The Paul Isaacson Family Lives In The House Of The Future
(Page 4 of 6)
March/April 1978
By the Mother Earth News editors
Now?obviously?it'll be a good long time (like forever) before the massive, solid, rebar-reinforced slabs of concrete that Isaacson used for his dwelling's walls, floor, and roof "deteriorate" from contact with the soil that surrounds them. And it'll be just as long before the concrete buckles under the load of dirt and rocks piled on it. Furthermore, thanks to the drain tiles permanently installed in all the footings of the Isaacson house and the generous coating of asphalt that was applied to the dwelling's outer surfaces before it was covered with earth, it's doubtful that leaks will ever be a problem in the house.
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OK, then what about ventilation? You can't just throw a couple of windows open for a breath of fresh air when you live eight or ten feet beneath your lawn. No, you can't. And, in the case of the Isaacson house, you don't have to.
Any time they feel like it (once that active solar heating system is completely installed), Paul's family will be able to mix as much fresh outside air as they want into the air-either hot or cool-that circulates through the ducts in each room's ceiling. If they ever need to, that is. As things now stand, the atmosphere in the house is reoxygenated (far better than the air in most conventional homes) by passing through the greenhouse on top before entering the building (pretty classy, huh?).
And if you're worried about feeling "closed in" in a subterranean dwelling ... well, the Isaacsons have that one whipped too. Somehow they've worked the magic of designing their house for maximum privacy (no one can see in from the outside) at minimum expense (their home has no drapes or curtains) ... while still favorin' themselves with an unbelievable view (even from deep within the master bedroom, Paul and his wife can see part of the majestic Wasatch Mountain range). As a matter of fact, the Isaacson house-with Its central solaratrium and "extra" skylight In the kitchen?is a great deal less "cavelike" and "closed in' than almost any conventional home you've ever visited.
Which brings us to price. Surely a residence with all the plus features just mentioned must have cost a bundle. Well, it cost enough . . . but no more than any other house with the same square footage and roughly comparable appointments. Paul figures that their new dwelling set the Isaacsons back about $31 a square foot ($62,000 total). So while he's certainly not ahead of the game In that area, he's not behind either.
All in all, then, we'll have to agree that there still ain't no free lunch. But if you spend your money wisely and well (as the Isaacsons have done), you can certainly feast at a multi-course banquet for the same price that most other people spend on a hotdog and a bowl of soup.
PAUL STRIKES A SMALL BLOW FOR SANITY
Speaking of money, it's interesting that the Isaacsons were able to finance their "weird" underground house with an ordinary VA-backed mortgage company loan. Which Is an important enough breakthrough to mention here in greater detail.
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