How to build a dugout in the forest with your own hands, with a stove to hide, video

Good day to you, our readers. Today I would like to talk to you about this type of housing, the dugout. As we all know, a dugout is a dwelling that is deepened into the ground.
As a rule, they have square, rectangular or round outlines, and the ceilings are made of poles and logs covered with tree branches and earth.

They are often used by rangers, hunters, and foresters, placing them in forests or taiga.

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In the ground

"DoroHo and BoHato" (c)

Photo from Yandex.Pictures. Underground electricity supply to the house

Underground or hidden electrical connections are a safer and more aesthetically pleasing way to connect electricity. However, it requires more money and time since it will be necessary to prepare a trench for the cable, and also from the shield on the pole, the cable should ideally be inserted underground in a metal pipe. Not corrugated!

With this type of connection, a trench is dug at the site. A special cable is laid into it. The so-called "armored". Why armored? Because one of its layers is a metal tape encircling the cable along its entire length. Thanks to this, it cannot be cut with a shovel, and any underground “evil spirits” such as moles will not bite through it)) The cable can be either aluminum or copper. For aluminum it is brand AVBbShv, for copper it is without the first letter “A”. The cable cross-section is selected depending on the power

Please note that an aluminum cable will have a larger cross-section than a copper cable for the same power

Photo from Yandex.Pictures. General view of armored cable AVBbShv

Nowadays, most often, copper is installed immediately, since the owners also install copper wiring inside the house. Nobody uses aluminum wiring anymore. However, you can also enter it with an aluminum cable, and then switch to copper through the terminal block. This is acceptable. By the way, I did exactly this for myself. Because the AVBbShv cable was brought to my house ((

I ran the cable to the ground in a 40x40 square pipe, then the cable went through a trench until it entered the house, and there three phases were already removed from the distribution box through the terminal block and sent to the internal main panel.

Pros and cons of building a dugout

First, let's look at the advantages and positive aspects:

A small amount of building materials used and, as a result, low material costs;
Hidden from view due to a slight elevation;
Retains heat well. When equipped with a stove, it warms up quickly and retains heat even better than a rustic wooden house;
It does not require a lot of effort - you can build it with your own hands alone;
Fast - construction takes no more than a month;
Easily restored. Even if a structure collapses or a fire occurs, you will only need to clean out the hole; the construction of everything else will not require a long time;
The absence of a foundation greatly simplifies and speeds up the work.

Now about the cons:

Large volume of excavated earth from the hole;
Dampness in the cold season. If you don’t heat the stove for several days, condensation appears on the walls;
Darkness due to lack of windows;
In heavy rain, water can pour down the steps into the house.

hobbit house

Simon Dale from Great Britain has always dreamed of having his own home. But with modern real estate prices I couldn’t afford it. He did not take out a mortgage, but built a summer residence for his wife and two children with his own hands on a small plot of land in Wales.

Simon had no previous experience in construction. He was helped by relatives and friends, the whole process took 4 months. It was decided to build the house on a hillside. For this purpose, a pit was dug at the site; the soil and stone extracted from it were used for the foundation and supporting walls.

Both wood waste and wood from the nearby forest were used. The roof, floor and walls were covered with thatch, which provided thermal insulation, after which the walls were covered with lime plaster, allowing the house to “breathe”.

Insulation was also laid on the roof, with turf and grass on top. The original roof design with a hatch at the top provided natural light during the day.

The house is heated by a fireplace; the chimney passes through a stone, which retains heat for a long time.

The frame was made of oak; During construction, the simplest tools were used. As Simon himself says, they found some materials (for example, windows, plumbing, sockets, wires) in landfills. The house uses solar energy and uses a cellar instead of a refrigerator.

Such a house is not only simple, cheap and environmentally friendly - it is a reflection of individuality, the opportunity to live in harmony with nature, freedom from the cliches of the modern construction industry.

Dugout drawings

roofing and flooring material. For example, roofing felt, dense polyethylene;
it is also advisable to prepare beams, boards, pressed board (chipboard);
Insulation and a solid board for flooring wouldn’t hurt;
You will also need doors with a hatch and a window frame.

