Dwelling Space
Over the years, I have lived in a variety of spaces. From early childhood (in my present home),I went out to school, to college and one- or two-room apartments, to grad school and married life with bigger apartments, to my first city home, to construction of an underground 'earth ship', and finally back here to the farm. In each case, I have had the opportunity to experiment and 'house hold', working and playing with elements of necessity and comfort. It's what we all do, according to our inclination and resources.
With unlimited resources one could, if inclined, build a drafty palace of stone walls and heat it with a huge fireplace, or multiple oil burners. A look at the castles of Europe shows many such arrangements. Today's push for 'green homes' is a necessity, given the present human population of 7 billion, and the finite resources of our planet.
Caves
Jean M. Auel wrote the 'Earth's Children' series of books beginning with publication in 1980 of 'Clan of the Cave Bear'. If you immerse yourself in the world she depicts, you see the primordial dwelling space for many of our species. Where there were caves, and where environmental conditions made it necessary to seek this type of shelter, we lived in caves. In present day, there seems no real necessity for this, but things change.
Until I researched this subject, I was under the impression (1) that cave dwelling was a thing of the past, and (2) that most cave dwellers found a suitable cave, moved in, and started with interior decoration. Evidently not so, from what I have found on line. In China, Spain, Turkey, Afghanistan and the U.S., there are many cave dwellings that were excavated, some a very long time ago. The web site 'The Spirit of Ma'at has a write up on cave dwelling;
http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/apr2/trogs.htm
'...Although in historical times living in a cave was more a matter of necessity than choice, today many people around the world choose to live in caves. It is estimated that twenty-five thousand people live in caves and rock dwellings in France, and there are large numbers of communities built into caves in Spain, Turkey, and Tunisia. Modern cave dwellers include those in the English Midlands, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi and the Philippines, Cappadocia, and Guadix.
'...In Northern China, according to a University of Washington report, there are more than 40 million people living in cave and pit dwellings.'
'What to look for in a cave'
'Down To Earth Living; The Cave Houses Of Southern Spain',By Charles Leary and Vaughn Perret, on the website
http://www.escapeartist.com/OREQ11/Cave_Houses.html
Their article describes at length living in caves in Granada, in southern Spain. You should read the whole thing; here are a few brief excerpts.
'...Here cave buildings do not, as might be expected, exist inside natural rock formations, like at Capadoccia in Turkey or the Tarn Gorge in France. Instead, they are intentional dwelling spaces carved out of hard clay and earth. Buying, refurbishing, or creating a new cave house represents the ultimate in efficient and sustainable living--though please be advised that we would not suggest building a cave house outside of regions where it is common practice and the structural integrity of the earth is well known.'
'...The fact that cave homes have been continually occupied in Granada for at least 500 years, and almost certainly for 1,200 years or longer, is reassuring to those who worry about safety. Caves survive earthquakes and fires. They can also be reinforced. Caves do need to be cared for in order to endure. A closed-up cave, or one where the walls and other surfaces are covered with impermeable materials will result in problems: falling earth, crumbling walls, and possible collapse. This is due to the accumulation of excess moisture, which causes instability in the soil structure. A cave that can breathe is a healthy and safe cave.'
So yes, you can dig your own hole. Contained within the website A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization; Prepared by Patricia Buckley Ebrey (University of Washington) is a section on Chinese cave dwellings; ones made in the side of a hill or slope (such as on the left), and ones (as seen on the right) where a sunken courtyard is excavated and then rooms made off of that. As the web site points out, drainage would be an issue in the second type.
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/home/3arcave.htm
With unlimited resources one could, if inclined, build a drafty palace of stone walls and heat it with a huge fireplace, or multiple oil burners. A look at the castles of Europe shows many such arrangements. Today's push for 'green homes' is a necessity, given the present human population of 7 billion, and the finite resources of our planet.
