One of the quintessential American dreams is for one day to own your own property, to have your own land, and of course with that land ultimately purchasing or building a residential house upon it. As you might imagine in a mature country such as America with its phalanx of lawyers and regulations there are plenty of obstacles and mazes that are necessitated in regards to the purchase and pursuit of your particular housing dream. For instance, in virtually any city in America, there is a height restriction of the structure that you want to build, which may be based on the lot size, the time period of when you bought the property, zoning restriction laws, and the like, not to mention the fact that if you are proposing to build your own custom-built home you will have to create and ultimately get your building permit approved.
There is, however, another way to contemplate your dream home and that is to recognize that with the exception of land that is bought to which you have either knowingly or unknowingly conveyed your mineral rights, the land that lies beneath your property is yours to develop and to utilize, subject as always, in all probability, to governmental regulation and oversight. The idea to live underground, so to speak, isn't unique to the human species, as many animals in especially inhospitable climates like to burrow and/or spend considerable time underground such as rodents, foxes, and snakes. The advantage of living underground is often the fact that the temperature extremes of both hot and cold are significantly mitigated by doing so.
There are, actually, certain towns to which it is fairly common to build virtually the entire structure of the home underground because it is more practical, more cost efficient, and more comfortable. For the most part, though, when it comes to true underground living it is the fear of being in an enclosed space, trapped beneath ground, with the attendant concerns about oxygen and light that makes a significant portion of people, hesitant about the whole thing. However, most people when buying land have no intention of actually creating the entire living structure underneath it, but might be intrigued about the possibilities to add additional square footage, sight unseen to the general public, of whatever their mind's desire is for the underground of their property.
While in today's world, underground additions to one's property, are typically the exception and not the rule, in cities throughout the world, to which the cost of land itself is high, combined with onerous regulations for building above ground, there is a strong reason to believe, it not above, than below. In fact, cites such as Singapore, Beijing, and London all are experiencing a boom in underground development and living. This trend should continue worldwide because in situations with high population density as well as limited land, it makes good common sense.
It would not be far fetch to believe that in tomorrow's master planned communities, that an option for a true underground addition might be offered to prospective buyers, and for those that already own their own homes, more often we will see serious contemplation that an underground addition to a home might easily allow for the placement of in-laws, or an entertainment center, or gym, or library, without really the neighbors ever even knowing that the Joneses have actually pass them by.