In addition to materials, you need to stock up on fastening materials, as well as prepare all the necessary tools:

staples, nails - if you work with a stapler;
shovel (bayonet and shovel);
construction level;
hammer and plane, as well as other carpentry tools (drill, chisel, saw, etc.);
ruler, pencil, sharp construction knife;
axe.

How to hide in a dugout

A dugout is built for various purposes. One of them is camouflage. How to build a dugout in the forest with a stove to hide. If you need to hide in the forest, then the structure on top should be completely covered with foliage, branches, moss and other forest materials. The main goal is to make the building as unremarkable as possible.

Try to avoid bright, attention-grabbing materials. The ideal option for shelter would be an area with densely growing bushes and trees.

If you want to more clearly study the process of building a dugout, watch how to build a dugout with your own hands in the forest video.

General information

Before you make a dugout with your own hands, you need to think through the options for its use in advance. Otherwise, the construction of this structure will be a waste of time.

Purpose of the building

A dugout is a very convenient building that can be used for various purposes. In most cases, such a structure is erected in places where there is no way to hide from sudden rain or strong wind.

Options for using a dugout:

Hunting. Those who like to shoot animals build huts sunk into the ground for camouflage on the ground. In addition, you can leave some things in the house or wait out bad weather.
Garden. Summer residents use dugouts as a cellar in which they can store food for the winter. In addition, you can leave rakes, shovels and other garden tools in it.
Forest. Dugouts are often built by foresters and rangers. Thanks to a small cozy house, representatives of professions can hide from the rain and watch wild animals without fear for their lives.
Ecovillage. Some people deliberately refuse all the benefits of civilization, giving preference to ecological housing. In this case, the dugout will suit them perfectly. It will protect them from the cold and give them the opportunity to constantly be in close contact with wildlife.

Main advantages

A properly constructed dugout or semi-dugout has many advantages compared to other wooden buildings. Thanks to this, you can use a house buried in the ground not only as temporary housing, but also as permanent housing.

The main advantages of such a hut:

high level of thermal insulation, which allows you to keep cool in summer and warm in winter;
reliable protection from strong winds, heavy rain and snowfall;
good structural reliability over several decades;
low energy costs (coal, wooden logs) for heating the premises;
a high level of camouflage on the ground, allowing protection from dangerous wild animals.

We build a dugout with our own hands

According to the technology of building a dugout, you need to start by digging a pit. But first you need to mark the selected area. The markings will allow you not to make mistakes with measurements and do everything as indicated in the drawing. If you plan to dig a rectangular pit or in the shape of a square, then you need to adhere to the exact dimensions. First you need to drive in wooden pegs and measure the diagonal of each side. You need to stretch a rope between the wooden pegs. After the preparatory work, you can proceed to the most important thing - you need to dig a pit yourself.

How to dig a pit for building a dugout:

The top layer of soil - turf - is removed manually using a shovel.
The turf must be removed very carefully, trying not to damage it.
Place the turf in a separate place, because this natural material will be used to insulate the roof of the dugout.
You can cope with the task alone if you do everything correctly. It is more convenient to work with a bayonet shovel, first loosening the soil, and then with a shovel to throw excess soil out of the hole.
Try to throw the earth half a meter away from the pit to free up space for creating a roof.
The depth of the pit is at your discretion. Usually it should not be lower than the person’s height. Therefore, it is necessary to dig a pit to a depth of 2 m, plus the height of the floor.
Using a shovel, you need to form a vertical slope and make a gentle descent to the entrance to the room.
You will also have to mark the steps; the width of each step should be no less than 30 cm. The number of steps depends on the depth of the dugout and location.

