$15 earth berm eco house filmed 30 years later

[Beatnikzombie]

Excellent. I love it.

[Villanovagypsy]

Try to save like 5,000 dollars and you can build a REALLY nice cabin compared to this. There are lots available in almost every state for about 2000-10000 dollars especially if you pay in cash but, some of them do owner financing with o need for credit checks. Try to make sure the land has either well/city water and septic/sewer and electric/buy solar panels. I'm almost done. A travel trailer full home with appliances to use while you build a bigger home. Grow FOOD. Pump/filter your rain/pond

[frenchmansgirl]

sweet!

[werewasyo]

lol i live in a mansion with 3 door garage i don't need this

[Beatnikzombie]

@werewasyo We're all very impressed.

[seventhsinn]

ya me and my roomate plan on doing something like this in alaska real soon,we are saving for a nice chunk of land,and build some small cheap cabins,i hate the city life so does he,and we love gold panning and such so kinda our thing,to bad they dont have a lot of hot chicks in alaska is the only bad problem lol

[Dexxxter7780]

Im dirt pour and am unable to hold a full time job. This is the life style i have been seeking since i was 4. Im 31 now..Is there any way someone like me could obtain a small plot in the wilderness like this?

[paulwheaton12]

@Dexxxter7780 I suggest you read "Mortgage Free" by Rob Roy.

[MrKadvaga]

@paulwheaton12 we're working on it! Check out the Ringing Cedars!

[doddsalfa]

@Dexxxter7780 check out account solarcabin on yt

[ambiedawn82]

@Dexxxter7780 I suggest you grow some balls and stop being a baby. Get a job and do what you have to do to make it work. Believe it or not the world doesn't revolve around you so get out of your mom's basement and be a man.

[Dexxxter7780]

@ambiedawn82 I think you are replying to the wrong comment...did someone really cut off your testicals??? Thats horrible!

[caessarion]

@ambiedawn82 i like when my balls are banging on ass

[caessarion]

@Dexxxter7780 yes yes yes, you have to get in your car and drive to the places where you want to live. The further from "civilization" the cheaper. Do you need internet? Theres no cheap net in desolationville. You could live near a lake in Mapleton in a trailer, its 150 a year you have to pay for electric net water. Do you want everything free? I know what you mean and I know all the things involved. its not hard to do, you will need starting $ and living $ 30 is young a long retirement

[squamish4244]

Interesting.

[packofhounds]

I wonder what the house looks like.

[enchanter20]

omg hold the camera still .....cool stuff if I could see it instead of vomiting from the motion

[WizzardTV1]

Good luck trying to get a women to stay there !

[drtooth69]

@WizzardTV1 Only problem with these tiny houses getting a girl or woman to move in is tough!

[Xenohno]

@drtooth69 I'm a woman and I'm going to build one myself! Hah!

[xINVISIGOTHx]

My city posts warnings on my fence if I dont mow the grass when it gets tall...

[MrJimijoe]

Don't ya need a C.O. to live there??? isn't it illeagal without it?? I mean its cool and all but don't the law give em a hard time bout this. I dunno maybe the law's here are different than there but here that would be a big no no. where about's is this anyway? I'm in NY

[InFernoxs1]

i will buy 2 of these

[MRSketch09]

This is a cool concept. But it looks like you'd have to beat the insect away.. being that low to the ground.

[WhatUGawkinAt]

This idea JUST came to me today. I've been looking into homes with a much more self sustaining construction wether it be the shape, materials or location and I can across these earth homes and i'm really taking a liking to them.

[NeelChang]

If I buy a piece of land, do I need to follow certain codes when I build my eco home, or can I do what ever I want. And also how will I use the bathroom, do I need to build a septic tank also? I know you can drill a water well, but can you drill a well anywhere?

[paulwheaton12]

@NeelChang the answers to these questions is massive. and I'm the only person reading here anymore. but we talk about this stuff every day at permies. have you been out there yet?

[NeelChang]

@paulwheaton12 No I haven't, what is it?

[paulwheaton12]

@NeelChang mentioned at the end of this video. Forums with a lot of eco building discussion.

