Underground dome house stays warm in Omaha winters
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- Опубликовано: 25 ноя 2017
- Rebecca Weitzel and Jeff Waschkowski live in a buried home in Omaha, Nebraska and while winters temperatures can hit negative 30 degrees (record lows), inside the home is affected by the temperature of the earth, not the air, and rarely drops below 55°F (13°C).
Built as a labor of love by Lloyd Texley, the former head of science for the Omaha Public School District, the underground home took him 10 years to build. He buried 3 rebar-enforced concrete domes under up to 15 feet of dirt. The home's only opening is a glass wall facing south.
Waschkowski explains that because the indoor temperature reflects the heat of the surrounding earth, it mostly fluctuates between 64 and 74°F. The couple explain the home is also very quiet and soundproofed from the noise of their busy street.
With all the cement, the home was fairly expensive and Waschkowski argues that berm houses (earth-sheltered homes) are about half the cost with most of the same benefits. 
Хобби
A few years back, the owners held an open house of their structure. They are just so approachable. I had the privilege of their hospitality. Thank you for an unforgettable experience
It freaks me out that there is no fence on the top. I feel like some kid will be out playing there and fall 15 feet to the ground below.
A house that has a higher percentage of surviving a tornado in tornado alley compared to a traditional home, makes too much sense.
The guy ran double lines of almost everything!! My kind of guy!!🙏
I’ve never seen this house and I’ve lived in Omaha my whole life lol
Me tooo...!!!! Lol
It's most likely a lie.
@@Tripp393 ? you think people went out. scoped out a lot, bought land, built a fake house, furnished it and then filmed it all for a 12 minute youtube video?
This must be in the rich side of Omaha
Same
I Live in an underground earth home that my family built in the late 70's up here in Wisconsin and am very comfortable. hard part was getting insurance for it as the insurance companies had no comparison. funny as it won't burn
steven siepp
But there can be fires inside.
what u need insurance for?
Had a similar problem with mine here in the UP of Mi. It doesn't fit the boxes of the insurance company same as with bank mortgages. They want everyone to be cookie cutters and any deviance is not permitted.
Back when I was growing up near the mountains of Southeastern Oklahoma, we'd go up to a cave in the mountains, and it was below freezing outside, but inside the cave was warm. In the hot summer it was cool in the cave.
The West have always made fun of people who build houses in mountains, underground or with adobe clay. We've been hustling backwards with tech in many areas rather than expanding on thousands of years of proven tech. Much of our tech produces waste and is not truly functional.
Cool and damp
Please thank this couple for sharing their home. Building an underground home has been my long term goal and good info can be so hard to find.
every home in tornado alley should be like this. really nice house
Exactly, actually across the Southern States should have this type model of homes, i think it would save ppl loads of money and construction costs in the long run or every season a new tornado comes through!
J d flooding is a problem, maybe not drowning. Unless you’re super slow
There are some areas in Tornado Alley where the water table is too high to build underground, but a person probably could use steel-rebar-reinforced concrete or cement blocks with a stone exterior to build a tornado-resistant above-ground house.
obviously you don't live here.. tornadoes are extremely rare in the cities in Nebraska
@@lolwtnick4362 wrote: "tornadoes are extremely rare in the cities in Nebraska"
So are you saying that the tornadoes go around the big cities in Nebraska?
The radon system is something I really needed to know! I am passionate about energy and material responsibility, and that radon issue was the last question I had for underground. If we build underground/earthship, we save energy and we save a lot of yard space! And we have a unique, real connection with our land. This is one of those rare videos that I wish I could double-like.
in new mexico builders simply put a solid layer of plastic under the slab,,,if your in a hill,,,,you can run it up around the walls. That system they have here sounds really expensive! If it fails,,,then the house is permeated with the gas. Any impenetrable sheeting will redirect the gas and prevent the concrete from absorbing it. Personally,,,i would just build a gunnite quonset hut shape above ground, then bury it with two feet of earth above ground,,,,much cheaper and just as efficient
"how you you take care of your roof?"
"we mow it."
I would walk my dog on his roof. The poo will help his roof grass grow.
Genius
nuffflavor dog shit actually carries disease and it’s not good fertilizer for plants
@@Jaihicks says you
Oliver White ok
Humidity in underground homes can be the biggest problem. Need more info on dry concrete mentioned... Whoever build this knew what they were doing.
I guess they could install a dehumidifier like people usually do in basements. But personally I prefer a little humidity rather than dry air which I find so annoying living in Canada. You get sick more often, dry skin that ages faster, worst sleep quality etc.
@@SurfTheKaliYuga - good thing the builder of this home built to evacuate the radon.
