall.
An often overlooked advantage of below grade construction is reduced maintenance for exterior walls. No windows to clean or leak, and no siding/trim to paint, caulk or replace. There is also a possibility of reduced upfront material and labor costs for below grade portions of exterior walls.
I see this thread is fairly old but just wanted to add a little info for those that might still be reading this. I have lived in an underground home by Terra-dome in Texas for the last 27 years. I am about to move to NC to be near my daughter. Terra-Dome is one of the most built and best designed homes on the market. They have already invented the wheel and perfected it. I will not be living in one when I get to NC and I am really going to miss it.
I have retired to my little slice of mountain top heaven here in Asheville, NC and am endeavoring to determine the best/most fun use for my 35 acres. Long range mountain views abound and being only 10 minutes from downtown Asheville (the coolest city in the USA) makes this an awesome spot for development. I am not interested in a "cookie cutter" development of homes, but rather a unique, earth friendly, small footprint of tree houses (similar to Pete Nelson's rentals at TreeHouse Point) and earth sheltered dwellings to be used as short-term vacation rentals. Nothing like this is being done on the east coast to my knowledge and certainly nothing like this has been attempted in the mountains of western North Carolina. I would love to hear any thoughts/suggestions/builder recommendations that anyone could offer.
Many thanks! Michael
Sundance Solar in Asheville area, for well engineered solar ideas, in my experience. Home | Sundance Power
Others will probably post on builders, et al...
This is an old thread; you may be better served starting your own Thread.
GL, mD
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Hobbit homes and tree houses in Asheville, NC
