Eco Friendly Green Buildings

People have been living in earth shelters fo as long as people have been around. First in caves, people then began to build shelter out of mud and other natural products, including dung. When there was no mud available they made shelter out of snow.

We don’t have to take those drastic actions today, but environmentalism has brought a new growth in green homes and green homebuilding.

In 1973 when the U.S. was going through its last energy crisis with an oil embargo a back to the land movement was started. Underground home construction and other earth shelters became very popular for those who were trying to live a self sufficient lifestyle.

Gaining in popularity once again today, Earth homes provide an environment that have all the comforts of home while being super friendly to the environment. They are usually built out of concrete and steel and the are mostly covered with earth. The amount of electricity saved because of this style of building that most homeowners would find it unbelievable. There is very little change in temperature inside even if the outside of the building is cold or hot. The earth is a great insulator and there is little temperature loss compared to normal buildings. Earth Homes are also a good protector during storms and tornados.

Most of these buildings are built so the face the south. This lets a lot of light into the building while saving on electrical resources. These buildings end up having very well lit rooms during the day.

These buildings are very well built and their waterproofing is very well done. Most of the homes are waterproofed with a compound that expands when it is exposed to water. You won’t ever have to worry about leaks or things being damp in an Earth home.

If you have a preference for a two story home, that is also available. These are great homes to live in and they have an astounishing 90% less allergens than normal homes. They take very little maintanance and the don’t have insect problems.

The great thing about these homes are that construction costs equal the cost of regular homes. Municipalities are usually happy to give permits for these buildings but appraisers don’t seem to be up to speed about the values of the homes. This makes getting financed to have a Earth home built difficult. Not including the problems with today financial/loan systems. The appraisers need to become informed about how much these homes are worth not only in real estate values, but with the amount of energy and other costs that these homes save their owners.

Insurance companies also are a little slow to fully embrace Earth homes. However there are companies that are insuring these homes and they are admiting that insurance saving are possible because of the safety aspects and energy savings the homes offer.

Companies are popping up all over that offer these homes. Earth Sheltered Technology (www.earthshelteredtech.com), Davis Caves (www.daviscaves.com), both build Earth homes. Visit their websites to see what they offer.