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cave hunters introduction

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Dave
Metaldunk
miron
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cave hunter
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Post by cave hunter Tue Nov 22, 2011 2:14 pm

Thank you Dave for welcoming myself and my wife to the forum.
We are looking to buy a cave or cave house but not sure where.
Look forward to hearing some comments and getting some ideas from forum members.

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Post by mikey Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:28 pm

Welcome to the forum, careful of Dave he´s one of those yokel folk that talk funny cheers
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Post by Gobiker56 Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:30 pm

Caver hunter. Well you have picked the right time, buyers market now. I've been 8+ years in my cave and just love it to bits. Not perfect but not far off. Good hunting and good luck.
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Post by invicta Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:45 pm

Hola we will be hunting soon aswel
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Post by mikey Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:49 pm

Just found out that the hobit cave in the castril valley is now under 50k, when you start looking it is worth a look, totally finished in a quiet spot
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Post by saci Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:18 pm

for cave hunter - a couple of things to watch out for-the lower you are the more problems you may getwith damp. people won't tell you that. The more cave- the ambient temp 4 seasons should be close to 18c. Dry heating is important-as is ventilation. Another thing mostfolks won't let on about is that for most part,the chimneys are c**p and will need doing again. The prettier the facade of your cave (therefore "add-on") the colder that part will be in winter. If you are 4 seasons then you will have to consider impoving your windows (anti-draughtand heat loss ) as with the outside door/portico area.

Contrary to the popular misbelief - there is nothing "eco" about these cave houses. Those who would say this, know NOTHING about eco housing. No solar power as yet, wasteful water heating, thin brick facades, no dampcoursing and tiled roofing where the heating will literally go up into the air. There is nothing "ECO" about burning wood in a hearth in a semi-arid region - that is some carbon footprint - despite the inviting crackling sound emanating from the logs.

I am sure these things can be improved upon-for most part -except for the damp where rock types and positioning allow for this. But as far as I see it, much of the work is shoddy, irrespective of which nationality has put its hand to it- and of course, no one ever calls in a surveyor to the task. And for much of the time one does not know who to go back to to check on what had been done in previous years.

I am lucky, my placedoes not suffer from damp, butmany do and it is a problem most difficult to control. So keep your eyes well peeled, nostrils sharpened and don't fall for spiel
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Post by Gobiker56 Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:29 pm

Well said Saci, But now there are a lot of us here we know the pitfalls. I am one of the lucky ones, all cave and virtually no damp. I don't burn wood for heat, only for special occasions , doing chestnuts and such, also nice when it is snowing to look out while toasting in front of the fire. Take your time, ask on the forum. You are welcome to visit my cave, (not for sale, It's my home now) and see what a really good cave looks like etc.
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Post by Ponderosa Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:23 pm

cave hunter wrote:Thank you Dave for welcoming myself and my wife to the forum.
We are looking to buy a cave or cave house but not sure where.
Look forward to hearing some comments and getting some ideas from forum members.

We cannot sell our cave house “It is to perfect”
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Post by miron Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:16 pm

Would recommend a cave house myself! Fun to live in and I think it is possible to live a slightly more environmental life in them - our only heating is a log burner (all our wood is offcuts from local poplar trees - don´t know if the commercial growing of poplars is ´eco ´tho!), and lots of days we don´t use it cos we´re outside so much; when the log burner is in use we cook casseroles etc in the oven above; we have solar water heating; we used hemp bricks for the kitchen which is built on, so it´s well insulated, and hemp in the roof and floor of it too (pricey in material costs).
Keeping caves well-ventilated seems really important - ours gets musty if we go away for a few weeks.
As Gobiker says, its a great time to be looking - take your time and look at a whole range before making a decision - there´s lots of variations! Good luck!