@@CasuallyObservant , yeah i know now. I typed the comment before they got to that part of the video lol...
Yeah, if you have a basement you discover that right away. I have to run a dehumidifier all during the warm weather or the basement and everything in it starts to mildew
Never go that deep needs windows on all sides. The 50 and 500 house guy method with wood is stronger better in all ways
I miss OMAHA, I was there during 1996-2000, very peaceful town to live in, I still remember everywhere over there and I miss all the peoples I used to know, I wish them all happiness and prosperity in their life. 👈 I miss OMAHA, NEBRASKA 👈
......and this is why we build kid houses in many African places. Also when I was growing up, my grandparents introduced me to mud pots for water storage. Drinking water was never warm or hot. Earth (or in our case, clay) structures are perfect for keeping perfect temperature indoors.
This done house is also good for tornadoes/hurricanes/storms.
Good job!!!
I lived in Omaha for most of my life and had no clue that house existed. Wow! That is amazing!
With fiber optics from above to below. A place can be lighted with free sunlight without UV B. Plants grow well under it.
Does fiber optics give a good yield to crops? How does it compare lumens wise with indoor grow lights?
@@amiracleone2803 One person grew a tomato plant 25 feet tall with addition of CO. . Plant are also effected by EMF. At the right hertz and strength. I expect it would taller than 25 ft.
@@Markafeller surprisingly I am not finding allot of information on this.
@@Markafeller this is a really cool idea, I like ur style buddy
@@Markafeller you sir have struck my interest. I'm building a carbon negative shipping container house. This would be handy for my grey water garden in the winter.
Lloyd and Beverly Texley were way ahead of their time! Best friends of my parents, so I was very familiar with this! It was very well thought out!
absolutely love it. you don't find too many people nowadays that's comfortable on thinking outside the box. after watching this video I'm even more looking forward to when me and my wife finish our unconventional house.
Fantastic video as always Kristen! The people you interview and the dwellings they have are next level! It inspires me in my journey as I'm sure it does others!
Forrest Stevens n
Forrest Stevens up
Don’t worry, you will someday have a home underground...six feet under
Thank you for sharing the Uniqueness of my Grandparents home. I am the youngest grandchild of the Builder of this wonderful home. I have so many fond memories of play on the roof and in the crawl tunnel upstairs. Thank you for sharing and taking such pristine care of the place that helped build who I am today.
I would love to hear more about your experiences and stories of the house!
You're great! A pioneer of sorts! Plant those seeds of inspiration! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your home!
This is fantastic. Why aren't more homes built this way, especially in the south, tornado alley? Energy saving, QUIET, smartly built (without being "smart" which is actually code for "will kill you"), and while it's a "dome" it's not dome shaped inside, which is easier to live with than rounded walls. All they need are either goats/sheep on the roof for grass trimming, and a nice little garden up there too. But I kind of like the clean minimal look.
Rebecca & Jeff, beautiful home the both of you have. Simply wonderful!! I'm building my next home just like you guys.
God bless.
Honey, did you leave the car on the roof again?
Did you call that golf cart a car?? 😂 No not in a million years would I own one of those things!!
Look up some of the wrecks they have recorded with those things...hardly anything left of both the scooter or the people in them!! Spooky!!
Honey, why's there a dead spot on the roof? Told ya, you were leaking something, dear...
"Kids! Go outside and play on the roof!"
I think I would have a fence on that top part. Last thing you need is someone walking off the edge.
Super cool. In the mid 1980s my grandpa built a berm style underground house in Gothenburg. Always thought it was neat and loved playing on the grass roof. To carry on his legacy I want to bury a large grain bin halfway into a hill and call it home.
Hey, brother! I have seen you around town and I had no idea that was your house! I think your house is cool and I'm joyful to see it in Omaha. Very neat. :)
You're one of the few people I've come across that understands the 'hot/cold' principle...
My better half has always struggled with my concept of 'It's not about being warm, it's about not being cold...'.
Good story. I’m glad you touched on the appraisal aspect
I always wanted to see this house on the inside! I grew up in the area and my grandmother always wanted to buy it! It's amazing!
You purchased an underground home and fell in love with everything about it, welcome to the future.
amazing showing. thanks for taking the time to do these.
Sir I salute you, this concept is brilliant for areas prone to tornadoes.
All very nice especially the vent thru the ‘old tree stump’!
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!
Thanks for sharing this your amazing home with this video. I recently helped renovate a house just a few blocks away from yours. It was a magical morning when I first discovered your home while jogging with my buddy’s dog. We’ve enjoyed the cool view many more mornings since.
What a pleasure listening to this ! The whole world needs an upgrade and this is one very important element !!!
