LIBERTY HOMES --- Earth formed. Earth sheltered

Presently, provision of living quarters for oneself and one's family demands more time and effort than perhaps any other necessity of life. This new method of construction can provide more than just shelter. Clean water, fresh produce, cost-free warmth and cooling, and increasingly important protection from extreme natural and social disruptions are possible contributions of its design. Persons strong in body can manually hand-build their own homes with minimal instruction, and for much less expenditure on materials than required by standard construction.

At present, underground and earth-bermed structures constructed with "state of the art" methods are even more costly to build than conventionally built, exposed, 'stick-built' structures. Usually about 20% higher. This is because special attention must be paid to structural strength, careful insulation (unprotected, wet soil is a negative insulator with an unmatched capacity for drawing heat out through a wall, ceiling or floor), meticulous moisture-proofing, and added costs for excavation and earth-moving. Also added are extra labor and materials costs for required forms and for skilled concrete work.

The Liberty Homes method uses structurally optimized arched and domed shapes formed by sculpting the earth on location, either by hand or with equipment. Little or no wooden or metal forms, or expensive inflatable membranes are required. All pouring and/or shot-crete work is done safely from the exterior of the forms, not underneath as some thin-shell building systems require, working with gravity, not against it.

Creating an easily placed insulating and moisture proofing umbrella over and beyond the perimeter of the entire structure, avoids the need for insulation of all walls, ceilings, and floors. In fact with the natural dynamics this method uses to absorb heat through the walls in summer, and release it back into the house in winter this type of insulation would defeat the advantages the huge dry earth bank offers at almost no cost, and with no maintenance required for year after after year.

Non-uniform, irregular, shapes can be designed and formed without limitations required for standard insulation and moisture barrier practices. These illustrations picture a model on which I am now working. Although the southern exposure can be designed in a variety of ways, the greenhouse at the front entrance will add a great deal of heat into the heat bank and can help fine tune the temperature by simply opening a door or vent. At other times, the greenhouse area itself will be warmed by the huge mass of protected earth sheltering the home.

This greenhouse's bell-shape functions aerodynamically to aid air circulation and convection into the house when desired. The central windowed "goblet" serves various, and varying, functions, including water distillation, water-heating, variable hued lighting, humidity regulation and other low-tech usage's of nature's dynamic principles.

	The Living room area of this home may sometimes almost seem alive ... a living room. The indoor pool remains at room temperature. Changing patterns of light mark out the time of day and seasons of the year.
Left to itself, the room temperature will stay at a constant near 70 degrees F., year round. The temperature can also be fine-tuned without use of an outside commercial energy source by the opening and closing of air tubes that penetrate the surrounding soil. The rainbow colored, cantilevered panels are portals to other areas of the house.

A Liberty Home (and other-use structures) are formed in the earth, using mounded and sculpted earth as a reverse mold as illustrated in this animation. Shot-crete or regular poured Portland cement mix is applied over the earthen hemi-spherical mound. After Construction animation

setting and curing of the concrete, the soil is removed from under the reinforced shell and placed on top. More earth is bermed over the structure. then the shelter and surrounding earth bank is covered with an umbrella comprised of insulation and polyethylene sheeting extending beyond the perimeter of the structure 20'. The insulating, water-shedding, 'umbrella' is itself covered with more earth sufficient to support growth of vegetation for ground-cover and soil retention.

Again, this method of insulating and waterproofing the structure, while both easier and less expensive than standard practices, utilizes the heat storing capacity of the earth instead of thwarting it as occurs when insulation is applied directly to the structure itself, allowing the surrounding earth to remain cool and wet.

If heavy equipment is not available or affordable, it is feasible that the entire form can be sculpted with only a shovel and other small hand tools. It is surprising how much dirt can be moved by one healthy person in a short period of time. .. even by an aging, out-of-shape codger such as myself. The reverse mold for my 20' diameter model was made in only twelve hours of hand-digging. Designing several smaller inter-linked domed rooms instead of a single larger diameter area, divided into rooms, makes hand digging feasible. A 'Bob-Cat' type back-hoe/front-end loader or excavator, a powered conveyor belt, or for larger buildings, larger earth moving equipment, obviously can get the job done much quicker and with less muscle power.

Many circumstances today and in the future can prove labor-intensive activity a positive benefit, rather than a burden. This method can allow otherwise unemployed persons to build their own homes and help others build theirs. There are few localities with special soil structure or water table issues where provision cannot be made to allow such a structure to be built.

Earth formed and sheltered buildings can be constructed completely above ground by mounding earth and other materials for use as a form, and then bermed. They can be designed to be built partially below grade, partially above ... or completely underground.

The greatest negative now is the requirement for Portland Cement and iron reinforcement materials such as rebar and welded wire mesh. These materials are costly in terms of the environment and the atmosphere because of CO2 emissions in manufacturing and transportation. Someday soon, hopefully both of these materials too can be replaced with structurally safe, and less environmentally harmful and local materials. However, considering the low maintenance and incredible life-span of these structures, these environmental costs amortized over the long term are probably less, even now than those from standard construction methods and material. Until other ways are perfected to support the weight of the soil, to the author, a real necessity for the days ahead, using concrete may be the only safe way to build underground or earth bermed structures.

