Hubby and I have been hoping, and wishing, and dreaming lately of the day when we might be able to get things in order and start building an Earthship. Okay at first when I told him about them he laughed at me. Then I brought home some books about earthships and read them while he was laying in bed next to me, on his laptop. In my excitement I think I almost knocked his computer off his lap a couple times to shove the book in front of him. But he started to get enthusiastic too, especially when he heard that I would like for him and I to do much of the building/work ourselves. Yes, this is more like a 5-15 year plan kind of dream but now that he is FINALLY on board I am super excited. All that would be missing is the eco village… that is still a no go. ;)
So what is an Earthship? According to Wikipedia’s definition, an earthship is a type of passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials. They are primarily constructed to work autonomously and are generally made of earth-filled tires, utilising thermal mass construction to naturally regulate indoor temperature. They also usually have their own special natural ventilation system. Earthships are a type of off-grid home, which minimizes their reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels.
They are basically homes made of tires, cans, bottles, recycled materials, and garbage. Usually they are halfway underground and they run completely on their own. I am fascinated with how water is used in these homes. The house is designed to send mass amounts of rain water into a cistern. From there it feeds sinks. After it goes through the sinks (aka washing dishes) then it goes into an indoor planter to water your indoor food garden. Unabsorbed water goes down into a system of pipes that feeds the toilet and then after the toilet is flushed it FINALLY goes into a septic tank. Amazing!
Energy is harnessed with solar or wind or both and the house itself is designed to handle heating and cooling utilising thermal mass. One of my fave features in many earthships is that they construct inner walls using colored glass bottles inside the clay. Then the sun shines into the house, through the bottles, and you have shards of colored light in the interior rooms… garbage can be gorgeous. I have only seen pictures of them but hopefully this spring I will finally make the 2 hour trip to see the only earthship in Ohio.
Until then I will just keep dreaming…
Recommended Reading: Earthship: How to Build Your Own, Vol. 1
Top Photo from Flickr.
I’ve been in love with the idea of havi9ng an Earthship for nearly 2 years now. I don’t know that we’ll ever be able to afford one, but they seem so amazing I can’t stop wishing.
I love Earthships! I learned about them about 10 years ago, read books, looked online etc. I’d love to build one someday. Good for you for getting motivated! I wonder a little if the tires offgas, though.
There are some great homes in our area that are hybrids–connected to the grid (just in case) but function totally off the grid.
Just wanted to comment that tires do not offgas unless exposed to sunlight, as was discovered in an extensive study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Tires not be exposed in a well built home.
~Trent
What fun! I love earth-friendly homes, and this takes the cake. Thanks for sharing. :)
I have been wanting one of these little hobbit houses since the moment I saw them: http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm
They are built with similar principles of building with the earth, not against it.
Marie,
Love those hobbit houses!
I’ve read a bit about Earthships and similar techniques. I think I like the idea of something like an Earthship, but use tire bales, instead of packing earth into the tires. The tire bales seem like less work (assuming you have a tractor or something to move them with). My wife has trouble with any home that does not look like your standard wood frame home, so I’m having trouble convincing her of the benefits of such a home, but I’ll keep trying.
Earthship or hobbit house, they are both very green and wonderful. Can’t imagine who wouldn’t want one. I think that my husband will really go for the hobbit house. Just hope that our property will support it. We shall see.
I love these homes. I think in addition to being environmentally friendly the construction is amazingly beautiful and who couldn’t enjoy being able to grow bananas at home? If we did ever move to a large piece of land we would probably consider building this style of home. Currently we are just trying our best to incorporate these ideas into the home we are re-building now.
If I say I want to build an Earth Ship my family will send me away. I’m serious!!! LOL! I think this is great. I’m not sure I want one or to build one but I’d LOVE to see one and read more. Glad your hubby is on board. Blast off!
There’s a very cool Earthship community in New Mexico. I went there a few years ago with my dad and we were impressed with how well they integrated many different passive conservation systems. Add in a thermal loop and a sewage powered microturbine, and you can generate surplus energy even when the sun is down or the wind is still. I wonder though – how do the building materials impact the indoor air quality? Using old tires always seemed like a poor choice to me (especially now that we’re developing ways to turn old tires into diesel).
I toured the same community in New Mexico and it is amazing–they were completely off the grid.
Now is the time to build! Before the economy collapses and the dollar wont buy the supplies. I am starting a hut very soon! The hut is great for it can give you shelter while you spend alot more time and money adding on the rest of the house. I cant wait to start slammin tires with dirt and sweat!! And if you live near a city,try to get the low profile tires from custom wheel shops,they are really easy to pack and make a very “square” (top and bottom) block. As apposed to a rubber larger sidewall that bulges like an egg when packed full. My first course will be 22″ i.d. tires with 20 inchers as far as I can go.