/r/earthship
The Worldwide Earthship Community.
This is a subreddit to post information about the Earthship housing system.
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/r/earthship
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Tire walls and the end of life for an earthship
What becomes (how do you dispose) of the tire walls at the end of an earthship's life?
14:32 UTC
Need recommend in Colorado
No architect or engineer in our area will work with us! They said they haven’t even heard of these houses before and since they have no experience with them they won’t work with us to stamp our plans, which the county is requiring to move forward with permits. Anyone know an architect/engineer in CO state that has worked with these homes before? There are more than 8 of these in the state but we haven’t been able to find any information on how they got their permits or who they worked with. Thanks in advance
13:48 UTC
Passive cooling piping?
Hey Earthship folks!
I’m doing a build and have most things figured out. One issue I’m having is I can’t find info on the best material to use for the underground tubes for the passive cooling. I’ve heard that if you use plastic or corrugated the water builds up and creates mildew.
Has anyone got insight or a link of what materials to use to burry this piping?
04:09 UTC
Looking into working on Earthships at 19
Hello all, I am a 19 year old guy who is living and working in Pennsylvania. I did not go to college, and I am planning on doing seasonal work and living out of my car quite soon when I have a bit of money saved up and all the gear I need. I recently discovered the concept of an earthship, and it is everything I have always dreamed of in a home. This is exactly the type of sustainable home I would want for myself and my family one day, and with no true career path, I would love to dedicate myself to a cause like this I truly believe in. If anybody has any advice whatsoever on how they got into working on earthships, whether it was through volunteer programs, internship, the academy, field studies, etc, any information helps.
22:38 UTC
Can I build diy earthship anywhere in Australia?
I'm fascinated building own Australia has so many laws around building. Is there anywhere in Australia the laws are relaxed? Or what country would you reccomend? Considering moving somewhere I have rights.
03:22 UTC
Luxury earthships for Tropics?
Hello! I am looking to design a luxury earthship created for the tropics. Does anyone have any experience in this area? Any jumping off points for research? Material suggestions? Resource recommendations welcome!
02:35 UTC
I want to get some kind of certificate or training for earth ram.
Area I'm in doesn't need it weirdly. But I still want it for my own confidence. Anybody know somewhere I can get it done in like a week or too. Pto us hard to get haha. I have narrowed it down to earth ram blocks for ease of use.
05:24 UTC
Groundwater level
Hi!
My wife and I would like to build an earthship in Poland (Europe), and we are looking for a suitable parcel. I am wondering what is the appropriate groundwater level. Is it possible to build on land with high groundwater levels?
For example, we recently looked at a parcel with a very high groundwater level, namely 2-4 feet (0.5-1 meter). Does this disqualify it? Or are there any ways to deal with it?
I would appreciate any reply if someone knows the answer to these questions. Any sources I could look into are also welcome.
Greetings
LienSplen
14:50 UTC
Moisture in Midwest USA
Hello guys I been wanting to do an earthship for years and finally have the land to do it. My brother sent an article saying in my area (Ohio) that the climate don't work for earthship. Talking about moisture causing mold. Is this outdated bs or anyone in Midwest provide insight to this?
13:58 UTC
Volunteers wanted
Looking for volunteers starting at the end of April through November on Colorados Western Slope. Camping for tents, vehicles and RVs/Skoolies of any type available. No hookups. No on site dumping (parachute has dump sites). Unlimited water fill ups (we bring water in at our own cost) available for volunteers. We wish we could offer more but if you are interested in learning more about sustainable homes then join us!
Our property is 20 min from town, 40-1hour from Parachute, Palisade, Grand Junction, Rifle and Glenwood Springs. Join us and explore this amazing area of Colorado while you’re here or take a quick day or weekend trip to arches national park 3 hours away.
Email DirtyDeedsPermaculture@gmail.com or go to the workcamper email page on wanderlustwaypoints.com to apply if interested!
17:53 UTC
Advice on earthships regulations and layouts.
Hi, So I'm from the uk need to do a presentation on earthships. I know more than the average person as this is something I wish to do. however, i probably not even close to the knowledge you guys have. If people are able to give some advice about U.K building regulations and layout compared to U.S when building earthships or building with cob. Thanks
20:26 UTC
Thinking of making a cellar in my ES
I want a nice place to store dry food like grain etc. but no earthship has that as far as I know and I feel building a mostly underground space would be hard. Any pointers?