Construction of a modern dugout with your own hands:

In order for the dugout to serve for a long time, it is necessary to strengthen the foundation pit with wooden beams (size 50 by 50, or maybe 100 by 100);
the beams must be dug into the ground, leaving a gap between the wall and the beams in order to lay the boards. Therefore, leave the space not large, the width of the board;
lay the boards tightly together on wedges;
in the middle of the pit it is necessary to dig supporting wooden pillars. From the outside it will seem to the observer that a gazebo is being built, since the frame of the structure is very similar in appearance;
both the perimeter bars and the support bars should protrude above the ground to a height of 2 m 20 cm;
the supports must be placed at a distance of at least 1.5 meters, because the roof will subsequently be attached to them. Therefore, at this stage of the construction of a modern dugout, it is necessary to constantly check the level of the supports so that they are located on the same line;
the guide boards for the purlin are nailed.

The design of the rafter system is as follows:

The next stage of building a dugout with your own hands is the construction of the roof, as well as internal work:

for rafters it is necessary to dig support logs around the perimeter of the dug hole;
fastening - using pegs, which must be driven in the middle and along the edge on each side of the log. Step – 50 cm;
when laying the rafters, you need to take into account the dimensions of the door frame;
when the rafters are installed, you can begin covering the frame with boards;
boards can be nailed to nails so that they are located as close to each other as possible;
the only thing that needs to be taken into account is that it will be problematic to secure the bottom board if you start covering the frame from above. Then the last board will not fit in the remaining opening. If you start the sheathing from the bottom, then adjusting the top board is easier;
The next stage after covering the frame with boards is the ventilation outlet. If you want to install a stove in a dugout, then you need to remove 2 pipes. Suitable sewer pipes with a diameter of 10 cm;
laying insulating material. If you choose roofing felt, then you need to lay the material first along, then across, and pour turf (which was cut off when digging a trench) on top of the roof, sprinkle dry brushwood and cover it with earth. If it is not possible to immediately cover the roof with roofing felt, then dense polyethylene is suitable for these purposes; it creates a greenhouse effect and also perfectly dries the soil inside the building;
interior decoration - we cover the dugout with clapboard, it is allowed to cover it with chipboard sheets. If possible, you can insulate the room from the inside with sheets of foam plastic, which need to be laid between the cladding: external and internal;
As for the floor, you can leave it earthen, or best of all, put boards or sheets of chipboard.

Construction of a doorway

When laying walls, you cannot forget about the passage. To fasten the door block, you can use so-called steel T-shaped anchors, which must be placed between the bags, 3 on each side, at an equal distance from each other. It is better to drill holes in the plates in advance for anchor bolts for attaching the door frame.

In order to build an arch over the doorway, you can use a plywood frame or, for example, an old large tire. The tire is installed on supports and bags are placed on top of it. You need to add more clay to the bags for the arch and place them as closely as possible to each other.

To install a canopy over the entrance, logs or boards soaked in antiseptic are taken. Those parts of the logs that will be between the bags can be wrapped in thick polyethylene.

How to build a dugout in the forest with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

Selecting a location

Construction site. Location plays a key role in the construction of a home. If you choose a place on a slope, this will reduce the labor intensity of the process and also avoid floods. If you build on flat ground, then digging a hole is much more difficult and you will have to do this after thinking through the plan of the dugout in advance. Plus, more building material will be needed.

Therefore, it is advisable to choose a small hill to build a dugout. This will allow rainwater to drain in summer and melted snow in winter. Excessively flat areas and swampy areas should be avoided. Take care of the proximity of vital resources - water and food.

Tools for building a dugout

Tools for construction. Under normal conditions, you will need tools such as:

roofing felt;
poles (120 pieces, 5.5 m each);
wire (about 8 kg);
iron (about 2 tin sheets);
timber (about 5 cubes);
window;
bake;
drive.

Step-by-step instruction:

