We bet the first thing that popped in your mind after reading earthship is some sort of UFO-ish transportation for bringing aliens to our planet. You are on the right track as these remarkable solar-powered innovations are believed to be the future of sustainable living. In addition to this, the earthship homes have a futuristic architectural touch to them, making them fit their name theme.
In this post, we’ll be sharing detailed information on earthships, starting from what they are, what’s their history, what are their design and construction aspects, where are they currently used, and what are their pros and cons. Let’s get started!
What is an Earthship?
An earthship is a sustainable house constructed using recycled or natural building materials, for instance, used tires and cans. In addition to this, it is self-sustainable, which means it doesn’t require external sources for operation such as the grid electricity.
Following are the main characteristics of an earthship:
- An earthship is constructed from reusable and natural construction materials.
- Earthship homes collect their own drinking water through natural sources.
- Such houses produce their own electricity through wind, solar, or renewables.
- Earthship homes treat their own sewage.
- Sometimes, such homeowners grow their own food.
- These houses are generally built off-grid in remote places, where either conventional facilities aren’t available or nature-loving people go to live.
Currently, there are approximately 3,000 complete earthships throughout the world.
History
If we say that different forms of earthships have been around for quite some time, then we won’t be wrong. Our ancestors didn’t have the facilities that we have now and lived in houses that had all the aforementioned home characteristics.
The question is, who constructed the first modern earthship?
The concept of the earthship was first described in 1971 by Michael Reynolds, who constructed the first modern earthship in 1988 in Taos, New Mexico. It was constructed using used empty aluminum cans, bottles, and tires.
During this time, environmentalism had first gained momentum, and new concepts were introduced, such as sustainable or natural fashion. You can learn more about it in ‘Sustainable Fashion: A Compete Guide‘.
Even though many people believe that the concept of earthships is becoming outdated, it’s actually the opposite. As people are becoming more aware of environmental degradation and the impact of conventional lifestyles, they are opting for sustainable practices.
Even though the concept of a complete earthship home isn’t implemented, there are certain aspects of it, which are being included in modern construction. You can read more about these green practices in ‘Green Building Innovations | 6 Ideas for a Better Built Environment‘.
In terms of opting for a complete earthship home, there has been a significant shift of perspective, as incorporating the techniques used in such construction and homes are becoming better, making it easier for people to construct more lavish natural homes than the ones in the 1970s.
Construction and Design
The two most significant aims of living in an earthship are to go completely sustainable and off the grid. This means, you need to address the following six areas:
- Food production
- A renewable energy source
- Internal temperature maintenance
- Water availability
- Sewage treatment
- Housing
In this post, we’ll be discussing the construction of a v-shaped self-dependant earthship. This shape is usually chosen because it makes collecting water easier and the temperature stays more regulated because of the dense nature of the material and slight underground construction.
In addition to this, tires are used as the main building material because they are non-biodegradable (they won’t deteriorate as the wood does) and hard to recycle (making them a burden on the environment).
Required Tools
Shovel (works perfectly for both hard and soft soils)
Pickaxe (for deeper excavation)
Sledgehammer
Wheelbarrow
Masonry hand tool set
Trusses
Solar panels with batteries
Wind turbine
Water Pump
Eco-friendly hot water heater
Site Selection and Excavation
The biggest factor in choosing a site for an earthship is the sun angle and direction as it will be your best source of heat and light during the day.
In addition to this, if you plan on growing your own food, then you’ll need to have a thorough look at the soil of the place as well.
Next, if you’re at a place where the sun doesn’t come up that often and the wind is your best source for power generation, then look for an area free of wind obstructions, for instance, hills or trees.
Once you are done selecting the location, start excavation. The excavation depth depends on the weather and how big you want your home to be. A general rule of thumb is five feet or deeper. Increase the depth significantly if you’ll be living at a place where it rains frequently as you don’t want your earthship to wash away.
Keep the soil that you’re removing as you’ll be using it at the later stages of construction.
Selection of Construction Materials
The most significant considerations for material selection for earthship homes are their availability, cost, and suitability in terms of the climate of the area. Consider the following tips when choosing materials for your home:
- Select materials that are available in the area and are easily acquirable.
- Choose the least expensive materials possible.
- Materials ideal for temperature regulation and intense weather mitigation should be chosen. For instance, if you’ve chosen an area with heavy rainfall, then look for roofing materials that don’t leak.
Based on these factors, the most suitable materials for an earthship are rubber tires or dirtbags for sturdy external walls, recycled cans for internal walls, and trusses and vigas for roofing.
The Construction of the Foundation and Outer Walls
After completing the excavation, the next step is the foundation. You’ll need two or more people for the smooth completion of this stage.
First, you’ll have to lay down the tires. Next, you and your construction partner start pouring earth over it. One of you will have to pour the earth while the other will have to pound it into the tires using a sledgehammer. The general rule of thumb is two wheelbarrows for a medium-sized tire, but if you’ve got a bigger one, then you’ll need more Earth.
Remember to check the bylaws for the usage of used tires in your area before starting your construction project.
The tire laying procedure is similar to that of brick-laying, which means you’ll have to first lay two tires, fill and pound them with earth, and then lay another one in between the two.
