Arkansas Earthshelter pics from the sky

[CarolAnn]

My brothers took a plane up to see what the new awning across the front of my Arkansas house looks like from the air!
http://i16.tinypic.com/3yfmagx.jpg

http://i12.tinypic.com/2ep1vnc.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/4ghe8g8.jpg

You might not guess that it's a 14 foot drop from the top entry down to the French doors in front!

[nightshift]

Nice Carolann....I'm just a little jealous ;)

[SPIKE]

That is WAY TOO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does the lower level extend all the way under the upper?

very nice!!

SPIKE

[desdawg]

Looking good. That is quite a mixture of building techniques. Is the under the earth part built using Mike Ohlingers underground house methods?

[CarolAnn]

Nightshift - don't be jealous - I can't live there! (Not many jobs in the area.)

The house is constructed of 12" concrete block with heavily reinforced HS concrete 8" thick over the top. The part that sticks out (on the top back) was originally designed as a solar collection area, but when the glass seals failed, we tore all of the glass off and re-framed it as a shingle roof.

Actually, the house is so efficient, it doesn't need the extra heat from the sun. It got too hot in the summer even with sun shades. Now it's just a long entry way and workspace up there. The sharply pitched roof on the south side of that area is perfect for future installation of solar collectors, though! And it was wired with very heavy copper to carry DC voltage if that was ever done.

The house also has foam insulation under the soil covering the front part of the roof, with black plastic over that to protect it. I've had an herb and flower garden up there, and one year, had a tomato vine that grew down far enough to pick tomatoes out of the kitchen window! Because the soil there was only 2' thick, though, I did have to water it more than the regular garden.

I had a stone bench up there, and loved to sit and smell the herbs, listen to the birds and just generally enjoy being alive there after watering my roof garden. After I moved away to work, that was stolen. The seat *was one heavy rock, so I hope the bench thief at least dropped it on his dirty foot! *:P

[MNMOM]

Thanks for sharing, I'm only sad that you can't live there, you must have enjoyed it.

[rassd71]

Very cool!