You need to prepare a drawing of the dugout and think about where the door, windows will be located, and what the layout will be. It is necessary to clear the construction site of branches, leaves and other debris. Next you need to dig a hole of 6-7 meters, the width should be about 50 cm.
Then along one of the walls you need to dig another recess about 50 cm long. It is needed for the future floor. It is necessary to make a shallow depression of about a meter from the entrance and equip it with steps. The steps should be about 4-5, about 30 cm wide. To avoid falling from them in the dark, you can create a railing from leftover materials. The steps should also be insulated and made durable.
Next you will need bars and poles. The bars must be placed around the perimeter of the dugout to create support for the future roof. The bars need to be dug into the ground and it is advisable to treat the area where the bar and the ground come into contact with antiseptic or anti-corrosion substances. When the roof support is ready, you need to lay the poles on it as close to each other as possible. To fasten the roof and beams you need to use wire and nails.
Next, you need to insulate the roof and make sure that it does not leak. For this you can use moss, spruce branches, branches and foliage, grass. The walls and roof need to be treated with roofing felt. All these manipulations will retain heat, and also prevent leaks, flooding of the dugout and sprinkling of soil.
It is better to install doors and windows at the stage of installing the frame and bars. If it is not possible to use good doors and windows, you can make any shutter, the main thing is to ensure a tight fit. The insulation of the roof and walls does not end there. The roof and walls on both sides need to be covered with several layers of clay, allowing each layer to dry.
It is necessary to take care of drainage. A drainage channel needs to be built along the perimeter of the dugout. You can use clay for this. If possible, insulation of the roof and walls can be done using polystyrene foam. For the floor you can use wooden boards, chipboard sheets, plywood. All this needs to be placed tightly on the floor and also treated with roofing felt.
The main manipulations end here and then you need to take care of heating the dugout. An oven will be used for this. So, how to build a dugout with a stove with your own hands. Due to the fact that the dugout retains heat well, when the stove goes out, the heat will remain for a long time. Provided the roof and walls are well insulated and sealed.

Finishing

For the stove, you need to plan a place in the room in advance and provide a place for the pipe in the roof. In general, there should be two pipes:

pipe for ventilation;
chimney pipe.

It is better to provide gaps in the roof immediately and seal them well after installation. The stove can be covered with bricks or a camp potbelly stove can be used instead of a full-fledged stove. You can make a stove yourself from a large barrel. Place a large iron barrel, load it with stones and keep the fire going inside. If the stove is not covered with bricks, then it is more advisable to place it below the floor level. This will allow heating not only the dugout itself, but also the floor will remain warm.

Dugout to hide

Interior decoration

To make the inside of the dugout cozy, it needs to be equipped with a stove. If you choose a potbelly stove, there will be much less work. Other types of furnaces are more expensive. They use stones or heat-resistant bricks. The area around the stove is finished with sheet iron or brick.

A lounger and other furniture can be assembled from the remains of a board. To make your stay comfortable, they make stools, a table and a rack for storing things and supplies. The bed is placed at the lowest wall, and the table and stool are at the high wall. It is best to arrange a place to sleep away from the exit and the stove.

Boards are laid on the walls and floor. They will protect your home from moisture and soil shedding. The wall where the stove is installed is not covered with boards to protect against fire.

Important! Always carry an emergency first aid kit with you during construction. In the forest, no one can give you first aid - so you need to protect yourself.

You can live in a dugout built in this way for several months and even spend the winter. To ensure that the building lasts for many years, use only high-quality building materials and tools for work.

A dugout on your own site is a necessary and useful thing. Most often it is used as a cool pantry for storing vegetables and preparations, and sometimes simply as an interesting and unusual storage shed. The domed dugout will fit perfectly into any landscape of the site. Buttresses will help strengthen the door on the structure and will additionally support the walls, and will also provide an amazing, mysterious look to the building.

Dugout construction technology

How to build a dugout and where to start the construction itself? Having marked the area, decided on the dimensions, and collected all the necessary materials for the construction of the dugout, we move on to the main part:

