# Off The Grid "Earthships" might just be a Game Changer - I SOOOO want one!



## Awakened_Warrior (Oct 13, 2014)

I absolutely want to build an Earthship. I am going to look at some land (several hundred acres) in a desert area. The land has mineral hot springs on site that run throughout the plot. 
I've never built my own home. Remodeled a few, but never built my own. My wife and I have been designing an Earthship of our for a while now. We got the plans and books by Michael Rynolds. He is the creator of the "Earthship" and has been building them for 30+ years and learning a LOT along the way. He has released some cool docummentary videos about them too.
Here is what Wiki says about them:
An Earthship is a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and recycled materials (such as earth-filled tires), designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, New Mexico. The term is a registered trademark of Michael Reynolds, founder of Earthship Biotecture.

Earthships are intended to be "off-the-grid ready" homes, with minimal reliance on both public utilities and fossil fuels. Earthships are constructed to use available natural resources, especially energy from the sun. Earthships are designed to use thermal mass construction and natural cross ventilation, assisted by thermal draught (Stack effect), to regulate indoor temperature.





























Has anyone else looked at these as a realistic solution for them?
~AW


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Never heard of this but will start reading up on them when I get home and back to my laptop.
Thanks for the heads up!


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

I feel any answer given about why they are not as efficient or viable option will have a hostile response defending how great they are, so hey you like it, you do it. you enjoy it. It is not for everyone.


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## Awakened_Warrior (Oct 13, 2014)

Ya you bet. There are several videos on youtube about it. I learn better by watching, so I prefer video. haha
Here is the youtube link for his documentary:


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Why do you feel that way?
If you have already looked into this, please save me the time. Wifey is already getting on to me for too much computer time.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

denton refer to my post #1


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Medic33 said:


> denton refer to my post #1


I was referring to it.
Why is it ineffecient?
As far as not being fortified, I understand what you are saying, there.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

OK, watched part of the video and I don't think I'll be joining them in the desert.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

Medic33 said:


> I feel any answer given about why they are not as efficient or viable option will have a hostile response defending how great they are, so hey you like it, you do it. you enjoy it. It is not for everyone.


^^^ THIS SHOULD BE A STICKY AT THE TOP OF EACH FORUM ^^^

Different strokes for different folks. I like the concept and I'd love to know more but after 41 laps around the sun I'm a bit of a skeptic with a genetic predisposition to cynicism. Sooooooo, while I'm not going to say "it won't work" I will say that I've studied the University of Arizona BioSphere in Tucson which was supposed to be a totally enclosed and self sufficient system and it failed the first time because they ran out of TP (see my sig line) and the second time because someone cut her hand and had to go to the ER. Mostly it failed both times because the people were so busy spending about 60% of their waking hours on some angle of remaining self sufficient. There was no time to study science or run the tests that were funding the endeavor.

But... Keep chatting it up and providing credible links to hard data and I'll read it with an open mind because I believe there is a way to do this, just that it is a picky combination and not near as easy as people think.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

dig a 100 ft hole about 40 ft wide with a back hoe in the desert make it 15 feet deep. drop a camper in it hook up your solar, water, waste/septic, then put a sturdy lid on the hole and bam you just saved a bunch of money and headaches.


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## Awakened_Warrior (Oct 13, 2014)

I don't care if you disagree. I'm not defending them in any way? I think they are awesome. I think they are hard work to build. Lots of labor. 
It seems to be one of the most thought through self-sufficient homes I've come across. 
Are there better Off The Grid living choices? I know there are a lot of different perspectives and every family is going to have a different perspective on the "fun" of living off the grid. 
I'm not looking to be hostile, I'm looking for an open discussion


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

I've always had my heart set on an earth berm home. my .02 All I'd have to do is mow the roof.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

A lot of the residents of the island of Bermuda use this type of water catchment already. They get only a few months of rain there, and water is very expensive to ship in from the mainland. It works for them.


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## Awakened_Warrior (Oct 13, 2014)

Id much rather filter and drink rain water than tap water. I won't drink tap water as it is, for obvious reasons. 
I know the powers at be are trying to pass laws (and have already passed some in some states) to make rain water "property of the government" and illegal to catch. They want you drinking their water, using their power and other services. Pretty aggressively. Interesting for a "Land Of The Free."


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

1skrewsloose said:


> I've always had my heart set on an earth berm home. my .02 All I'd have to do is mow the roof.


heck, just get a goat.

really though, These will likely not be sustainable, or mass produceable within my lifetime. Despite being made out of clay and garbage, they are still more expensive, and from a security perspective, POO POO.

Awesome idea. Once this guy's grandkids figure it out, our great grandchildren might be living in sustainable homes like these... only better.


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## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

Earthships are a cool idea if you're into this kind of thing. I understand it can be next to impossible to get any kind of bank financing though.

Some of the people living in the ones that recycle greywater to irrigate indoor plantings have had problems with mold. If you build the house too tight, you don't get enough circulation to prevent this, and if you don't build it tight, you lose a lot of the benefit of the passive solar.

Dennis Weaver (Marshal McCloud) promoted earthships in the latter part of his life, and lived in one from 1989 to 2004. His was on 20 acres in Colorado, had 3 foot thick walls, and, if I remember right, sold for over 4 million.

You might also look into earthbag houses. These are basically houses made out of rammed earth too, but instead of using tires, they use sandbags. These are cheaper, easier to build, look more like a normal house, and still share many of the benefits of earthships.

Anyway, sounds like an interesting project. If you're clever, you can advertise that you're running a "hands on" workshop on this kind of construction, charge people to attend, then get them to do most of the work for you.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

My nephews want to build a shelter made of tires filled with dirt. They think the sheep would like it because it is supposed to be cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. So far we have about 20 tires in the back. I convinced them it would be a good autumn project. I don't want to be out there when it is 90+ digging and tamping.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Its a wonder, clay bricks can be made so much easier. Is the purpose of the garbage simply to use up what can be used? To get rid of refuse?


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

No, the tires are an active part of the process. The rubber in the tires decomposes and generates heat. The City of Seattle tried to use ground tires to fill a low spot in a road that flooded any time it rained heavy. After being buried the rubber decomposed so fast it actually started to burn and the had to dig it all back up and put it out and then fill the area in with fill dirt instead. Not being ground up the tires take a lot longer to decompose but still produce heat that is usable in the winter months. My question to "Earth Ships" is what happens to the structure when the tires complete their decomposition? With the structural integrity be compromised?

Earth Ship living requires you to adapt to a different kind of living. It's very different than walking into your home and turning the heat or air conditioning on. You have to adapt to the temperatures of the season (moderated by the earth sheltered home but still much more variable than most people have in a modern home). I suppose that is why most of these Earth Ship homes are located in hot climates and not in Alaska. It is easier to cool the temperatures than it is to get heat from the half buried structures.


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