Underground Rock House Construction
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- Old photos taken during construction, construction tips, look at the finished rock walls inside, exterior views.
A newer video of the Underground Rock House with no music and narrated by the builder exists on UA-cam. • Underground Rock House...
I started with a 40 foot wide 12 foot deep space between two natural rock walls and proceeded to dig down another 18 feet so it would be a two-story home. Poured in place concrete slab and beams form the ceiling and floors allowing the interior walls to remain natural, beautiful stone.
All of the doors lead out to concrete pathways between other rock formations.
This is a two-story underground rock and concrete house. The house utilizes existing rock bluffs as the walls. It is located on 80 acres of rural timber land. It was designed and built entirely by one person from$28,000. of savings. Construction began in 1975 and took 8 ½ years.
These particular rock bluffs were chosen because of the location of a spring that could be used as a water source. A 3000 gallon spring-fed water cistern supplies water to the house and a 2000 gallon pool.
No air conditioning is required. A wood-burning stove supplies heat during the winter. Water is supplied by gravity from a spring above the house. There is no water bill, no sewer bill, no gas bill, and this house has a smaller electric bill than most homes.
Concrete walls were water proofed by placing a perforated drain pipe at the bottom of the outside trench. It was covered with gravel and rocks to above ground level to keep any water from ever touching the wall. No wall coating or covering of any kind was needed.
The lower floor is waterproofed with perforated drain pipes located in the hand placed rocks beneath the lower concrete floor slab. There are drain openings filled with gravel at the floor edges adjoining the rock walls.
Waterproofing the roof was accomplished by designing the concrete roof beams to slide on metal plates embedded in concrete supports. This design minimizes expansion/contraction cracking. The few cracks that developed during curing were sealed with less than one tube of clear silicone caulk.
The roof was covered with two 6 mil black plastic sheets sandwiching 3 ½” of rigid foam insulation and topped with 1 ½” of concrete and then dirt. The roof still has no leaks after 34 years.
The dimpled concrete ceiling was formed by placing gravel on homemade concrete forms, covering the gravel with a 6 mm black plastic sheet and pouring the concrete on top of that. The concrete forms and gravel were removed and the ceiling painted white.
The music is a UA-cam selection entitled "Mario Bava Sleeps in a Little Later Than He Expected To" by Chris Zabriskie.
Here is a link to my previous "Underground Rock House" video: • Underground Rock House
Here is perhaps a better video of this earth-sheltered home. ua-cam.com/video/ytlFx0EGsz4/v-deo.html
Here is a newer narrated version of this earth sheltered home.
ua-cam.com/video/CpCmZIvZ-Yk/v-deo.html
Roy, Great house... Haven't viewed the narrated version yet but it would be GREAT to hear ANY tips, your thoughts on design /build ideas you can think of based upon your experience!
Oh, I see you annotate during the vid.. This REALLY helps those that are on a slow, or metered connection .. OR those that what to ARCHIVE the video to show to someone, OR review later !
(So many vids will ONLY put key details in the description box here on youtube about something in the vid.. and when you play back the archived copy the info just isn't there.)
I mention this as my parents living in country are unable to watch "streaming" vids due to slow internet connection.. which as a double whammy has a limited bandwidth cap.. (ugh)
Only way to watch a vid without horrendous stuttering which makes you just want to pull your hair out is to archive a copy.
Looks like you are very lucky to find a block of land with huge amount of rock and stone
Thinking about building one of these. Great first video to begin my research. I have river rock/dirt combination hill. Easier to excavate for sure. Will have to build walls to support. Any advice would be appreciated.
