When I was a wee one, I was enthralled by a book of my grandmothers that featured beautiful color photographs of underground houses. Artfully rendered, the images perked my interest. Underground houses? Who lives in an underground house, and where does one build an underground house? I’d never seen one in person… in fact, I still haven’t, but I’ve never really lost my enthusiasm for the idea.

That’s why I’m a fan of the above book. The Fifty Dollar and Up Underground House Book, written in 1981 by Mike Oehler and illustrated by Chris Royer, is a DIY manual for those interested in building their own underground houses on the cheap. When they say $50, they’re not kidding. In fact, one blogger described the book thusly:

The methods are so low tech, a bum could make himself a mansion. Other books get into engineering with concrete, steel, rebar, etc., which cost a fortune and don’t necessarily function any better and, in some cases, maybe not as well. With this book and the videos, which are a must if you get serious, you really can build a home for the cost of a roll of plastic and a few other items, provided you do the labor by hand and scrounge materials.

But be warned — the book’s author doesn’t give a lick about pesky things like building codes or safety regulations. Unless you’re planning on squatting in a plot of wilderness where it’s unlikely that the home inspector will ever find your subterranean property, the tips and hints offered in the book aren’t going to get you your $50 home. Still, it’s an interesting and fun read that shows you what could be if lawlessness ever becomes the norm.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 8:54 am by Christa Terry and is filed under Books, Unusual homes, Unusual structures. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.