Caves
Jean M. Auel wrote the 'Earth's Children' series of books beginning with publication in 1980 of 'Clan of the Cave Bear'. If you immerse yourself in the world she depicts, you see the primordial dwelling space for many of our species. Where there were caves, and where environmental conditions made it necessary to seek this type of shelter, we lived in caves. In present day, there seems no real necessity for this, but things change.
Until I researched this subject, I was under the impression (1) that cave dwelling was a thing of the past, and (2) that most cave dwellers found a suitable cave, moved in, and started with interior decoration. Evidently not so, from what I have found on line. In China, Spain, Turkey, Afghanistan and the U.S., there are many cave dwellings that were excavated, some a very long time ago. The web site 'The Spirit of Ma'at has a write up on cave dwelling;
http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/apr2/trogs.htm
'...Although in historical times living in a cave was more a matter of necessity than choice, today many people around the world choose to live in caves. It is estimated that twenty-five thousand people live in caves and rock dwellings in France, and there are large numbers of communities built into caves in Spain, Turkey, and Tunisia. Modern cave dwellers include those in the English Midlands, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi and the Philippines, Cappadocia, and Guadix.
'...In Northern China, according to a University of Washington report, there are more than 40 million people living in cave and pit dwellings.'
'What to look for in a cave'
'Down To Earth Living; The Cave Houses Of Southern Spain',By Charles Leary and Vaughn Perret, on the website
http://www.escapeartist.com/OREQ11/Cave_Houses.html
Their article describes at length living in caves in Granada, in southern Spain. You should read the whole thing; here are a few brief excerpts.
'...Here cave buildings do not, as might be expected, exist inside natural rock formations, like at Capadoccia in Turkey or the Tarn Gorge in France. Instead, they are intentional dwelling spaces carved out of hard clay and earth. Buying, refurbishing, or creating a new cave house represents the ultimate in efficient and sustainable living--though please be advised that we would not suggest building a cave house outside of regions where it is common practice and the structural integrity of the earth is well known.'
'...The fact that cave homes have been continually occupied in Granada for at least 500 years, and almost certainly for 1,200 years or longer, is reassuring to those who worry about safety. Caves survive earthquakes and fires. They can also be reinforced. Caves do need to be cared for in order to endure. A closed-up cave, or one where the walls and other surfaces are covered with impermeable materials will result in problems: falling earth, crumbling walls, and possible collapse. This is due to the accumulation of excess moisture, which causes instability in the soil structure. A cave that can breathe is a healthy and safe cave.'
So yes, you can dig your own hole. Contained within the website A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization; Prepared by Patricia Buckley Ebrey (University of Washington) is a section on Chinese cave dwellings; ones made in the side of a hill or slope (such as on the left), and ones (as seen on the right) where a sunken courtyard is excavated and then rooms made off of that. As the web site points out, drainage would be an issue in the second type.
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/home/3arcave.htm
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These 3 pictures are from 'Cave Dwellers; The Magic of Living in the Earth, by Celeste Adams', found on the website Spirit of Maat;
http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/apr2/trogs.htm  |
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Cob Building
Earth Ships
Earth ships have come a long way since I first saw the design for one. My ex-husband was in the Air Force in the mid-70's, and was stationed in Alamagordo, New Mexico. He didn't tell me too much about his time down there (I was in graduate school in Denver, Colo). But when we later moved to West Virginia and built a home, he developed the design. We built it over 3 years, 1979-1982. We lived there til 1991.
I had occasion to travel through New Mexico in 2001, and I noticed some houses with very similar design to what we had built in WV, but it wasn't until about 2008 that I first heard the term 'Earth Ship'. I never realized we had built one, that our house similar in design to an earth ship, until I saw the part about tires. We built our house of 'Gunite' (pneumatically applied concrete), but we stacked earth filled tires around the outside as part of the earth berm. I had lived in an earth ship (and still own it) but never knew. How weird is that? Now the design is mainstream (well, kinda. At least more compliant with building codes). See the official web site; http://www.earthship.com/buildings
See also the Wikipedia text, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship , and the you tube presentation.