Can I successfully use oak logs for the main structure? Could they be properly water-proofed before backfilling?
I know that the usual material is concrete block, but I have 60 acres of white oaks in desperate need of thinning. Right now they’re just being cut for firewood. It’s no doubt possible to use white oak logs in an earth-sheltered house. My question: Do you really want to? Will the effort and cost be acceptable? Assuming you want a house that will still be around half a century from now, here are a few of the things you should worry about. 1. Structure. You must find a way to secure the logs to the footings to resist sliding forces. This could be done by setting threaded rod in the footings, slipping the bottom course over the rods and snugging the log to the footing with nuts. Each subsequent course should be secured to at least the previous two with pins at the joints, and staggered at several locations between joints. Traditional log corners may not offer enough resistance to over-tipping forces unless they are heavily reinforced (by steel rod passing from top to bottom and into the f
