INSTRUCTIONS AND PROPHECIES OF THE Blessed MOTHER ALIPIA GOLOSEEVSKY, Kyiv...
DIY house » Useful tips » Building a house like "Fox hole"
13-04-2011, 21:19
There is hardly any other place where you can feel such security as in a bunded building. The secret is simple and I learned this secret on the pages of the site www.ibrus.ru - energy and the spirit of the earth literally permeate the structure under the turf dome. The natural grounding of the building relieves stress, removes electromagnetic fields, caused by stray currents, which is typical for multi-storey reinforced concrete structures.
Here, shutdowns of heating plants and power outages are not terrible, since an elementary wood-burning hearth is enough to maintain a comfortable temperature. Habitually monotonously flicker outside the window of the electric train holiday villages. Booths, huts, houses, houses, houses ... And behind all this pile of construction, the main thing is not visible - the beauty of the cultivated land. And the houses themselves (or rather, cases) are empty most of the year. In cold weather, warming them up for an overnight stay (15-16 ° C) is problematic: while the walls are warming up, it's time to get ready for the city.
In a bunded house, water in pipes or in a kettle will never freeze, and at a minimum cost it is easy to create comfortable living conditions. The lack of natural light can be compensated by the installation of transparent roof elements (antiaircraft lamps), the efficiency of which is much higher than traditional windows.
Fig. 1 Plan of a house of the "Fox hole" type for a small area:
1 - veranda (14.0 m2);
2 - kitchen (12.0 m2);
3 - room (20.0m2);
4 - vegetable store (18.0 m2);
5 - greenhouse (18.0 m2);
6 - pantry (1.3 m2);
7 - bench-locker;
8 - pit-water absorber
Modern bunded structures can be of very different purposes: these are premises for livestock, garages for agricultural machinery, etc.
Dugouts of the third millennium - from elite mansions to hobbit minks
e. Houses built using the simplest materials (expanded concrete blocks, sandbags, logs, soil blocks) can help solve the acute housing problem of many categories of the population - refugees, migrants, etc.
This type of bunded houses received our code name "Fox hole". Our architectural studio is ready to help develop projects for both small buildings and entire public complexes (sports, cultural, etc.). Let's see how for a small garden plot you can build a small house, lined with earth.
Manufacturing jobs. At the first stage, a common pit is torn off with a depth of 0.5-0.8 m and a size of 0.5 m more than the dimensions of the future building. The soil is piled around the perimeter of the embankment. A strip foundation 400 mm thick and 250 mm deep is made of M300 concrete reinforced with a mesh of ZF6A-1 along the bottom of the pit. A preparation 150 mm thick from a sand and gravel mixture is laid under the strip foundation. On the top of the foundation - waterproofing from two layers of roofing material on bitumen.
The walls of the house are erected from red brick Ml00 on a cement-sand mortar M50: up to the mark of 0.00 - 380 mm thick, above - 250 mm thick.
Walls can be made from other materials, for example, from concrete blocks, or made from monolithic expanded clay concrete. The outer surfaces of the walls in contact with the ground must be insulated by coating with hot bitumen (two to three times) or roofing material.
The ceiling is made of hollow reinforced concrete slabs of the PK63-15-8 type, on top of which a leveling screed is made. The ceiling is insulated with polystyrene foam boards 50-70 mm thick, which are laid on cold bituminous mastic. The insulation layer is covered with two or three layers of roofing material (hydroisol) on bituminous mastic with waterproofing of the junctions with the walls.
On top of the structure - clay castle a layer of 10-15 cm with subsequent bunding with soil taken out of the pit. Subsequently, this place can be sown ornamental grass, arrange a flower garden, etc.
House under the protection of the earth
A modern underground house bears little resemblance to a bunker, cellar or dugout. It is beautiful, comfortable and environmentally friendly. The construction of such unusual housing is a bold experiment, but it is fully justified.
Underground houses look like a hill or a hole in a slope and look like an element of the natural landscape. The growing interest in dwellings whose walls and roofs are covered with earth, as a result of which they are often called "fox holes", is explained not only by the desire for originality and maximum unity with nature, but also by rational considerations - the desire to obtain economic benefits during construction and operation. Underground construction is accessible to everyone, and adherence to technology guarantees a high quality of the environment in the house. There is a wide choice of options for the depth of the structure in the ground: from completely underground to completely above ground, bunded with earth (bulk, fenced with berms - from German berme - an element of the slope of the embankment). The construction methods are also diverse, from simple, suitable for building a house with your own hands, to complex, based on avant-garde architectural and engineering ideas. Therefore, the houses are different - from low-budget buildings to luxurious underground villas.
Temperature underground
Ground temperature is an important factor in energy saving at home. The soil does not conduct heat well and accumulates it well (in a dry state, these qualities are approximately the same as those of a brick), therefore, temperature fluctuations occurring on the surface of the earth propagate in it slowly, reaching depths with a great delay. The measurements showed that at a depth of 2-3 m the warmest moment of the year comes 2-3 months later. The coldest soil is in spring. In the climatic conditions of Ukraine at a depth of 2 m in winter the temperature will be 6-8 °C, in summer - 15-18 °C.
Construction benefits
Living below the surface of the earth in the past was considered the lot of the poor. To dig a space in the ground for one or more rooms, no funds are required, enclosing structures can not be erected - they are the earth. However, the disadvantages of such a dwelling were dampness, lack of sunlight, difficulty in ventilation, so it could not be considered healthy and environmentally friendly.
The view of the house underground began to change in the late 60s of the last century. Over time, solutions have been developed to organize life in such facilities in accordance with healthy standards.
But this has affected the cost of housing: when using high-quality materials that are desirable for use in underground construction, it may turn out to be no less than a similar area located on the surface.
But on the right site, you can take full advantage of the unique benefits of land protection:
Energy saving. Since the earth does not conduct heat well and can be thick, such dwellings are characterized by a stable internal temperature: heat is well retained in winter, and air conditioning is not required in summer. In extreme climates with long, cold, windy winters and hot summers, maintaining a comfortable temperature will not be energy-intensive;
High sound insulation. The earth perfectly protects against sounds of any frequency, there will always be peace and quiet in the rooms. The penetration of sounds outside is also limited. Therefore, underground houses are comfortable in noisy areas, near highways;
Safety. An underground house is safe in areas with increased seismic activity, is not afraid of hurricanes, and is protected from fires from the outside. It is difficult for thieves to enter the dwelling, since the number of places for penetration is limited. In the event of hostilities, the underground structure becomes a comfortable personal bomb shelter and provides reliable camouflage;
Landscape conservation. The natural landscape of the area will change minimally after the construction of the house, the area of the green cover of the site, the ecological and aesthetic value of the place will be preserved; opportunity to build on disadvantages. Attractive but difficult to build slope, hilly area can be turned into an advantage and easy to master;
Reducing labor costs during construction. In rough terrain, you can reduce the amount of earthwork. Labor-intensive facade and roofing work will not be required. This will reduce the cost and time of building a house; minimum costs to keep the building safe. When using high-quality waterproofing, walls and roofs overgrown with grass will only require maintenance in terms of landscaping, as part of the site.
A well-built underground house will have no drawbacks, except that the view of the area from the windows may be limited. However, its features and the cost of construction significantly depend on natural conditions site. Sometimes it is advantageous to bury a house in the ground, in other cases it is rational to build it above the ground and bund it. An analysis of the site will show how complex and expensive measures will be needed during construction so that the house does not suffer from water penetration, soil shifts, and lack of lighting.