15:45 UTC
Has anyone made an Earthship in Texas?
Hi I'm looking for people who have made eathships, particularly in Texas. I live in central Texas and would like to know about how they got their land, how much it cost to build their house, how many people were used in their project, and how satisfied they are with their build.
03:21 UTC
Replacement for tires?
I know earthships usually use old tires for wall support, but I’m a little hesitant to use something like tires because of the potential harm long term exposure to those could cause. Is there something comparable that could replace using tires in the walls?
17:11 UTC
Where do you keep bulky, ugly stuff?
I’ve been considering an ES for a long time, but I realized that I’ve fallen for what might be an ultra-aesthetic illusion made for social media.
I’m an environmentalist, but I’m not a perfect minimalist. I need to use a vacuum cleaner for pet dander; I have big ugly suitcases for visiting family, and plastic pet carriers; I have a bunch of my grandmothers’ weird stuff that I’ll never get rid of even if I don’t use it.
But you never see an ES with big closets, and obviously attics and basements are not practical. Where do you stash your ugly clutter? Do people have a storage shed out back, just out of the frame of their beautiful photos?
16:14 UTC
To whomever may be interested in the countryside of Colombia
I am currently sitting on 25 hectares of land situated in between the capital of the country (Bogota) and the capital of Antioquia (Medellin) near one of the main roads. The land has its own water from mountain springs and various crops amongs which are included: cocoa, coffee, bananas, soursop, pawpaw, ginger, coconuts, loquats, avocados, cassava, corn, beans and various other warm climate plants. The only way to access the land is via beast or by foot from the road through the countryside which allows the jungle to retain most of its wild inhabitants. One often comes across birds of paradise, monkeys, butterflies of diverse colors and other critters. There are also various waterfalls and some natural pools to be found in the vecinity and bordeeing the land which is also mostly comprised of mountainous terrain which allows for some great views with interesting development possibilities. The biggest problem however is that this land isnt solely owned by me and the size of the estate has become quite a burden on my person. Useless would be a charming word for my associate since all he has managed to do is reap the rewards for himself whilst leaving all the clean up work for me. He has attributed nothing to the maintenance and has "other" concerns than the land but wishes to be rid of it. Since I am mostly tasked, day in and day out, with maintaining what I can, hindering my ability to seek people in person, I am hereby forced to throw this bottled message out into the vast ocean of the internet for anyone who might be seeking for or be interested in taking over such a land. If there is anyone who finds interest in this please dont hesitate to contact me directly. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
16:40 UTC
Using finely ground oats for wattle and daub?
I've been eating a lot of oatmeal and dreaming of earthships.
One thing I've noticed with oatmeal is that when it dries, it dries fast and it dries very hard.
Would it be possible to finely grind oats to use as a binding agent inside a mixture of clay, sand, plant fibers, etc and use to strengthen the construction of a wattle and dauber structure? Would the inclusion of agents like borax help with preventing insects and microorganisms eat the structure?
What other kinds of food/food waste and found materials could be used?
Just in case anyone wants to accuse me of satire, this is not that. I'm trying to think of truly sustainable ways to build eco-friendly structures that pull more waste out of the system instead of relying solely on on-premise materials that can be found in the environment.
For example, the inclusion of used tires, glass and plastic bottles, milled cardboard for insulation, the inclusion of discarded construction supplies, etc.
14:19 UTC
hi guys, so I been looking into this concept for a while now and I absolutely love the earthships. I live in Georgia, USA and was wondering if it would be even possible to build one out here ? Or is it too humid ? I tried googling it but can’t find yes or no answer 🥲
19:18 UTC
Volunteer for colorado build
We will be starting our hyper adobe earthship build this spring, we have 40 acres in a small town about 45 min outside of Grand Junction,CO and a few volunteers coming to help already. Come for a weekend, a week, a month and help and learn with us in the western slope of Colorado. Our property is raw land and off grid, we do bring in water and there are tons of amazing experiences around us, ski resorts, trails, museums, events, hot springs all from 30 min to 2 hours away depending (Moab/arches is 2.5-3 hours away) If you want to help email me at whiskywilderness@gmail.com for more info and questions.
16:33 UTC
What would you say the biggest cons of Earthships are?
