Learning About Earthships

Written by Earthship Biotecture

Sustainable, "eco homes" in the form of an Earthship-home
cannot be a multi-million dollar vessel that only the rich can afford.

Everyone is entitled to voyage into the future.

The concept, design, and actual method of manifestation of an Earthship must be developed with this in mind. In addition to interfacing with natural phenomena, this concept must interface with the nature of the common person.

The concept of thermal mass housing works both to cool and to heat. Natural dehumidification is also possible.
The buildings can be adapted to whatever extreme necessary for more performance in cooling, heating and/or dehumidification.
We have a new book called COMFORT IN ANY CLIMATE that fully explains this. More about this book here.

Thermal mass structure can be achieved with many materials - earth rammed tires being the most economical and having the best structural integrity. However, concrete, stone and adobe work well also, as long as the building is "tuned" to your climate. These conventional methods are simply more expensive to achieve the same thing.
All other aspects of the Earthship concept, the catch water and waste water treatment systems and the solar/wind power systems, are tuned to your climate and your local codes as well. We have the support of states officials on these systems. We often ÏdovetailÓ into existing Ïon gridÓ systems for backup.

We have many generic points of departure to try and take advantage of what we already have worked out, but usually some customizing is necessary. Any custom amenities are possible and can be integrated into the function of the home. It is simply a matter of "off the rack" designs being cheaper and often performing better than custom.

While Earthships exist in almost every state and in many countries around the world in virtually every climate habitable; we do not give out contact information or locations of earthships. These are private homes. They usually are not in to receiving visitors and questions after the initial wave in the beginning. It has become an invasion of their privacy.

Earthship is a concept - not limited to tires - it is a building that will take care of you by interacting with and encountering the biology and physics of the earth. Concrete Earthships are now available in all "off the rack" designs. They are just more expensive than earth rammed tires.

Earthship homes will work in any climate. One first step is to confirm if the earth rammed tire building method will pass codes in your area. We can help with this as well. There are a few places that it is more trouble than it is worth to get the earth rammed tire method through codes. In this case you must use concrete, adobe or block to achieve the same design Ò our services involve all methods of creating the thermal mass building.

BALLPARK COSTS ARE AS FOLLOWS...
33% LABOR
34% MATERIALS
19% SYSTEMS
11% SUBCONTRACTORS

BASE THE ABOVE ON ABOUT $150 PER SF FOR THE PACKAGED EARTHSHIP AND $160 FOR THE MODULAR AND MORE FOR THE CUSTOM.

These prices reflect the fact that you are building your utility systems as well as your shelter.