House on top of the hill
A convenient place for construction is at the top of the hill. The location at the highest point of the relief helps to protect the premises from water penetration as much as possible, orient them to any cardinal direction, provide excellent lighting and visibility from the windows. During construction, the upper part of the hill is torn off, and after the construction of the structures, they fall asleep again.
Site Requirements
To determine the feasibility of building an underground house, it is necessary to take into account the features of the site in the complex:
RELIEF. Preferably a relief with elevation changes - sloping or hilly. On such a site there is a place for harmonious placement of the house while saving on earthworks. In any building on a slope, a floor is formed, at least partially located underground, and its expansion and deepening will make all rooms underground. In a hilly area, a dwelling can be placed on a horizontal platform, while being partially built into one of the elevations of the relief, which will play the role of a natural dike of the walls. Therefore, most underground buildings are built on top of the terrain. Owners of a hilly site, difficult to build a standard house, should think about building underground housing.
It is also important that surface water quickly drains from sloping areas and the soil remains dry. An underground house should not be located in a lowland, ravine or thalweg, where water is collected from the surrounding area.
ORIENTATION. The southern orientation of the slope is ideal, providing rooms for most of the day sunlight. The northern slope, although it will give coolness in a hot climate, is still unacceptable for an underground house from a hygienic point of view, since the rooms need insolation. In hot climates, east is a good orientation. On a flat site, you should also orient the entrance and windows to the sunny side.
PRIMING. It is best if the site contains soils that pass water well - sand, sandy loam and loam. They dry quickly and are suitable for natural and artificial embankment (which is performed with soil taken out of the pit). Clay is an unfavorable type of soil, as it retains moisture and erodes when wet. However, it can be used as an additional waterproofing lock in layers adjacent to the load-bearing underground structures of the house. Used as a top coat fertile layer soil, which is removed and stored during construction.
GROUND WATER LEVEL. The best will be the site on which groundwater occurs at great depths. This will allow you to lower the house as much as possible, build it into the terrain. A dwelling cannot be located below the groundwater level, and you should also make sure that there is no underground flow at the construction site - in these cases it is difficult to exclude water from entering the house. Modern technologies make it possible to reliably protect against moisture seepage through structures, but the cost of work will be unreasonably high.
MICROCLIMATE. The drier the area, the better for building an underground house. A humid microclimate is contraindicated for him: to combat dampness, it will be necessary to increase ventilation, constantly monitor the condition of structures, which will cause costs and discomfort.
House types
There are two main types of houses protected by earth - underground and bunded. An underground building is a building that is wholly or mostly located below ground level. A bunded house can be located above ground level or partially below it, while the upper part of its walls and roofs are covered with soil. The earthen roof goes directly into the surface of the site (which distinguishes an underground dwelling from a ground dwelling with a green roof).
Each house protected by land is individual, but several common solutions can be distinguished depending on the appearance, location on the terrain, construction method.
1. HOUSE-Dugout. The traditional and simplest version of the underground house. The most suitable terrain for construction is with a slight slope or flat, and the building can also adjoin a hill. Above the surface of the earth, only a roof covered with soil is visible. With a rectangular plan, it is usually gable, but can be flat or vaulted. The entrance is arranged in the end wall, in front of which they make a pit with a canopy and steps leading down. Windows are built into the gables on the end walls, sometimes (for example, if the back end is adjacent to a hill) windows built into the roof in the form of skylights or lucarnes are used. The house can only be one-story (with a higher number of storeys, you get an ordinary building with a basement), its width usually does not exceed 6 m (this is determined by the possibilities of overlapping the span), and the length is arbitrary. The room can be divided into rooms, providing them with windows.
During the construction of a dugout, a foundation pit is torn off, walls are installed around its perimeter, protecting it from damp earth, as well as supporting structures for the roof, then they block the room and cover the roof with earth.
2. BONED HOUSE. An option suitable for any type of terrain - flat area, slope, hilly terrain. The house can be slightly buried, including completely ground or combining underground and bunded parts. For example, the ground one can be “attached” to a hill, which will serve as a natural fence for part of the walls, and the rest of the walls can be rolled over (this is economical, since the volume of earthworks is reduced). It is possible to make a house of any shape in plan, multi-room, two-story, with windows oriented to several cardinal directions.
During the construction of a bunded house, walls and a roof are first erected in a pit of the required depth or on the surface of the earth. Enclosing structures must not only separate the premises from the ground, but also withstand the pressure of the ground. Then the building is covered with earth, leaving open vertical sections walls with windows and entrance.
3. A HOUSE BUILT INTO A SLOPE. The parameters of such a dwelling depend on the steepness of the relief and the orientation of the slope. The steeper the slope, the greater the number of storeys can be.
Cheap, eco-friendly, fabulous… Do-it-yourself house
Illuminate living quarters usually from the side of the slope, while the light front of the house is desirable to make it as long as possible. During construction, as a rule, part of the slope is removed, the building structures are erected and the landscape is returned to its previous state. If the stability of the soil allows, it is possible to carry out construction works directly in the ground.
When the site is located near the top of the hill, the house can be a through tunnel with exits to opposite sides of the slope, which will expand the possibilities of lighting and ventilation of the premises. It can be built by penetrating directly into the ground, or by removing and refilling the top of the relief.
Architecture and interior
The architectural appearance of underground and bunded houses differs significantly from ground ones.
In addition to green walls and roofs, many of them are characterized by plastic, streamlined forms of volumes. The structures that form them are often made of reinforced concrete, as it is able to withstand the high pressure created by the mass of soil and effectively protect against water.
There are also differences in layout. Houses built into a slope often have an extended plan with a shallow depth of rooms - up to 6 m. Deeper underground, you can place rooms that do not require daylight (bathrooms, pantries), but their area will be small. Underground construction is characterized by the use of skylights, as well as light guides equipped with mirrors that launch the sun's rays deep into the earth. External walls are sometimes fully glazed. Large windows oriented to the south help not only to better illuminate the house, but also to accumulate heat. In order to improve lighting in the interior, translucent partitions are sometimes used to separate rooms, surfaces are painted in light colors.
Bundled houses can have quite a traditional plan. But there is another possibility - the rooms can be made not adjacent to each other, but connected by corridors (" underground passages”), which will increase the resemblance of the house to the “fox hole”. This is important if you need to isolate the premises as much as possible. In addition, interior details (tables, benches, etc.) can be formed from the soil, finishing their surface with tiles, wood or other material, depending on the style of the interior.
Construction rules
When constructing underground and bunded houses, moisture-resistant materials should be preferred. You can use ceramics, impregnated wood, suitable material is monolithic reinforced concrete. Aerated concrete, which absorbs moisture abundantly, should not be used. It is important to use high-quality waterproofing (the material depends on the specific conditions and construction technology). The embankment of the building is carried out with soil selected from the pit. To cover the elevated house, you will need to bring a large amount of soil to the site.
The simplest and most common technology involves the construction of a house (both underground and bunded) in an open way. They tear off a foundation pit of the required depth and shape, 0.5-1 m in size more than the dimensions of the building. Along the perimeter of the walls that make up the shell of the house, a shallow foundation is made (its capacity depends on the size of the building, the design and material of the walls, the planned thickness of the soil layer). The walls are made of bricks, wooden logs, concrete blocks, monolithic concrete. They can be thinner than those of a ground-based house, but when bunded, they must withstand the pressure of the earth (half a brick or up to 10 cm of concrete). load-bearing structure roofs can be mounted in the form of a truss system with a frequent arrangement of rafters (for increased strength) and a plank run. With brick or concrete walls, it is worth making a monolithic reinforced concrete floor and giving the ceiling, which will become the roof of the house, a vaulted shape, the most effective way to maintain the mass of the earth.
