A QUICK AND INEXPENSIVE SOD IGLOO

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While I didn't keep a pound-by-pound record of my fuel use during the winter, I generally spent about two hours every other day in finding, felling, hauling, splitting, and sawing enough wood (by hand) to keep me very comfortable through even subzero temperatures. In fact, when I sat reading and writing at my table by the windows on very cold but sunny afternoons, I had to keep the fire banked way down and remove most of my clothing in order to avoid being overheated. The igloo was always warm and inviting when I returned to it after a crosscountry skiing jaunt, too, and at night the flickering shadows cast by my lamp along the naturally sculpted planes of beams and braces made me feel as though I were living in a work of art .

. . . AND WHAT I LEARNED

That first winter in my earth-sheltered dwelling proved the structure to be a pleasant and practical home regardless of weather conditions outside . . . but if I had it to build over again, there are a few changes I'd make. While I had no trouble with rot attacking the underground sections of my support pilings, I believe it would have been prudent to treat the bases with creosote or old motor oil, or to char them as the Japanese do. I'd also support the beam over the windows with an additional piling (shown as "recommended" in Fig. 2) placed midway across the front wall. And although my site was well-drained and I experienced no problems with flooding or seepage (even during the height of the spring thaw), next time I'd take the extra precaution of adding a floor drain to my basic construction plan.

The one serious flaw in my winter home was that the roof tended to leak during thaws and hard rains. I believe that the major reason for the problem was my obvious mistake in stapling the vapor barrier to the log roof, thus making holes that permitted water to creep through. But I also think that two sod layers atop the ceiling are probably not enough . . . especially in this wet climate.

In searching for answers, I found that the past several years have seen the publication of many good books about earth-sheltered housing. Most of the techniques and materials they call for, however, are too complicated and expensive to fit in with the simplicity and economy that are the chief advantages of a sod igloo. Only Mike Oehler's The $50 & Up Underground House Book seemed to offer a reasonable solution to my particular problem.

I've detailed Oehler's roof insulation scheme on the right-hand side of Fig. 2. Mike covered the ceiling material first with building paper and then with 6-mil unstapled black polyurethane sheeting, maintaining a foot of overlap. Above that "foundation" he laid down four inches of stickless, stoneless, finely sifted earth . . . yet another layer of plastic . . . four more inches of clean dirt . . . and a topping of sod blocks. Of course, such a roof would be heavier, more complicated, and somewhat more expensive to build than mine, but I believe that it would result in a drier home.

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