WOW, nice, I live in Colorado, thinking of doing that here,. You have tornadoes in the Midwest, so this takes care of that danger also- a wonderful peace of mind- don't even have to get out of bed during a bad storm, I'd think everyone would want a home like this in the Midwest!!
I love the premise for the home. However, I noticed a portable dehumidifier in one of the rooms. I wonder what issues they have with mold. I wish he elaborated more on the earthen top, and how water is funneled away from the house so as to avoid sink holes and leaking into the subterranean structure.
Thank you Kristen!
Very interesting. We are thinking about having something like this built, and this one, is just down the road a ways.
Thank you for sharing this with me. I just love it.
Love how it was designed... Sweet want a house like this someday
👍Terrific! 😍Love it. Thank goodness for small sensible smart bankers & banks willing to do business with people not structures. I wish he had felt comfortable enough to share the value of price he paid. It’s a shame that the city of Omaha doesn’t want more of these built in town. Being in a tornado prone area, it seems like they’d want more of these type properties.
Live nearby and always wondered about this home. How cool, thank you for sharing!
Thank you! That was really fun to watch. Very interesting
"You're not hot. You're not just cold" Wow!
I like this. But I would definitely have a guard rail by that "roof" edge.
Yes, no kidding. "Honey, where's our son"? "Oh I think he just fell off the roof onto the patio."
The problem here is the kid.
Amazing! Love it! Thank you for sharing. ❤
Thanks for showing your earthen home. It’s amazing. I’d like to get the plains to build my home.
I always liked those old houses in photographs which had goats or cows grazing on the roofs.
You suggesting his cow wife should chew the lawn?
You really hate fat people huh? I get it, they're very unattractive, to put it politely, but going around calling her a cow is worse. Being insensitive is worse than being fugly.
We too live in a bermed house and it's wonderful. Though ours has some differences compared to yours, we too have very low utility costs, the temperature variances are similar to yours, etc. etc. We are in the country, just outside a 74,000 population smaller city, and we love the quietness of our home. BTW, we mow our roof too :-)
So awesome that they fell in love with this home! 😍
This video made me soooooo happy. I look at this house as an investment. You invested time and thought into the design and it will take care of your for a long time.
The designer/builder could have added Solatube light ducts to bring daylight into the back recesses of the house.
I've often wondered why underground housing isn't more popular. Especially in climates that regularly have hot or cold extremes.
No Flooding.
The slope and angles of the house direct outside rain, snow melt. Use of 2 small dehumidifiers in the summer months.
Plumbing in PVC so can access if need be. Have not needed.
@@rebeccaweitzel9985 Your house is ready for any snow load I bet.
as mentioned, snow/mold/flooding even inside fire. Especially inside fire. Think about it this way, the fire would burn towards the source of air, which is pretty much your only way out of the house so it is really not a safest house a one could build. Also price, you would need far more concrete and metal inside of it on top of that you would need engineers that are qualified to build it and this would leave you to people who work with bridges or other complicated architecture, not a standard houses...
It is sort of like hiding your money in a mattress. It does not give bank lenders or insurance companies or even tax assessors a chance to seize your investment therefore it is not popular with builders.
OMG a custom shaped multi floor dome house in Jamaica would be life goals achieved. I needed to see this to be inspired to complete my dream home over the next 2 years.
Absolutely beautiful I love this home
In that area I would think the tornado aspect would be emphasized more.
Should be good for earthquakes too. What you DON'T want is parts of the structure moving more or less than the rest (or the foundation). This house would move WITH the earth. The only problem would be heavy things like water tanks that weren't secured to the structure.
Tornados aren’t scary I’d kick a tornados ass
We have basements.
@@justgivemethetruth good quality rebar'd concrete is ekstreamly strong.
even agains shaking,,
it may crack,, but for it to collapse, it have to be shaken a lot so the concrete gets grinded apart ore the rebar breaks becouse of the twisting
The Native Americans and the original settlers did that...
In the winter it was warm in the summer it was cool.
You put up some great videos. A++
Thank you so much!
*just learned about this incredible story!!*
Much better video than mine! Also, a better design for an underground house. Thank you for the excellent video.
I just watched your's, it's great. I looove rock and stone. I live in a UG house
(in Fla), similar to this one in Kristen's video.