We compact the walls of the pit (from inside the dug hole). We tap and compact the walls and floor. This is necessary to provide thermal insulation and avoid soil shedding.
We install supports around the perimeter (as reinforcement).
Having determined which wall will have the entrance, we install two support pillars with a diameter of 15-20 cm there.
We lay the rafters on the prepared supports (for the roof). Round logs with a diameter of about 10 cm are suitable for rafters. The rafters are attached to supports, dug into the ground, their ends should go under the slope of the roof, at an angle. Roofing felt can be laid along the walls as thermal and waterproofing. At the same stage, consider and provide for the presence of windows in the home.
At the stage of laying the rafters, a stove should be installed. The most acceptable and budget option in this situation is a potbelly stove. Its pipe should be brought out at this stage.
We cover the rafters with frequent lathing. To install it, you can use both nails and natural materials - branches, rhizomes.
We cover the walls with lathing according to the same principle as the roof. We arrange the entrance to the home from the side of the supports, hanging prepared doors on them.
The entire sheathing, the ends of the rafters and supports must be thoroughly coated with clay. The final thickness of the clay installation should be at least (or preferably more) 15 cm. Each new layer of clay should be smeared only when the previous one has dried.
The last stage is the roof. We lay roofing material in several layers, covering it with dry branches, leaves, and grass. We insulate cracks and holes with moss or any other insulating agent.

An important point is safety precautions during construction. Its main components should be reliable fixation of all fasteners, a flat surface of the construction site, adherence to all rules for the use of electrical appliances and protective equipment, and high-quality tools. Do not forget about the mandatory presence of a first aid kit. Burns, scratches, cuts are an integral attribute of any construction site. Therefore, your work first aid kit must certainly include bandages, ointment for burns, bruises, disinfectants, and adhesive tape.

Construction will most likely take a lot of time; during this time it is best to arrange an overnight stay at this place. This will allow you not to delay the process and complete construction as soon as possible.

Preparing bags of earth

To build a dugout with your own hands, as in the photo, you will first have to stock up on building materials. In this case, we propose to build a dugout using the most economical and environmentally friendly technology - from bags of clay or even just earth. This technology for building a house from bags of earth is called earthbag.

First, decide on the soil. You can take ordinary soil and mix a little cement into it, or you can take clay and sand. The optimal soil mixture recipe: clay + sand + gravel. Clay should be 30-40%. if you just take soil, you need to moisten it a little for convenience. This way it compacts better in bags.

Then buy polypropylene green or white bags; before work, it is better to turn them inside out so that the corners do not stick out. The mixture is poured into them in 2 doses. First you need to fill it to 30 cm, tamp it down and fill it up so that 15 cm remains to the top. Tie the bag. It is enough to prepare the bags for the bottom 2 layers, and then fill the bags directly on the walls so as not to lift them.

Bottles for home

When constructing walls, bottles are also used - these can be either plastic or glass containers. The thermal resistance of a wall made of one layer of glass bottles is equal to a brick wall 0.55 m thick! At the same time she

For one square meter of such a wall you will need about 200 bottles and approximately 150 liters of solution (depending on the width of the seam).

Such a structure will not only be cheap, warm and durable, but also environmentally friendly - collecting bottles in the area will help clean up the area and help the environment.

A house made from plastic bottles is also easy to build, but you will need patience: each bottle will need to be filled with sand or soil.

Well, what to do if all of the above does not suit you for some reason, and you are limited in funds.

Well, it's time to remember the classics. Let me introduce...

Chicken coop dugout. What to build from

1 What to build from
2 Foundation for a chicken coop
3 Insulation
4 Heating 4.1 Electricity
4.2 Boiler and stove
4.3 Heating the chicken coop by decomposing sawdust

5 Ventilation in the winter chicken coop

6 Lighting

7 How to build a chicken coop:
You can build a chicken coop inexpensively from cinder block or foam concrete. If there is a place nearby where there is clay, you can remove the walls using adobe technology (mud or dried bricks).

If you need a budget warm chicken coop, you can make it like a dugout. The walls can be raised half a meter above the level; in the south, well-insulated windows with double or triple glass can be made. It is good to insulate the piece that protrudes above the ground and the roof. For warmth, all walls except the southern one can be covered with earth. If there is still snow on top, it will be quite warm.

Those who are seriously planning to raise poultry should think about building a chicken coop made of foam concrete: it is light and warm

Another perhaps most popular and economical option is a do-it-yourself frame chicken coop. Since the rooms are usually small, the timber for the frame needs a small cross-section and little of it is required. The frame can be sheathed with boards, plywood, OSB and other similar materials. Place insulation between the posts and sew up the other side. To prevent mice from settling in the insulation, people came up with the idea of covering the insulation on both sides with a metal mesh with a fine mesh. This makes construction somewhat more expensive, but fighting mice is more expensive. It turns out to be a warm chicken coop and the thickness of the insulation depends on the region. You can focus on recommendations for the construction of frame houses.