The outer part of the shell of the house and the floor are waterproofed with a continuous contour. Thermal insulation is not required if the thickness of the soil layer protecting the building is more than 1 m. As a rule, soil is laid in a smaller layer in the roof area, so it is necessary to arrange additional insulation(preferably extruded polystyrene foam resistant to wet ground). The floors are made on the ground, as in ordinary house, sequentially laying waterproofing, insulation, screed and top coat.
To divert water from the walls, it is necessary to organize drainage. Drainage ditches are located along the perimeter of the building (on the slope Special attention giving to the area above the house) and taken to the territory below the house. A drainage layer is also required in the thickness of the soil covering the house. It helps reduce water pressure on underground structures.
A more sophisticated technology - closed construction - is used to build underground houses on a steep slope. It involves creating a cavity in the thickness of the earth and carrying out work completely underground and requires the participation of specialists with experience in underground construction, the use of special equipment, and the creation of a structure that strengthens the soil.
Engineering
The energy and water supply systems of the bunded and underground houses are the same as in the ground. There are differences in the ventilation device. The vapor impermeability of the walls and the risk of dampness should be taken into account (especially if there were errors in the waterproofing - for example, the material turned out to be fragile and cracks formed). Therefore, both in bunded and underground houses (especially those oriented only to one side of the world and devoid of through ventilation), it is necessary to provide forced forced supply and exhaust ventilation. The exhaust pipe holes are located under the ceiling, raising the pipe above the roof (if the house is large, there may be several of them). The inflow is made through special holes left in the entrance area at a height of half a meter from the floor. The volume of air exchange and the section of the holes must be calculated by a specialist, and the first indicator is increased if appliances with an open flame, such as a stove, are used in the house. Fans are installed not only for exhaust, but also on supply openings, providing forced air flow. The exhaust and inflow must be equipped with dampers to regulate air exchange. It is also desirable that the windows can be opened. They will provide additional air flow, and when placed in the upper part of the house, for example, on the roof, they will also provide an exhaust hood.
In an underground house, it is better to use electrical systems heating and water heating, it is advantageous to equip the house with solar collectors. Solid fuel stoves and boilers are also possible (however, they increase the load on ventilation system). The use of gas is dangerous.
When an underground recessed house is located on a flat terrain, difficulties may arise with the sewerage device. If the formation of effluents occurs at a depth, it is not always possible to organize their gravity flow to the place of accumulation and the use of a pump will be required. It is desirable to avoid such a situation, since it makes residents seriously dependent on the supply of electricity.
Therefore, the issue of sewerage should be taken into account when determining the level of penetration of the house. It should be deepened only to a level that allows the sewerage to be arranged by gravity.
The choice of waterproofing
The choice of waterproofing device depends on a number of factors:
Wall and roof material. When using stone materials, coating, roll, plaster waterproofing is used. For concrete, penetrating (injection) waterproofing is the most effective, creating an impenetrable barrier for water inside the wall.
Soil moisture. With dry soils, painting with two layers of hot bitumen is sufficient; with wet soils, it is better to use rolled materials in several layers (their number should be the greater, the higher the water pressure on the surface).
Mechanical effects on waterproofing. In the presence of shear forces (for example, on inclined surfaces), bituminous and synthetic waterproofing materials, which are characterized by creep, should not be used. For walls experiencing shear, tensile or high compressive stresses, as well as seismic loads, plaster waterproofing is the most reliable.
Ground coating device
The comfort and durability of an underground house largely depends on a properly executed multilayer system of soil, which is actually its final building envelope.
The bearing horizontal part of the house (floor slab, roof) must have a slope to avoid water stagnation in the soil and its further wetting. For guard inner space dwellings and structures from hypothermia arrange thermal insulation, and then - waterproofing, which has a long service life (20-50 years) and high strength. A drainage layer is placed on top (of expanded clay, fine gravel, coarse sand) and protected from erosion by filter material (geotextile). With large slopes, it is convenient to use special synthetic mats or profiled membranes for drainage.
The soil above the house is poured with a layer of at least 30 cm, which is enough for a lawn and a flower garden. On inclined surfaces, overgrown roots will reliably hold the soil, but in order to immediately prevent it from slipping, a rolled lawn is usually used, and with slopes of more than 45 °, the surface is reinforced with a special mesh. The thicker the soil layer, the more large plants can be planted, but you should always choose specimens with a superficial rather than tap root system.
It is also important to consider the irrigation system.
Fox hole (mounded house, dugout)
The design and construction of underground dwellings is currently developing rapidly, as one of the ways to reduce the dependence of residential buildings on a continuous supply of fuel. Previously, it was believed that the mention of the possibility of building underground or buried dwellings could, due to a negative psychological reaction, cause a negative attitude towards any other such ideas.
Indeed, man has always turned to the earth in order to protect himself from the effects of adverse and extreme climatic conditions. Only a historically short era of affordable and cheap fuel has allowed us to build climate-independent homes and supply those homes with the energy we need to create comfortable conditions. Now that fossil fuels are dwindling and prices are rising rapidly, it's time to re-evaluate the possibilities that land offers us.
We collect information on the site about the construction of fox holes, dugouts.
Cellars and cellars: how to build
Outside the city, you can’t do without a cellar and a basement. Especially if you have your own garden and orchard (and it is almost always on the site). I would like to save vegetables, pickles, and apples for the winter ... Nice basement(cellar) - this is very important, and therefore its construction must be approached wisely.
Everyone who is faced with the problem of long-term storage of a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables needs to build a cellar.
Methods for storing fruits and vegetables outside the home: in earthen pits, heaps, ice storages, cellars of various types, etc.
bunded house
The exceptionally hot summer of 2010 caused a lot of trouble for the Russians. From the heat there was simply nowhere to go. Personally, I escaped in the basement own house, where there was a fairly comfortable temperature, which made it possible to sleep normally in a pleasant coolness. True, you will not live in the basement. Involuntarily, thoughts came up - how to combine this comfortable temperature regime of the semi-basement, in which it is cool in summer and warm in winter, with the usual convenience of natural light ordinary house. Here, by the way, I recalled the project of the bunded house Fox hole B. Novoselov (House No. 10, 1999). The most significant disadvantages of this project are the lack of natural light and the need to ensure high-quality waterproofing of the house. Both that, and another, it is rather difficult to make the offered methods. By slightly changing the specified design and applying modern materials, it was possible to solve these problems.
Note that this is just a project, but I also used mine. personal experience when choosing some design solutions.
Photo of the house and the interior of the fox hole
Photo sent by Dmitry Dorogov.
Two solutions to the fox hole
We will illustrate the design solutions for bunded buildings with two examples. These buildings are simple and economical. They can be compared to well-made, carefully insulated ordinary buildings, although they cannot be considered perfect. The given examples of solutions should not be considered as optimal. Attention is drawn to the three main features of the projects, which consider: firstly, architectural and planning solutions; secondly, questions of energy conservation; third, economic characteristics according to local designers. Issues of capital and operating costs are of paramount importance for the construction of buried dwellings.
Bunkers
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia says that a bunker is a shelter in German military terminology. In ours - a container for storage. And when you see a modern American-style bunker, you start to get lost in terms.
Company: U.S. Bunkers ("American bunkers"). Location: Miami, Florida. Business line: "Manufacture of portable, aerodynamic, monolithic concrete structures for the sole purpose of protecting and saving lives."
hobbit house
Description: "You must see this."
sod roof
Sod roof photo, Norway. The technology is as follows: galvanized sheets, a grid on top of them (to prevent the soil from rolling), then the upper fertile layer (torn from the ground) or simply bulk land, which is sown with anything.