I'm starting to research Earthships and other eco-friendly building methods. I've seen a lot of people raving about Earthships, but I would really like to know what the biggest downsides to having one are.
04:29 UTC
after attending an earthship academy I decided to start with a gothic arch
21:43 UTC
Looking for fellow builders to share ideas with
Hello. I am 33 and I plan to start my off grid adventure this spring. I live in the U.S. near the Canadian border. It gets cold for a few months out of the year, but for 9 months there's enough sunlight to grow in a greenhouse.
I'm trying to combine different techniques and styles of building as well as incorporating different forms of self sustainability.
If anyone would like to share ideas, we can chat here in forum form or reach out on FB messenger if that's easier.
18:55 UTC
Saved $16,000 : How to build a tire retaining wall yourself - 530 tires, 212 tonnes of dirt. See my process, tools and tips in action.
19:13 UTC
Christmas wish from Bio-Veda Academy of Bio-Tecture
18:08 UTC
Looking to connect with Oregon Earthship Builder/Owner
Hello! I was wondering if there was anyone in this group already currently living in an earth ship. My birthday is coming up here soon Dec 22 and I haven’t seen an earth ship in person yet. I live in Eugene, OR. I’ve heard most earthships are out in Eastern Oregon near Bend, so I was thinking about driving out there. If anyone would be willing to give us a tour (my wife, daughter, and possibly my son) on that day Dec 22, it would mean the world to me. Either way, glad to be here acting on my dreams with you all. Much love, Garrett.
01:00 UTC
Prelim layout sketch: This is a design I've thrown together for an earthship I want to build in Northern New South Wales. What do people think about this? Advice, thoughts? I haven't populated it with furniture just yet, but wanted some opinions.
11:51 UTC
How I built a retaining wall out of 530 tires + DIY
I want to share a personal project of mine, just completed in October 2023.
It took 2 years of manual labor, mostly 2 people, sometimes a bigger group, working mostly weekends during spring and the summer.
212 metric tonnes of dirt manually loaded and pounded :).
This project epitomizes the classic trade-off: saving a significant amount of money while investing considerable time and effort. As someone whose primary occupation involves sitting behind a laptop, engaging in this kind of manual labor was not just a welcome change but also immensely satisfying. It’s true what they say — you can take the boy out of the village, but you can never take the village out of the boy!
The challenge was to build a 30m (98ft) long and 1.2m up to 3.5m (4ft up to 11.5ft) tall wall that also bent behind the corner of the hill (90°) another 5m (16ft). The slope was gradual, but this was still a big retaining wall.
I could have tried these DIY options, but decided against them:
- a concrete retaining wall — this would involve a huge amount of concrete and steel, heavy lorries hauling all the stuff from about 20km away, and renting all the shuttering, which would cost me about $15,000. Plus, this would be *ugly* — a massive concrete slab that would look more and more battered over time. I didn’t want that.
- gabions —steel wire cages filled with rocks — a gabion is a large cage, cylinder, or box filled with rocks, used for erosion control, slope stabilization, and fortifications. Now I do like the look of those, but these would cost me upwards of $17,000 (and that’s just an estimate, the real cost would be even higher).
- cinder blocks — about as expensive as a concrete wall… and about as ugly as a concrete wall.
On top of all the negatives of these traditional options, there’s also one important one to me: I like spending time at my cottage, with friends and/or family. I like the manual work on the wall as my profession and most other projects require sitting behind a laptop. I like to have a good beer and a BBQ after a day of hard work in the sun.
If I had a company build a concrete wall for me, or even if I did it myself, it would be finished in a few weekends. It would just be another job.
This wasn’t a job, it was an experience. And guess what we should spend more time on in life ;).
Procuring the tires
Getting the tires is easy — all you need is to ask — many car services will give you tires for free, you just need to pay for the transport. Many local places used tires for something, but don’t need them anymore — they will be happy for you to take them.
That’s how I ended with the first batch of 150 tires and great enthusiasm to start. We waited until the dirt dried out a bit after winter and the work started.