A chicken coop made of logs or thick timber can do without insulation in the middle zone. Only the caulking seams need to be sewn up with slats. Not so much from drafts, but from chickens: so as not to pull the tow or moss.

Minimum maintenance costs

No matter how modern you make your dugout, the cost of maintaining it will be small. Mainly due to its small size. Heating, arrangement, maintenance - all this is a minimum set of resources.

Important! From the above it is clear that all the advantages of a dugout are associated with its correct construction. Neglect and non-compliance with any rule will lead to unpleasant consequences.

The disadvantage of the dugout is the humid microclimate in it, as well as the problem of ventilation. Undoubtedly, these problems can be eliminated by using expensive and modern materials for construction, but then the financial cost can easily be called a disadvantage of housing.

Building a dugout with your own hands is quite possible. To do this, you will need the ability to plan everything well, organize and finish what you start. The forest and wild color of the dugout will allow you to plunge into the atmosphere of nature and solitude, and such a vacation will benefit your soul and body. Today, dugouts are used not only for their intended purpose. You can build a similar structure both in the country and in the vastness of the forest, use it both for housing and for storage. Children will certainly be interested in such an unusual structure, because it is such a flight of fancy for new games.

Put your soul and love into your project, embody the most unusual ideas and desires, and your dugout will become your favorite place to stay.

How to make a dugout correctly. Tip 1: How to build a dugout

There is no doubt that a dugout is the best option for a DIY structure. The dugout is quite inconspicuous, since a significant part of it is hidden underground. It does not take much time to create such a structure. The ability to retain heat in dugouts is significantly higher compared to conventional huts. No special investments are required; a dugout can be created from scrap materials. However, it is still better to use high-quality material to get a good result.

First of all, you need to find a place for your dugout and take measurements. When choosing a location, you need to take into account the terrain. Try to locate the future dugout on an elevated area, or at least on the plain. If the dugout is located in a ravine or in a lowland, then it will inevitably be flooded during rains or melting snow. Therefore, be careful. If you need a camouflaged home, then choose an area covered by trees. When building in a forest, the most ideal option would be a small clearing, covered on all sides by trees.

After choosing a location, we begin marking. Based on the requirements, we think about the size of the dugout. We mark two rectangles: the outer rectangle will be the border of your dugout; the inner one will be 10-15 centimeters from the edges of the outer rectangle. This is the border of the interior decoration of the dugout.

Let's start digging a hole. You need to dig along the edge of the outer rectangle. But at the same time, the boundaries of the inner rectangle should not be lost. This is one of the labor-intensive processes, so it is advisable that several people do the work. The depth of the pit ranges from 1-1.5 meters depending on the soil. Having chosen one of the short sides of the rectangle, we dig out a staircase that will serve as the entrance. The entrance must extend beyond the boundaries of the dugout.

We prepare or buy timber. Trees can be used. The length of the beam is 2.5 m and the thickness is at least 15 cm. Three such beams are required for work. We dig in and strengthen them in the middle of the dugout at an equal distance from each other. The distance is calculated based on the size of the dugout. Strengthen them well so that the timber does not wobble under any circumstances.

It supports the roof and load-bearing walls, so pay special attention to strengthening it

After this, we lay another beam, the length of which is slightly longer than the length of the dugout. It is laid on top of previously installed beams and strengthened at the top. After this, at a distance of 30 centimeters from the outer border of the dugout, we lay logs with a thickness of 10 centimeters and strengthen them on the ground. After this, we build the walls by nailing boards or logs to the top beam and a log lying on the ground.