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(Note: 09/2008) I am presently hopeful about the recent developments in passing CO2 from the atmosphere and power plant smoke stacks, through sea water to produce a calcium magnesium cement, similar to the biological creation of shells and corals. The day may soon arrive when building with concrete structures will be used to sequester excess carbon we have already placed in the air by burning fossil fuels. My reservations are turning into excitement again. If the concrete already being produced can be made as hard as clam shells perhaps we can do without the rebar altogether. Now that would be great, would it not?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/01/MNGD12936I.DTL&feed=rss.news)

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Earth-forming can be used to create buildings of any size and most any purpose. The method particularly lends itself to inexpensive storm shelters and emergency protection for any catastrophic circumstance, including nuclear blast and fall out. The buildings can be built underground, undetectable to passers-by. Entire communities can be designed, with environment friendly structures for shops, common areas, emergency shelters, workshops, and storage facilities. The structures can be well lighted, and ventilated ... artistically designed , satisfying and pleasing to the eye, and made to blend harmoniously with the environment. 'Underground' does not necessarily mean cave-like. From root-cellars, saunas, special livestock shelters, from plain-domed shapes to free-form sculpted rooms ... shopping malls? churches? all earth-formed and earth-sheltered at lowest cost available.

"Dirt-cheap" housing, healthful, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing should be a reality for anyone who needs and desires it. Gifts from the Creator: Earth, the Sun and all the laws of nature, available for the responsible use and taking. All other creatures seemed to have accomplished this. Why can't we humans?

Earth sheltered, storms can blow, temperature records may be broken, earthquakes can shake, fires rage. but being in such a earth-sheltered home may be the safest place to be in the chaotic days ahead. With the use of such simple, age-proven principles, there may still be life left to carry on, and standing models for the life to follow.

The top half of the dome stands
5' above grade, and the bottom
half, 5' below grade.

These pictures do not convey very well the size and mass of the earthen hemi-sphere. The hand-dug trench around the dome is a minimum of four-feet wide at the top, five-feet deep, and at least eighteen inches wide on the bottom. Cave-ins which could entrap one while digging are a risk at this depth, so be very careful if you decide to try it yourself. Wider trenches would be no problem using earth-moving equipment.

The next step will be to smooth the dirt surface by scraping and packing, and place rebar for reinforcement, preparatory to pouring the concrete shell. It appears I will not be able to proceed again until next Spring, so I will soon cover the site with poly-sheeting to protect the surface over winter months.

At this point, I am well pleased with how nicely this forming method works. Working alone with only a shovel and dig bar, this form for a model large enough for a guest house/storm/fall-out shelter/root-cellar, or any other purpose room, has taken less than twenty hours of actual work to complete. A dome this size can comprise one of several rooms in a multiple domed structure, all, or some, completely earth protected.

I have decided I will focus on making this first structure as secure as possible from storm and whatever might eventuate: all surfaces will be covered and protected with at least three-foot of earth. It will be illuminated within by a solar-tube, rather than exposed windows, and the entrance ways are designed with a 90 degree bend to prevent radiation penetration. The next room to be built will provide more windows for outside views and light. More details will be included as work proceeds. GAB

Update: April, 2003

When I first took shovel in hand and began work in our field here in Northern Neck, Virginia, I basically wanted to test my idea of digging out a circular trench, throwing the earth into the center of the scribed circle. I was aware that at times the water table rose pretty high at times, so I never planned to finish a structure for permanent living quarters; perhaps for use as a root-cellar or emergency storm shelter. Since we had moved here, the water table had not risen above five feet below-grade, the depth of the floors of this model.

Well, this Spring and Summer, there were very few days that it did not rain, and yes, I can report that the water table does rise higher here. In fact it came up to within a few inches of the surface and remained that way for many days. If I had completed the cement shell and floor, it would have probably floated right out of the ground, or at least had five feet of standing water inside.

Another result of this rare weather pattern was that there were very few days when conditions were suitable for pouring or 'shooting' concrete. I am adding this to my growing store of information.

For anyone keeping tabs of progress on my own experiments using these methods, I am reporting there has been none. When time comes that I can consider beginning again in this high water-table location, I will probably use mounded earth or other material as the reverse form, piled above grade level, then earth berm over the entire structure after the shell is 'shot'. Another option I am considering is running a French drain around the perimeter of the building and across the field 200 feet into a creek gully as much as 15 foot Lower than the floor level of the house. With the proper equipment, this will be feasible.

This high water table also seriously limits the PAHS (Passive Annular Heat Storage) umbrella methods of heating and cooling I am enthusiastic about trying. 20' of dry, protected soil is required around the perimeter and underneath the floor of the structure creating the huge insulated soil mass desired for the heat-storage. I am interested in hearing from anyone that wishes to experiment with these ideas in a more suitable locale, i.e., somewhere where the water table remains 20' below the surface.

Again, my intention, when I can, is to mound soil (and other items such as straw bales for fillers) above grade, smooth, then apply reinforcement and concrete, and berm over the hardened shell. If you do any experimenting with these methods, or use them, or have any other suggestions and comments, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. I still intend, as soon as possible to publish illustrations of working models along with instructions based on builders experience.

A SketchUp model of a Liberty House design I am working on (01/09)

A Sketchup 3-d model slideshow

Thanks for your interest Gerald Brittell