[jeetendrag10acc2]

@paulwheaton12 we are still reading paul..we are still here :-)

[alderaforall]

@NeelChang you should buy a book called "Finding and Buying your place in the country" by Les Scher. It is a wealth of information that you would probably find very helpful. As far as building codes are concerned, you would need to talk to both the building department and the health department in the county you plan on buying ground and tell them what you would like to do. You hate to buy some ground somewhere only to find out after the fact you can't do what you wanted to on it.

[SacredSocietyAP]

@NeelChang Basically if you live out in the country the answer is no...if you live within the city limits then yes...look up the building permits and codes for your county. Each county in the US is different but most allow you to build whatever you want out in the country.

[SacredSocietyAP]

@NeelChang you can also search municode dot com for the rules in any area of the US.

[hydrolito]

@NeelChang How you can build a home would depend on state, County and local laws checks with codes departments. Would have to avoid underground pipes, electrical, telephone, and tv cables etc. So would have to contact those companies and agencies if any in area before any test drilling for well or construcion is done.

[bilpayne]

@NeelChang on the water well you will have to find a water sand about any water well driller will have rods or a forked stick they can find the sand with you will have to set a septic tank and lateral line or build an out house

[MrVicist]

@NeelChang It really depends mostly on your local council/county. For example I know a place a few hours from where I live where they let you do pretty much whatever you want if the dwelling a) costs less than $5000 to build and b) isn't connected to any services like power and water. But where I am now, I wouldn't get past go.

[heyyouthere4]

@NeelChang Not all ground perks, so lack of a septic field can preclude getting permission from the local gov't. But outhouses are not illegal. A well must be 100' from a septic field. Try to avoid areas with high lead or arsenic levels!

[Darkyodajedi]

30 years of living for 15 dollars = epic, camera man not so much...

[linuxrules04]

Worst camera man ever!!!

[diddymuck]

coot coop

[siafulinux]

Always a bad camera man when you want a good one. 

[lupegaru2]

cool but.... watching this video made my vertigo kick up a notch....

[asubjectiveopinion]

Mike Oehler seems like a really nice man.

His book has been an invaluable resource to me over the years.

[HappyHooker83]

How can I buy one? I am in Los Angeles and I am looking to roll out before SHTF!

[tonysshadow]

Most folks dont realize that almost all so called permits ( I hate that beaureacratic word) pertain to buildings with foundation ./ footing / slab. Thats why usually a simple shed as you see at Lowe's doesnt require a permit. Along the same line...if you put up an electrical service pole...as construction crews do while buidling...you dont need an electrical permit. The permit only pertains to electrical service physically joined to a structure.  You simply plug into the pole.

[indigoin0z]

ohhh seriously they are all like it... i cant watch theSe shaky windy things!

[DiaryIsLocked]

I always thought of living in a big house with lots of space, but looking at these little houses has made me re-evaluate that idea because some of these small houses look roomy but feel home-y. Which is what I want. A home-y home that has space.

[North0house]

As a 17 year old, this is my dream. I want to build my own home, one similar to this house. I just want to become self sufficient and live the way we were supposed to. This is perfect.

[houseoffire72]

@North0house at 17 yrs old thats pretty amazing, I didnt realize that till i was in my mid 30's and divorced:) hope you acheive all you want in this life.

[SantosRegal]

@North0house I see more people watching videos & exploring options to this kind of living, which is great, I also dream of it, & who wouldn't like to enjoy peace, freedom & healthier living?...The scary part is when the government steps into protect its interests, & no city managed by an urban system can survive without "people"...So the more people going for this kind of living, the weaker urban areas get, where I live, even in the country side, it's not allowed, so I'm moving away!

[enlightenednihilist]

@North0house possible course of action. 1. find, go to locals farmers market. befriend farmers, do work trade for food or just offer to help out. find someone possibly a nearby organic farm or something, with extra land that isnt being used. perhaps unusable land. 2. buddy up with someone with a truck, get a hold of some lumber outta some dumpsters, and start building. carpentrys easy, you learn as you go. i recommend trying rammed earth style. make walls out of bricks that are tires packed with

[enlightenednihilist]

tires packed with dirt with a sledgehammer. google earthships the hut. experiment with your little bunker. rammed earth is great for keeping good constant temperature. a little bit of trial and error and you can guarantee, patching and insulating as it needs it, and you can have a warm dry place to at the very least put your belongings. rocket stove, save up for solar panels, simplifed water storage system. use wood to build your internal dividers and lofts and cabinets.

