[Greenbuilding] Earth-berming an existing home

[Leslie Moyer]

Termites, too, I reply to myself....  :-)  It's not the aesthetics I'm after (though that would be okay--most. boring. house. ever.), it's relief from this incessant heat-gain. There are some other things I can do, so I guess I need to do them first.  During the time we were designing a new home (different place from where we live now), we were designing an earth-bermed home and I am so convinced of their benefits in my climate.  I was just longing for that solution, I guess, to this godawful heat (which did finally break yesterday, thankfully).

Leslie Moyer
unschooler at lrec.org
www.ShadyGroveNaturalFarm.com



On Aug 11, 2011, at 4:09 PM, Kat wrote:

> Earth-berming an existing wood-framed brick veneer wall?  Sounds nightmarish.  Sounds like you're trying to rot or collapse the house (which I know you are not).
> 
> Mainly I agree with Nick - you're trying to make a retaining wall out of something that isn't.  You've got this little transition where the CMU foundation wall meets the wood wall, which retaining walls never have.  Retaining walls are continuous from above grade down through to the bottom.  I'm guessing that transition is a hinge point, and if you put enough pressure on that wall it'll buckle at that point.
> 
> I don't even like Nick & Rob's ideas of building a wall next to the wall. I just can't believe you wouldn't discover later that at some point it got wet, didn't dry fast enough, and rotted everything out.  And don't you live in a fairly warm and humid climate?  Wouldn't you end up with condensation on the inside of the brick from the moisture vapor from inside the house combined with the cooling effect of the concrete/dirt outside?  Ick.
> 
> I would insulate based on whatever they recommend for a brick veneer wall assembly in your area at www.buildingscience.com and skip the earth berm.
> 
> -Kat
> 
> RT wrote:
>> On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:37:19 -0400, Leslie Moyer <unschooler at lrec.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> Can anyone point me to some information on what would be involved in berming an existing above-grade home?  We have a typical 70's era brick ranch home.
>> 
>> Morely;
>> 
>> I'd suggest simply outsulating the existing structure (to get the thermal insulation benefit that berming up against the brick veneer might have provided but without the horrific problems) and build a window sill-height retaining wall just inside of the drip line of the eaves (hoping that you have good,wide eaves... 3 ft or more) to get the "earth berm" aesthetic, if that is a look that you were after.
>> 
>> The ground between the retaining wall and the house should be provided with drainage  in addition to providing a drainage layer/tile on the berm side of the retaining wall.
>> 
>> Then you install a Green Roof to complete the "look" and "Voila!" no more 70's ranch home.
> 
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