Fox hole in the Altai Territory
This building I built this summer in the suburbs of Barnaul, Altai Territory.
I haven’t finished the interior yet, so I would like to know the latest developments in ventilation and heating.
I also want to make a sod roof (now I have a roofing material there).
I would like to communicate with like-minded people.
Fox holes around the world
Earth houses by Peter Vetsch
Information about this site (photos from which are presented below) was sent to us by Marina Zheleznaya.
Very interesting projects earthen houses. Some of the photos are in the photo gallery below.
All of them are located in Switzerland and some - in Germany.
Dugout and the problem of spring flood
The most serious test for the dugouts was the spring flood. They did not pass this test - they were flooded. The presence of a slope and drainage did not guarantee the dryness of the dugouts. The conclusion is simple, to correct the situation, you need to make drainage to the depth of a dug pit or raise an earthen floor. Neither the slope nor the pit under the pond saved the dugout from flooding. I had to raise the floor to ground level. On the this moment it is a "roof on the ground".
There is hardly any other place where you can feel such security as in a bunded building. The secret is simple and I learned this secret on the pages of the site www.ibrus.ru - energy and the spirit of the earth literally permeate the structure under the turf dome. Natural grounding of the building relieves stress, removes electromagnetic fields caused by stray currents, which is typical for multi-storey reinforced concrete structures.
Here, shutdowns of heating plants and power outages are not terrible, since an elementary wood-burning hearth is enough to maintain a comfortable temperature. Habitually monotonously flicker outside the window of the electric train holiday villages. Booths, huts, houses, houses, houses ... And behind all this heap of construction, the main thing is not visible - the beauty of the cultivated land. And the houses themselves (or rather, cases) are empty for most of the year. In cold weather, warming them up for an overnight stay (15-16 ° C) is problematic: while the walls are warming up, it's time to get ready for the city.
In a bunded house, water in pipes or in a kettle will never freeze, and at a minimum cost it is easy to create comfortable living conditions. The lack of natural light can be compensated by the installation of transparent roof elements (antiaircraft lamps), the efficiency of which is much higher than traditional windows.
Fig. 1 Plan of a house of the "Fox hole" type for a small area:
1 - veranda (14.0 m2);
2 - kitchen (12.0 m2);
3 - room (20.0m2);
4 - vegetable store (18.0 m2);
5 - greenhouse (18.0 m2);
6 - pantry (1.3 m2);
7 - bench-locker;
8 - pit-water absorber
Modern bunded structures can be of very different purposes: these are livestock rooms, garages for agricultural machinery, etc. Houses built using the simplest materials (expanded concrete blocks, sandbags, logs, soil blocks) can help solve the acute housing problem of many categories population - refugees, migrants, etc.
This type of bunded houses received our code name "Fox hole". Our architectural studio is ready to help develop projects for both small buildings and entire public complexes (sports, cultural, etc.). Let's see how for a small garden plot you can build a small house lined with earth.
Manufacturing jobs. At the first stage, a common pit is torn off with a depth of 0.5-0.8 m and a size of 0.5 m more than the dimensions of the future building. The soil is piled around the perimeter of the embankment. A strip foundation 400 mm thick and 250 mm deep is made of M300 concrete reinforced with a mesh of ZF6A-1 along the bottom of the pit. A preparation 150 mm thick from a sand and gravel mixture is laid under the strip foundation. On the top of the foundation - waterproofing from two layers of roofing material on bitumen.
The walls of the house are erected from red brick Ml00 on a cement-sand mortar M50: up to the mark of 0.00 - 380 mm thick, above - 250 mm thick. Walls can be made from other materials, for example, from concrete blocks, or made from monolithic expanded clay concrete. The outer surfaces of the walls in contact with the ground must be insulated by coating with hot bitumen (two to three times) or roofing material.
The ceiling is made of hollow reinforced concrete slabs of the PK63-15-8 type, on top of which a leveling screed is made. The ceiling is insulated with polystyrene foam boards 50-70 mm thick, which are laid on cold bituminous mastic. The insulation layer is covered with two or three layers of roofing material (hydroisol) on bituminous mastic with waterproofing of the junctions with the walls.
On top of the structure- clay castle with a layer of 10-15 cm, followed by bunding with soil taken out of the pit. Subsequently, ornamental grass can be sown at this place, a flower garden can be arranged, etc.
In the field of construction, two factors operate in parallel, largely determining the trends in the development of residential architecture. The first of them is the rapid rise in the cost of traditional energy carriers against the backdrop of periodic economic shocks. The second is the undoubted progress in the field of construction technologies, energy saving, and the development of renewable energy sources. The concepts of eco-house, passive house have already firmly entered our lives. In the countries of Western Europe, the least protected from the effects of energy crises, houses with minimal and even zero energy consumption have long been no surprise.
Changes in the economy, ecology and psychology of people not only contribute to the emergence of new types of buildings, but also force us to turn again to traditional construction methods. Experiencing a rebirth of straw-block houses, adobe buildings have a history of many thousands of years. The principles of eco-building correspond to buildings partially buried in the ground - dugouts. They allow you to use the free energy of the earth's interior. At a depth of two meters in the middle zone in winter and summer, the temperature is 10-17 °C. In the cold season, the earth gives warmth, in summer - coolness. Heat pumps fit perfectly into the concept of a buried eco-house as a heating system; it is easier and cheaper to mount geothermal receivers than with above-ground construction. Aesthetic considerations also play an important role, the principle of recessed construction sometimes makes it possible to create structures of amazing beauty. Architects achieve impressive results by competently using the features of the terrain.
The dugout is a traditional dwelling of many peoples of the world. Houses partially buried in the ground were typical not only for our immediate ancestors: the ancient Slavs and Finno-Ugric tribes. Similar houses were built in the Balkans, Scandinavia, and the British Isles. Celts, Baltic tribes, peoples of Siberia and North American Indians lived in dugouts. Over time, life changed, houses began to be built on a high plinth. But a practical and cheap type of housing was quite widely known even in prosperous Europe until recently. For example, the heroes of one of the fairy tales Nobel laureate, Swedish writer Sigrid Unset, live in a dugout. Not rich, but with a certain income: they drink coffee and wine, eat pies and chocolate. At the turn of the century, the dugout was well known to Swedish children. In Scandinavia and Finland, buried dugout saunas are very popular; this is considered a special chic. In some areas of Romania, there are villages that consist entirely of buildings buried in the ground. Even Orthodox churches are half in the ground. The walls of such houses are log, buildings stand for hundreds of years. It is worth noting the comfortable microclimate of a traditional Romanian buried hut.
The current generation knows about dugouts from films about partisans. Undoubtedly, wooden rolling semi-trenches were widely and successfully used during the First World War, the Great Patriotic War, and some time after. The buildings were temporary, there was no way to take care of comfort at that time. Today, we have access to the full range of the latest construction technologies: modern foundation designs, wall materials, reliable waterproofing. In a properly designed and built dugout of the third millennium, it is warm in winter, cool in summer, humidity is always normal and clean.
The pioneers in the re-development of the buried house are the inhabitants of Europe and North America. The local dugouts are structures of various types, ranging from cheap "hobbit houses" built from improvised materials to expensive and comfortable villas. But all these houses, regardless of cost, are united by respect for the environment and the landscape, the use of energy-saving technologies. The soil with which the roof is covered is a fairly effective insulation, buildings do not take an inch of land from nature, because meadow grasses and flowers grow on the roof. The construction of semi-burrowed houses is gaining popularity, the bill goes into the thousands. Let's look at some interesting examples.
