Underground Homes [Paperback]

Louis Wampler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 1999

The classic guide to creating an underground dwelling. By reducing energy loss or gain and regulating extreme temperature fluctuations, underground homes are both energy- and cost-efficient. With numerous illustrations and diagrams, this how-to book offers tips on the planning, construction, and habitation of a subterranean lodging.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing; 2 edition (March 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882892738
• ISBN-13: 978-0882892733
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good introduction, January 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Underground Homes (Paperback)

Mr. Wampler's "Underground Homes" offers a good introduction to the drawing up and building of an underground home and I give it a pretty good rating, though from a carpenter's viewpoint I would like to have seen a few more detailed elevation drawings within the book to allow the reader to expand with one's own floor plan and draw up a full plan for at least a small underground home without buying a full set of blueprints, though it's necessary to have prints for full scale buildings, some homeowners may choose to add on an underground room or storm room also, and here is the perfect opportunity to offer some basic accepted methods of construction on elevations into plan form. He does cover the various problems which are unique to underground building and one should not approach this type of construction without due information and particular preparation.But, there are no actual home plans in this book.Chapters on waterproofing, insulation, lighting,heating and cooling, and more, will get the reader to thinking about all the options and wonderful security offered in an underground or earth-sheltered home.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Skinny and dated, but it's a good conceptual starting point, April 11, 2003

By 

Henry Perkins (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Underground Homes (Paperback)

This book is fairly old (1978; revised in 1980), and slim (only 107 pages of text). But there aren't too many books that cover underground homes, and this is a fair overview.

If you're just starting to think about building a house, and want to consider the underground or earth-sheltered option, this book makes a decent starting point. You'll need to search out other materials if the idea strikes your fancy, though.

Chapter titles:
---------------
Introduction
Lot or Land
Structure

Waterproofing
Insulation
Interior
Natural Light
Heating and Cooling Systems
Exterior
Standard Roofs: A Compromise Solution
Building Sequence
Conclusion
Reference Material
Index

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The basics are all covered in easy language and diagrams., November 6, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Underground Homes (Paperback)

The layman who wants an easy introduction to planning and building an earth-sheltered home typically has plenty of construction guides to choose from, but UNDERGROUND HOMES differs from most in offering all the basics, from site choice and waterproofing and insulation choices to handling problems unique to subterranean homes, such as determining the local water table and handling heating and cooling systems for different climates. The basics are all covered in easy language and diagrams.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch