I want to build an under ground trailer type house in the desert.?

Question

picture a slot cut out of a piece of land in the desert and back the trailer home into it. how would u complete the encasement. (#1 line the slot with building blocks??.#2 not line it at all??.) then fill in the gap between the slot an the trailer with what sand??

Answer 1

Good question.  I don't know.  

I saw a family in Australia once that dug their home into the ground.  It was like limerock or something like that.  They saved a lot of cooling costs.

Answer 2

Sand is not a secure foundation for any type of shelter.  You will also need a water source?.  If u do build your house,  you will need to access food supplies, etc.  And the desert?.  You will have to buy a plot and can you do this?.  Remember sand storms.  You will also need an air ventilation system and this would be hard with a sand storm as it would clog up would it not?.  You would need massive filtration here.  You would also need a toilet and this does not go down well with sand.  Just some points for you to think about.  Also,  I think not in the sand but in another location it would maybe work. You would also need a power source of some sort.  You would need to rely upon solar energy.  Why do you want to be buryied in sand?. Where would you put your rubbish?.  How would you keep food fresh?.

Answer 3

You should google "underground living" to get other ideas.  I guess you could use the trailer idea but you would need retaining walls because I think just burying it might collapse the structure.

People do this all over the world.  A friend of mine in New Hampshire lived in a small underground house.  It was comfy and heating bill was like 200 bucks for the whole winter.  Bill Gates has the majority of his mansion underground as they built back into a hillside.

I kind of like your idea....if you could build a cellar, put the trailer in that, then steel beams over head with about 3-4 feet of earth, you would have a neat set up.  Ventilation, drainage and probably a few more items would have to be carefully designed....good luck

In the opal mining areas in the Australian outback many of the miners converted their digs into housing (their digging became their digs...lol).  It is like 57 degrees all the time because of the thermal mass of the earth.  This avoids the need for Ac and a small heater will bring it up to comfy easily.

Answer 4

I would strongly recommend an encasement.  Earth pressure, water seepage, vapors and insects are just some of the things you would have to worry about if you don't do it, or do it incorrectly.

Do not use sand.  Sand is permeable and the water will have nowhere to go but inside.  Use something impermeable and solid.

I would recommend poured concrete or concrete blocks filled with concrete or grout for walls, with a poured concrete slab.  Special care should be taken to avoid drainage inside or aside walls.  If you want it sealed to the walls to avoid critters and vapors (which could possibly be avoided other ways) I would suggest bentonite grout or spray foam.  Of course, surround the trailer in some sort of geo-textile fabric first.

Make sure the trailer has good ventilation.

Answer 5

why exactly do you want to do this

Answer 6

you would be better off just building a underground dwelling using brick mortar and stone