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Hi Glenn,No problem, I promise to ask a lot of questions.. I have been examining your floor plan and your pics but still can't get the "overall" pic in my head. Any way you can update your floor plan with there the windows are and where the ups/downs to levels are? maybe some #'s to match your pics ("you are here" sort of thing)? Will you be taking pics of the full front, sides, and back so we get a better idea of your home? I will see what I can do. I was thinking of small videos possibly later.Is your greenhouse a "building"? I think I read in the $50 book that you can put a "roof" over the uphill patio to create a greenhouse. which is better in a winter like MN? I'm thinking building at the top of the patio since I will need all the winter sunlight I can get. If your's is a building, doesn't it block a lot of light for the uphill patio? The one thing I realy want in my house is a year round greenhouse (from the Earthship idea) that I can use to recycle gray water, so I am thinking I may end up with a house that is a "first thought" design with the uphill patio and the roof sloped to the sides like Mike suggests. Unless you can think of another way to recycle the gray water "up' to the uphill greenhouse?I haven't been using my greywater except to water trees downhill. It could be pumped up to some filtration pond etc then re-used - in Minn. that would be ice in the winter though.Like I mentioned in my first post, I like the earthship idea but NOT the tire pounding!! When I realy apply reality instead of desire, I just think that in MN even the vertical glass (which is what I figure I will need to get the winter sun inside) will loose more heat than it will gain. Since I would still have to heat the ES, it makes Mike's ideas more realistic to MN. Mike has had some success withhis greenhouse in Northern ID. Brrrrrrr cold there.Mikes GreenhouseMore here http://www.undergroundhousing.com/structures6.htmlMike's hillside earth-sheltered greenhouse before planting. This greenhouse has taken tomatoes into the second week of December repeatedly. It is heated only by the sun and earth. It has taken hardies like kale clear through the winter.Also, I see that you have a curved wall of glass for your conversation pit, nice. But, can you curve the walls of the house itself if you don't want the "box" house? Can the front wall (uphill patio side) be of cob or would there be problems? Maybe strawbale with cob inside/outside ?Strawbales could deteriorate if not kept completely dry - plastic could help- cob under the roof could be shaped as desired- Board walls are faster. Seems the hillside in Minn. would be best - lets the water drain away.Well, are you tired of my questions yet.....LOL I'll yell uncle when I've had enough. Thank you again,SharonPS...thanks for the quick response, but doesn't that mean your not getting your work done....LOL (i'm not either....my day off from work)
Kathy,Obviously Glenn had you do the stucco because he wanted it done right the first time...... (ok, women sticking up for women...LOL)Good job, too!SharonPS. hope this doesn't put my name on the no tresspassing sign
Good morning Glenn,I just may be figuring this all out. I was trying to compare the pics with the floor plan and could not figure out how you could have a south facing view with the bathroom and great room in the way.....LEVELS! ok, got it. Levels and offsets and glass internal and external windows strategically placed so that they line up to give an outdoor view even at the kitchen sink. South to southeast view from the window to the left of the kitchen sink Southwest view about 35 feet away from the window in front of the kitchen sink View of the sky and rooftop garden from the sunscoop front left of the kitchen sink about 12 feet. The kitchen, study/apartment, first bathroom, lower half of the bridge and old mid level south entrance where the cat clay oven is, are all on the 4'6" floor elevation level, except the floor in the conversation pit is at 3'6 elevation. The bottom of the bathroom window is 8' above the 4'6" floor elevation, top at about 11 feet. All elevations are referenced from the great room floor level which is 0'0" The new lower entrance to the great room, the new laundry area and the 3rd bathroom are at -6" -there will be one step up to the great room -easier to match existing grade this way and keep the entrance farther into the ground. The elevation change is outside the kitchen sink wall and behind the kitchen stove and under the bridge, where it drops from 4'6" floor elevation to the great room floor at 0'0" The kitchen ceiling at 11'0" at