IanC
Well-known member
you could do what this fellow did
https://www.yahoo.com/news/no-rent-lifestyle-argentine-mans-lived-40-years-160425497.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/no-rent-lifestyle-argentine-mans-lived-40-years-160425497.html
When you can't afford a van
- Thread starter IanC
- Start date
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eDJ_
Well-known member
I think Bob Wells talks about his idea to get an old dead school bus and bury it in the desert much like an underground home. I'm sure it's do-able and buried deep enough would surely be cool in the heat of the day.
(maybe 60 degrees year around) I'm not sure of the details that would be involved for drainage or to support the weight of the earth above the roof.
An air to air heat exchanger may help moderate the temps in the underground dwelling so it isn't too extreme
going from the open air desert surface to the underground dwelling. if a bed of rocks were set up under the
bus the warm air could be blown through them in the later evening to heat them. Thus they could give off enough heat to keep the dwelling at 70 degrees through the night when it's cold outdoors. This may be accomplished with 12 vdc fans operating for a small amount of time.
I'm sure a solar array and battery shed would make it more livable. An outside structure containing bathroom & toilet that could be used in the later evening or earlier morning may provide most of the rest of the needs. The water for that facility could be solar heated easily enough.
Maybe two school buses buried side by side so that they would adjoin.
(maybe 60 degrees year around) I'm not sure of the details that would be involved for drainage or to support the weight of the earth above the roof.
An air to air heat exchanger may help moderate the temps in the underground dwelling so it isn't too extreme
going from the open air desert surface to the underground dwelling. if a bed of rocks were set up under the
bus the warm air could be blown through them in the later evening to heat them. Thus they could give off enough heat to keep the dwelling at 70 degrees through the night when it's cold outdoors. This may be accomplished with 12 vdc fans operating for a small amount of time.
I'm sure a solar array and battery shed would make it more livable. An outside structure containing bathroom & toilet that could be used in the later evening or earlier morning may provide most of the rest of the needs. The water for that facility could be solar heated easily enough.
Maybe two school buses buried side by side so that they would adjoin.
Canine
Well-known member
Sounds good,but I don't think most of us here have enough ambition to bury a school bus.
Optimistic Paranoid
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Probably cheaper to just buy an old 40 foot trailer, one sold for storage only cause the running gear is mostly shot and bury THAT.
Or instead of burying it, you could surround it with straw bale walls, or adobe/rammed earth blocks.
Or instead of burying it, you could surround it with straw bale walls, or adobe/rammed earth blocks.
ACagedTraveller
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I would hold a major concern for viability of the project because of zoning ordinances. The local government might hold minimum square footage requirements for the primary habitable structure on a property. How would the green waste disposal jive with the local laws on septic systems? The project would require a large amount of research that would vary from local government to local government.
