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Neanderthal Places. "It all feels so primeval," says Vito Bialla, explaining why he had a cave built for himself on his Napa Valley property, reports Marco R. della Cava in USA Today. "It's a 'me Tarzan, you Jane' kind of thing, an ancient memory that speaks to being safe in your own private hole." Vito's cave is a 1,700 square-foot, handcrafted hole, "whose centerpiece is a dining nook dotted with candles." His cave is not the only one. The memo says that "cave building could well emerge as the next great trend among a populace whose passion for their domiciles continues to push the U.S. housing market to uncharted heights."
So far, most of the caves are being built in California, by outfits such as Bacchus Caves, bacchuscaves.net. Bacchus previously built mostly commercial caves, for purposes of storing fermenting grapes. But now the company says about 60 percent of its clients are homeowners. "We'll do about 13 caves this year for individuals, which amazes me," says Dave Provost of Bacchus. "In the past few months we've started to hear from people all around the country, not just here in wine country." One fellow, Jonathan Rothberg of Gilford, Conn., is planning to put "a fake natural hot spring in his 3,000 square-foot cave."
But getting back to "fake natural" isn't the only appeal. As it happens, it's much cheaper to build under ground (about $150 psf) than above (about $500 psf). It's also "easier to get building permits" to build a cave. And they are green-friendly: "From an environmental standpoint, there are pluses, including that fact that the constant temperature reduces heating and cooling needs and saves energy," say Brian Gitt of Build It Green, build-green.org. But mostly the appeal is that caves are just so cool. As Vito's wife, Linda, tells it: "Well, I wanted a master bathroom, and somehow I ended up with a cave. But I love it. We had a big party the other day and people were in here for hours and hours, playing guitars, sipping wine, and just having an amazing time."
Tim Manners, editor
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