Hi,

Earthship fascinates me, but I am not interested in giving EB any money. Are there similar organizations/projects/internships that anyone can point me towards? I'm not necessarily looking for free or even low-cost programs. I'm specifically averse to EB.

Reason: rape allegations, and how poorly EB is handling them (seems like they're all but ignoring them). Don't want to support that guy.

If you use tires do they expand and contract with heat and cold? If so how do you avoid that change in pressure being too much against walls or other parts of an earthship and even causing damage?

I've seen mold as an issue for some unsealed tire walls and saw for some it was a massive hassle to fix, how would one properly seal everything to prevent a moisture issue?

I know concrete is very porous and often times when it's used regardless of where or how in most things it will crack and shift which can be an issue for structural integrity and the looks and use of whatever it's used in. How does one avoid cracking if using concrete, and if you can't really then what are better options? Is terracotta or other similar alternatives better in that regard or about the same? Also to prevent mold would adding something like copper to a concrete mix make the concrete antimicrobial? And along with that would copper dust added to a mix be a toxicity issue?

I have ideas and a want for an earth ship but I wouldn't want the making of it to be toxic or unsafe due to some recycled materials like plastic/tires, aluminum, or the like. I have seen debates on wether or not tires will off gas or be toxic to those living in the home and it would be nice if someone could clarify if it's safe or not?

What are some long lasting and non-toxic (as much as possible) materials that would be good to use when building an earth ship?

I've also seen discussions on slanted windows being an old design and that there was some sort of issue with them and so newer earth ship plans changed that, is this true and if so what was the issue and what do the improved versions improve?

Lastly, from experience with earthships like living in them or staying in them what are the pros and cons? Mainly what are the downsides to making, owning, and living in earthships in your personal experiences?

I’m posting this link to our bermed-earth home as a driver of discussion and questions-and-answers. I have a number of friends who built similar homes, and they did some things differently. There are a number of ways to accomplish the build. I General Contracted our build, with the help of many very able and qualified contractors.

We are not a “true” Earthship. We have a conventional well. At the time of our construction it was illegal to collect rainwater in Colorado. We are also On-Grid with Netmetering. There was electric service on the 5-1/2 acre lot when we purchased it. Lastly, we have a typical septic system (no grey water, etc.).

We used tire bales for our Bermed walls, in lieu of rammed-earth tires. The bales are about 5’x5’x2-1/2’ high, and weigh about a ton each. Here is a link to our home. It is currently for sale. I don’t want to move, but my wife does for health reasons.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3695-Hare-Haven-Ln-Colorado-Springs-CO-80930/121238138_zpid/?view=public

Greetings from Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA! Our family is hosting a cob building workshop with Cruzin Cob Global in August to October 2025. Enrollment is taking place now for anyone interested in earthbuilding.

In summary, this is a 5-week long intensive workshop. Students are welcome to tent camp on our property (Talking Water Nature Retreat) or rent one of our cabins at a reduced rate. Meals during workdays will be provided by us and weekends are free to explore Chattanooga. All monies go towards Cruzin Cob Global and the end result is that our property gets all the good vibes and beauty that comes from this build (we intend to create a ceremony room for marriages, yoga, spirituality, reunions, etc).

The detailed information for the workshop can be found at this link: https://cruzincobglobal.org/.../cob-ceremony-ritual.../

Our family has worked on earthbuilding before. We use lime plaster over every interior wall, including over hempcrete. We have handbuilt a cabin using cordwood construction and I will be leading some short cordwood workshops in 2025 as well. We have participated in a cob workshop and are psyched to be hosting now! Our retreat, Talking Water, can be found at https://talkingwatertn.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/.../Talking-Water-Nature.../

I am attaching our flyer below.

Thanks & best wishes to all!

I understand earthships are prone to issues in cold climates, including having insulation and mildew/mold issues. Have people overcome this? Or should I be looking more at straw bale houses?

Does anyone know how water collection and roof construction would work for an Earthship in southern Sweden Are earth ships even legal there?

Hi guys, just wondering if anyone knows of a good program (preferably free) to design earth ships external and internal? I want to play around with a few designs and have something a little better than a few hand drawings

I live in an Earthship style home. I have a conventional well and septic, and I am on-grid with renewables and net-metering. But other than that, all else is TOTAL Earthship.

