Down to Earth Homes
(Page 4 of 6)
February/March 2003
By Dan Chiras
UNDER CONSIDERATIONS
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Earth-sheltered homes come with their own set of special considerations. One of them is radon, a colorless, odorless radioactive gas produced by naturally occurring uranium in the Earth's crust.
Check radon levels in the soil before you build. Purchase a land radon test kit or use a regular indoor radon test kit, which is placed on a couple of bricks, then covered with a bucket and removed after an appropriate period, as stated in the instructions. Although radon can be remediated, it's good to know if the gas is there so you can install an effective radon removal system.
Earth-sheltered homes are generally more humid than aboveground homes. Scale's company installs ventilation systems controlled by humidistats that bring in drier, fresh air and mix it with moist, interior air. This helps prevent moisture from reaching uncomfortable levels inside the home. Other homeowners run a dehumidifier year-round to control excess moisture.
When you're ready to build, be sure to choose a site that will naturally drain water away from your house. Steer clear of areas that collect water during rainstorms or when snow melts. Avoid building in natural surface drainage areas or be sure to channel natural water surface flows around the building site.
A good site with natural drainage also requires permeable soils. The most permeable soils are granular and consist of a fair amount of sand or gravel. The worst draining soils have a high clay content, and expand and contract as moisture levels fluctuate. Perform percolation tests on the site's soil to determine its permeability.
Build above the water table, the upper limit of the groundwater. Building below the water table, while possible, increases the likelihood of leakage. In wetter climates, install drainage systems to move water away from the house. French drains, which consist of porous, 4-inch-diameter pipes covered with filter cloth and located in a bed of 3/4-inch crushed rock along the building's perimeter, work well.
Water has a curious way of finding any overlooked nook or cranny in a building, so waterproof the walls and the roof well. Even a tiny hole can let in water, wreaking havoc over time. Finding and repairing a leak can be difficult and costly, requiring removal of large quantities of dirt. Hedge your bets and waterproof, waterproof, waterproof. Earth Sheltered Technology of Mankato, Minnesota, uses a triple-layered waterproofing system that's backed by a lifetime warranty against leakage. A primary layer of dry bentonite clay is covered by heavy polyethylene sheeting, which is then capped with an oversized, heavy pool liner. Terra-Dome paints buytl rubber onto its concrete dome roofs, then applies a product called Paraseal (bentonite clay applied to a plastic sheet) over the most leak-likely areas. On my wooden roof, I used Bituthene sheeting covered by a half-inch layer of foam to protect it during backfilling.
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