cave houses....some questions???

[princess peach]

Im fasinated by these homes,and wondered if there is anyone on here that actually lives in one,
Can you tell me if they are cool in summer,warm in winter?
Are they damp?
Do they get depressing -as they (i presume)only have windows at the front?
What are the pros and cons of living in one?
would love some more information,if any one can reply..

[El Cid]

There some info and some examples of cave houses for sale on this site.

http://tinyurl.com/34tc27

Sid

[frank]

I'm sure you'll get some good feedback soon, there's at least one member here that lives in one.
Something here to start you off,
http://www.andalucia.com/property/cavehouses.htm
http://www.caves-inland-andalucia.blogspot.com/

[frank]

[quote="frank"]I'm sure you'll get some good feedback soon, there's at least one member here that lives in one.
Something here to start you off,
http://www.andalucia.com/property/cavehouses.htm
This link has everything you'll ever want to know! Go back to his first postd, Oct 2005
http://www.caves-inland-andalucia.blogspot.com/[/quote]

[julian]

in theory they keep a constant temperature all year, neither hot in the summer nor cold in the winter

[pete_l]

are cool in summer,
warm in winter?
Are they damp?
Do they get depressing -as they (i presume)only have windows at the front?
What are the pros and cons of living in one?

Yes, I've got one (don't live there tho' - just for visits.
They are cool in summer
thay are not particularly warm in winter, definitely need heating (despite some ads. saying constant 18 degrees - they're wrong)
no damp, but no damp-proof course so you have to be a bit careful
yes, windows only in the frontage, but not depressing as the "living" rooms are often laid out along the front, with bedrooms at the back. Rooms are quite big
Andalucian houses tend to have small windows anyway, to keep the
heat out. PLus the sun's stronger so you get more light through a smaller
opening.

Pros are:
- cool in summer (21 inside, 40+++ outside)
- cheaper than your average house, can be bigger too as they were often dug before regulations and land ownership rules were invented
- generally built on one level, no stairs - but there are exceptions
- soundproof, can't hear the neighbours (5 foot thick walls)
- only 1 outside wall, so less to paint

Cons:
tend to be older properties, so doorways are very low (unless renovated)
none of the walls are straight, level, square, flat - very hard to hang pictures, or mirrors
despite what you might hear, you can't just dig a new room. You need permissions and there's a hell of a lot of earth/rock involved. V. big job
the thickness of the walls makes it hard to drill holes through for cables and pipes (see my post in DIY)
No attic space to store junk

This is just my personal view. I'm sure others will chip in.
Pete

[Troglodyfae]

Morning PP Cave Houses. What do you want to know? I live in a cave house, and have done for the last nearly two years. I live here full time with my family, and collection of animals.

Yes they are warm in the winter, due to the thickness of the walls and due to their construction they do retain heat and stay warm. The opposite is true during the summer months, when they are deliciously cool.

They require very little in the way of maintenance, certainly no where near as much as a conventional house, and are not usually affected by the outside elements, like high winds and storms.

Because of the nature of their design they are usually pretty unique, and very rarely do you find two the same. They can be quite quirky, and full of character. They are also very easy to reform or change.

The majority of cave houses are situated in the campo and often come with a land, and more often that not very good views.

I could waffle at length but I do not want to bore the pants of other posters so for the sake of brevity I have tried to keep this short and concise .

If you want more in depth advice, or specific questions,then please contact me directly, or have a look at my web site which does address a lot of frequently asked questions.

http://www.cavesrus.com

[princess peach]

wow...im amazed at the sites you have all given me.
They are fabulous.I would love to see one in the flesh.
Im facinated by them,love the site from troglodyfae with all the decor-fab lighting,and flooring section..absolutley amazing.
Does anyone know if you can actually get a mortgage for them,or does it have to be cash buyers only.?..
Do you still pay the same amount of taxes as you would for a standard house here in Spain?
I cannot believe they are so cheap!
What a fantastic buy!

[Troglodyfae]

Hi again PP Mortgage is no problem, especially in Andalucia as cave houses are very common here. It is just the same as getting a mortgage for any Spanish property, and yes you do get more for your money. Mine is actually for sale at the moment, I will not go into details except to say it is 270-280m2 build with 6400m2 of land, full services, full escritura & fully registerd, with ADSL and sky installed all for under €200K. You would not get that sort of deal on the coast or inland.

Cave Houses have received very good press lately, and there seems to be an increasing interest in them. My particular gaff is over 100 years old, and I have done a substantial amount of work on it. There are lots of cave houses out there for complete reform, and very cheap, and make a very good project for those who are that way inclined

[princess peach]

wow..you have a fantastic amount of land lucky you!
so will you be purchasing another cave house to live in ..or just be normal and boring like the rest of us?

[Valencia_Paul]

One thing I have noticed is that most cave houses for sale are in the Granada Altiplano region around Baza, Guadix and places like that.

You need to check out this area before getting too excited about cave houses as I personally would not want to live there or even go there for my hols!

[pete_l]

I personally would not want to live there or even go there for my hols!

Yes, you're absolutely right in that the area is not a holiday resort - no seaside for 100km in any direction

The lack of people & towns certainly makes it a great place for astronomy tho'

Pete

[Troglodyfae]

Well each to their own I guess. Clearly not your cup of tea but I suppose it depends what you are looking for in a holiday location. Not everyone hankers for the beaches, and the area around Baza has a lot to offer holiday makers. There is some wonderful and dramatic scenery, lots of Natural parks, and abundance of wildlife and is a terrific area for all sorts of outdoor pursuits.

Another plus point is because it is not a top tourist spot, the area does not shut up shop in the winter with many ghost towns, as you do get on the coast.

Having lived on both the coast and here in the Baza area I know which I prefer.

[Don]

Question Trog.... is there an issue with who owns the land ultimately on top of a cave house?

Have been wondering since we first looked at them.

[pete_l]

who owns the land ultimately on top of a cave house?

I've been reliably informed (by my solicitor, when I asked the same question) that the cave-owner does.
There are some "double-decker" caves. I don't know how that works.

[Troglodyfae]

Hi Don

Not in my case that is for sure as I own all the land over the top of my cave and down the other side of the mountain it is situated in.

However it can be the case that somebody else owns the land above a cave, but this is not so common these days. Another little anomaly, is when there is a road running above your cave. If you try and purchase a cave for reform which has a road running above it you will not generally be given permission for reform nor will you be given perdue to the safety factor. There is a cave below mine which falls into this catergory, so it has effectively been abandoned.

I think in general problems like these are pretty rare and most of the authorities are trying to regulate cave properties more than they have in the past. I have to confess I did not have any problems obtaining permission to carry out a reform on my property but they did inspect twice and came and checked my licence several times

[frank]

[quote="princess peach"]
so will you be purchasing another cave house to live in ..or just be normal and boring like the rest of us?
[/quote]

I think she has avoided your question!

[Don]

Thanks Trog and Pete, I have noticed some "caves above caves" for sale but havent yet gone out to see one of these close up. I guess before contemplating buying one there is more than the usual homework to do. One web site said that many caves had never been registered as houses but then there must be hundreds that are.

[princess peach]

frank said-

I think she has avoided your question!

naw,im sure she hasnt...
she will get back to me in her own time!

[Don]

Hey its pantomime season already:

Oh no she hasnt !


Oh yes she has !