At one time, it seems like Earthships were cool. It is the one home-style that can boast true Net-Zero. They have always been anti- establishment, but they were perceived as COOL. Is this attitude reversing, or is it my imagination?

Well, it's always been my dream to have an Earthship, but I read an article last night that explains that they just don't do great in the cold due to the lack of insulation, and that they aren't the most environmentally friendly thing on the market these days. On paper, the Passive Haus design is allegedly much more suited to a cold zone climate.

The thing is, I just think these Passive Hauses are hideous. I think most modern looking homes are hideous. Hard lines, building block houses, they look lifeless and sterile. Now compare that to an Earthship and they just look so phenomenal. Lots of flowing curves, lots of texture, wood that looks like it came from an actual tree, plus all the glass features, ect. I'm kind of thinking that I would be willing to put up with having to put a cardigan on inside the house every now and then, if it means I get to live in a house that looks like the Elves set up shop in Tattooine rather than Rivendell. I feel like architecture should be about more than just make a house, it should be about making a home. And for my tastes, the Earthship design nails that.

I basically want to hear from anyone who has actually lived in a cold zone climate in an earthship. Does it work? Is it worth it to live in something that's so beautiful, even if it's a little less practical? Does the glass house section of the house get too muggy and damage the structural integrity of the property?

Give me the truth, gang. Do I go for a Passive haus, modern design? Or an Earthship?

Has anyone ever looked into melting plastic to seal between bottles in a bottle wall instead of using cement or Cobb?

This is never been used and in the shipping crate. It's free for pick up or delivery. You would have to pay shipping if you didn't pick it up. It cost $500 to ship to me. I'm located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

https://www.earthed.co/lessons/module-1-building-the-earthship-idea/

Hi!

I was curious if there were any folks on here that are located in Eastern Washington that I could discuss with about their build. Looking to move and build there in the next couple years. Thanks!

So earthships are a brilliant concept, not arguing that at all. Marvels of system planning and self-sustainability.

However. They feel very limited in their capacity? In rural/semi-rural setting they seem to work wonderfully, great for homesteaders and off-grid folks, or lower pop. communities and ecovillages. Perfect family homes or for small groups.

High-density city life isn't going to fade into obscurity, though, and I'm wondering how we can scale the concept up to suit the needs of urban communities? I've seen a couple ideas but they didn't seem to understand the sustainability aspect of the assignment.

Have you heard of any large capacity builds? Projects designed for urban settings? Have any ideas on how to scale the concepts of an earthship living system to hold multiple family units? Think it’s a fool's errand and we should head in a different direction entirely?

Hoping to generate discussion more than get a solid Answer, hope you have a good [timezone-specific salutation]

Recently purchased undeveloped land here, and I'm wondering if the soil and elevation of the area would make it a less-than-ideal region for building an Earthship. Elevation is about 90 ft above sea level, and we are not close about 2 hours from the coast, but there is a river a few miles away. However, the land sits on a hill, and there is no history of flooding. Soil is a bit sandy so I am wondering of this would still work for earthship construction? Thoughts? TIA!

I've been looking at earthships for a long time, and there are two or three earthships here in Arizona but none are fully functional none are totally off grid. Is it possible in the low desert not the high desert, to build a fully functioning off-grid earthship that can handle 120° temperatures in the summer? I have 20 acres and Eloy and I plan on building one but I have not seen Mike Reynolds or anyone else build in Arizona with a proven concept of being able to last in the summer. ?

I purchased a domegaia aircrete form. It's still in it's packing crate. It would need to be picked up or you could set up transportation. It's free. Needs to be gone in September.

domegaia concrete form

I have a hard time believing, especially in areas of the world where radon is even a bigger problem, that this system wouldn't be funneling radon into your house. Has anyone done any radon testing in an earth tube cooling house?

Current code requires a vapor retardant below the slab and a method for pulling the radon from the bottom of the house and ejecting it out the top of the house with a fan. Bypassing the entire house.