I don't know about you but I find that living in an underground house in a warm and humid climate is probably not as good an idea as living in a a cooler and drier climate like this one. Thanks for the favorable commented on my video skay7878
I suppose the benefit factor may be higher in a very cold climate, but in our INTENSE summer heat, it feels like the A/C is on in the house, when temps are in the 40's or lower in winter, I don't need any heat on. Not to mention, Hurricane Irma just blew straight over me (& my 'bunker') this past Sept. I do have to be mindful of the humidity & ventilation. Years ago, I lived in SC in a brick ranch house w/ a full basement. When it was 95º+ outside and the main floor A/C sucking $$$ 24hrs per day, my basement was about 72º.
I agree. Underground is the best way to beat the heat! Humidity can be dealt with.I have one portable dehumidifier upstairs and one downstairs and that does the trick.
Safety from hurricanes and weather is also a benefit.
This is my favorite style of home. I hope I can commission something like this one day. Amazing.
Same. This is definitely a (long-term) life goal for me :)
@@Vir9il People want these homes. Our government isnt being responsive to this. They put up roadblocks at each juncture. If we could convert even 10% of the traditional style homes to this one, we would cut our greenhouse gas emissions by a lot id bet. Its things like this that we can do right now to reduce our carbon footprint, and still live comfortably. If the government used its resources to study these homes, they could come up with amazing ideas im sure. i want a government thats responsive to whats going on in the world, not just ignoring it.
@@Ghostcamel vote Andrew Yang as a independent then lol.
@@Ghostcamel is ur name Dumas? Lol we just printed out over 4 trillion. You got 1200. Did the masters raise prices to absorb that money? no they didn't?
@@Ghostcamel Obviosly you are ridiculously ignorant to the realities of our world. Why do you want to watch the world burn is really a better question for you I guess? Why do you instantly say that I am smarter then you? Do you believe you know every thing? Do you feel like if you don't know something that you are a little person of no significance?
I'm suprised more homes in that area aren't built like this. I think it's a brilliant home.
Great video, thanks for sharing!
I was wondering when they would start doing this in hot climates to reduce electricity and co2 with air conditioning
In South Australia, a town called Coober Pedy, there's a whole heap of houses underground. A few of the older houses in Australia were made with very thick stone walls, creating a similar effect of maintaining steady temperatures through scorching summer days. I always wondered why green roofs and underground houses weren't more common here too!
Blahblahblah Blah mudflood
Was going to mention Coober lol...
@@jayh9529 but..blah, blah...blahblahblah??? Well???
@@garyheaton4791 Gary Jay's comment is in regards to the local water table and the potential of flooding. With good design work can be reduced or I believed taken care of by using other designs. I can think of other ideas that would work even near rivers if properly maintained
This home been there since I was a kid. I didn't think no one would ever move in this abandoned house ,it was empty for years!!!
Was it just an empty house that looked about the same or was it in shambles.
This home has never been empty. It was home to my grandparents who built it and the sold to these wonderful people when my grandfather passed. Nice thing about this place is that it has so much privacy due to the way it was placed, even some neighbors dont know there.
@@kotehromada3088 I love living in the house. Thank you to your grandparents and your family! It is an honor.
Wow! Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely love this house!!
He isn't joking about the city of Omaha not wanting ANYTHING that isn't traditional or timber framed within city limits. I have lived here (Omaha) for 26 years, and I have been trying for the past three years to work out location, engineering and construction of a semi-bermed, post and beam straw bale home of my own design. The bermed walls and foundation are simple enough, but that second half of the home - straw bales - is like speaking an alien language. Then there is the location issue, most established neighborhoods either have no vacant lots, building restrictions or builders contracts, HOA's (NO!), or some other such hooey and hurdles to jump through. Either that, or the lots are as expensive, if not more so, than the projected building cost of the house itself. My only other option is to live 40 minutes outside of town, which is rather annoying.
I won't even begin to go into the engineering hurdles I had to jump through for my blueprints. That's at least a 5 page rant.
OddBallPerformance why not use rock wool insulation instead of straw bales?
I have s sweet property in Florence with 2 acres you could build that house on $$$
Nobody wants anything built that isn't one of those new cookie cutter overpriced POS houses that won't last the test of time. I'll never understand why.
they are quite stodgy. and don't even get me started about HOAs
To hell with hoa
That was pretty cool.
This is very interesting. I read the comments first, and found them helpful (though I am not that interested in the technical details, lol). The owner is enthusiastic so it's good to know where he is inaccurate. We have family in Nebraska. Way back in the 60's and 70's I remember being told that it was common to build a basement, then live in it while building the upper storey (also that basements are essential due to tornadoes). This house reminded me of those walk-out basements. And yes, they are dark. What we could see of the public rooms was not a very appealing space, but that may be simply due to its outdated styling.
A very well thought out 🏠! Love it.
Very interesting home. *The hobbits would be proud :-)*
It's a bit like the earth-ship homes. The larges minus would be that the windows can be only on one side of the house, or one would need to build them in tunnels.
