Earthships and off-the-grid-dwellers, NM.

[Suzanimal]

Just beautiful, I could live there.

More pictures and descriptions at the link.

The high desert around Taos, New Mexico, is a vast and open expanse, intercut by the deep gash of the Rio Grande Gorge. It’s a desolate, volcanic landscape that hides ancient petroglyphs, hot springs and crumbling ruins.

In the last couple of decades, it’s also become the home to communities of off-the-grid-dwellers, sharing a new interpretation of the American Dream. Resembling fantastical sets from a post-apocalyptic Hollywood movie, their abodes work in synergy with the land, harnessing the forces of passive solar heating with traditional adobe building techniques, using foraged-for recycled materials, like tyres, bottles and aluminium cans.

At times, these dwellings are barely discernable above the desert sagebrush. Mole-like, their inhabitants have burrowed into the ground; escaping the summer heat, yet coddled by the warmth of the earth in the cold winter months.

http://www.whileoutriding.com/usa/new-mexico/earthships-and-off-the-grid-dwellers-nm

 

[tod evans]

Cool and interesting but I need rivers!

 

[luctor-et-emergo]

It's pretty awesome. Not easy to build though. I have watched a documentary on similar eco homes and they required an extreme amount of manpower to build. I believe a crew of 12 worked for nearly a year on a 3 room single story 'house'. It looked awesome and had some comforts in it but it seemed like too much work to me. Although the building materials they used were 80% free I think. I'd like to build my own house, except I'm (too) good at getting lost in details.

 

[TonySutton]

Earthships got me interested in building my own home but they use a lot of concrete which means in a SHTF scenario you might lose access to building materials. This moved me into cob, earthbags and superadobe. I really appreciate the contribution Mike Reynolds has made to move housing towards something which is more sustainable and that does not cost an arm and a leg, just lots of labor. He has also proven methods to remove yourself from public utilities. The work he has done with water conservation through reuse is amazing.

 

[Suzanimal]

Cool and interesting but I need rivers!

Yeah, I'm with ya there.

Earthships got me interested in building my own home but they use a lot of concrete which means in a SHTF scenario you might lose access to building materials. This moved me into cob, earthbags and superadobe. I really appreciate the contribution Mike Reynolds has made to move housing towards something which is more sustainable and that does not cost an arm and a leg, just lots of labor. He has also proven methods to remove yourself from public utilities. The work he has done with water conservation through reuse is amazing.

Now you've got me looking at some of that stuff, very cool.

Superadobe

 

[jtap]

I am skeptical of these and my research has not made me very confident that they would be worth it. I feel that I can build a "normal" house for less per square foot. I also don't think their method of using a ton of concrete to build a house is that much more environment friendly just so that you can put some bottles or cans in it. I do think the walls with the glass to let in the light are quite artistic and nice.

I certainly do not like the idea of tires in my walls at all. From what I read they give off some gases as they break down. ugh.

Here is some information I came across.

http://www.archinia.com/index.php/58-publications/publications/216-earthship-pros-and-cons


I have been more impressed with the aforementioned superadobe.

 

[presence]

I feel that I can build a "normal" house for less per square foot.

The goal in building an "earthship" is not reduction of price per square foot but increase in thermal mass of exterior walls; the goal is to build earthen walls 2' thick or more; preferrably on south facing slope like a "partial basement". Then the home is essentially underground which means your seasonal heating and cooling is buffered at 50' F, which greatly reduces fuel needs. Aside from stacking tires I've seen "compacted earth" where you use forms like pouring concrete but fill them with local clay, stone, sand and lime; then vibratory compact the forms. I've also seen double walled concrete block with 24" or more of earth between. If you couple "earth ship" N and W walls, with "passive solar" E and W walls, and a r60 spray foamed roof, you can have a home with essentially zero energy needs for heating.

 

[presence]

dup

 

[jtap]

The goal in building an "earthship" is not reduction of price per square foot but increase in thermal mass of exterior walls; the goal is to build earthen walls 2' thick or more; preferrably on south facing slope like a "partial basement". Then the home is essentially underground which means your seasonal heating and cooling is buffered at 50' F, which greatly reduces fuel needs. Aside from stacking tires I've seen "compacted earth" where you use forms like pouring concrete but fill them with local clay, stone, sand and lime; then vibratory compact the forms. I've also seen double walled concrete block with 24" or more of earth between. If you couple "earth ship" N and W walls, with "passive solar" E and W walls, and a r60 spray foamed roof, you can have a home with essentially zero energy needs for heating.

Cooling is my issue, not heating. The south facing sloped windows worry me as do many of the things they do. I am a fan of a lot of the ideas. Their water usage ideas are good. I would like a way to use modern building methods to make a home that is more efficient and keeps stable temperatures without needing a ton of electricity to do so.

The main thing is that earthships as they are built for the location they were designed to be don't transfer to any climate and there can be issues so you need to know what you are getting into.

There is a cost per square foot that would be so high to make an efficient home that it wouldn't be worth doing, for me.

 

[William Tell]

Oh, this is about the crazyass guy from Garbage warrior!

 

[presence]

Cooling is my issue, not heating. The south facing sloped windows worry me as do many of the things they do.

With any of this I'd suggest consulting an architect that was familiar with passive heating and adobe construction if you're not comfortable with this type of thing. My home has all south facing windows and is somewhat passive solar. The overhang on my south facing roof does not allow the sun into my home in the summer but I get full sun in my home all winter.

 

[Shane Harris]

I was there a couple months ago while visiting Taos. Very cool, says the boy with an architecture degree lol