Oehler house with gabled roof? drainage?

I'm getting ready to start an underground house this spring. I would like to build a low pitched gable roof with the roof sloping to the sides. I want to build dirt up a few feet across the back (maybe 3' to 4') and slope it so water will drain around the back of the house to the sides of the house. Our ground is glacial silt for the first few feet then sand & rock. Given that do you think I will have water problems?  What problems should I look for while building?

Chuck, I would sure use perforated clay pipe snugged up against the outside wall, with a mild slope from center to each end.

I don't advise gable roofs, especially low pitched. Anyway it sounds like a version of the disastrous First Thought House. My advice is to get my video set. It's less than half the cost of a kitchen sink at Home Depot and will do a world of good for you.

Mike,

In this video of the $50/$500 underground house:



You mention something about how if you did it over you would have a gable roof going out the downhill side. 

So now you are not a fan of the gable roof?  ??

I think there is a confusion of terms here. I was (am) assuming Chuck was refer g to the most common type of house roof, one that comes up from the sides to a peak in the middle, and it is sounding to me like he plans to pack earth up around three sides which in my mind would make it a First Thought House. I went to the dictionary, though, and see that a "gable roof" is something somewhat complicated, so much so that I do not plan to go into it here. Let's make this clear, however: I endorse the use of gables in shed roof houses. I have one in the Ridge House.

Folks, I am running out of time and energy and my interests are no longer focused on building. I am running out of money and have put the completion of the Ridge house on Hold. My current focus of attention is on creating meaningful video for the web, something I have been working on for more than ten years and have all my inheritance and retirement funds tied up in (that and the Ridge House) some $90,000.  I agreed to come on this forum and donate four video sets to (1) help out those who have questions about U housing and (2) to get the word out about my web series Major Miracles Superhero, a satire on American life in the form of a parody on the comic book superheros (can be viewed at www.Hipnet.TV) I was hoping that Paul mentioning it would encourage viewership but it has not seemed to do so. There has been no spike in viewers and only two people in this forum have mentioned it. So I must concentrate my energy and time elsewhere, and that is to my coming tour of college campuses on the Coast handing out cards (while in full costume) telling people about Major Miracles. We'll see if it works. I remain excited about this medium. The program is going a lot deeper into problems we face than is apparent in the first handfull of episodes on the web now. As an example: Authorities and Americans in general have totally ignored the one sure solution to organized "terrorism": forgiveness. Those "enemies" have real grievances which bombs and troops only inflame. Only one newspaper, one in England, to my knowledge has advanced this solution and it was hooted down as "simplification". The Major is going to tackle this and many other problems and hopefully do it with humor.

So.....I'll try to answer a few more posts today but then must prepare for the trip. Among the many problems I am facing is that my lead actress in Major Miracles has moved to Montana and is getting married. After taping 60 episodes with her I must find someone new. Not so easy. But that's my problem, not yours. Love and hugs to you all.  --  Mike O

Understandable , Mike.  Forum replies and thought can take a lot of time.  As an admin on another forum I know that first hand.

Just wanted to let you know I have watched all of the Major Miracles series posted to date and eagerly await the posting of more episodes.  I agree with you on the uselessness of the military against terror because they are owned by those who profit from the terror among other things.  No intent on going deeper than that here.

Thanks Mike.