Reddit reviews The Complete Book Of Underground Houses: How To Build A Low Cost Home

Depending on where you live (climate) and your local soil and runoff conditions you will have lots of things to consider.

This book is good.

http://undergroundhousing.com/book.html

This amazon page has some other books (that I have not read, so I can't comment on them)

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Underground-Houses-Build/dp/0806907282

Here is my thinking (just from reading, my own home is an above ground timber frame built for a Canadian climate)

[1] Surface bedrock (Like Halifax NS where I grew up) means you dig to the bedrock or blast, and then build a home you are planning to cover with earth. This gives you a sturdy home/foundation but you really have to take the natural water flow into account.

[2] Close to the water table (near most swamps, streams and lakes) means you are more worried about water getting into your home from seepage. Take great care to prepare drainage and a sealed waterproof membrane below AND around your house. Remember, a few dollars and paranoia is better than flooding every spring. It is probably best to build up by making a hill with your home and then covering it with earth.

[3] Talk to companies who pour concrete foundations. They are more likely to know the special conditions in your area.

[4] If you want to go multiple levels down you run into special problems with construction and ventilation. Talk to a company that builds foundations for high rise apartments that typically have 3 or 4 levels below ground.

[5] If you are wanting to do much of this yourself, practice first by building an "underground greenhouse (aka walipini 1 2

This Book is the best I have found. I suggest using concrete in some way on your greenhouse so you can learn about concrete before you DIY a concrete foundation for a home.


edit: The book above suggests PVC pipes to support the plastic "roof". In my area where heavy snow loads are a thing you should use 2x6 or 2x8 spaces no more than 16 inches apart. Look at your local building codes for what is required for your roof.