Kat was good enough to post it here: [www.hallofmaat.com]

I will point out that building an underground home is not for anyone seeking instant gratification! I spent 17 years planning and reading everything I could find on underground construction before we ever started construction. Then it took another 7 1/2 years to get it finished (of course I was only home for about half of that time and I did have a cow herd to take care of while I was in the US).

There are numerous disadvantages to unconventional building. Any contractor will bid very high because they have never done it before. Some just tell you it can't be done! Consequently you end up doing just about everything yourself (but you acquire a lot of new skills in the process). Fortunately I did not rush the process and had everything just the way I wanted it before moving in.

Do not expect to get lower insurance rates because you have no roof to damage and the house is virtually indestructable. Insurance companies do not have a classification for underground homes. One classic response to why insurance rates were not lower was "Well an airplane might fall on it".

In many ways designing an underground home is more of an art than science at this point. That may have changed recently because there are literally thousands in a broad band across the plains from Minnesota to Texas. Many preform very well but I have heard some real horror stories.