If you can afford concrete (though we discourage it as it’s harmful to the environment) or have some clay around then place it in between the tire layers for extra strength.
Since we’re going for the v-shaped earthship, there’ll be fewer tires at the back and more at the front to achieve the v-shape. In order to construct the top of the wall, use used tin cans and join them with either concrete or mud (mud is more environmentally friendly but it’s less durable).
Construction of the Inner Walls
Inner walls generally don’t need strength as they are just there to form rooms, so you can use reusable tins or bottles with concrete to form them.
The number of inner walls depends upon the number of rooms.
If you want them to be strong, then repeat the same process as we suggested for the outer walls.
Roofing
You’ll have to use the same construction strategy as that of trusses to construct your roof.
A truss is a triangular structure made from metal pools or wooden beams.
You can learn more about roof trusses by clicking here.
You can fill the gaps in the trusses with dried grass, tin cans, or other similar filling materials.
You can also use vigas.
Power Production in an Earthship
One of the main focuses of an earthship is being off-grid and they do this by generating their own power either through the sun or the wind.
You can use photovoltaic solar panels or wind turbines to generate and use solar power and wind power respectively. The selection of the best power source from these two is based on the climate of the location.
If you get a lot of sunlight, then having a solar panel is a better solution. On the other hand, if your area is mostly covered in clouds and there’s a lot of wind, then you should go for a wind turbine.
You’ll need deep cycle batteries to store the power generated from wind or solar.
In addition to this, you’ll need a power organizing module to convert direct current (DC) from wind and solar power into alternating current (AC). You can learn more about this on this link.
Due to the optimal placement of the earthship and the thermal heat flow mechanism explained earlier, you won’t need temperature regulation.
Water Production in an Earthship
An earthship is designed to collect all the water around it be it through rain or snow. This is usually done through the shape of the house, which directs the water from the roof to the back of the house into a cistern via a gutter that has a filter or a sieve on top of it to stop solid particles from entering the water.
This water is then directed to a water organization module to convert it into safe and drinkable state.
Once the water is purified, it is pumped into a pressure tank to use for drinking and other purposes. The direct current pump is operated via the deep cycle battery.
You can use a solar-powered hot water heater to warm water for various uses during cold weather.
Sanitation in an Earthship
Most of the water used in the earthships is treated and reused to complete the sustainability cycle of water. The water or sewage system of earthship homes is divided into three main parts:
- The water catch
- Greywater treatment and reuse
- Blackwater treatment and reuse
We’ve already discussed rain and snow water catching and treatment in the above section, so we’ll be focusing on grey and black water in this one.
Greywater is the used water of a household that hasn’t come in contact with feces.
This is the water used for bathing, cooking, laundry, and other similar chores.
Even though it contains some contaminants such as household cleaners and shampoo, it is considered safe for irrigation after treatment. You can also use it for flushing toilets.
You can filter and reuse greywater after passing it through internal planters whose roots and soil soak up the nutrients and the contaminants, leaving it clean for irrigation purposes.
Even though greywater can be used after filtration for irrigation purposes, you shouldn’t do the same with black water. You can either divert it to the city’s sewer lines, or you can use decoration plants to soak up this water, filter it, and eventually add it to the groundwater.
You can collect black water by sending it directly to a septic tank from the toilet, where it is broken down and treated to a certain extent before being sent to the ornamental plants.
Where are Earthships Used?
People have earthship homes in all states of the United States. In addition to this, such houses have been built in over 20 countries by sustainable lifestyle enthusiasts and as emergency shelters.
Earthship houses are considered homesteads in Guatemala, whereas, they served as saviors, in the form of emergency shelters, in earthquake-hit Haiti.
There is even an entire earthship community in Taos, New Mexico, the original pioneers of this concept. It has 7 residences. You can visit them, and even stay overnight, to enjoy the peaceful and natural life that earthships offer.
Earthship Pros
Some of the biggest pros or advantages of earthships are as under:
- Earthships tackle climate control (artificial control of internal temperature) and embodied carbon (CO2 emitted in producing materials).
- Some of such houses are carbon negative.
- Earthships offer financial freedom as they have free food (people living in such houses grow their own food) without utility bills (renewable energy sources are used to power them).
- They are simple to construct (for people who are well-versed in construction and have a creative mind) with inexpensive materials.
Earthship Cons
Following are some of the cons or disadvantages associated with earthship homes:
- Even though earthships are sustainable in nature, their implementation on a large scale could have a higher impact on the environment in terms of transportation than high-rise buildings due to the requirement of a dispersed urban planning model.
- The resale value of earthships isn’t good as they are mostly built in remote areas with fewer facilities as compared to conventional homes, making their target market narrow.
- They are difficult to construct (for people with little or no knowledge of construction) and are generally small.
If earthships are a step too far for you in terms of a sustainable lifestyle, then have a look at ‘Sustainable Living Ideas to Incorporate in Daily Life‘ for more subtle ideas.
We hope by now you would have become familiar with the concept of an earthship, a sustainable house with minimal carbon footprint. If you want to take your sustainable lifestyle a notch up, then these houses are one of the best creative and natural solutions for you.