Edgeland Residence, USA
Perched on the banks of the Colorado River, the architects at Bercy Chen Studio say the villa is a modern interpretation of the traditional Great Plains Indian "earthen house" winter home. True, it is not known whether the inhabitants of the reservations agree with this statement. The plot of land on which the villa is built was previously an industrial landfill and was considered unsuitable for residential construction. After cleaning up industrial waste, the new owners firmly decided that their home and land would be an example of an ecological and careful attitude to nature. The architects found a solution in which the building fits perfectly into the newly recreated natural landscape.
The residence has an earthen roof and looks like a grass-covered hill in the middle of a natural park from the outside. Until the visitor gets inside the patio, which cuts the residential complex in two, like a gorge. Only then do the huge stained-glass windows and the blue water of the pool appear.
An open recreation area is located between two pavilions: a day one, which includes a kitchen, a dining room and a living room, and a sleeping one. Glass walls generously fill the modern minimalist interior with sunlight, create a unity of the interior space with the surrounding nature.
The turf layer covering the roof serves as a good heat insulator and improves the indoor climate. Technical solutions correspond to modern ideas about ecological housing: low-temperature water heating floor, built on the basis of a heat pump, a rainwater collection system, a filtration field for domestic wastewater treatment.
Burrow house in the Swiss Alps
A cozy mink was built by the Dutch studio SeArch and Christian Muller Architects in the foothills of the Swiss Alps. Situated on a southern slope, the underground home is well lit through the patio's stained-glass windows. Due to its underground location, the country house-burrow is perfectly thermally insulated. In summer it is cool, in winter, on the contrary, it is warm. The ultra-modern architecture of the villa is strikingly different from the buildings of the old village of Valls, where traditional chalets prevail, but the underground structure does not violate the integrity of the landscape. The house becomes noticeable only in the evening, when the large stained-glass windows are filled with inner light.
Only natural materials — stone and wood — were used in the decoration and landscaping.
Gary Neville underground house
The legendary footballer, the captain of Manchester United, Gary Neville, moved underground. The 750-square-meter house sits comfortably on the slopes of the Pennines in Bolton, Lancashire. The building is almost completely built into the ground, has the configuration of a six-petalled flower, which, however, is visible only to birds. The inner recessed courtyards are quite spacious and the underground house, oddly enough, is filled with sunlight. Outside, it is impossible to guess the presence of a large villa, the meadow landscape is disturbed only by a wind generator located at a distance. The architectural studio Make worked on the project with the active participation of Neville himself.
Ground roofing, coupled with deep walls, provides a comfortable microclimate, even temperature and constant humidity throughout any season. Autonomous heating and hot water supply is built on the basis of a heat pump using natural geothermal energy. Electricity is generated by a wind turbine and photovoltaic panels.
Earth House 1, Switzerland
In the suburbs of Zurich, the Swiss architectural bureau Vetsch Architektur has implemented the project of the ecological hotel Earth House 1. Dugout No. 1 is completely built into the hill. Outside, only the lobby, the restaurant and the entrance to the garage are open to visitors. It is impossible to guess that a spacious hotel is hidden inside. The rooms are oriented towards the inside of the hill, forming a courtyard closed on three sides around a small lake, in which colored carps splash. From the courtyard opens the prospect of the Alpine mountain landscape. The bathrooms, lobby and stairs to the underground floor are illuminated through skylights located in the grassy rooftop.
The building was built in accordance with the so-called bionic principles of architecture, which do not offend the straight lines of the primordial curvilinearity of natural bends. The grassy roof is a walking area with paths, benches and alpine-style flower beds.
For studio head Peter Wetsch, this hotel is not the first of its kind. During the construction process, proven technical solutions. The walls and roof of the building are a single reinforced concrete monolithic structure. Recycled foamed glass is used as a heater - the material is durable, lightweight and efficient. The structures are protected from moisture by reliable waterproofing made of bitumen-based materials. The building is covered with a layer of vegetative soil, poured over geotextile sheets that protect the drainage layer.
Dugout in Wales for £3,333
This amount cost Simon Dale the construction of a comfortable dugout. Having studied the cost of housing and credit conditions, the Briton decided to get by on their own. To minimize the cost, he used what was lying under his feet and in nearby bushes as building materials. Stones collected on the site went to the foundation. The frame of the house was assembled from untreated tree trunks cut down during site clearing. The walls are made of clay-straw blocks, plastered with clay and insulated with it from water penetration. The floor and roof are also straw-insulated. Waterproofing, drainage, filter cloth and a layer of soil reliably protect the roof from moisture and cold. External backfill from the side of the hill is made with soil taken out of the pit.
The house turned out to be fabulous, in the spirit of the heroes of the immortal works of Professor John Tolkien. Thanks to the use of untreated crooked tree trunks, the structure blends seamlessly into the landscape. The building seems to have grown out of the hill and looks more like a mushroom than a traditional English house. Inside the same fabulous and wonderful interior, sunlight penetrates not only through the windows, but magically flows from the glass lantern located at the top of the roof.
Dale involved several friends and relatives in the construction of the house, the work from start to finish took four months. The Welshman and his assistants had no previous experience in design and construction. Nevertheless, the house came out strong, spacious, warm, bright and dry. It is heated by a fireplace and lit by candles. Simon does not plan to connect central communications and is studying the possibility of using alternative sources energy.
Fox hole made of earth bags
In the vastness of Runet, there is a lot of talk about the benefits and cheapness of this type of structure, like the “fox hole”. There is no unity in what exactly this term should mean. But adherents of eco-housing agree on one thing: the “fox hole” is an inexpensive structure, lined with soil dug out of a pit. Villagers are not very attracted to this type of building, urban residents are more interested in the ideas of eco-villages. Actually, according to these principles, a traditional earthen cellar was equipped. In the villages, one can still find successfully functioning multi-level spacious earthen storage facilities built in the 19th century. Reinforced concrete and roofing material did not exist then. Treated with wood and clay as waterproofing.
Alas, there are practically no completely successful domestic implementations of the “fox hole” concept. Unfortunately, errors in design and construction do not allow us to call our “minks” comfortable or durable. Still, the long years of Soviet industrial construction were not in vain, so far we are doing better panel houses. However, this does not mean at all that a buried dwelling has no prospects in its native open spaces. Rather, on the contrary, only this matter requires a systematic and technically competent approach. And let the West, not us, set the tone. There is someone to learn from.
For example, rich but thrifty Americans are building small houses and outbuildings with might and main, similar to a "fox hole" from geotextile bags filled with soil. Geotextile is inexpensive, wall construction material literally lying underfoot, the structures are dry and clean. By the way, the walls of the magnificent Priory Palace, still alive today, built in 1799 by order of Paul I in Gatchina, with the exception of the tower with a spire, were built of ordinary soil, compacted and mixed with lime, plastered with clay composition. Shouldn't we take advantage of the experience of our ancestors?
Nikolai Keremid, rmnt.ru
The house under such an unusual name "fox hole" is a bunded house or, simply, a dugout. The construction of houses of this type is due to protection from the adverse, and sometimes simply extreme, effects of climatic conditions.
The advantage of such a building is that it is very warm, which allows you to spend heating agents of any kind to a minimum. This house is warm in winter and cool in summer.
But there you will not save on electricity, since the rooms are all dark and need lighting even in the daytime.
The construction of such houses belongs to the category of eco-construction.
When building a "fox hole", the most important thing is to make high-quality waterproofing and a ventilation system in order to create the most comfortable conditions for living in such a room.
Modern building materials provide a wide range of high-quality waterproofing, but nevertheless, such a house needs to be built on elevated places, where groundwater is very low.
From above, the building is covered with a turf dome, which is an excellent material for additional thermal insulation and sound insulation.
