We had been thinking about building a “granny unit” on our property for quite some time – but we never took it seriously. We couldn’t settle on the location for the new home, until one day my son called me to his bedroom, pointed to the hill outside his window and said, “Imagine a Hobbit Hole, right there”.
I was sold. It was the perfect site for the home: slightly downhill from our well, and uphill from our septic tank. Close enough to our house that we could run electricity to it relatively easily.
So we began researching the idea and learned about earth sheltered homes and the many advantages they provide.
Earth sheltered homes are extremely sturdy – they stand the test of time. They have been known to survive wildfires, floods and otherwise dangerous storms. These homes have no roof to replace, no siding to repaint and no rain gutters to clean. Many people think of them as bunkers, but they can be designed to be light and airy, and very cozy.
Further research led us to Formworks Building, a company from Colorado that has been building these types of homes for decades, using innovative techniques that pay special attention to energy conservation, waterproofing and air quality concerns.
And so our adventure began.
Now, we are in the process of selecting a configuration and evaluating the site to see what needs to be done.