[Zraupp10]

@North0house lill small but for $15 not bad, i would like to build one but would like it to be lill bigger nice trees them trees are lill skinny -:) 10x10 house should be Perfect

[nova1pau]

@North0house

I remeber when I was 17 thinking ths same thing. The logistics are overwhelming against this. Im 27 and am saving up all my money so that I can fund such an endevour perhaps in 10 years. Good luck to all that try though.

[r3bol]

@North0house It's great someone so young has this kind of mindset.

[xboxmime]

If this alone cost only 15 dollars, just thing of what they could have done with $100, or $1,000!

[sunnyc8]

But, it would never get a legal building permit! We have to work at getting our Building codes adjusted.

[paulwheaton12]

@sunnyc8 Some places, such as the place this is built, have no building codes. So this building has all of the permitting required.

[wheelori814]

@paulwheaton12 where is "this place" where permits are not needed?

[YiuTeub]

@paulwheaton12 I built a home without a permit. I plan on building a workshop berm style. I love our R.M. I built to code though.

[Quipper808]

@sunnyc8 Yes, this raises important policy questions. How can we modify our Building Codes to allow greater flexibility of materials and construction methods? When the great majority of humanity lives in non-permitted/non-code compliant structures, the need and cost for housing needs to be balanced against the safety building codes provide. In the absence of practical alternatives, people will do whatever they can for shelter -- codes be damned.

[LibertyTreeBud]

@sunnyc8 Yes, I agree. I think in fact that we have to look over every single building code and zoning code to see how we can get rid of all the stuff that makes it so damn hard to do simple and needful improvements to one's own land/house/space.

[SurprizedDaily]

@LibertyTreeBud Codes & Statutes do NOT apply to real men & women....only citizens! Start researching free man on the land & sovereignty stuff on here! The U.S. of A is a defacto Corporate govt.!

[Andrew19036]

@sunnyc8 Move to Tenn. Building code: build it--> live in i.t

[GalaticSpaceHero]

@Andrew19036 The communist New World Order Govt has arrived there yet? One World Govt ! The Global Elite would want to take over and charge you $1000 month for u to live in your own creation. Credit/Debt Wall st Racket / ponzi game.

[imchangingtrains]

@GalaticSpaceHero part of those money go to building roads a.s.o.

[GalaticSpaceHero]

@imchangingtrains Im afraid big foot or the ware wolf man woud want to come in and say hello

[sunnyc8]

But, it would never get a legal permit!

\



[strongnoob]

Law or Legislation?

[sunnyc8]

But, it would never get a legal permit



[atpuck]

that is 1 great book

[Bobofet241]

You don't have to have much to be happy.

[hoytusa09]

How do they get around building codes?? 

[1968DodgePolara]

@hoytusa09 People build sheds all the time some build one and live in it most don't need a building permit to build just a shed and if they do need a permit just built one in sections off site and bring it onto your property there is a loop hole somewhere just have to find away around it.

[waldo2384]

My riding lawnmower would look great in that shack.

[MrMadscotsman]

I could get into this- nice work Mike!

[counterclockwise123]

That's not a house, that's a shed.

[pLaIrVaIdNoGx]

@counterclockwise123 more land, posseessions, and money only serve to remove us from God ruin our world and live in a state of debt ridden misery and bitterness

[counterclockwise123]

@pLaIrVaIdNoGx Money and possessions make life enjoyable.

[pLaIrVaIdNoGx]

@counterclockwise123 now you're just lying to yourself. a balnce needs to be achieved, and most don't care, but these people do. animals are going extinct 1000x their normal rate precisely because of attitudes like yours. 20% of the world consumes 80% of its resources.

[counterclockwise123]

@pLaIrVaIdNoGx It's all natural.