In our time, when all heating resources are becoming more expensive at an unthinkably fast pace, the issue of building such houses is becoming very relevant, because in any case, such buildings are more economically profitable.
Such houses are built from any available building material and the principle of construction is not much different from the construction of ordinary houses, with the only difference being that the embankment is made for insulation. In this regard, there should be solid construction roofs.
The fox hole can be located completely underground or partially.
Another advantage is the low cost and speed of construction. Such a building can be erected and finished in just a couple of weeks.
First of all, for the construction of such a house, they dig a hole, the depth of which depends on the wishes of the owner of the house.
The bottom of the pit for waterproofing is laid out with roofing felt or fiberglass material impregnated with bitumen.
A log is placed to each of the walls - this will be the lower trim. In each corner, with the help of brackets, we fasten vertical logs to the bottom trim and the same poles are installed in the center of each wall. If necessary, based on the size of the structure, we install additional supports in each gap. Then we sheathe everything with boards, roofing material and a layer of any heat-insulating material.
Windows are made to order. Windows can be made anti-aircraft - in the ceiling. The interior decoration of the house underground also takes a minimum of funds.
Lastly, heating systems are being built, as well as ventilation.
Adobe is a composite material, a mixture of earth, clay, sand, straw and water, laid by hand when erecting monolithic earthen walls. Does not require the presence of forms, cement, compaction, equipment. Adobe is sun-dried earthen blocks. The term refers to both the material and construction technique. The word "adobe" comes from an Old English root meaning "clod or rounded mass". The term refers to both the material and the houses made from it, as well as the traditional building technique used for centuries in Europe and other rainy, cold and windy lands as far as the latitude of Alaska.
Adobe is one of the many methods of building from raw earth, the most common building material in the world.
There is a light adobe (straw moistened with a liquid solution of clay) and a heavy adobe (a mixture of sand, clay and straw).
Making light adobe
The bottom line is that in the bath (pit, container) clay is soaked with water, in such proportions that clay milk or chatter is obtained - a rather liquid clay solution. Straw is thrown there, soaked in the solution from a minute to several (there is an opinion - no more than a minute, so that the straw does not have time to soak with water). The straw from the solution is then folded onto a tray, where it is allowed to drain from excess water. In the meantime, a mobile formwork is being formed near the wall that will be stuffed with straw. Further, this straw is stuffed into the formwork, where it is rammed with a pusher or a board (you can also use your hands / feet, to whom it is convenient in general, the main thing is to tamp well, and you will have to tamp a lot, so take care of the convenience of the tools). The clay coating on the straw stalks ensures that the fibers are firmly bonded when the straw is pressed into the walls. After the wall "grabs" a little, the formwork is moved and the next section of the frame is stuffed.
Since such material, unlike traditional adobe, cannot be load-bearing, it is simply a wall filler, and the frame of the future house, ideally double, is the load-bearing one. And the straw must be rice or rye, otherwise such a house will be chosen by rodents.
Houses made of adobe have a number of undeniable advantages:
1. High level thermal insulation. Buildings made of this material do not require additional heating in winter and retain coolness in summer. So, a practical method is that heat or cold seep through massive walls at a speed of 2.5 cm per hour. Therefore, on hot days, the walls of the building accumulate heat, and return it back at night. Adobe is beneficial to use for houses with solar collectors. In areas with aggressive cold winds, streamlined houses are built. Thanks to this design, it is possible to reduce the level of heat transfer and the entry of cold air.
2. The walls of an adobe house practically do not let in noise from automobile and railways, runways.
3. The fire resistance of adobe makes it possible to use it in construction in fire hazardous areas. The authorities in such regions require clay or earth to be used in the construction of the roof. Thus, it is possible to protect the entire structure from fire.
4. The hygroscopicity of the clay provides stable humidity air in the room.
5. Environmental friendliness. All materials that are used for the construction of adobe houses are only of natural origin.
6. Cheapness and availability. Adobe does not require fuel for firing, and its source material is found almost everywhere.
7. High strength houses has been proven by centuries and even millennia-old buildings.
8. Adobe is safe for beginner builders. During work, you do not need to use special tools, equipment and chemicals, all materials are familiar and cannot be spoiled.
9. Such material allows you to build any house, even with the most daring modern design.
10. No special skills are needed to build with adobe. Everything can be easily learned "as you go." Of course, if there is no experience in construction at all, it is better to first practice in a shed or a bathhouse.
Here is an overview beautiful houses from adobe:
Disadvantages of light adobe. Some become more or less critical depending on the region of application.
1. Requires the presence of a frame for the future home, because light adobe - only a filler and insulation of walls, unlike other adobe materials;
2. It takes time to dry walls that are open on both sides! (This is important because it creates traction through the wall and the wall breathes while it dries. There have been cases where light adobe has been used as the outer insulation of walls made of non-breathable material, such as aerated concrete. In this case, there is a risk of straw rotting due to insufficient output moisture.) I.e. we derive the rule - if we use light adobe, then we first build walls from it, and after drying we cover it with plaster, panels, etc. And we do not attach the panels to the frame, and then fill it with light adobe. This is a common mistake! Based on the foregoing, such material is more suitable for the southern regions. Light adobe is a mistake
3. This method does not allow the construction of thick walls (30-40 cm or more) due to the fact that they may not have time to dry before the process of debate (and decay) inside the wall begins. This means that drying should be carried out as quickly as possible (which is also in favor of the construction method for the southern regions).
From heavy adobe, you can “blind” a house in the same way as scuptura is molded from clay, or you can use adobe blocks. In fact, the same adobe, only molded in advance and dried in the sun. From such a molded adobe, the walls of the house are then erected, laying it like an ordinary brick.
You can easily make an adobe block yourself, it is enough to acquire a special form and hot summer days so that it has time to dry, after which it is immediately put into action.
In addition to the video, why some eco-builders do not build houses from light adobe.
Disadvantages of heavy adobe. There are no ideal building materials (like nothing perfect in our world), and adobe also has its drawbacks:
1. Blocks made of adobe do not have the highest water resistance. To remove such a disadvantage in the finished building, you need to carry out additional work for plastering or at least whitewashing the external walls with a lime substance. This will help protect the room from the effects of precipitation.
2. If you buy adobe bricks or blocks with a huge content of organic aggregates, then be prepared for the fact that uninvited guests will settle there in the form different insects or even worse - mice. Such material in parallel becomes the least fireproof. Again, due to the growth of organic matter, which burns perfectly.
3. A finished house, just built, must stand and dry for a long time. This is typical for countries with a temperate climate. In hot countries there is no such difficulty. If the house is not given such an ability, then the materials may not gain full strength, and the organic filler can even rot. As a result, the local indoor climate will not be as pleasant as you expected. Therefore, you will not celebrate a housewarming party in such a house soon.
4. Building with adobe has limitations depending on the time of year. best to build adobe houses in summer, in hot weather (the reason is clear from the above defect). In frosty cool weather, such construction is difficult, and if it is carried out, it requires the presence of alkalis or at least salt in the water on which the composition is kneaded.
5. Insufficiently compacted adobe walls over time will give a huge linear shrinkage. Its dimensions are capable of reaching 1/20 of the wall height.
6. The so-called heavy adobe (with a low content of organic aggregates) requires additional measures to insulate the room. In this case, it is better to use pressed grass, which is later plastered with clay or a clay-lime composition.
An example of building a house from a monolithic adobe in the settlement of Veselaia Slobodka, the Chepuryshkin estate, 2011:
House made of bags with earth (EarthBag)
The walls are built from bags with pressed clay, loam, earth. The technology has wide application in the Middle East. Outside, you can plaster, paint, or cling panel structures, boards, or dike with earth, as in the first option.