Mr Hayward Sir ....people like your self are the reason we as a species are still alive....your ingenuity , preparedness and steadfast dedication...truly inspired . ...I thank you
Thank you for saying that Brooks. Let’s keep going and stay safe.
thats how all houses should be, and allow nature to flourish, imagine entire cities like that
smaller scale for 'HOMELESS' lifestyle?! wander around a forest like some addled, old Rip Van Winkle, but go underground at night! :-)
you might like Hundertwasser.
msjanegrey .....thank you for the HUNDERTWASSER tip. years ago, i flipped thru a book of his paintings. i didn't know he was an architect, too!..... 'Mr. Natural'! :-)
It will be a kindom of heaven, let all be able to understand the importance of nature and learn to live with it
unfortunately for the homeowner, a crazy old man, wearing a worn, grey cloak and pointy hat, began stopping by, shortly after construction was finished. he rambles on about going on a great adventure, while smoking something questionable in his pipe, then, before he departs, he vandalizes the front door with a big stick. local police have yet to apprehend the suspect, even though the incidents have been going on for over three decades now.
Bravo to you!. A triumph of personal expression, and fortitude. Total ownership. Build with stone.
I like stone. Thanks for the comment STONEPOET2.
An underground house makes so much more sense. Cooling/Heating minimal... you can always catch rainwater, no spring needed, if you simply build a porch/entertainment/storage area on top with any kind of roof. This is my dream and my plan.
I wish you good luck with your dreams and plans.
My dream, too
This is absolutely amazing humans are amazing
Thanks for the comment brian.
The dedication it took for one man to have a vision and complete it and have it shared for all to see! Amazing
It was worth it Brian. If for nothing else, just having people like you appreciate it!
Now why could I not have a guy like HIM in my life....so smart...
My wife says that you have good taste Rhonda. Thanks for both of your comments.
Wow ! Planning and lots of hard work. Now you can relax a little in your old age . Nice workmanship my friend ! Virg
The music in this video put me to sleep. When I woke up two hours later, my computer was asleep. You should market this to insomniacs !!!!
I come from a very experienced family of builders and I can say my Grandfather would approve. I love how you started with an idea of self reliance in a time when it was not popular to be off grid.
A very wonderful build from a calm mind . You poured yourself into it and it shows. Thank-you for letting us into your home.
We need more people like you in the world, willing to do the tough work to get what they want in life, rather than waiting for someone else to do it all for them. Great job at making what you wanted in life a reality! Dang, my grandfather would have loved to meet someone like you! A man similar to him with the do it yourself mentality. You definitely would have had his respect if he had seen this.
Thanks Carrie. We need more people like you. I appreciate your appreciation.
Wow, this man is a creative genius. This house is amazing. Thanks for sharing with us
I expected something with questionable building practices but being in industrial/heavy commercial concrete foundation work for 20 years you sir are a great craftsman. Your rear in the beam work is top notch, the masonry rock work is also great. Unbelievable amount of work that perhaps some at first glance wouldn't comprehend but believe me I do!! Great work!!!!
Rebar!!!! not rear work!!!! lol
Thanks for your comment and clarification.
Great sense of vision and use of materials
Thanks for commenting Patrick.
This is what "love" looks like! Your build was obviously an intense labor of 'love' and it shows - in every stone!! Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
You are welcome Blue Moonshine. Thanks for the comment.
Just amazing. Imagine if all of humanity could live with nature like this. The standard practices of architecture today just seem a dead end.
It does seem that way sometimes. Thanks for the comment Pat.
Modern architecture is designed to pack the most people into the lest amount of space at the lowest cost possible. I've seen 40 unit apartments go up in under two months once the foundation was done. Some people like that sort of thing I guess. For me that's just no way to live.
@@dugclrk If we are lucky, humanity might evolve into a better paradigm involving better architecture like this. Until that happens, we will continue to live selfishly, grabbing what we can, and as you mention, corporations and developers planning housing for maximum profit, not maximum humanity and nature.
