There are houses in Arizona that are earthberm style - even a rather large Catholic church by where my daughter lives is mostly underground. it gets so hot there, it really helps.
I have a friend that was in Desert Storm in Iraq and she would put cold water in a jar and then keep the jar closed and mostly buried in the sand. Her army mates wondered what special training she had to know how to keep the water cool. She said Arizona Girl Scouts.
An earthberm house is cooler isn't it?
Typically it would be cooler (I would think) I guess I cant tell being a northerner having moved down south though, I cant really tell what it would feel like being fully under verses partially.
This is the house our house (as is shown in the magazine) was intended to be
The earth coming up to the rooftop
Then see that center piece coming out of the roof there? Thats the atrium area (in the center of the home) and that isnt tempt regulated, so when its 110 degrees outside its like 130 degrees in there.
You would think it would make a great sunroom but it doesnt anything living in there dies.
That area's interior (as the magazine showed it back in the 80's) looked like this
Yeah, I know its all outdated but trust me its far better then what I can do with things.
Here is ours (although this area has been ruined by contractors (not quite so visible in this picture) and has been in litigation for over a year nothing much can be in there but buckets at this point, so nothing special here
That better homes and gardens pic (as outdated as it might be) was for a northern home area I believe. That one is pictured fully uder the earth having the darker floor (to supposedly absorb heat) whereas ours is built in the southern part of the U.S (being partly under the earth) with white flooring (which supposedly reflects heat).
White floors or not its insanely hot in there.
Its not liveable in that area of the home, I walk through it daily (but I cant wait to reach the other side to where I am going) lol
All plant life will die if anything is left in that room from mid July through August.
And its, huge, its like the largest room in the house (but cant live in there) cant store anything in there (fluctuates in temp way too much)
Seriously, what an absolute waste of space. Outside of light I cant see the benefit of having that room.
And maybe it doesnt stay as cool because our house doesnt have a lid like your friends jar in the sand
Because this house has got a sort of solar inlet through all that glass.
It feels like a solar oven? In the winter the pipes freeze which run through it. I wish I could remove the top off of it, pull up the floor, have extra drain lines installed and make it a private garden area.
See?
Our home isnt buried all the way into the earth like the other (just partly)
Yeah, its a mess though (sometimes I wish it was buried lol). You see the satelite wires the heating pump's line, the heating system's electrical connection (and the heating/air system is just off to the left) not pictured. But seriously, can you imagine more crap connected outside (where your window is) and what your view will actually be?)
In just that small an area, can you imagine grey water systems, rain water barrels, tankless water heater hook ups, a large alternative propane tank alongside of a whole house generator?
Which are higher then your rooftop?
It already looking like one of those houses with cars for lawn ornaments, and I was contemplating an out house (and a tilapia pond?)
But anyway, its sort of set up in what appears like its backed up into the earth, since the front part of the house isnt under the earth (at all)
This is the front part
Its really a weird set up, I cant get my husband to move out of here, I have been trying for years, he is not into my tiny home idea lol