[stlbeats]

Cool

[shinnob]

a friend sent me a vid and when it was done this one was suggested!. This is the info on youtube I was looking for. Eureka ! . My grandparents are Norwegians long passed now. They lived in a house build into the side of a hill and lived longer than 30yrs there. thought of a shipping container and excavate and use it as a hill home. Just a idea and I know there would be much more to it than that. Im American Indian so is Ma in Norway peeps called Sammy live like Indians. very tribal. ty for vid

[turbo8454]

I wonder if I could get this past the code enforcement officer? I could live in it.

When the dem-a-holes get done destroying this great country, something like this will be all we can afford.

[pshaw951]

@turbo8454 If you understood anything about how the world is run you would know that its not just one party, not one political system, not one religious system, it is people who are destroying this great country and other great countries; arrogance and bigotry. People who believe themselves to be better than others because they have so much money, power and control over their environment and subsequently other people. Get your mind right friend and I say that with compassion.

[seifukusha]

isnt it a shame such a smart idea is relegated to something for "hippies"..thats really clever...

[xadam2dudex]

must be cold in there in the winter all that glass....this will be a mansion after the dollar collapses....the rich will have all the wealth and property...they will live in gated communities with armed guards

[bthaile]

I love to see how people build shelter. It's easy to see if the technique works as the year tick off and the structure stands the test of time. Thanks for the show.

[JasonKlepacz]

Paul, thanks for the info. Have Mike Oehler's book on the way thanks to you. Heard you on the Survival Podcast, please keep doing that, and everything else you do..

Too bad my girlfriend is gonna leave me when I show her what her future holds. :-)

[verblreverb]

@JasonKlepacz Lol! My boyfriend kinda freaked out when I suggested living in a small house (small house movement). He's ok with a passive solar home though, so that's a step :)

[Microglia1]

Since 90% of the male population wants to get laid...this is for priestly kinds.

[VonLeachim]

can I rent this ? 

[kludge000]

I think the question is whether you see you house as a tool or a toy.

[gzukoff]

Funny, there are some that call this a shack and for all intents and purposes it is but if you were to scale this up and use different materials you'd have an earthship.

[snookumsjack]

I could live in that house if it also had about 12 acers to go with it. I am retired and spend most of the time outdoors or visiting Family or in town shopping etc. To have this house and land payed for or a very low morgage payment would be wonderful. Not a slave in this world. Yes-You may have to search but unrestricted land can be found. People get too attached to "things" and status. Just be happy.

[decemi]

@snookumsjack

spot on, stop chasing money, fortune and fame, concentrate on your life as is, wake up to realise what's important.

[madman3891]

so the shack costs 15 $ to build but the book is 50$ hmm

[Dt0x75]

@madman3891 I think the "$50 and up house book" means its the title of the book...not that the book costs $50

[Mikdeelo]

Also, people, note this is called 'the sleeper' and no, it is not 'perfect', but was a portion of someone's education. Without preconceived prejudice, it is possible to learn from anyone and anything.

Thanks, Paul for the learnin'

[Mikdeelo]

Greetings to all Permies!

Na-sayers! BAHH! I, for one, will inhabit such a structure, some day soon! I presently pay the bankers $1800/mo= OVER $20K A YEAR, for a tax write off!!?? You must earn it first! I know this dwelling is not for everyone, but ask yourself, with the forest as your living room, do you need more than a place to cook and sleep? All you can imagine is 'cabin fever' in bad weather and must have my x-box and Oprah, or what would the neighbors think, just thumb down and go on.

[500patti]

Hmmm....a family of 3 lived in that house for 18 months....I imagine the rest of the story was this----"but, tragically, they killed each other."

[TheJ253]

The window scheme on this house is badass totally gonna try something similar!!

[WellnessGoneWild]

I love this kind of thing. Freedom is the word - creativity - topsy turvy - outside the box. You've gotta learn and live more fully in this kind of place. Bravo to the creatives!

[elainebmack]

@WellnessGoneWild . Love your "nom de plume"! You are so right. Creativity will save this planet, not the "same ol' - same ol'."