@Matthew Lawton just a thought - we have the technology and know-how to turn deserts into lush forest if we choose. I live in Southern California, and when I drive East it is just hours and hours of harsh desert. There is actually plenty of room but humanity prefers to create huge congested overpopulated cities like Los Angeles. In a fantasy world, maybe we could spread ourselves out and live more harmoniously with nature. But that's just a fantasy. perhaps you are right: we CANT do that. Not yet anyway. Maybe some day.
That is a gorgeous home in a gorgeous setting. But 8 yrs. of hard labor building it! Just thinking about that makes me feel like going back to bed. I admire the builder for his perseverance.
Of course, I agree Stanley. Thanks for the comment. I think that I deserve a nap now!
This is just incredible. What a wonderful example of determination, imagination, and hard work can result in. This house looks like it will be around for many generations. Great job!!!
You helped to make my day. Thanks for the comment Mathew.
This has got to be one the most beautiful homes I have ever wanted!!! I am in love with everything about this home...I wish I had the money to buy it....I would in a heartbeat just to keep it like it is!!!
Thank you for commenting Jenn. I am keeping it as it is except for minor improvements. I am transitioning to all LED lighting.
this sir is an epic opus. i have been a builder. timberworker. and expert finisher for years. this home is amazing. i only hope that you and your family have and will continue to enjoy this home for the next coming centuries! this place is so far ahead of its time, the prescience is breathtaking. Thanks for posting.
Wonderful build and a great example of hard work, planning, and determination. Not a build for the faint hearted. Cheers.
Thanks for your perception and commenting Nathan.
I've had an idea of building either between some bluffs or within a boulder rock outcrop, but I wasn't sure how I could make it could work trying to integrate a home with modern amenities. You have proven that it can be done by anyone with enough determination. This home is extremely impressive and I would consider it a life achievement. This reminds me of homes built by Frank Lloyd Wright of whom I am a
big fan.
Absolutely amazing dedication to an 8 year project...spent 12% of his life doing this project. A super achievement!
Hey John, I was hoping it was more like 8%.
I hope its more like 8% of the total than 12%. Sorry about that.
I am starting a search for land in the mountains in Vermont to build something away from it all, your work has made me rethink how I evaluate the land formations for building over the long term. What technology did you use to cut/dig/carve into the rock? I think I will be learning a little more geology.
John, I did not cut into any of the rock. I just dug the dirt out from around the rocks and used the rocks as they were. Good luck on your project. If you would like to take video of your process, a lot of us would probably like to view it.
I don't have words for what brilliant creativity this build took. Thank you
You are welcome Zates. Thanks for the nice comment.
Absolutely gorgeous house and landscaping ... a dream house. I so admire your conception and execution... That you did it alone is absolutely astounding!
Thank you for your uplifting comment.
I personally enjoy narration. However, please know that there are trolls that just thumbs down everything they see simply for the sake of negativity. I follow many off grid/homestead channels and they get the same hand full of thumbs down if they post nothing more than a beautiful sunrise. I once posted a 30 second video clip of bringing my new baby home from the hospital to share with my family and accidentally forgot to privatize it for about an hour and received a thumbs down. Haters are gonna hate. you are an amazing person with a beautiful creation. I hazard a guess that this isn't your first impressive endeavor... simply your magnum opus to date. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I literally sat here trying to put into words how awestruck I am at the beauty of your creation. I have always wanted to build a home like this. I believe that too many people get misdirected from their dreams by life, it is awesome to see that you weren't. Thank You so much for sharing.
U picked a good tune for this incredible journey! Magnificent
Massively impressive. Some men dream their entire lives of this.
Thanks for the complement and comment Jake.
+Roy Hayward this house "Rocks" lol in more then one way! Great hard work. I hope you and your's are still enjoying the comforts of living in your project and labor of love. Thank you for taking the time to share this with!!!!!
THIS MAN WAS WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME !!! MY HAT IS OFF TO HIM !!!!!!!! BAD ASS HOUSE ! FOR ONE MAN !
Thanks for the comment Doug.
