The Fifty Dollar and Up Underground House Book
by Mike Oehler
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mike OehlerIllustrator: Chris Royer
Edition: Paperback
Published: 1981-12-01
ISBN: 0442273118
Number of pages: 116
Publisher: Mole Publishing Company
Book Reviews of The Fifty Dollar and Up Underground House Book
Book Review: Great for the "back to the land" sort.
Summary: 4 Stars
First off, the reason for four stars instead of five. It's because the author was very narrow minded in what he thought you would be reading the book for. The title makes it very clear that it's going to be a cheap house, but it still came as a surprise to me that it is not about making a modern house. The most modern thing in the houses described in this book is a polyethylene layer for waterproofing. He does not describe the use of anything that cannot be found on site (excluding polyethylene). This has its merits, but I quote him out of the book saying "cement has no soul" And his total refusal to see the use in a design he dubbed the "first thought design" which would easily work as well as his own "basic design" if only you use a slanted roof. (a method he chose not to consider mentioning.
Now, what this book did cover I thought it did very well at. It describes with photos and clear instructions how to make a house with natural or easily obtainable supplies at a low cost. He has some very good ideas like his uphill patio which eliminates the force of the hill pushing down on your home and puts the load on a much easier to maintain retaining wall. Also, a feature he calls clerestories (basically windows that are put in a sudden drop of ceiling height) make the interior much brighter.
All in all it's a very good book on how to make your own fallout shelter or summer cabin, but not a good manual on the finer points of making an underground home. The houses in this book exhibit many features that you would need in a modern home, but they are not a replacement for your current house.
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