In the eighties of the last century, the fashion for adobe houses came to America. Earthwork enthusiasts traveled to England, where adobe houses built 500 years ago have survived and, despite their advanced age, are still in use.
The example of the British inspired the Americans so much that they began not only to build, but also to develop new methods of adobe construction. The product of this heightened interest was Cal-Earth, an institute in Southern California dedicated to the development and teaching of earth building systems. Its founder and leader was the American architect of Iranian origin Nader Khalili.
The Institute's most notable development was the Earthbags, or "Superman" technology. Actually Earthbags are bags filled with earth, from which houses can be folded in a certain way. Fabric pipes are sometimes used instead of bags. Building in this way is very easy and much faster than with traditional adobe. The only thing that can confuse a builder is that it is much more difficult to build straight walls using this technology than curvilinear or domed ones.
A house made of bags with earth is a way out when you need housing and there is no money for construction. For all their cheapness, such houses are quite strong and durable.
Walls made of bags are plastered, whitewashed, painted, which gives such houses an aesthetic and original look. Soil bags allow for any house shape and domed ceilings, eliminating the need to cover roofs. Even heavy showers do not weaken the dome of such houses, although many simply pull the domes with an ordinary film.
Benefits of earth bag houses:
1. Low price the buildings. Soil is used - a material that literally lies underfoot everywhere. Also, ordinary bags are used for construction, which are simply collected in landfills, or bought in stores, the price of such bags is low, a lot of bags accumulate in stores after unpacking the goods. Also, bags are bought at enterprises engaged in packaging. With large volumes of construction, they buy whole rolls of bag fabric, which is used for packaging raw materials at enterprises.
2. Easy to build.
3. Relatively fast way construction
4. Environmental friendliness.
5. Unlike simple adobe structures, they can be placed in areas flooded with flood waters. After all, bags of earth are traditionally used for flood control and the installation of dams.
6. Strength and durability of houses made of bags with earth. The round shape of the bag houses balances the external load in all directions. In addition, the load perceived by the dome creates normal membrane stresses in it with the effect of bending on the relatively small areas surfaces. Naturally, a house built from bags of earth with your own hands will not always have a perfect shape, but the magic is that the dome, even if not perfect, is still quite reliable. Khalili himself claims that the traditional square house with vertical walls is almost doomed to fall one day, but nothing can ever happen to the arch (the base of the dome). In addition, to strengthen the structure in soil mixture sometimes cement is added.
Another technology developed by the architect is fired clay houses. The domed house is laid out from water, earth and clay, dried and fired in much the same way as a ceramic pot.
Disadvantages of building from earth bags:
1. Building from bags of earth is a very laborious (although less laborious than building from heavy adobe) and physically difficult process, since the bags weigh quite a lot. When building a structure from bags of earth, it is almost impossible to cope alone, since the weight of one bag is approximately 120 kg. Therefore, either a crane is used, or several people work.
2. It is almost impossible to build two-story and wide buildings. However, these shortcomings are easily eliminated by building additional companies next to the main one and connecting them with corridors.
3. The main enemy of technology is rain and dampness. The whole structure can creep if plastering is neglected. In very damp areas, building a roof over a house from bags is a must.
4. Propylene bags are afraid of active solar radiation, therefore, either provide for the protection of the structure during construction, or erect the building very quickly. Ideally, of course, it is better to use bags made from natural materials.
5. It is better to build from bags of earth when you already live on the earth, and when there is already a circle of like-minded people around you who can help you in construction
6. On weekend visits, building a house out of bags of earth is very long and inappropriate (more time is spent on providing for domestic needs and arranging a temporary tent camp for living).
Here are some videos about building houses from bags of earth:
House "Fox hole" (burrowed dwelling)
"Foxy burrow"- a house cut into a hill, or lined with earth and looking like a separate hill. You can sow a hill with flowers, plant bushes, vines, etc. Please do not confuse this building with a dugout, as these are not the same thing. "Fox hole" is an earthen hill. Depending on the wishes of the owner, it can be built with any depth or even be at the level of an ordinary house.
If the angle of inclination of the walls is 45 degrees, then it will practically not create a shadow, because. the angle of the summer solstice at the latitude of Moscow is approximately equal to this. A slight shadow is created in the morning and evening hours from the west and east of the building.
Fox hole house built in Mexico:
Advantages of the Fox Hole House
1. Environmental friendliness.
2. The speed of erection.
3. Cheapness of construction. Land - the cheapest building material - is free. For floors, you can use round timber and unedged boards.
4. The house takes up almost no space. The earth embankment of the house can be used for planting from all sides and from above (strawberries, raspberries, shrubs, flower beds, etc.). It is even possible to plant small trees under certain conditions, which, in general, creates unlimited possibilities in the design of the external design of your building and quickly and cheaply change it to your desire. Imagine: a flowerbed house, it can be different every year. That's where the unplowed field for fantasy.
5. Reliability of a bunded house. Every year it becomes stronger, because every year the earth becomes more compacted, and the roots of grasses and shrubs hold the surface layer together so that even if all the internal supports are removed, it will still hold itself. Go to an unplowed meadow. After all, its entire space is pitted with burrows of moles, mice, worms, but the ground under you does not fall through. There is no need to be afraid of the penetration of the root system of plants into the house, there is a simple protection against this ...
6. Indoor climate. AT winter time such a house becomes even warmer, as it is covered with snow blankets, and snow load does not create additional weight due to freezing of the upper earthen layer. An example of this is ice on rivers. Inside such a house, at any external temperature, a positive temperature is maintained, even without heating, which means that heating the structure requires a minimum of energy consumption. Its walls are always breathing. It is cool in summer. Residents of fox holes spend REALLY LESS firewood (at -30°C they heat it once a day) than their neighbors in log cabins. They can leave for several days and not heat without the risk of freezing the home.
With properly constructed ventilation, there is no dampness in it, but there is also no dryness that occurs in apartments in winter, and humidity and cold when the heat is turned off, which is mainly the cause of damage to furniture, dampness of wallpaper and clothes, cracks in the walls , jamming and drying of doors and windows.
The interior decoration of the house can be made from any materials, even from wood, as there are cheap, well-forgotten ways to protect it from external conditions. You can also make walls inside from improvised materials: clay, willow, reeds, straw, cattail, wild stone, etc.
7. Unusual appearance. The unusual appearance is a weighty argument, of course, but let's look around and ask ourselves what is more pleasant to see: a house with rickety walls or chipped plaster, covered with "wonderful" inscriptions, with a dilapidated roof, etc. or a flower bed, or a neat lawn, or dwarf garden with a pergola or gazebo entwined with grapes, hops, etc. Of course, a beautifully executed facade of a house with fashionable architecture is also a pleasant sight, but for how long? After all, the fashion for architectural styles changes so quickly, some 20-30 years and the style becomes obsolete. Try to change the façade of a stone or wooden building… Besides, time brings its destructions, and with them the worries about restoration. Another thing is an alpine hill, or a flower garden, or a lawn. You can change it at your discretion at least every year, and small trees or shrubs with a creeping root system (juniper, lilac, jasmine, Christmas trees, etc.) against the backdrop of a hill will create a stable landscape.
8. No need for an official building permit (advantage for those who are afraid of visitors from the land committee). Although Ukraine, for sure, has its own specifics.
9. Also among the advantages of the "Fox Hole" it can be noted that such a house cannot be "carried away", dismantled for spare parts, burned, painted, etc.
10. Low cost (almost no cost) to maintain the house, since the facade is kept to a minimum and the roof is covered with earth, they do not need to be repaired every year.