That's determination, you must be part pitbull. Hope you enjoy it because after that much work you can spend the rest of your life in comfort and never have to try that again. Congrats.
You’re right! I am determined not to try that again. Thanks for your comments Dan.
You had to get excited about it that much at first to continue it for 8 years. Great job!
That is absolutely the most beautiful home I've seen.
Amazing video.
Thanks Amber.
Outstanding and YES i did enjoy it . Thank you for sharing Roy .
You are welcome. Thanks for the favorable comment john.
You have balls the size of a dump truck...... That is a young man's deal...truly amazing
Thanks for commenting milwaukeegregg.
That house is rock solid,
That rocks murph.
Wow, that's one of the coolest home projects I think I've ever seen. My hat's off for the effort and planning that went into making this incredible and really great home! I guess I'll have to start looking for a rocky mountain with a view. Darned impressive!
Thanks for giving me a good start to my day with your nice comment Paul.
Paul stole the words outta my mouth !! Hands down the best earth home ive ever seen !! Totally amazing, back breaking beauty, congrats !!
I envy your style and craftsmanship. This is everything I could ever hope for in a home, but alas, I can't even construct a stick figure on paper without it falling apart. Amazing work friend.
If I were younger! Boy to think 15yrs ago I had the perfect piece of land. Not much money. You really rocked it, ha! I'VE SEEN SO MANY things that humans can do. Great job!
Roy your house is amazing. Unlike my house and most other stick frame houses they will rot down, burn down or be blown away by the weather over time. Your house will still be there many many years if not centuries from now. In 1995 I wanted a cement dome built. I'm disabled and couldn't do it and couldn't find anyone in my area to do it so I went stick frame and have regretted it ever since. Especially when I pay the home owner's insurance every year or when we have sever weather. Congrats on a beautiful secure home!
Back in the 1970s when I was designing this house, I also considered a concrete dome.This site seems to work better this way with this roof. Thanks for the comments radarlove007.
Over-the-top stunner, this. I hardly know what to say about all this work that went into this. Excellent video of each step so I can only begin to appreciate the hard work! May you the builder live forever to enjoy the fruit of your labor.
Thanks for your kind comment MsAnna.
I am in my mind just formulating a plan for my dream Ebenezer (that'll be its name) and the underground idea really makes a lot of sense. Checking out those Peter Vetsch (Switzerland) underground home videos too. There's so much to think about! About to have the finances in place to do it the way I want, so I'm excited!
Good luck MsAnna. I am glad that you got some inspiration from my video.
only one word could ever do your home justice ( stunning )
Thanks for the comment paul.
WOW...I would LOVE to live there. Thanks for sharing Roy!
Absolutely stunning! It’s a dream home in my opinion! You’re incredible Mr. Hayward😊👍🏻🙏🏻
You are very kind. Thank you Sally.
Now THAT house is unique , totally cool AND i LOVE it!!!
Ok, not very descriptive ,but i was so excited to see raw creativity at work that i can't bring words to it.
You have made my day better. Thanks for the nice comment Sirios.
One man built this? I stand up and salute you!
Thanks for the salute Do Gouda.
Very nice work! I have to add that $28,000 adjusted for inflation would be $127,605.01 today. It was quite a bit of money in 1975.
Thanks for the comment and the inflation adjustment maskvp.
wow beautiful. this man had a dream and a vision of what he wanted and how he wanted it. much respect and love for a person who had the will and heart and curvage to follow a dream. Not much of us do that these days.
Thanks for the comment Alberto
More beautiful than any mansion.
Especially if you consider the low upkeep costs as compared to a mansion. Thanks for the comment Lonnie.
The only thing that would have made it better would have been to work out lighting and other needs, so that you could have remained energy-independent, even non-electric since that's far healthier. Electric utility seems to be the only place where you joined up. You put in a septic tank, right? The place sure is beautiful.
Simply AMAZING! This is THE perfect house to live in. If only I had the brains and skills to create a home like this. Wonderful house!!!