Consider. Most houses in developments have no windows to either side except perhaps the small bath window,, and even front elevations have few windows. The house with the rear facing south has lots of windows. I doubt that there would be a great difference in ambient light. Open a window to a morning breeze,,, that would be difficult.
Hmmmm,,, ya know,,,, Why would they only be on one side of the house? Bilbo's house sat at the point of a hill,, windows to at least two sides,, and perhaps three. Your allusion to earth ship homes is apt, and the solution to your thought.
Just use solar tubes through the roof to bring in more sunlight.
That South-facing wall of windows could easily be bowed out, to present more of the interior to the sunlight. That would, however, expose the house to more of the effects of the outside climate.
Very cool I love it!!! This is what I hope to do someday. All this place really needs in my opinion is a swimming pool. Other then that very cool.
Beautiful home and fantastic idea!
Thank you for sharing, brilliant design and cool owners too! This is the way we need to build.
It seems we are revisiting some Energy Crisis inspired ideas.
I would have liked to see the garage and doors open for the garage. Are they domes to ?
Bar none, this is my favorite house you've shown thus far. I love this house. Due to micronova forthcoming, this importance of underground houses cannot be overestimated--and also their location.
Super awesome pad. Nicely done👍👍
The front of this house looks like a department store or a mini mart.
Tom Valenta from back in the day too
Agreed
It'd look much nicer in my opinion as pure exposed concrete... perhaps trimmed with some stainless and or redwood beams.
Yeah, not a fan of the exposed side of the house.
i thought the same thing
Great Homes...I live in one south of Blair, mine does not have the dome's this was poured in place tied rebar California ranch style. 3.5 feet of earth as roof, where I garden. Don't you love the roofers who call and want to fix your roof after a hail storm! Hubby tells them to bring some dirt.
Ardelle Wachter South of Blair? My son has been very interested in this style of home. We have as Nebraskans been as impacted as any from storms, shelter runs, sitting in a cellar...you know, family memories lol. We live closer to Decatur, but if you’re ever open to showing your home, that would be absolutely fantastic!
Ardelle Wachter, do you know what company or contractor built your home? I'm interested in building one just a little north of Blair
I'm so amazed!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
I love this underground house...💝
"Hundreds of thousands of tons."
Nah, that looks about around 120 tons.
The car is secretly an aircraft carrier.
Some native vegetation rather than lawn would make it a whole lot better.
That's your opinion... Not a fact. Also have to consider that Omaha is within city limits and has codes.
Corn?
@@donfolstar Corn isn't native, it's invasive, like the fuckers growing it... also, yeah the codes within city limits kind of make it impossible to do a "natural landscape" without risking constant fines or even possible foreclosure.
@@robertjones1704 Of course it's his opinion, he never claimed it to be fact. Don't put words in someone's mouth in order to make a point.
LOL...Speaking of hyphenated-named fuckers.
Love, love, love this home
I live in this neighborhood and never knew this was a house, it's so cool!
I'd laugh my ass off if a robber broke his ankles walking off the edge of the house in the dark.
Yeah because then it would be the robbers house after the lawsuit lol.
😆
So I’ve lived in Omaha my whole 23 yrs of life and I never knew this existed. I just moved 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Off of Ames by the old Pizza hut
I'm sure there are alot of people's houses you haven't been to in omaha
I so love this. Glad I clicked on this, because I want to have a house design similar to this.
Wahoo, amazing house, you guys got a chance to buy this lovely house as well. Great.
I am planning/ dreaming to make myself an underground cottage at my farm to escape summers for quite some time. Your house gave me so much encouragement ☺️🙏
I want a terror dome.
It's almost like a homeship
So cool. I used to live there in Bellevue. Makes me think of a modern dugout or soddie/dug out. Back to pioneer history.
This is SOOOO SPECIAL! I LOVE it!👍🏿
These are the houses I come looking for. Awesome. Only thing is, wheres the solar?
It doesn't need solar. It has grid electricity which is brought into the house under ground. However, I'm sure if they wanted to go solar, they cold mount panels on the "roof" or upper lawn.
I'm getting PTSD from looking at all that grass that has to be mowed eventually.
PTSD from mowing a lawn? What are ya? American?
I'm sure you mean OCD... idiot.
He must mean Pre Traumatic Stress Disorder, since it hasn't happened yet.
That's what kids are for. I still remember using a swing blade while growing up.
Mellotronster he probably just lets his cow of a wife graze up there
Brilliant. Love this!! Maybe the way for me.... looking at storage containers v/ underground... may do both!
Good people. Beautiful home.