Disadvantages of the house "Fox hole":
1. The earth, like reinforced concrete slabs, has shielding properties, that is, it is an obstacle to natural cosmic radiation. People who are sensitive to subtle energy feel it as an internal discomfort. Therefore, it is better for such people to build wooden houses, which are permeable to radiation;
2. The inability to look out the window, the desire to be on top of the earth are also serious psychological factors.
Firewood houses (Glinochurka, Woodpile, Cordwood)
- a method of building masonry used in eco-building, in which dry chocks or logs, peeled of bark, are laid across the wall together with cement mortar or clay, sometimes with the addition of straw (in the construction of adobe walls) or needles.
The wall is built in such a way that the edges of the logs protrude from it by 2-3 cm. The thickness reaches in a cold climate, on average 40-60 cm, sometimes 90 cm.
Wood usually makes up 40-60% of the total volume of the wall, and the rest is mortar and insulating filler. There are two types of construction: through and lime-insulated.
The through method assumes that the building mixture contains insulating material, usually sawdust, shredded paper, newspapers in the proportion of 80% filler to 20% mortar.
With the lime-insulating method, unlike through and brickwork, the mortar is not laid to the entire depth of the wall. It is placed 5-10 cm from the outer and inner sides of the wall, ensuring the stability of the connection, and insulating material remains in the middle.
Advantages of building houses from wood:
1. Low cost of building the house itself. Improvised materials can be used - deadwood from the forest, clay.
2. Excellent energy saving performance - the house is extremely warm. Houses calmly withstand extreme Yakut winters with temperatures below -50°C, and in summer and in the off-season they perfectly preserved the microclimate even with daily fluctuations from +42°C during the day to 0° - 2°C at night.
3. These houses do not burn and they are long-lived: some of them are over 200 years old! The walls of clay houses are not inferior in strength brickwork cement based. Houses from firewood can be built not only one-story, but also raise the house to 2-3 floors.
4. Clay and wood are best friends. They have similar moisture capture and return. The tree conveys the structure, and the clay solves the issue of the microclimate: in summer it is cool in such a house, and warm in winter. There is no excess moisture, because the walls instantly absorb it and slowly give it back.
5. A clay pot house can be built in any shape. There is room for imagination.
6. No complex heavy foundation required. The house turns out to be relatively light, compared to brick house, for example.
7. The house is built without special skills in the construction business.
8. Unusual decorative look, especially when the house is not sheathed, and firewood is not closed. The house resembles a masonry made of natural stone, which cannot but please the eye.
Cons of a clay pot house:
1. You need to build only from well-dried chocks. That is, they need to be prepared a year or two before the start of construction. Otherwise, the logs will dry, being already in the wall, and this will lead to the formation through cracks Around them.
2. You can build a house using dead trees from the nearest forest. You can build from them right away, because they are already dry. But what does this entail? Dead wood is, by its very nature, a tree devoid of the energy of life, which was supposed to wither, fall and rot, providing food, shelter and nourishment for the forest community. That is, it is initially rotten, and houses have never been built from dead wood. A house made of such chocks will not last even 10 years. The ends will instantly respond to changing conditions environment, and absorb, like a sponge, moisture from the air and dry at high temperature. All this will destroy them.
3. If you build a house from clay churns, then from denser types of wood, for example, from oak (?). But again, here is a nuance: due to their high density, oak chocks dry for a long time and unevenly, as a result, almost 100% of stumps will give a longitudinal-radial crack that cannot be repaired in any way. The whole house will resemble passages for flies, ants, wind and cold from the outside, and warmth from the inside. But here there is an option to cut round whole logs into several small pieces. In any case, you need to approach responsibly the choice of wood species.
4. Freezing of wood along the fibers is 4-5 times greater than across. This means that if for a log house a sufficient wall thickness is 15 cm (for Yaroslavl region), then for such a house you will need 60-75cm. It is worth paying special attention to this.
Construction of a round clay house in north Wales:
House made of straw blocks (bales).
Bales are covered with clay and they become fireproof.
Straw block - rectangular bale various sizes from plant stems held together by two or three wire braces or twine, and weighing 18 ... 43 kg.
Such bales usually consist of straw (dry, dead stalks left after the grain is extracted from the harvested cereal).
It is an annually renewable, cheap by-product of cereal production.
For construction, the bale must be very dry, grain-free, well compacted, consistent in size and shape, and have a length of twice the width.
When working directly with the manufacturer, you can get bales that are close to ideal in their characteristics.
Such blocks, when laid in the wall, will form the correct dressing.
Straw round house of Evgeny Ivanovich Shirokov in Belarus:
Advantages of a straw house:
1. Oddly enough, a straw house is very difficult to set on fire. Despite the fact that a pile of dry straw flares up like gunpowder, a compressed straw block still needs to be able to be set on fire. The fact is that a well-compacted building block only chars, but does not burn. And if we take into account the fact that the walls of the future building will also be plastered, then it will be much more difficult to set fire to a thatched dwelling than a house made of timber.
2. The cost of a straw block is at an indecently low level, much lower. There are more than enough raw materials for the production of straw blocks, they are inexpensive, and in some cases are given away for free.
3. The thermal conductivity of straw is low - 0.050-0.065 W / mK, while for wood (the closest competitor) it is 0.09-0.18 W / mK, for brick - 0.2-0.7 W / mK. Average power consumption thatched house usually does not exceed 35-40 kWh/m2 per year.
4. The cheapness of building a house is another advantage of a straw house. A light foundation is needed, as a rule, a columnar one is arranged. Block walls are built quickly, without special equipment and specialists. The solution that holds the blocks together is also not required.
5. The technique of building walls from straw blocks is so simple that almost anyone can master it, and in a very short time. This makes it possible to independently carry out the bulk of the work without resorting to hiring qualified workers.
6. Environmental friendliness. In such a house you will be alone with nature, like in a haystack, only much more comfortable.
Disadvantages of a straw block house:
1. Rodents.
2. If the moisture content of the straw exceeds 18-20%, rot and mold may appear.
But this is solvable, therefore it is difficult to call them shortcomings. To solve these two problems, proceed as follows: the blocks are pressed to a density of 250-300 kg / m3, and lime is added to the plaster solution. In addition, when laying walls, the blocks wake up slaked lime. But keep in mind, by increasing the density of the block, you also increase its weight.
Wooden house (log house)
An example of building houses from straw blocks in Germany:
- This is a system of walls, which consists of horizontally laid logs connected to each other.
Advantages of wooden houses (log cabins):
1. Short construction time.
2. Structural strength.
3. The log house does not need mandatory internal and external finishing.
4. Wood is a living material. Gives a person extra energy. It has a positive effect on the nervous system.
5. Due to its lightness, under the house you can install: a simple columnar, strip-column or shallow strip base and it is not at all necessary to install an expensive and massive foundation.
6. If we talk about humidity, in such a house it is not necessary to install additional devices for regulating humidity and air conditioning. Walls do an excellent job of this function, sending all excess moisture through themselves, thereby creating a comfortable atmosphere. And in such houses there is very good sound insulation.
Disadvantages of houses made of wood (log cabins):
1. A more expensive construction method than those listed above (unless, of course, you use a free forest for construction).
2. Less environmentally friendly than the above construction methods, as it involves cutting down trees that have been growing for decades.
3. Quite a long period of shrinkage, ranging from 1 to 3 years, which does not allow immediately with the completion of construction to move on to finishing work.
In addition, during the construction of a log house, additional funds may be needed to insulate the seams and eliminate blowing gaps.
4. Low fire resistance and susceptibility to moisture and insects are another disadvantage of log cabins.
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