Thanks for your comment ron. You already have the brains if you can use UA-cam as you apparently can. I was barely able to put these videos on UA-cam. You will develop skills as you go along. I used the skills that I developed while building this house to make a career of house building and remodeling.
much respect to the builder, i never lived in the same state
or even country that long in my adult life - old man mike bengyak
Thanks mike.
Enjoyed very much. Completely excellent. And hard work? Holy cow. Great job. And what a space to live in . . . Thank you
Thanks for the nice comment Carlos.
I WANT THAT HOME!!! That is freaking amazing and to love how much effort was put in to it makes it so much more appealing, at least to me. Shadilay!!
Thanks for the nice comment Caoimhìn.
Wow, watched it last night, and again three times this morning. been sharing it all around the office. (all kinds of discussions going back and forth, utility engineering office) I've been dreaming of a back woods cabin, maybe I"ll look for a nice rock crevice in the woods now. Absolutely Beautiful. Thank you for sharing it.
I am glad that I could provide some motivation for you Bruce. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks Jay. You are very astute and tactful. Kay is probably right about the narration and possibly the music.
So so so lovely house, lots of patience. Thanks for the video, really inspire me.
Wow, what an incredible amount of work and an amazing result!
Just having the experience by itself was worth it. Thanks for the comment r Andrew.
Looks like southern Missouri.
I can't believe you did that yourself. I'm very impressed!
You've encouraged me to keep working on the little cabin I'm building. Might take me 8 years and it won't be very impressive, but I need to finish it.
Thank you
Amazing..! This is the proof a man can accomplish almost everything with ideas and persistence. One of the coolest houses I have ever seen....bravo..!
an Irish tune would have been fitting. But who should really care about what music you put with the video? You built an absolutely beautiful home and shared it with us. Thank you and beautiful work. I want one
Fine example of a MAN CAVE!
Right on target p s.
Titanic job !!! Appreciate you share this with us!
Thanks for your comment mihai.
Roy,
I've lived in an apartment for the last thirty years-never had the desire to own a home; after seeing what you've created I am very jealous! Outstanding architecture!
I met my wife in an apartment building 50 years ago. That is as close as I have come to living in an apartment. Thanks for your nice comment Paolo.
This home will be around in 1000 years, beautiful, and ingenius build.
Thanks for your complementary perceptions.Paranormal Blanket. I think that you may be right about the house being around still in 1000 years. I would imagine that it will have been remodeled and made over many times before it is finally done.
Roy, it's beautiful I have all these comments running through my brain all of them good and positive but, I just can not enter them. I can't enter them because you bust your ass building this place and I wasn't even there to see so this alone tells me to shut up keep my comments to myself. I'm a guy that never leaves my house I am a hermit and this place is kick ass I just wish I had a place like this but, really Roy congratulations on a cool 😎 beautiful home I wish you the best thanks for sharing this with us.
Thank you Jean-Paul, mate for sharing. This home's a killer, mate. Awesome!! Brilliant good on ya. cheers
Thanks for the comment Harry.
Fantastically Beautiful! Not many have such vision to conform to nature.What a blessing you have gave us in your work. Thank you!
Love it - beautiful in and out
Thank you Carol. You are a very nice person to go to the trouble of complementing.
This is amazingly cool.
this is sooo cool - the builder has a classy way of doing his stuff. Everything is very neat - but it must have been super hard to dig thru all that rock - yet the results are amazing! thanks for the video.
Thanks for commenting Sandi. I like your avatar.
I did my thesis in College on Underground / Earth Integrated housing. It's good to see more people using this ancient method of building. It respects the environment and has many pluses as well.
A real work of love. Beautiful!!
Thank you Cindy. You make me feel good.
Absolutely incredible! That's a lot of hard work and dedication, what a beautiful house! Well done sir!
Thank you for your nice comments JazzAndRockNRoll.