[electronsgalore]

Urban,

Your username explains why you wouldn't. But, I could. I'm totally over the 'big house' thing. I now have a 6800 sq ft house, w/ 8 bedrooms, 7 baths & 3 kitchens It's in one of the better suburbs of Los Angeles. I only bought it because it had such beautiful bones & would have been torn down. This house is framed in Redwood!!!!! If I hadn't bought it, it'd be torndown. I can't wait to get it restored & gone!! I'm looking for plans for a tiny place on my farm in the Midwest.

[urban1337]

@electronsgalore I don't live in a big home.. in fact my place is very very small.. thats how i like it

and I am in the midwest and i love it here, infact i don't like how much the city i live in has grown over the last 10 years cause i really enjoy living in a small town

[MillionthUsername]

You gotta love the hater comments about living in a "shack".

Hey geniuses, if you want to build an earth sheltered/bermed

house with brand new materials, go ahead! Use triple-paned

glass and marble floors if you want. Pay an architect tens of

thousands of dollars to make it sufficiently un-shack-like for

you. Then you will be able to impress the neighbors real good

and you won't have to trash good ideas just because they

are implemented cheaply by someone else who cares more

for simplicity. : )

[vutEwa]

hey do you think you could shake the camera more?

[neonben76]

$15 in mid 70's, isn't the equivalent money now about 1.82 million?

[VonLeachim]

looks great.. watched 3 vids in a row now and , well...guess I;'ll be headig over to the forum.

[elainebmack]

I don't think that paulwheaton12 is trying to get the entire world to live in shacks. I think that at least part of this is about seeing alternatives and possibilities. In an age of overpopulation and homelessness, it doesn't hurt to explore new ways of thinking and doing things.

[HDiGITTY]

@elainebmack well said!

[setsailatnoon]

I believe the idea is that all things are possible. Take this simple hut and expand upon it a bit, still using some basic concepts, but local and found materials, don't break the laws of physics...and a person or two or three can be quite comfortable. I know...I'm still living in something along these lines...albeit a bit more 'finished'. Built it in 1984.

Some folks have no concept of what is possible.  Thanks, Paul, for showing the possibilities to folks...shaky camera work and all.

[t1l1m]

Like guns and matches some people should never pick up a video camera. No matter how cool you are in real life(?), my 11 year old can shoot better video.

You do a disservice to the message you're trying to get out - if any.

That being said, to all the people on this site bandying about numbers like 70% and 45K a year; 80% percent of the world's population live on less than $10.00 a day, that means the rich (20% of the world) lives on more than $3,650 dollars a year.

[testify221]

Looks like good firewood

[Cherenkovrad]

Test1

[somefries]

does it get wifi?

[eLLriDe420]

it would be a chill place to stay. not everyone can afford 800,000 houses. this looks like the great californian forest to me? i say mid california somewhere huh? beautful place, they do all kindsw of these things over there. you could have a little home in the city or whatever, and this place to come to a few days a week to read books or whatever, just relax. we all need a place to go and be alone this looks pretty good to me

[PrivateSlacker]

how are the bugs in there ?

any mosquitos ?

[69ducklover]

I just love it i want to live in a sustainable community so bad i can't stand it

[pinkflamingomt]

Great Idea, somehow I dont think this would be very fun to live in in Montana.

[paulwheaton12]

@urban1337 some people can watch this video and build knowledge. This video may contain bits of knowledge that are nowhere else on youtube. As for who might want to live this simply for 30 years: Thoreau did write "Walden" which seems pretty popular.

[GreenChangeVids]

That said, Thoreau only lived at Walden Pond for a couple of years :-).

[Reinpret]

@paulwheaton12 - I'm def one who would love to live in one.. and plan on it. Hey, even if just for the freedom of being done with a mortgage... reevaluating life can sometimes be a huge awakening.. we've been ripped off for years of tremendous debt, here is a solution right in front of peoples eyes, and they can't make a change.. just confusing as heck.

[Dt0x75]

@paulwheaton12 "some people can watch this video and build knowledge. This video may contain bits of knowledge that are nowhere else on youtube."

Which is the exact reason im watching this...lol.

[starlight2009xxx]

@paulwheaton12 but his mummy brought him food and stuff. Not exactly hardcore.