Structural integrity of the wall
- solid foundation — the first row is sitting in a solid ditch — leaning against hard clay soil that won't budge
- interlocking/friction —each tire is fastened to its adjacent counterparts using wood screws, ensuring three-way reinforcement — both sides and three screws into the tire beneath. This method not only augments the friction necessary to resist movement from the soil it’s holding back, thereby reducing the impact of lateral soil pressure, but it also stabilizes each tire during the filling and compacting process. This technique simplifies the task considerably, as it allows for the arrangement of a complete row of empty tires first, which can then be filled progressively. This approach opens up the possibility for a division of labor, where one team can focus on securing the tires while another fills them, streamlining the entire process.
- strengthened bottom part — the bottom 5 rows of the wall (where the soil pressure tends to be highest) are held in place with a 1cm (0.4 inches) iron bar every 2 meters (2.2 yards). These bars are driven (pounded) about 0.5m (1.6 feet) into the ground
- angle of repose (incline towards the slope it’s supporting) — each row of tires is offset by about 10–20cmcm (3.9 to 7.8 inches) — more at the bottom, less towards the top, which makes the wall lean strongly against the soil it is retaining (at about 70 degrees angle/tilt). This means that the soil behind would need to generate several times higher pressure than usual to tilt the wall over.
- natural/long-term interlocking and erosion prevention— I have planted a cotoneaster into almost every tire — it’s a crawler that grows close to the soil and roots wherever it touches the ground. It will grow through the tires and connect each one with its branches and roots — securing the whole thing further and turning the tire wall into a green wall in about a year. And it doesn’t grow too big so its roots won’t damage the tires.
- the wall is L shaped — giving it additional strength and support, like a buttress or counterbalance to the soil’s lateral pressure
- drainage — I have ensured good drainage of the soil behind the tires (most of the land is under a roof, effectively minimizing direct water accumulation, and any excess water is taken away by underground drain pipes)
Plus the usual good attributes of a tire wall:
- wall drainage — any remaining water doesn’t accumulate behind the wall as it would with concrete. Instead, it flows freely through the tire wall, reducing pressure buildup.
- flexibility — it’s rubber — it is flexible, can move and it won’t crack. It was put to the test a month after it was finished by a magnitude 5 earthquake with an epicenter only about 10km from the wall.
- weight — each tire contains about 4 wheelbarrows of heavily pounded and compacted dirt (one wheelbarrow is ~2.2 cubic feet (0.06 cubic meters) — I have an old school smaller wheelbarrow) of soil inside, with some rocks. One wheelbarrow of soil is about 230 lb (100 kg)*4 = 920 lb or 400kg of dirt per tire.That makes 530*400kg = 212 tonnes of soil. We can add the weight of all tires too — 530 * 9kg (single tire weight) = ~4.8 tonnes. And 18kg of the ~2500 copper screws… :)Giving us a total weight of 217 tonnes (239 US tons). ***(***Shit, did we just manually shovel, wheelbarrow, and pound 217 tonnes of dirt? Oh yes we did!)
- friction between rubber tires — even moving an empty tire over another is challenging. Now imagine attempting this with a tire filled with 400 kg of dirt.
- the soil at the base of the wall isn’t newly added but part of the existing hill, making it more compact and stable. This means only about half of the wall’s height is actually retaining new soil.
- the wall’s height varies, starting at 1.25 meters and gradually rising to 3.5 meters. This slope means that only certain sections of the wall are subjected to maximum pressure, occurring at the tallest point.
Required tools and materials
Tools
The best thing about building a tire retaining wall is that you don’t need any heavy or complicated equipment, all we used was this:
- a 1.5kg (3.3lbs) hammer
- a 15kg (33lbs) DIY tamper— you can’t buy this, my handy brother made it for us — it’s a steel pipe submerged in a plastic bucket of concrete. The bucket is then removed and you have a heavy tamper made of concrete. You could probably use a standard tamper, but a huge benefit of our one was its round shape. A square one would get caught on the tire easily (a kind of recoil…)
- double-sided hook — this is a must! It is used to lift the side of the tire and allow you to pound the dirt underneath — creating a much more compact pounded tire than without it. We made it out of two standard hardware shop aluminium hooks.
- a power drill
- two shovels
- a pickaxe + this might be useful too — we created a kind of a cross between a pickaxe and a chisel — easier to chisel down the side of a slope, easier on your back too. It’s the pickaxe, but vertical, stuck in steel pipe:
- a wheelbarrow
- a spirit level — we used it a lot at the beginning, then we stopped as it was slowing us down and the tires were quite flexible and malleable.