For financial and geological reasons, a typical earth tube that feeds straight into the house won’t be a solution for me. My “fix” is to have a few corrugated pipes over a 150’ span that will feed cool air to my outdoor unit and lower energy usage. The main benefit that I see here is that I wouldn’t have to worry about water in the pipes as much as if they came straight into the house. I have an old unit that still runs fine and I feel like tossing it for the sake of energy savings is kind of counter to the goal of sustainability. Please let me know if there are any major flaws in this plan.

ive heard people say earthships like to be lived in its good that someones there to open windows etc , would a tiny house be a better option than a earthship for someone who has to leave their dog at home while they work during the day ? concerned about the heat

HI!! We are working with an owner to purchase their earthship. It was built in 2007 and the current owner consulted with Earthship Biotecture on the design and building plans, and hired labor from the Taos team for the construction and tire packing. The berm is roof height all along the back wall of the house, and the berm is mostly rocks and soil from the property, we believe it has a high concentration of clay.

The issue is on the inside wall in the bedroom, it's the berm wall, and there's a bulge, most likely due to the fact that clay does quite a bit of expansion and retention with temps and water (we think?!). The bulge is about 5 feet in height and 2 wide.

We think the path forward be to remove berm, reposition/repair the exterior tire wall, then rebuild the berm? Then restructure and resurface the adobe and plaster the interior? Has anyone ever seen/repaired this type of issue?

Other than that it is a beautiful and very standard earthship, with 40 feet of greenhouse with grey water, and solid, no cracks or other issues anywhere on the interior. The current owner has only used it less than 10 days a year, so it feels very new. Solar was all updated panels/inverter/battery bank less than a year ago and the sistern is full due to good snowfall this year. So mostly yay!

https://preview.redd.it/o4nvxslzaxad1.png?width=1466&format=png&auto=webp&s=c10f416df12dc4668f8dacc423752f31a70a5273

https://preview.redd.it/ygyj31t7bxad1.png?width=2166&format=png&auto=webp&s=1924f679eac4d4721bfa1cd4e974b3688c19f0eb

Didn't know where else to post this, not exactly core earthship related.

I am building a patio on a sloped sight in Colorado Springs.

I have access to a lot of tires & having an interest in earthships, I thought my retaining walls could be tire walls.

I've spoken with city building dept & as long as my wall is under 48" (it is) I will not need permits & anything under that is considered landscaping & doesn't really have rules. Why tires? cost. The tires are free & I have over 200 linear feet of walls to make.

My site is poor draining clay based soil that gets all mucky when saturated. I will be scraping the top layers off & compacting 1.5" recycled crushed concrete into moistened earth for stabilization. I will dig a shallow trench (18"ish) as a footer, filling with the same crushed concrete & laying the tires on top of this. The footer will continue to the drainage easement & a dry well I have already built to mitigate the neighbors runoff.

The highest wall will be approx 40" from grade. Underneath the patio will be back filled with the same crushed concrete to create a giant dry well. We don't usually see a lot of rain/snow... but get an enormous downpour from time to time. I will lay a traditional paver patio within the tire wall structure.

1 - My primary question is this - Can I fill all courses of tires with the same crushed concrete I'm using elsewhere? I am concerned that I won't have enough fill dirt to pack them with; as well as drainage & movement caused by the swelling of saturated clay.

If you have the time & inclination, some other questions..

2 - Having access to so many tires, would it be prudent to use them on the inside of the wall (similar to geo-grid)? The idea for this comes from the work done by Samuel Bonasso in stabilizing roads - mechanical concrete.

3 - Angle of repose. In researching tire walls it seems that even for very high walls, the angle of repose of the retained material is not considered; as the wall itself is very steep. I am assuming that I should not be concerned with this in my project. A wall with 1.5" setbacks would be ideal for my plans. Thoughts?

4 - finishing/render. Any info/howto's on finishing the exposed tires? I would like to do a stone veneer but would be worried about the mortar failing due to movement. I could parge the walls & carve/stain the look, again.. concerns with failing. Or should I stick with a colored adobe mix?

5 - Should I use concrete in any of the courses? iirc the original earthships had concrete in the top course to act as a bond beam.

Thank you so much for any time given in answering.