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[lastofthelight]

This is an absurd thread; but has anyone ever researched - in case any of us ever get rich or anything - how much, in the real world, building an underground house (or with absurd amounts of money) underground castle/fortress would cost?

[Lav]

Try googling for bomb shelter construction costs during Cold War, that should be close to the mark.

[DennyTom]

Because of violation of physics, digging and research for new materials would cost astronomical sum. However you would save fortune on food - several liters of water and 8 biscuits per person per annum... 

[azrael4h]

There are actually several homes built into hillsides near me. They are normal sized-homes, just the bulk is built underground.

While the costs to buy one is no higher than for a normal house, ownership costs are lower. All that earth makes for excellent insulation. I'd imagine though, that the lack of natural light, or windows, in the back portions of the house gets old quickly; and God help you if it floods or catches fire.

[Aqizzar]

Here's a list of decommissioned missile silos for sale.

They start at $165,000, and go way, way up from there.  And watch out for Deepcrows.

The cost isn't so much the actual construction of an underground site, as the time and manpower needed.

[Kohou]

There are actually several homes built into hillsides near me. They are normal sized-homes, just the bulk is built underground.

While the costs to buy one is no higher than for a normal house, ownership costs are lower. All that earth makes for excellent insulation. I'd imagine though, that the lack of natural light, or windows, in the back portions of the house gets old quickly; and God help you if it floods or catches fire.

I don't know about the houses near you, but my father used to have a number of books on building underground houses, and one of the things it suggests is build them facing north (so the light shines in), build them with large windows in the front, and (depending on how deep into the ground) sinking some light shafts in the back.

In fact, just google "Underground Houses".  There's lots of books and lots of pictures, too.  Quite enlightening.

It's not quite a fortress, but I'd sure love one.

[Aqizzar]

I don't know about the houses near you, but my father used to have a number of books on building underground houses, and one of the things it suggests is build them facing north (so the light shines in), build them with large windows in the front, and (depending on how deep into the ground) sinking some light shafts in the back.

I assume you live in the southern hemisphere.  On the rest of the planet, windows should face south.

[Blakmane]

Here's a list of decommissioned missile silos for sale.

They start at $165,000, and go way, way up from there.  And watch out for Deepcrows.

The cost isn't so much the actual construction of an underground site, as the time and manpower needed.

That is....


so awesome 

[JeebusSez]

i can't seem to find it now, but once while researching fallout shelters I stumbled upon a fallout shelter in the midwest that was comprised of a complex of sea-containers connected by tunnels that was buried deep into a series of hills. It was a completely self-contained network that had different living quarters, sanitation facilities, a kitchen, a greenhouse, and even a generator. It was set up essentially to allow everyone to survive underground until the fallout had subisded to livable levels, and then the occupants would begin to reestablish the local countryside.

It was pretty awesome. I wish I could find it again

[edit]Found it! It was in my bookmarks apparently it's in canada. have a link!

http://ki4u.com/nuclearsurvival/arktwo/index.htm

[Muz]

I'd actually expect it to be much cheaper than building huge houses. Especially when it comes to castles... the price for building a castle would be lowered if the wall was already there. But the problem is perhaps in getting water and such. And unfortunately, real humans need proper lighting.. lighting hasn't been implemented in DF yet.

Hmm.. I suppose I should get my girlfriend to research it; she's a civil engineer who has yet to specialize in anything.

[Kogan Loloklam]

The biggest cost of Underground homes is Labor. That means the higher the cost to move a lot of dirt, the higher the cost of the home. Some places, underground homes are significantly cheaper than above ground.

[Bondo]

THere is a pretty good book, something like "Building an Underground House for under $200".  Covers a lot of the basic and advanced house building techniques, none of them are actually dug tunnels though.  It's generally a trench or notch cut into a hillside, roofed over, then covered in extra dirt.

[Muz]

The biggest cost of Underground homes is Labor. That means the higher the cost to move a lot of dirt, the higher the cost of the home. Some places, underground homes are significantly cheaper than above ground.

I'd think the same thing, but transporting huge piles onto an above ground building, grinding them into a solid substance, is even more expensive. And you don't really need to build much of a foundation when digging out a house, I suppose.

[Tormy]

This is an absurd thread; but has anyone ever researched - in case any of us ever get rich or anything - how much, in the real world, building an underground house (or with absurd amounts of money) underground castle/fortress would cost?

Good question, but the real question is this:
Would you be able to live underground? I surely couldn't to be honest...

[Rilder]

I'd love to live underground.

Maybe set up some sort of mirror system to channel sunlight in from the surface.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_living

Also: the Japanese are actually dwarves http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_City