- gloves — particularly when handling the tamper! Even if your hands are as tough as old leather, this beast of a tool can cause calluses unlike any you’ve experienced before.
- marking string — we used it to keep the tires nicely in line. You won’t need it if you are following the contours of the slope.
Materials
- about 2500 wood screws(threaded fasteners)— the majority were 5cm (2 inches) long and 0.5cm (0.2 inches) thick, we also used some triple as long where needed. I strongly recommend the Torx type, they hold on the power drill bit much better. Saves your back!
- tires! :D
- a lot of soil — as mentioned above, each tire will take about 4 wheelbarrows (depending on the size of the wheelbarrow, the size of the tire, and how much is the soil compacted).
- flat rocks — to place as a plug when two tires overlap and create a hole for the soil to escape through.
- iron bars — the more you put in, the sturdier and sounder the wall will be
- I also destroyed about 3 pairs of shorts and 4 T-shirts. They basically disintegrated under the stress of all the sweat, sun, and wear and tear…
How long did it take?
The workload for building a tire wall varies based on tire size, tools, and teamwork. Smaller tires need less soil and effort, and the tools you use can speed up or slow down the process. The number of people helping also matters. Initially, two people worked on 180 tires, but later, a team of four increased efficiency.
Daily work included 3 hours of intense labor, 2 hours of breaks, 2 hours for lunch, and 2 hours for miscellaneous tasks, ending around 19:00 for a BBQ. This schedule allowed for physical safety and enjoyment, including taking in the scenery and socializing.
A duo could compact about 8 tires a day to a dense consistency, crucial for the bottom layer. Solo, one might manage 4-5 tires. Efficiency increased with experience, allowing two people to handle 10-13 tires later.
In the first year, about 180 tires were completed mostly by two people. With increased knowledge and a team of four, around 200 tires were finished in a month. For simplicity, consider an average of 10 tires per day, totaling 530 tires in about 53 days.
Our workflow/process
- We first placed the entire row of empty tires and screwed them in. We used a marking line to keep them in line, initially also a spirit level, but stopped later on as it wasn’t needed.
- We then filled each tire with dirt, piling it up, covering the entire tire
- The soil was then pounded and compressed using the tamper (you’d be surprised that a tire that is overflowing with soil suddenly appears empty when the soil is compressed)
- Repeat (pile the tire up with dirt again, pound it down again)
- You should have the tire about 70% full and the soil should be pretty dense from the tamper, especially in the center
- Now fill it up a bit, not as much as before
- Hit the dirt from the center of the tire towards its sides — push it under the sidewall of the tire, lifting the sidewall with the double hook, so more soil enters. Hit it hard — it can take a lot
- Ensure that the tire is solid and densely packed. When you press down on its side, it should barely yield and feel firm under your touch. A less dense tire will weaken over time as the soil settles, transforming a soft tire into an even softer one. In contrast, a tire packed densely will only become slightly less dense, maintaining more of its structural integrity.
- On to the next one, only 529 to go!
- It helps to have more people working and use division of labor — each person does a specific job and things move along smoothly:
How much did it cost?
- $350 — digger
- $380 — materials — screws, iron bars, gloves, etc
- $980 — trolley (although this will serve for years to come, so not a one-off cost)
- $500 — fuel, tire delivery (before I bought a trolley)
- $450 — food + drinks for friends and family helping out
TOTAL: $2,660 (some of these costs would still happen with any other option too)
Beats $15,000 and more for the traditional options — my $13,000 saving calculation takes into account that the “traditional retaining wall options” calculation at the beginning is rough and doesn’t take into account all the accompanying work that would need to be done.
And here's how it went:
And some leftover tire ideas:
More details, images, tips and tricks in my full post https://nimblecamper.com/530-tire-retaining-wall/
10:47 UTC
Two story Earthship
I have designed a two story Earthship though I am trying to figure out a good thermal mass for the second story floor that wouldn’t be outrageously expensive or something that I could do myself. I had thought about doing a rebar concrete floor but I believe that would be quite difficult for me to do by myself. I believe that the first story would stay well heated but my second story is very open and has very few thermal mass walls in it. I’m afraid that if my floor doesn’t capture heat well then my second story will not retain heat all that well over days of overcast. Any options or ideas would be greatly appreciated!
19:32 UTC