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Post by invicta Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:33 am

saci remind me not to buy a cave nere to you lol!
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Post by Metaldunk Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:48 am

it sounds like you're well on your way Miron!
also being ECO is a lifestyle thing too isn't it.
If we're going to talk about carbon footprints, we work from home, but I know for sure in this economic climate we'd both have to be in workplaces in the UK, so traveling an hour to Leeds and and hour back each day.. between us that's about.. (calculator)... 1000 hours per year (70,000 miles.. 2 1/2 times round the world...) less on the roads we're not doing just by living here... plus in any cave you're not using any heating source for a good 9 months of the year really are you...
Good luck cave hunting - you'll love it!
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Post by Dave Wed Nov 23, 2011 9:31 am

Welcome to the forum Cave Hunter.
You'll find that there all different styles of caves, some with brick facades some without, some with tiled roofs, some without, some with crap chimneys, some with good. Its the same as anywhere, some good, some bad and as eco friendly as you want to be.
Have a good look around and get plenty of advice.
Have fun! sunny
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Post by Columbo Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:00 am

Hello Cavehunter.
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Post by cave hunter Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:54 am

Thanks for all the advise, will be starting to look sometime soon. Though not sure what area or even what type of cave.

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Post by Metaldunk Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:42 pm

I'd get an estate agent to show you round lots of places with your own criteria... Make sure you have a walking distance bar that serves good food too! Smile also good to stay for a bit where you end up looking...
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Post by saci Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:01 pm

for a large number of caves / especially those with add-ons - the add-ons will be the colder part of the house -so if it's 8-9c outside it will be similar inside. There are days you would go outside in the morning towarm up. Total cave - advantage- ambient 18c 4seasons. Disadvantage - far less natural light - which research shows increases glucose levels in the body. Here on the Altiplano, the good things is that we have dry air - but we do get cold winters. Many people start their heating in mid-October and generally you need it until mid-April. By my reckoning,that is 6 months.

Do not believe agents. As anywhere, they are representing the vendor - not you, the prospective buyer. As for bars - I think they certainly will fuzz your ability to think clearly -and in a short while, will burn a little hole in your budget in these times of constraint. But certainly a good idea to stay in the area to your liking before making a decision. However, don't be misled - this is NOT eco housing. If you would like to be assured of what ECO housing comprises of, then search Green Architecture websites. I would hazard a guess that most who make the move have "green" or "eco" as far from their minds as the moon.

Good luck
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Post by david kirby Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:33 pm

Hi Cave hunters ! lots of info ! some good some not so good but all helpful , we searched for about a year for our cave!! we only light our fire at the end of November , we do have a small facade ! our bathrooms are on the front of the cave and keep a temp of about 14c yes lower than some rooms but only for a few months of the year we have blow heaters when in use. other rooms keep about 18c living room gets up to 26c when log burner is going. we are not down in the dumps and have no damp!! If you would like to see us and the cavehouse to give you some idea of what to purchase when you are over you would be most welcome just PM me on our lovely forum !! Wink
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Post by invicta Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:39 pm

Yeah dont listen to the doomers lol!
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Post by gtclubman Wed Nov 23, 2011 6:34 pm

Although we do not live in Spain all year, our cave home is used for extended holidays and we love it. We came on holiday to the area in 2006 and liked it so much we returned in January 2007 and purchased our Cave home in the April.
We used an estate agent and a Spanish Lawyer who spoke english and would recommend both. Our cave has no outside build, and I would recomend this as most outside builds are poorly insulated and can be hot in summer and cool in winter. I would recommed there is plenty of hill above the cave with no roads or other homes as this can cause problems. Please send me a PM if you wold like any further information.
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Post by santamaria Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:47 pm

Welcome Welcome

There is for sure a massive diversity of caves and locations to choose from.

For sure we feel we have benifited from the eco elements of cave living. The thick walls and roof do provide excellent insulation from the cold of the winter and heat of the summer. A couple of logs on a winters night keep us snug and warm and in the summer there is no need for energy consuming air-conditioning. However there are some casa caves that are not fully cave and therefore the out builds will of course not offer the benefits that a full cave house has to offer.

It is always useful to hear what to look out for when buying a cave house, to avoid and pitfalls and I am sure others will be along with some more useful pointers.

Our house is not in walking distance of bar but we live in such a great community we have never missed it, but I learnt quickly you must always make sure you have tapas, beer and wine in the larder for the unexpected visits. And if you go walking don't be surprised if you are called over by a Neighbour to have a beer and tapas and be updated on any local hamlet news.
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