[urban1337]

@jessejax thank you for the personal attack and wishing my death.. now i told you that i pulled my number out of the air cause i don't know the percentage of people living in worse conditions.. and i also stated that i have nothing against people living like this at all so if people want to more power to them.. may i ask where you got your percentages? i'd love to see the numbers or are you just making them up as well.. and i don't see what my nationality has to do with any of this.. thanks..

[urban1337]

@jessejax well clearly you can't have a simple discussion without resorting to name calling,.. your mother should be very ashamed

[suzbailey23]

@jessejax: I'm sorry you're such an unhappy person. :-(

[suzbailey23]

@urban1337: As to your guess that 70% of the world would not want to live in a shack like this... almost half the world lives on less than $2.50 a day. That's over 3 BILLION people. The point of me posting this is not to correct you or put you down, but rather to remind you of how incredibly fortunate you are. (And me as well!). Millions upon millions of people would be HAPPY to live in a shack like this one.

[suzbailey23]

@urban1337: I tried to post the link to my source on those figures, but YouTube doesn't seem to want to let me. Do a google search for "poverty-stats-and-facts" and the first hit (Global Issues website) should be the one I quoted. I hope you check the link out; it's a real eye-opener.

[urban1337]

@suzbailey23 that site does have some very scary numbers, but i will note that wealth and standard of living are very different.. i'm just gonna use The United States as an example.. earning say 45k a year you will have 2 very different standards of living say in New York City than in some small town in Arkansas... not that i'm trying to take away anything from this video I hope everyones standard of living is brought up to where everyone has access to drinkable water and a roof over their head.

[angrychicken2002]

@urban1337 thats not a shack i don't know where u live but u should get out more

[angrychicken2002]

@urban1337 thats not a shack i don't know where u live but u should get out more

[TheresNoTimeLikeNow]

@urban1337 In the coming days likely quite a few! The average bear won't be able to afford the electricity required to heat and cool the average huge american home, let alone pay a mortgage or rent without a job. America the land of the free and the brave.  What happened to us!

[urban1337]

@TheresNoTimeLikeNow I think you're talking worse case scenario here..we have always had good times and bad.. and we have always made it through them without resorting to living in the woods in a small shack

@elainebmack over population is a myth.. the entire planet.. thats 6.5 billion people would each have 2,446 Sq. Ft. per person in the state of Alaska

[DevonWhorton]

@urban1337 It's true that there's plenty of space, we just horribly mismanage resources. Urban sprawl doesn't help.

[musicFan432]

You couldn't get away with building a place like this anymore in most states because it's not up to code. After putting in the required septic set-up, permit fees, etc. you would be out $5,000 at a minimum in most places. That's before you even started the building. Plus there is the cost of the land. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a neat idea. It's just not allowed in most places though.

[gzukoff]

Funny,  this is a shack and for all intents and purposes but if you were to scale this up and use different materials you'd have an earthship.

[Di0genesus]

@urban1337

Take a look at Joplin,

Then think about it.

[rosemacaskie]

paul wheaton your voice betrat¡ys how absolutely touched you are by how tiny this house is. Nice, a house built for fifteen dollars. rose

[QuixoticNoob]

9 out of 10

[erickgreenwillow]

Thanks for sharing, Paul!

[TheRiggyRiggs]

Awesome....

[pamdemic]

I like the content, but the camerawork is giving me a damn headache. geez

[jdfain]

how do I build this?

[paulwheaton12]

@jdfain I think the first step is gonna be to get mike's book: The $50 and up underground house book. His designs are so that any one person can build this sort of thing all by themselves using material from your own forest.

[Jeskyre]

@paulwheaton12

hmm.. book costs more than the house <_<

[TheDudeRulez09]

@Jeskyre but the knowledge you get from the book far outweighs the cost of the book or the cost of the house.

[HDiGITTY]

@paulwheaton12 do you know the name of the book? i am interested.

[RoilNoise]

@paulwheaton12 i used to have this book,it was amazing,i need a new (used) copy!

it is a very easy to understand and motivating book

[hobbexp]

great stuff

fredde