the highest point joins the great room ceiling at 15'6" on the other side of the glass/wood wall behind the stove.When you say that the bedroom is 8' the kitchen (i think it was) is 4'6" and that the great room is 0'0", can you explaine a little for me please. (like, how far down is the floor of the great room and then how far up is floor level to other rooms) When I first saw the pics it said bathroom looking up at hollywood window 8', I thought that ment the bottom of the window was as 8'.Up the steps in the center of the bridge to the 8' floor elevation of the bridge and bedroom. The Bedroom ceiling goes up from 15'6" above the bridge (outside the bedroom at the ceiling of the great room to get head room to about 20' elevation or 12 feet above the bedroom floor. Dirt goes up the wall at the head of the bed on the outside about 4 feet then the part that protrudes from the ground is insulated with strawbales at about R50. The second bathroon is 4 steps down at 6' elevation floor level. All rooftops are covered with earth at about 6 to 18 inches deep. The old porch over the cat oven has 2 1/2 inches foam board and 2' of dirt/cob. The new entrance will have ferrocement stucco with foam board or fiberglass depending on where it is then be covered with earth plaster. It juts out of the ground about 6 feet - 4 feet under - will be planters on drip over some roofareas also. I wanted to get the effect of having a 24' tree (viga) on the ceiling so wanted to cut weight loading on the roof except over posts and beams. Sorry to be so confused. I'll try to blame it on being a woman.......and if that doesn't work, a blond....
Hi Glenn (& Kathy too)There is another thing I don't understand. OK, you put in the posts and then add the boards, psp,and dirt until the wall is up to the roof (according to the book), but what if the wall extends above the ground before the roof? How do you put windows 3+" deep on top of 1" deep boards? (hope I asked that right, or I hope you know what I mean)Boy, Sharon -- you are really getting into this aren't you??? Good question - I assume you mean because the frame on some sliders sticks all on the inside - some are half and half - Its not really too much problem just frame it out with boards and do it like a regular wall - Since your walls are all non-bearing you can do whatever you want. Sometimes it is a bit of a problem matching framing to crooked logs. I get a lot of 4x4's free with my steel work so if I have good ones I use them or cut good ones on my saw mill. You can put a 2x 6 or larger shelf at the bottom and or top of the window-cut it long enough to fit over the logs at the end next to the wall-angle cut on each end - when pressure pushes on it it can't go through- alternatively notch the log post a bit on both posts at the same elevation -slide the board in and toe nail it. As Mike mentioned -he designed the frame only - he didn't go into details of fitting walls etc. Each case seems to be different depending on location types of windows etc. Since you are working with solid wood framing to it is not much of a problem. Once you are above ground you can nail the boards to the back of the logs - I have gone to #10 galv ring shank nails -with the nail gun I can easily shoot lots of them and they hold real well. A different case -lets look at this one The retaining boards in this case are full 2" thick of Bull Pine - very strong wood- A 15" log girder is overhead. I cut 4x4's about 12" longer than the opening between the log and the retaining wall. I coped the top to fit the log when in the plumb position even with the outside of the retaining board. I coped the bottom to fit flush with the outside of the retaining boards with about 6" of lap, then nailed it to the retaining board and the girder. Sometimes it takes a few cuts to get it right. Offsetting and marking with a compass or scriber helps to get the marks right so the cut will fit the log. I put a 4x4 header in and fastened the window to the frame. The log on top is actually just a slab for trim. This is not bearing so framing materials only need to be sufficient to hold the above ground window and wall. The adobe or cob look is only stabilized earth plaster on stucco wire with about 4" straw added for strength and looks. It is about 1" thick and very strong - there is no wood behind it, but later I will fill in the space with insulation and put on boards and plastic to make an insulated wall for the above ground part. I guess the short answer is conventional frame and box out windows as necessary.
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Topic: Glenn's Underground Cabin Update (Read 2209606 times)