Hard to believe that the total cost was only 28000 dollars (even when started in the seventies).
Besides that: amazing job and effort !! 8 years well spent and something to be 'damned proud' of. Hats Off!
Thanks for saying that Kurt.
That is an amazing build. I can not imagine the amount of hard work and effort that must have been put into that home.
Wow, I cannot believe it. Eight fuxking years of his life, probably his biggest achievement, biggest proud, all the experience gained and totally deserved.
Thanks for watching and commenting Go Banano.
Roy words fail me dude , its a Awesome place was well worth the eight years it took to build and i guess your still doing things to it .Enjoy it mate 😁😁😁🤘🤘🤘
Thanks Karl. I do you enjoy it.
Goes to show just how much hard work pays off. Beautiful home you got there.
Thanks for saying that michael.
Amazing accomplishment and an absolutely beautiful creation. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for making my day better Carl.
WOW the stamina the patience the knowledge the craftsmanship the engineering absolutely beautiful, love it.
Thanks for making my day better jeff.
You are more than welcome Roy ALL the very best to you from Australia.
Beautiful!
I love the idea of plants growing out of my walls!
I still have those glasses from the 70s plus the white 🌱 plant holder at the beginning of video.
Thanks for your nice words. For your inquiries about selling, maybe one of these years I will put it on eBay and find out what it is worth. Till then, I hope that these videos will inspire you to dream and build your own creation. These videos seem to be an excellent way of finding somebody who will enjoy it as much as I do.
We have restrictions here in USA CA what area are you able to build this beautiful home?
It is located on 80 Acres of mostly forested land in the middle of the USA that I was able to pay for with no mortgage. No restrictions. The taxing authorities did not know that the house existed until I told them about it after it had been built.
Absolutely beautiful ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you Erica.
This is exactly how I've envisioned an underground house. Just wow I'm blown away by your work, you must rest easy knowing you have something stunning to look at every day. My inspiration grows stronger!
It makes me happy to have inspired you. Thanks for the nice comments.
holy $@#$!!!
Incredible that one man was able to craft such a balanced "organic" home, truly inspirational! Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks for the comment DjScreaM514.
Respect from Poland
Thanks zzzoltrexx. Respect to you and Poland.
These people have my respect they worked their asses off
Thanks for the comment Chica.
You have the most amazing building skills I've ever seen!! You did an outstanding job on it.
Thanks Surata Wood.
That was a real treat to watch and listen to.
Impressive skills and what a achievement for this project 👍
Thanks Xmonders.
This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. So creative and inspiring! I would be honored to live in this house. All that being said, I am so envious!!! What a great legacy to have. It will stand the test of time for generations to come. Wow.
Your house and your work put into it is amazing. It is the best video I have ever seem done by home owner. It is unique and beautiful.
Thanks Mountain Moma. There were plenty of positive comments about this video. So much so that I have started work on a new video. Probably no narration or music! I taped it very early in the morning when the birds were talking loudly and the stream below the house can be heard. I will try to make the new video without advertisements as well.
This is pretty close to my dream house.
Mine too! Thanks for your comment John.
Unbelievable! You're a genius!!!
well done Roy it's an amazing work , tough for a bunch of people to accomplish such a masterpiece let alone for one guy .
Perhaps easier for one guy and one idea of how to do things. Thanks for the comment god father.
Wow...this is exactly what I always wanted to do, but finding a mate willing to work hard along with me to accomplish the dream never crossed my path. I love this! Even down to the rock interior walls.
Thanks Mee Ow. I did not find a mate who would work along side me either. but I met a girl in 1970 who stuck with me throughout and loaned me money to finish the project when I ran out. I married her after it was finished and she is sitting next to me now.
I agree James. 49 1/2 years is not enough!
@@roy_hayward1679 lol...my wife and I did the math and we were close 😊 we feel the same way.
keep on keeping on James.