LT I am happy for you. Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you have to take the bull by the horns. You have done so, and I applaud you for that.
ICF's are great. I looked into them a lot and to me/for me they are not the way to go. By having insulation on both sides you lose the benefit of the thermal mass on the inside/living space. Thermal mass on the the inside goes a long way for comfort in living space.
I have been to Rob Roy's school/home "Earthwood" and to some other Cordwood homes. The are beautiful and labors of love. They are very labor and time intensive though. In the end it is truly a very unique place. Wood Species is a huge part of success with this type of building. Norther White Cedar is considered a top way to go. Hard woods are horrible. They can be pretty comfortable homes, but, they do have their unique issues.
Regarding "going underground" and other alternative building styles, you may find some interest and inspiration in the English TV series Grand Designs. There's an episode guide here. Note for instance Series 3, Episode 7. No doubt you can find the DVDs at the video rental or perhaps even the library (mine has them). Basically a camera crew follows a family through the construction of their dream home and all the dramas and obstacles they face. I only recall about 2 projects coming in on budget, so there's a cost to trying new things.