Next comes the strengthening of the base of the dugout, then a layer of branches for the roof is laid. If necessary, you can lay roofing felt. Along the boundaries of the inner rectangle that you have marked, “clothing” is laid - a layer of branches that will serve as insulation, and, in fact, are the internal walls of the dugout. All that remains is to camouflage the dugout, carry out internal work and arrange everyday life inside the structure.

note

The poles for flooring are taken unsanded without trimming or sanded with trimming to each other. In the first case, the poles should have a thickness of 5-6 cm, in the second - no less. 7 cm. If the dugout is built from sanded poles, the room becomes more hygienic, and the number of insects that nest under the bark of the wood decreases.

Tip 2: How to dig a dugout

A dugout is a dwelling sunk into the ground, rectangular or of another shape, with a wooden floor covered with earth. This is one of the oldest types of insulated housing on our planet.

For construction, we need to have: wooden lining, beams, floor boards (if installed), particle boards (chipboards), roofing felt, sheet foam (for insulation), nails, door, window. It is necessary to make a drawing of a dugout. Its shape can be rectangular, square or other. It is necessary that the load-bearing beams are installed correctly. Before starting excavation work, it is necessary to mark the area. The perimeter of the future structure should be marked on the ground. You need to drive pegs in the corners and pull a cord (rope, thread) between them. An important point is to carefully remove the turf from the ground.

Preparatory work

Having chosen a place and decided on the ideal location, proceed to planning. This preparatory stage includes marking the area. The standard size is 3*4, making it much larger is impractical. The height of the dugout (the depth of the pit) is chosen according to the height of the resident, but it should not be made too high, the dugout is a place to sleep, and a high ceiling will only complicate the work and make it vulnerable to possible natural elements. Next, start preparing the logs. Wood must be available with a good supply, because rejection is inevitable. It is difficult to predict what will be needed during construction at the next moment. But the main supply of tools and materials for building a dugout should be as follows:

shovel;
roulette;
screwdriver (or screwdriver and drill);
hammer, sledgehammer, saw, crowbar, axe;
building level;
sandpaper;
nails, screws and staples;
logs and beams;
plywood;
insulation of your choice;
door and window (if you planned it according to the project);
roofing felt;
flooring (according to your choice and desire).

Important! Preparing and checking that you have a set of tools and materials will save you time and allow you to focus on the job itself, so don't neglect this step.

Don’t forget to prepare the tools
If the construction of such housing takes place in natural conditions, in the absence of all the necessary means at hand, or you want to make the dugout as close to nature as possible, then use an alternative to some materials: the wire can be replaced with willow twigs or the roots of young trees, as insulation Pre-dried moss is suitable; roofing material can easily be replaced by branches, leaves, tree bark, and grass.

How to build an underground house?

In order for the dugout to serve you for many years, you should choose only moisture-resistant materials for its construction: impregnated wood, ceramics, reinforced concrete. High-quality waterproofing is no less important, but the options for its design depend on the following factors described in the table.

Factor	Description	Waterproofing method
Material for walls and roofing	Stone	Coating, plastering, roll
Concrete	Penetrating
Type of soil	Dry	2 layers of hot bitumen
Wet	Roll materials in several layers
Mechanical force	Inclined surface	The use of bitumen or synthetic based materials is not recommended
Seismic load, compressive, shear or tensile stress	Plastering

Features of building a house depend on the type of dugout, therefore, when choosing an above-ground structure, be prepared to bring your own soil onto the site for embankment. All other buildings are covered with soil that was taken from the pit. The main thing when digging a pit is that its depth and shape exceed the dimensions of the house by at least 1 m.

A shallow foundation is constructed along the perimeter of the walls. A dugout can be made from a variety of materials. So, the walls can be brick, wood, concrete (block or monolithic). An underground house consists of a roof, which is sometimes not visible through the layer of earth, but it is there. The supporting structure will take the form you need, for example, in the form of a rafter system, where the rafters are placed privately, with a plank run-up.

Waterproofing of the floor and outer part of the walls of the dugout is carried out continuously. There are several thermal insulation options, depending on the thickness of the soil layer:

There is no need to thermally insulate an underground house in case of embankment with a significant soil layer (more than 1 m) - the earth will protect the building.
Basically, they try to lay a small layer of soil on the roofing surface, so laying thermal insulation material is necessary. As indicated earlier, extruded polystyrene foam is better suited for this.